The Psychology of Waiting Lines - columbia.edu

1 The Psychology of Waiting Lines By David H. Maister Introduction various 'queue management' techniques: for example, what the effects are upon In one of a series of memorable average Waiting times of adding servers, advertisements for which it has become altering 'queue discipline' (the order in justly famous, Federal Express (the which customers are served), speeding overnight package delivery service). up serving times, and so on. What has noted that: " Waiting is frustrating, been relatively neglected, however, is demoralizing, agonizing, aggravating, much substantive discussion of the annoying, time consuming and experience of Waiting . incredibly expensive." (1). As Levitt reminds us, "Products are The truth of this assertion cannot be consumed, services are experienced.". denied: there can be few consumers of Accordingly, if managers are to concern services in a modern society who have themselves with how long their not felt, at one time or another, each of customers or clients wait in line for the emotions identified by Federal service (as, indeed, they should), then Express' copywriters.

2 What is more, they must pay attention not only to the each of us who can recall such readily-measurable, objective, reality of experiences can also attest to the fact Waiting times, but also how those waits that the Waiting -line experience in a are experienced. It is a common service facility significantly affects our experience that a two minute wait can overall perceptions of the quality of feel like nothing at all, or can feel like service provided. 'forever'. We must learn to influence Once we are being served, our how the customer feels about a given transaction with the service organization length of Waiting time. may be efficient, courteous and In this paper, I shall discuss the complete: but the bitter taste of how long Psychology of Waiting Lines , examining it took to get attention pollutes the how waits are experienced and shall overall judgments that we make about attempt to offer specific managerial the quality of service advice to service organizations about The mathematical theory of Waiting Lines how to improve this aspect of their (or queues) has received a great deal of service encounters.

3 Down in separate attention from academic researchers and components, so that practicing managers their results and insights have been can begin to think about the available successfully applied in a variety of tools they can use to influence the settings. (2) However, most of this work customer's Waiting experience. is concerned with the objective reality of Copyright 2005 David H. Maister Page 1 of 1 The Psychology of Waiting Lines I also hope to identify testable waited for elevators. The natural propositions offering the opportunity for tendency of people to check their future research. The First and Second personal appearance substantially Laws of Service. Before we discuss the reduced complaints, although the actual laws of Waiting , it is necessary to wait for the elevators was unchanged. consider two general propositions about (5).

4 Service encounters and how these are As an illustration of how expectations experienced. can be explicitly managed, they note that The first of these is what I have come to "some restaurants follow the practice of call "The First Law of Science is simple, promising guests a Waiting time in but powerful, and can be stated as a excess of the 'expected time'. If people straightforward formula: are willing to agree to wait this length of time, they are quite pleased to be seated S = P - E. earlier, thus starting the meal with a In this formulation, 'S' stands for more positive feeling. (6). satisfaction, 'P' for perception and 'E' for This last example deserves further expectation. If you expect a certain level exploration. When I have discussed this of service, and perceive the service anecdote with a variety of serving reviewed to be higher, you are a satisfied personnel, they always reaffirm its client.

5 If you perceive the same level as wisdom. As one waiter pointed out to before, but expected higher, you are me: "If they sit down in a good mood, disappointed and, consequently, a it's easy to keep them happy. If they sit dissatisfied client. down disgruntled, it's almost impossible The point, of course, is that both the to turn them around. They're looking to perception and the expectation are find fault, to criticize.". psychological phenomena. They are not As a result of these conversations, I offer the reality. In a benevolent world, both my 'Second Law of Service': the perception and the expectation will have some connection to reality, but they It's hard to plan catch-up ball. are not reality. Accordingly, all service The corollary to this law is the managers must pay attention to three proposition that there is a halo-effect things: what was actually done to or for created by the early stages of any service the client, what was perceived by the encounter, and that if money, time and client, and what the client expected.

6 Attention is to be spent in improving the Fortunately, all three can be managed. perceived quality of service, then the Sasser (et al) provide good examples of largest payback may well occur in these both managing the perception and the early stages. expectation of Waiting times. For the Having established the importance of the former, they offer the example of 'the interplay between perceptions and well-known hotel group that received expectations, we shall turn to an complaints from guests about excessive examination of the various tools Waiting times for elevators. After an available to managers in influencing analysis of how elevator service might these. In each of the sections that follow, be improved, it was suggested that the title of the section should be mirrors be installed near where guests Copyright 2005 David H.

7 Maister Page 2 of 2 The Psychology of Waiting Lines considered a proposition concerning the the Waiting experience into the total Psychology of Waiting . service experience). We begin with one of the most familiar: This suggests that the activity provided to 'fill time' should (a) offer benefit in Occupied Time Feels Shorter Than and of itself, and (b) be related, in some Unoccupied Time. way, to the following service encounter. As William James, the noted philosopher The best example of this I ever observed: "Boredom results from being encountered in relation to telephone attentive to the passage of time itself. (7). waits was the story of the sports team A more colloquial version might be 'A. that, when Lines were occupied, played watched pot never boils'. The truth of highlights of the previous week's game. this proposition has been discovered by In one memorable incident, a caller was many service organizations.

8 In various transferred from the queue to the restaurants, it is common practice to hand out menus for customers to peruse receptionist, whereupon he screamed "Put me back, (so-and-so) is just about while Waiting in line. Apart from to score!". shortening the perception of time, this practice has the added benefit of It should also be noted, however, that shortening the service time, since there can be circumstances where a customers will be ready to order once service may choose to fill time with an they are seated, and will not tie up table unrelated activity. In certain medical or space making up their minds). dental Waiting rooms, there appears to be a conscious attempt to distract the A similar tactic is to turn the Waiting patient's attention from the upcoming area into a bar, which also adds to activity, perhaps on the grounds that to revenue as well as occupying time.

9 Use remind the patient of what is about to can be made of poster, reading material occur might heighten fears and hence (or even shifting lights, rolling balls and make the wait more uncomfortable. other 'adult toys') to distract the waiter's attention away from the passage of time. The wisdom of this I cannot attest to (I. 'Theme' restaurants (such as Victoria have read too many National Geographic Station) which provide interesting magazines). Even in this context, it is memorabilia to examine also are possible to provide service-related applying the lesson of occupying waits distractions. Many medical clinics as part of the service. provide weighing machines and eye charts, in the Waiting room: I have even In some situations, such as telephone seen patients merrily occupied with self- waits, it is difficult to "fill up" time in a testing thermometers, breath-strength constructive way.

10 The familiar 'Muzak'. equipment and the like. played by some organizations when their telephone-answering agents are busy is, People Want to Get Started. to many people, an added annoyance One of the other virtues of handing out rather than a benefit. In large part, this is menus, providing a drinks bar and other because the activity (listening to music) methods of service-related time-fillers is is totally unrelated to the service activity that they convey the sense the 'service to come (whereas, the use of menus and has started: we know that you are here'. I. bars cited above successfully integrated would hypothesize that people Waiting to Copyright 2005 David H. Maister Page 3 of 3 The Psychology of Waiting Lines make their first human contact with the had the experience of choosing a line at service organization are much more the supermarket or airport, and stood impatient than those who have 'begun': there worrying that he had, indeed, in other words, preprocess waits are chosen the wrong line.)