LA Weekly Speaks with QLess About Solving Theme Park Lines

Liz Ohanesian of LA Weekly, one of LA’s top publications, spoke with QLess Founder and CEO Alex Bäcker and quickly learned he is a problem solver. After standing in line himself at Knotts Berry Farm, Alex came up with the idea for QLess, which is now applicable for all theme park lines. A quick thinker, Alex came up with the idea by the time he reached the front of the line.

Although a Southern California theme park is yet to utilize their service, Alex stated, “If you think about a theme park, you spend most of your day standing in line. The ability to completely eliminate those lines, or reduce them to a short duration, it’s really revolutionary.”

QLess allows users to make a call or send a text in order to receive information regarding the current wait time and number of people already standing by for service. From there, customers can decide whether they would like to get in this virtual and mobile line. Allowing them to wait in line from anywhere, QLess continues to alert users as they approach the front of the line–and allows them to move further back in line in order to make it to the destination in time.

Attuned for multiple industries, QLess is ramping up in industries including retail outlets where long lines can hurt business. Other industries include government agencies, DMVs, healthcare centers, and universities. Their latest innovation, “FlexAppointments”, is key to the healthcare industry where users can change their appointment if either they or the doctor are running late.

Going back to the core innovation of mobile queuing, it is the theme park that can really benefit from QLess service. Alex explained, “It lets people do other things, explore the rest of the park, buy souvenirs, eat and drink. These parks have so much invested to make it an interesting place and usually you only see a small fraction of it.”

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