Monday morning at a dental clinic. The waiting room is full by nine. Some patients booked, some just walked in. The receptionist writes names on a sheet, answers “how much longer?” again and again, and walks out to the car park to find the patient who went to wait in the car. Everyone is tired, the people waiting and the people working.

It isn’t only clinics. Car service centres, offices with counters, pet clinics, bigger hair salons and restaurants all have the same problem: the people waiting don’t know how long it’ll be, and the business doesn’t really know who is waiting.

An online queue system fixes that. This guide explains how one works, what the parts are, how to choose the right kind for your business, and which costs to think about before you decide.

What is a queue system?

A queue system puts the people waiting for a service in order. Everyone gets a number, sees how many are ahead and is called in turn. The traditional versions are a paper list or a ticket machine that prints a number.

An online queue system moves all of this to the phone. The customer gets a number on the phone screen, sees which number is being served now, and gets an alert when the turn is close. Nobody has to stand by the counter. Your customers can wait in the car, get a coffee or sit in the waiting room.

A good queue system has four main parts:

  1. Getting a ticket: how a customer gets a number.
  2. The ticket page: where the customer follows the line.
  3. Alerts: how the customer knows the turn is near.
  4. The calling screen and the staff screen: how the business calls numbers and sees who’s waiting.

1. A queue ticket by QR at the door

The simplest way today is a QR code on the door or the counter. The customer opens the phone camera, scans, picks a service or the party size and gets a number straight away, say A013. No name to type, no account to create.

The QR needs no machine: one printed sheet, and the phone your customer already carries.

For a customer without a phone, or who’d rather not scan, staff should be able to add a ticket from the staff screen: one tap gives the next number, and the customer is told the number. Both ways should share one numbering, so the queue never doubles up.

[Screenshot: the QR sign on a clinic door, and the service choice on a phone after scanning]

More on why a printed QR does the job: you don’t need a queue ticket machine.

2. A ticket page the customer can always check

With a number, the customer should see a ticket page with everything that matters:

  • the number and the line
  • how many groups are ahead
  • the estimated wait
  • the status: waiting, called
  • a button to leave the queue, for a change of plan

The page should stay live, refreshing by itself every few seconds, so nobody has to reload it.

One question to ask before you choose a system: does the customer have to install an app? Some queue systems ask for one. That works well for people who visit the same places often and already have it. For a clinic, a service centre or a shop where customers come now and then, asking someone to download an app at the door tends to slow the line down. A ticket page that opens in LINE or any browser is easier.

The ticket page on a phone: the number and how many are ahead.

3. LINE alerts when the turn is near

People in Thailand open LINE every day, so a LINE alert is the message your customers are most likely to see, with nothing extra to install.

But LINE messages cost money, so a good system doesn’t send one every time the queue moves. The two that matter are:

  • Almost your turn: say, three ahead, time to head back.
  • You’re called: come to the counter.

Everything else is on the ticket page. And if the customer is already looking at the page, there’s no need to send a message at all.

The two LINE alerts: almost your turn, and you're called.

4. A calling display on any screen you already have

A calling display shows the waiting room which number is being served and which come next. Many owners think they need a special display. In fact any screen or tablet that can open a website works: open the calling page full screen, with a chime when a new number is called.

In a clinic, the display should show queue numbers, not names, to protect patients’ privacy.

[Screenshot: the calling display on a screen in the waiting room, showing the number being called and the next ones]

5. The staff screen with one tap to call

The business needs a screen that’s easy on a phone or a tablet, with a few big buttons:

  • Call next
  • Recall, when the customer hasn’t come yet
  • Skip, when nobody comes after the call
  • Served, when the service is done
  • New ticket, for a customer who didn’t scan

The person at the front desk needs to see the queue, not every customer detail. A system with a separate “front desk” role is safer.

Booked customers and walk-ins in one line

Many queue systems leave this out, but it matters most for clinics and service centres.

In real life, most businesses have two kinds of customers mixed together: people who booked a time and people who walked in. With a booking system in one place and a queue system in another, the front desk switches between the two and decides on the spot who goes first.

The better way is book first, then get a queue ticket on arrival:

  1. The customer books a time online.
  2. On the day, the customer taps “I’m here” on the booking page, or scans the QR at the door.
  3. The system gives a number at the booked place. Booked customers keep the booked time, and walk-ins fill the gaps between appointments.
  4. Everyone is in one line, on one screen.

