Management of Waiting Lines in Service Operations

Waiting Line

Temporary imbalance between supply and demand.

Costs of Waiting

Lower productivity and competitive advantage losses.

Queuing Theory

Mathematical analysis of waiting lines

Applicable to a wide range of service operations

Random Arrivals

Customers arrive at unpredictable intervals.

Use temporary workers

part-time workers during busy periods may be possible

Shift demand

Lower prices from busy times to slower times

Bottleneck Identification

Find and improve slow aspects of processes.

Service Time Variability

Inconsistent time taken to serve customers.

Idle Capacity

Excess capacity leads to unproductive resources.

Lean Systems

Focus on eliminating waste, including waiting.

Psychology of Waiting

Perception of wait time differs from actual time.

Waiting Line Management

Strategies to enhance customer experience during waits.