What are the responsibilities of a door supervisor when controlling queues?

Controlling queues at a nightclub or other venue is an important aspect in the door supervision role. This involves several factors such as:

Establishing a queue outside the club Controlling and managing entry Ensuring compliance with legislation, policy and procedures

Hazards should be identified by the supervisor when checking for overcrowding or avoiding physical contact between customers. The supervisor should also make sure there are no unauthorised people in the queue, which includes maintaining a safe distance from the back of the line to avoid any trouble.

Regulate Speed

The supervisor should regulate speed entering the venue by allowing entry at a steady flow (known as "pumping"), rather than allowing too many people through at once.

The supervisor should be capable of managing and resolving issues such as drunken, aggressive or unruly customers as well as ensuring the main entrance remains clear at all times for emergency services access. The supervisor must check each customer's age and photo id before allowing them into the building. Age checking is often required by law, especially if there are bars or nightclubs.

The supervisor should also be able to spot potential problems in advance, for example the signs of overcrowding due to ticket touting (when customers buy tickets for an event and sell them on at a higher price). It is also important that the door supervisor knows what to do if any violence occurs outside or inside the venue, and how to deal with any pre-existing problems that certain individuals may bring to the venue.

Safety Aspects

The supervisor should also be aware of the layout of the building, its surroundings and other factors which may affect safety within the club. For example if there is a fire escape near the queue line it may cause congestion, along with whether or not there are any safety concerns in the surrounding area.

Entry refusal is an important part of door supervision, which requires good customer service skills. While refusal can be subjective at times due to circumstances outside the supervisor's control it must be done fairly and with the aim of preventing crime or disorder within a venue. This involves using reasonability when refusing entry, which means to make sure all relevant information is given to the person being refused entry - if it's due to overcrowding for example, this should be explained upfront. If a customer becomes aggressive or abusive towards staff refusing them entry, they should be removed from the queue and dealt with further by other supervisors or door/security staff as required.

Searching at the door

Ensuring compliance with legislation, policy and procedures is another aspect of a supervisors job. This could involve searching venue customers before entry to ensure that they are not bringing any prohibited items into the building, this also applies to staff members if required. Searching should be carried out in a sensitive but fair manor so as to not cause any distress to customers. Prohibited items may include: Weapons, Drugs & Alcohol

By checking the above factors and employing good customer service techniques, queue control and entry can be achieved without too many problems. Queue lines should always flow smoothly with little waiting time for customers.

The door supervisor must also remain vigilant at all times by keeping a clear head and an eye out for any potential safety issues.

The door supervisor should be aware of the layout of the building, its surroundings and other factors which may affect safety within the club. For example if there is a fire escape near the queue line it may cause congestion, along with whether or not there are any safety concerns in the surrounding area.