How Audio Can Enhance the Waiting Room Experience

It is estimated that the average person spends roughly two years worth of their life waiting — in the doctor’s office, in a hotel lobby, and at the airport, or in traffic to name a few instances. Typically, the action of waiting is automatically given a negative connotation, but utilizing audio throughout your space may provide a simple fix for creating a more enjoyable experience for your customers. While, oftentimes, there is no way to avoid waiting, business owners can take action to make the time spent doing so more enjoyable for customers and more profitable for the business by implementing an Audio Experience Solution (AES).

Consider the following to maximize the impact and effectiveness of an audio network in your space:

1. Create a Balanced Playlist to Generate a Desirable Vibe

Several studies have generated findings that link music with a variety of health benefits — decreased stress, slower pulse, and heart rate, reduced anxiety, lower blood pressure, and more. Music has also been said to promote a more meditative state and change an individual’s perception of time.

Whether you manage an auto shop or a doctor’s office, having content customers makes the experience better for everyone involved. In fact, studies showed that 86% of patients reported that waiting rooms with music playing made them feel more relaxed, happier, and less nervous. Scientific research has also demonstrated that music can reduce the perceived intensity of pain, especially in intensive care situations, and that positive benefits were shown for children, parents, and healthcare providers when music was playing in the emergency room.

While the value of music is clear, managers of these unique spaces must balance multiple factors in order to create the perfect playlist. One must consider genres that are appealing to all age demographics, length of the playlist to satisfy the employees that will be listening to it during their shift, and tempo in order to create the right vibe.

2. Keep Customers In The Know

While calming music has the power to decrease waiting room nerves and frustration, keeping customers informed about wait times, current offers, or upcoming events can also help reduce feelings of impatience. Through the use of audio messaging, you can make sure your customers are “in the know” and can distract from any frustration that they may be experiencing. Even better, you can select messages with a witty theme or an upbeat tone to keep positive vibes in your space. Audio messaging can also help to drive traffic to your website, blog, or social media to keep customers active and engaged during their visit!

3. Showcase Complimentary Businesses

Utilizing an AES platform, you have the ability to notify customers of deals, events, or messaging by allowing similar businesses to share information with the customers that are in your business. Your business would still have the ability to control the content and frequency to keep the desired vibe of the space, but customers have the ability to become better versed in local happenings. Utilizing this approach also has the capacity to strengthen the support of other businesses in your community or create relationships with national brands.

Interested in learning more about using an Audio Experience Solution (AES) platform and how to transform your waiting areas? Request a demo of Vibenomics today and learn how you can start creating on-brand music and messaging for your customers.