Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Maister on Psychology of Waiting

Maister’s classic research on waiting and queuing - ‘Ten principles of waiting' explains principles of waiting.

1. Unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time

“Boredom results from being attentive to the passage of time itself”

Restaurant solutions: giving out menus before being seated (added bonus of decreasing wait time); turn waiting area into a bar (adds revenue also); posters, reading material, toys, memorabilia.

Telephone solutions: muzak (can have opposite effects if unrelated to service activity); menus and bars integrates service into waiting experience; an example of a sports team playing last week’s game!

Other solutions: Windy lines; different queuing systems and movement; medical waiting rooms (take the person's mind off the service - e.g. at the dentist.)

2. Pre-process waits feel longer than in-process waits

A person’s anxiety level is higher waiting to be served than while being served. People have a fear of being forgotten. Make first contact human and early in the process.

Example - triage waiting system. Assessment by a nurse while waiting to see a doctor.

3. Anxiety makes the waits seem longer

People have a fear of being forgotten

The other line always moves faster or, worry that there will not be enough room on a plane.

4. Uncertain waits are longer than known, finite waits

Example: if a patient told the doctor is delayed 30 minutes, they will wait, but once that time is met, becomes increasingly annoyed.

An important point to note: appointment defines an expectation that must be met.

5. Unexplained waits are longer than explained waits

Any explanation is better than none

eg. plane `technical difficulties’

eg. the sight of a serving person taking a break is a source of irritation

6. Unfair waits are longer than equitable waits

e.g. the situation where someone is felt to be `cutting in front’

FIFO rule - first in, first out - exceptions: emergency cases, table size (frequently resented), express checkout lanes (accepted).

Need to be aware of patrons sense of equity, feelings about status

7. The more valuable the service, the longer the customer will wait

The supermarket example moderated by this point (value of full cart higher than the value of lower and so people will wait longer)

Waiting for something of little value is intolerable. Post-process waits arethe most intolerable (eg. willingness to queue before the flight but impatience at baggage handling)

8. Solo waits feel longer than group waits

Promotion of group waiting experiences is beneficial - queuing for music tickets, the camaraderie that develops on plane delay, getting to know someone in a queue at Disneyworld.

9. Uncomfortable waits feel longer than comfortable waits

Uncomfortable waits sensitize people to time and poor service

10. New or infrequent users feel they wait longer than frequent users

The implication is to know who they are and provide reassurance

Reference

Maister, D. H. (1985). The psychology of waiting lines. In CZEPIEL, J. A., SOLOMON, M. & SURPRENANT, C. (eds.) The service encounter: Managing employee/customer interaction in service businesses London: Lexington Books.

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