Booked customers don’t lose a place to someone who walked in later, and walk-ins can see clearly how long the wait is. The full story is in book first, then get a queue ticket on arrival, and the booking side is in the online booking guide.

  1. 1Book a timeThe customer books online ahead of time
  2. 2ArriveTap I'm here on the booking page, or scan the QR at the door
  3. 3Get a numberAt the booked place, with walk-ins in the gaps between appointments
  4. 4Get alertsAlmost your turn, then you're called, in LINE
  5. 5CalledEveryone is in one line, on one screen

Which businesses need a queue system?

Any business where people wait at the same time can use one, but some gain the most:

  • Clinics: general, dental, aesthetic and veterinary, with booked patients and walk-ins (more in the clinic queue guide).
  • Service centres and offices with counters: repair centres, customer service, paperwork.
  • Bigger hair salons and car care, with lots of walk-ins at weekends.
  • Restaurants, with people waiting for tables at peak times.

If you work alone and only see customers who booked, a booking system may be all you need. A queue pays off when several people regularly wait at once.

Seven questions for choosing a queue system

  1. Does the customer need an app? If most customers come now and then, a page that opens in LINE is easier.
  2. Do you have to buy or rent hardware? Ticket machines, kiosks and special displays, or a QR, phones and a screen you already have.
  3. Can it put bookings and walk-ins in one line? Essential for clinics and service centres.
  4. How are alerts sent, and who pays for the messages? With some systems the business pays LINE directly.
  5. Is it easy for staff? Let your front desk try it for real before you decide.
  6. Where does customer data go? Can a walk-in become a regular, or is every visit forgotten?
  7. Can you see the numbers? Busy hours, how long people wait, how many gave up and left.

The costs to think about

A queue system’s price has several parts. Before comparing prices, list them all:

  • The system fee, monthly or yearly, usually per branch.
  • Hardware: ticket machines, printers, paper, kiosks, displays and installation, bought or rented.
  • Alert messages: if you use your own LINE Official Account, messages beyond the free allowance cost money.
  • Other systems you need alongside it: booking, membership, stamp cards. From separate vendors, the total goes up and the data doesn’t connect.
  • Staff time: a system that’s hard to set up or use has a cost you don’t see on the invoice.

The system that looks cheapest at first isn’t always the cheapest once everything is counted.

After the service, walk-ins become regulars

Most businesses see a queue as a way to put people in order. But everyone who waits is a chance to win a regular. When the queue is linked to your customer list, a walk-in who takes a ticket through LINE is saved as your customer, sees your stamp card on the ticket page, and you can reach the same customer next time. More on that in the CRM guide.

The Tellfox queue

Tellfox is online booking in LINE for service businesses, with customers and stamp cards in one place. The Tellfox online queue is an add-on that joins the same system:

  • Customers scan the QR at the door, or tap “Take a number” on your booking page, and follow the ticket live on a page that opens in LINE or any browser.
  • At most two LINE alerts per ticket, with the queue’s LINE messages included in the price.
  • The calling display is a private link you open on any screen or tablet, with your logo, your brand colour and up to 8 promotions.
  • Booked customers tap “I’m here” and join at the booked time.
  • Walk-ins who join through LINE become your customers, with the stamp card on the ticket page.
  • When the wait is long, a customer can book a later time from the ticket page instead of walking away.

The queue is an add-on per branch on the Starter, Business and Pro plans, and you add it yourself under Plan & add-ons. The price goes by the queue tickets a branch takes in a month, from ฿390 a month for Small. A busy month never stops the queue: you’re told at 80%. See the plans and queue sizes.

Frequently asked questions

How is an online queue system different from a ticket machine?

A ticket machine prints a number on paper, and the customer has to stay close to hear it called. An online queue system puts the number on the phone, so the customer can follow it from anywhere nearby and gets an alert when the turn is close.

Do customers need to download a queue app?

It depends on the system. Some need an app, others are a web page that opens in LINE straight away. For businesses where customers come now and then, the page is easier.

What about customers without a phone?

Staff add a ticket from the staff screen and tell the customer the number, which then shows on the calling display in the waiting room.

Can a queue system work with bookings?

Yes, and for clinics and service centres it should. Booked customers get a queue ticket on arrival and join the same line as walk-ins.

Try it first

A good queue starts with good booking. Send a photo of your price list to Tellfox in LINE and see your booking page in seconds. Try it in LINE