哈佛商学院运营管理案例-The-Psychology-of-Waiting-Lines

HarvardBusinessSchool9-684-064Rev.May16,1984ThisnotewaspreparedbyAssociateProfessorDavidH.Maisterasthebasisforclassdiscussion.Copyright©1984bythePresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollege.Nopartofthispublicationmayberepro-duced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans—electronic,mechanical,photo-copying,recording,orotherwise—withoutthepermissionofHarvardBusinessSchool.DistributedbyHBSCaseServices,HarvardBusinessSchool,Boston,MA02163.PrintedinU.S.A.1ThePsychologyofWaitingLines*IntroductionInoneofaseriesofmemorableadvertisementsforwhichithasbecomejustlyfamous,FederalExpress(theovernightpackagedeliveryservice)notedthat:“Waitingisfrustrating,demoralizing,agonizing,aggravating,annoying,timeconsumingandincrediblyexpensive.”1Thetruthofthisassertioncannotbedenied:therecanbefewconsumersofservicesinamodernsocietywhohavenotfelt,atonetimeoranother,eachoftheemotionsidentifiedbyFederalExpress’scopywriters.Whatismore,eachofuswhocanrecallsuchincidentscanalsoattesttothefactthatthewaiting-lineexperienceinaservicefacilitysignificantlyaffectedouroverallperceptionsofthequalityofserviceprovided.Oncewearebeingserved,ourtransactionwiththeserviceorganizationmightbeefficient,courteousandcomplete:butthebittertasteofhowlongittooktogetattentionpollutestheoveralljudgmentsthatwemakeaboutthequalityofservice.Themathematicaltheoryofwaiting-lines(orqueues)hasreceivedagreatdealofattentionfromacademicresearchers,andtheirresultsandinsightshavebeensuccessfullyappliedinavarietyofsettings.2However,mostofthisworkisconcernedwiththeobjectiverealityofvarious“queuemanagement”techniques:forexample,theeffectsuponwaitingtimesofaddingservers,altering“queuediscipline”(theorderinwhichcustomersareserved),speedingupservingtimes,andsoon.Whathasbeenrelativelyneglectedismuchsubstantivediscussion(atleastinmanagementliterature)oftheexperienceofwaiting.3Dependingonthecontext,awaitoftenminutescanfeellikenothingatall,oritcanfeellike“forever.”Accordingly,ifmanagersaretoconcernthemselveswithhowlongtheircustomersorclientswaitinlineforservice,thentheymustpayattentionnotonlytotheactualwaittimes,butalsotohowtheseareperceived.Theymustlearnhowtoinfluencehowthecustomerfeelswhilewaiting.*ThisnoteisscheduledtoappearasachapterinJ.Czepiel(ed.),TheServiceEncounter,Lexington,Mass:LexingtonBooks,1984.1Fortune,July28,1980,p.10.2Foranintroductionto,andreviewof,thisliterature,seeanycollegeOperationsManagementtext;e.g.,E.S.Buffa,ModernProduction/OperationsManagement(7thEdition),NewYork:JohnWiley&Sons,1983.3Anotableexception,referredtointhebodyofthetext,isthebriefdiscussiongiveninSasser,W.E.,Olsen,J.andWyckoff,D.D.,ManagementofServiceOperations:Text,CasesandReadings,NewYork:AllynandBacon,1979,pp.88-89.AgoodsummaryoftheworkofpsychologistsinthisareaisprovidedbyL.W.Doob,PatterningofTime,NewHaven:YaleUniversityPress,1960.684-064ThePsychologyofWaitingLines2Inthispaper,Ishalldiscussthepsychologyofwaitinglines,examininghowwaitsareexperienced,andshallattempttoofferspecificmanagerialadvicetoserviceorganizationsabouthowtoimprovethisaspectoftheirserviceencounters.TheFirstandSecondLawsofServiceBeforewediscussthelawsofwaiting,itisnecessarytoconsidertwogeneralpropositionsaboutserviceencountersandhowtheseareexperienced.ThefirstoftheseiswhatIhavecometocall“TheFirstLawofService,”expressedasaformula:SatisfactionEqualsPerceptionMinusExpectation.Ifyouexpectacertainlevelofservice,andperceivetheservicereceivedtobehigher,youwillbeasatisfiedcustomer.Ifyouperceivethesamelevelasbefore,butexpectedahigherlevel,youwillbedisappointedandhenceadissatisfiedcustomer.Thepoint,ofcourse,isthatbothwhatisperceivedandwhatisexpectedarepsychologicalphenomena:theyarenotreality.Hence,therearetwomaindirectionsinwhichcustomersatisfactionwithwaits(andallotheraspectsofservice)canbeinfluenced:byworkingonwhatthecustomerexpectsandwhatthecustomerperceives.Sasser,OlsenandWyckoffprovidegoodexamplesofmanagingboththeperceptionandtheexpectationofwaitingtimes.Fortheformer,theyoffertheexampleof“thewell-knownhotelgroupthatreceivedcomplaintsfromguestsaboutexcessivewaitingtimesforelevators.Afterananalysisofhowelevatorservicemightbeimproved,itwassuggestedthatmirrorsbeinstallednearwhereguestswaitedforelevators.Thenaturaltendencyofpeopletochecktheirpersonalappearancesubstantiallyreducedcomplaints,althoughtheactualwaitfortheelevatorswasunchanged.”4Asanillustrationofhowexpectationscanbeexplicitlymanaged,theynotethat“somerestaurantsfollowthepracticeofpromisingguestsawaitingtimeinexcessofthe‘expectedtime.’Ifpeoplearewillingtoagreetowaitthislengthoftime,theyarequitepleasedtobeseatedearlier,thusstartingthemealwithamorepositivefeeling.”5Thislastexampledeservesfurtherexploration.WhenIhavediscussedthisanecdotewithavarietyofservingpersonnel,theyalwaysreaffirmitswisdom.Asonewaiterpointedouttome:“Iftheysitdowninagoodmood,it’seasytokeepthemhappy.Iftheysitdowndisgruntled,it’salmostimpossibletoturnthemaround.They’relookingtofindfault,tocriticize.”Asaresultoftheseconversations,IoffermySecondLawofService:It’shardtoplaycatch-upball.Thereisahaloeffectcreatedb