Search past winners/finalists


  • MESA logo

QLess, Inc.

Gold Stevie Award Winner 2012, Click to Enter The 2014 American Business Awards

Company: QLess, Inc., Altadena, CA
Company Description: QLess eliminates standing in line by letting people use their cell phones to enter a virtual line, roam freely while they wait, then receive a call or text message when their turn arrives at DMVs, doctors’ offices, retail stores, theme parks and everywhere that people wait. QLess is interactive, allowing users to request more time, leave the line or request a status update at any time.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Computer Services

Nomination Title: Eliminating Waiting in Line from the Face of the Earth

Tell the story about what this nominated organization achieved since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

When Alex Bäcker got stuck standing in line in a Southern California theme park, he asked himself if there was no better way to wait than standing in line, a custom that dates to Ancient Egypt. QLess was born.

Americans spend 2 years of their life waiting in line. While they do, businesses lose up to 50% of prospective customers, who walk out while waiting.

Founded by a team of entrepreneurs from MIT, Caltech, McKinsey & Yahoo with 4 previous start-ups under their belts, QLess eliminates standing in line by letting people use their cell phones to enter a virtual line, roam freely while they wait, then receive a call or text message when their turn arrives at DMVs, doctors’ offices, retail stores, theme parks and everywhere that people wait.

QLess is interactive, allowing users to request more time, leave the line or request a status update at any time.

QLess is a Software as a Service company, requiring no special-purpose hardware nor any software installation, and is available from any device with Internet or cellular access.

In 2012, QLess grew from a little over a million users in 2011 to having saved more than seven million users on four continents centuries of waiting in line at MVs, government offices, urgent care centers, restaurants, Fortune 500 retail stores, hotels, theme parks, bowling alleys, salons, car dealerships and elsewhere.

Bootstrapped by two founders out of a California garage with no venture funding, 2012 saw QLess land the Kansas DMV & Texas Department of Public Safety, contracts with multiple Fortune 500 customers, and the launch of an industry first: QLess FlexAppointments. Have you ever hurried to make it in time to an appointment only to find out the service provider is running late? No more, thanks to FlexAppointments, which text you or call you if your service provider is running late, and let you push yourself back if you are stuck in traffic.

QLess boasts 99% user satisfaction, 99% customer retention and an average annual growth of over 200% for every year since inception.

2012 saw QLess featured by the BBC, CBS, Fox News, NBC, ABC, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle and leading newspapers in Brazil and Argentina, among many other news organizations.

QLess was named one of the major trends for 2012 and beyond by the “Father of Invention” and the “Dean of Futurists”.

In 2012, a carefully controlled Fortune 100 case study showed:

88% of staff thinks QLess is useful Staff comments were very positive and included: " With some improvements this could be one of the best changes to our company in a long time. Much less stressful for our staff = better fan gen and staff leaders" 29% increase in positive guest comments about the wait experience 34% decrease in guest comments about understaffing/capacity limitations Average conversion rate increase of guest to paying customer during QLess use vs before weighted by category profitability: 29% (up to 55% for some categories) An ROI of over 700% just in increased conversion rates of visitor to sale!

"What a wonderful idea...This should be WORLDWIDE".--Nicholas Negroponte, Founder, MIT Media Lab

Upload a collection of supporting files and web addresses to our server to provide more background information to the judges. You may upload any number of attachments and URLs through the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above. (Do NOT list your URLs below.)

 

Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader of this nominated organization:

Founder CEO of ab|inventio, the invention factory honored among North America’s Most Innovative Companies by the International Business Awards, and QLess™, winner of the 2010 Stevie for Best Company. Alex was the keynote speaker at Tech Week, an honor previously accorded a Nobel Prize winner, the CEOs of Cisco, Adobe & Deloitte, and an astronaut. One of "40 under 40" & a Dux Medallist, Alex serves in Caltech's Information Sciences and Technology Board. Previously Adapt founder, at McKinsey & Sandia National Labs, Alex's discoveries can be read on Nature & elsewhere. National Olympic Champion, Alex holds a degree from MIT and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. Alex has spoken at TEDxs & conferences globally, and volunteers as a youth soccer coach.