Managing Real and Virtual Waits in Hospitality and Service Organizations [Summary]

Waiting can also give rise to customer dissatisfaction, which can greatly influence the intent to return whenever the service experience is again desired. Managers have the following three methods available for reducing the negative aspects of waiting. The first is to handle the actual reality of waiting by using strategies that can help better match capability to customer demand. The second is to control the await experience by listening to how clients view the wait. The third, and most creative, is to make the wait invisible by creating automated queues that allow customers to engage in other tasks while they are waiting at their preferred operation for an appointed time.