Why Waiting In Line Is A Thing Of The Past

I’ve spent the majority of my afternoon ‘working’ at Starbucks. Which means, I’ve spent most of my time watching people, their interactions, and perhaps reading the occasional email.

The obvious thing to do when you come to Starbucks is purchase a large, over priced cup of coffee. I kept waiting for the right time to stop what I was doing, get out of my chair, and stand in line to get my coffee. But the line never seemed to end, people continued to come in and the line never seemed to die down.

So I thought, “Why don’t I just use the Starbucks mobile app and skip the line?”

I pulled out my app, clicked a few buttons and without exageration, my name was called in one minute. My coffee was ready for pickup and I never had to leave my seat to wait in line.

Some might call this lazy, others may call it efficient.

Technology is no longer something we use intermitternly, rather it is something that has become fully intergrated into our lives.

Every morning I wake up, ask my Alexa Echo to tell me about the weather, read off my daily flash briefings and even read my calendar events for the day. Without ever picking up my phone or opening my laptop I am prepared for the day. The power of technology has allowed me to elimiate the wasted time of picking up my phone and reading those things for myself.

What other areas has technology eliminated waiting in line?

• Buying groceries (Amazon Fresh, InstaCart, FreshDirect)
• Ordering Christmas presents (Amazon, Jet)
• Buying tickets to a movie or sporting event (Fandango, Seat Geek)
• Even ordering food for dinner (Uber Eats, Order Up)

My background in community pharmacy can’t help but chase the rabbit and imagine how technology can improve different areas of healthcare. Whether it’s standing in line to pick up your prescription or waiting for hours to see your doctor. What if we utilize the power of telemedicine, Alexa Voice and Alexa skills to reach more people and streamline healthcare? Instead of focusing on the past, let’s look forward and fully embrace technology, the power of Voice and how we can find other ways to eliminate wasted time in our daily lives and business practices.

Waiting in line is certainly a thing of the past. Now more than ever people want instant satisfaction- getting what they want immediately. And we have technology to thank for that.

Are you currently using technology to improve your business practice or are you still romantic to your old ways of business?

Perhaps this blerb is a few years behind the times, but technology is only going to continue to improve and enhance our daily lives. As Gary Vaynerchuck would say, this is only the beginning of Voice.

I don’t know about you, but I am super excited about the future of Voice and where it might take us in the next few years.

What ways have you used technology to eliminate waiting in line in your daily life?

All my best,

Tyler Dalton

***This article is not sponsored by Starbucks, although I will not be upset if they send me a few giftcards (hint hint hint).***