WAITING LINE

MANAGEMENT

EP JOHN

WHERE THE TIME GOES

In a life time, the average
person will spend:
SIX MONTHS Waiting at stoplights
EIGHT MONTHS Opening junk mail
ONE YEAR Looking for misplaced 0bjects
TWO YEARS
FOUR YEARS
FIVE YEARS
SIX YEARS

Reading E-mail

Doing housework
Waiting in line
Eating

12-4

TEN PROPOSITIONS ON
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF
WAITING LINES
1. Unoccupied time feels longer
2. Preprocess/post-process waiting feels longer than inprocess
3. Anxiety makes waiting seem longer
4. Uncertain waiting is longer than known, finite waiting
5. Unexplained waiting seems longer
6. Unfair waiting is longer than equitable waiting
7. People will wait longer for more valuable services
8. Waiting alone feels longer than in groups
9. Physically uncomfortable waiting feels longer
10. Waiting seems longer to new or occasional users
Sources: Maister; Davis & Heineke; Jones & Peppiatt

COMPONENTS OF THE QUEUING

SYSTEM
Servicing System
Servers

Customer
Arrivals

Queue
or
Waiting
Line
Exit

LAWS OF SERVICE
Maisters First Law:

Customers compare expectations with perceptions.

Maisters Second Law:
Is hard to play catch-up ball.
Skinners Law:
The other line always moves faster.
Jenkins Corollary:
However, when you switch to another other line,
the line you left moves faster.

12-7

CUSTOMER SERVICE POPULATION

SOURCES

Population Source

Finite
Example:
Example:
Number
Number of
of
machines
machines
needing
needing repair
repair
when
when aa
company only

Infinite
Example:
Example: The
The
number
number of
of
people
people who
who
could
could wait
wait in
in
aa line
line for
for

SERVICE PATTERN

Service
Pattern

Constant

Variable

Example:
Example: Items
Items
coming
coming down
down an
an
automated
automated
assembly
assembly line.
line.

Example:
Example:
People
People
spending
spending time
time
shopping.
shopping.

THE QUEUING SYSTEM

Length

Queue Discipline

Queui
ng
Syste
m
Service Time
Distribution

Number of Lines &

Line Structures

EXAMPLES OF LINE STRUCTURES

Single
Phase

Multiphase

One-person
Car wash
Single Channel
barber shop
Bank tellers Hospital
Multichannel
windows
admissions

ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF
QUEUING SYSTEMS

Renege

Calling
population

Arrival
process

Balk

Queue
configuration

Queue
discipline

Service
process

Departure

No future
need for
service

12-12

ARRIVAL PROCESS
Arrival
process

Static

Dynamic

Random
arrivals with
constant rate

Random arrival
rate varying
with time

Facilitycontrolled

Accept/Reject

Price

Appointments

Customerexercised
control

Reneging

Balking

12-13

QUEUE DISCIPLINE
Queue
discipline

Static
(FCFS rule)

Dynamic
Selection based
on individual
customer
attributes

selection
based on status
of queue

Number of
customers
waiting

Round robin

Priority

Preemptive

Processing time
of customers
(SPT or c rule)
12-14

WAITING LINE SYSTEM

Includes the customer population
source as well as the process or service
system.
QUEUING SYSTEM
Another name to define a waiting line.
FINITE CUSTOMER POPULATION
The number of potential new
customers is affected by the number
of customers already
in the system.

DEGREE OF PATIENCE

No Way!

BALK

No Way!

RENEG

INFINITE CUSTOMER POPULATION

The number of potential new
customers is not affected by the
number of customers already in the
system.
BALKING
The customer decides not to enter
the waiting line.
RENEGING
The customer enters the line but
decides to exit before being served.

JOCKEYING
The customer enters one line and then
switches to a different line in an effort
to reduce the waiting time.
THE NUMBER OF WAITING LINES
THE NUMBER OF SERVERS

THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE SERVERS

ARRIVAL AND SERVICE PATTER

Arrival rate
The average number of customers
arriving per time period.
Service rate
The average number of customers
that can be served per time period.
Waiting Line Priority Rules

Generally custom
first-come, first-served to be the fairest method for
priority. Other rules include best Customers first, hig
customer first, quickest service requirement first, la
requirement first, emergencies first...

CRITERIA FOR SEGMENTATION

AND ALLOCATION OF QUEUING
Urgency of job
POPULATION
emergencies vs. non-emergencies
Duration of service transaction
number of items to transact
complexity of task
Payment of premium price
First class vs. economy
Importance of customer
frequent users/loyal customers vs. others

WAITING LINE PERFORMANCE MEAS

1.The average number of
customers waiting in line and in
the system.
2. The average time customers
spend waiting, and the average
time a customer spends in the
system.
3. The system utilization rate.

BENEFITS OF A RESERVATIONS
SYSTEM
Controls and smoothes demand
Pre-sells service
Informs and educates customers in

advance of arrival
Customers avoid waiting in line for
service (if service times are honored)
Data capture helps organizations
prepare financial projections

CHARACTERISTICS OF WELLDESIGNED RESERVATIONS

SYSTEMS
Fast and easy for customers and staff
Can answer customers questions
Offers options for self service (e.g. Web)
Accommodates preferences (e.g., room with view)
Deflects demand from unavailable first choices to

alternative times and locations

Includes strategies for no-shows and overbooking
required deposits discourage no-shows
unpaid bookings canceled after designated time
compensation for victims of over-booking

CHANGING OPERATIONAL
CHARACTERISTICS
Customer arrival rates.

Number and type of service facilitie

Changing the number of phases.
Server efficiency.
Changing the priority rule.
Changing the number of lines.