The psychology behind queueing
Queueing – forming lines and waiting your turn – is a universal experience and part of everyday life. Negative queueing experiences impact customer satisfaction, which, in turn, affects how a business is perceived and supported.
Businesses rely on both physical and virtual queues to order the flow of customer traffic. Negative queueing experiences lead to disgruntled customers and possible ‘queue rage’.
History of queueing
Agner Krarup Erlang, a mathematician and engineer, was the first to introduce the theory of queueing early in the 20th century. His research aimed to determine acceptable telephone waiting times and the manpower required to manage differing call volumes.
Erlang’s research instigated further investigations into queueing systems – examining both the statistics and the psychology behind queueing. John D.C. Little created the formula to calculate queueing times.
Studies revealed some interesting facts and perceptions about queue psychology:
- Men are more likely to abandon queueingthan women. It is alleged that men inflate actual time after two minutes, whereas women do so after three minutes.
- Waiting time perceptually lengthens and inflates – feels mentally longer than it actually is – with each minute exceeding a three-minute waiting period. Once the five-minute mark is breached, perceived waiting time doubles.
- If there is no indication of how long a wait will be, people perceive waiting periods to be 23% longer.
Why is it important to create a good waiting experience?
Queues are unavoidable and part of almost any business serving customers. Businesses rely on queueing systems to manage customer flows and determine staffing requirements. The HSE emphasised the importance of crowd control and queueing barriers at public venues such as railway stations, sports stadiums and fairgrounds.
Understanding queueing psychology and the effect of perceived waiting times helps businesses to plan effective queueing and waiting systems. The psychology behind queueing explored optimising waiting periods and turning these into positive customer experiences. This research indicated that people respond more to the waiting experience than the actual length of the wait.
What can businesses do to control both the flow of customer traffic and create positive waiting experiences?
Occupied versus unoccupied time
People perceive that time passes more quickly when they are busy with either physical or mental activities. If customers have nothing to do during waiting times, negative thoughts will spill over into negative experiences and reactions. According to Professor Richard Larson, perceived waiting time is longer than actual waiting time. Therefore, it is all about the customer’s perception of the wait and not the actual wait.
Businesses must explore creative ways to occupy and distract waiting customers. These creative solutions will vary from business to business but may include displaying information signs and eye-catching posters.
Start the process
Unattended customers tend to become disgruntled customers. This discontent can soon ‘infect’ other customers. It is therefore good business to start the process of customer service as soon as possible. People feel that once a process is initiated, the wait is over. A few examples include:
- The restaurant business – immediately give customers menus after seating them.
- Online queueing– use progress bars to show customers where they are in the queue.
How long is the wait?
People want to know how long they have to wait for something. Clear communication on the length of queueing times helps regulate customer expectations and planning.
Explain the wait
Customers want to know why they have to wait, if they have to wait. Providing reasons for a wait – especially in online waiting rooms where customers cannot ‘see’ the reasons – keeps customers informed and involved. These reasons should be specific. A message such as ‘technical difficulties’ is vague and frustrating.
Queueing fairness
FIFO – first in, first out (or first come, first served) – is a cardinal rule in queueing. People want fair queue control and to know that their places are safe. Allowing queue-cutting and doing favours may ultimately result in queue rage. The applicable barriers and markings help to ensure fair queueing systems.
Control queueing anxiety
People have an innate tendency to question their decisions. Businesses with multiple queues may increase customer anxiety as customers will (in all likelihood) think that the other lines are moving faster and believe that they chose the wrong line. This phenomenon was even studied and documented as Erma Bombeck’s Law.
Businesses can manage queueing anxiety by communicating clear waiting times. It is better to overestimate waiting times. Customers being served earlier than anticipated feel rewarded, and this leads to higher customer satisfaction.
Understanding queue psychology helps to implement effective queueing systems. In turn, effective queueing systems – whether virtual or actual – lead to increased customer satisfaction.