Customer preception of waiting

The School of Business and Economics at North Carolina AT&T University conducted a study on customer perception of wait time and how it affected one's opinion of the overall service experience.

"The results showed that the only wait satisfaction that consistently affected customer perceptions of service quality involved the service-entry wait."

The service-entry wait is described as "that time which precedes service delivery."

Experts need not tell us that we live in a high-paced culture.  This being the case, we are becoming less tolerant of wait times in any service industry. 

We have heard the phrase, "Perception is everything."  That having been said, when are those occasions when we have heard ourselves saying, "Wow, that was quick?"  In many cases, it was not so much that the wait itself was short, but the mind of the customer was occupied during the wait.

Amusement parks have installed television screens in their waiting lines.  Although complaints have not been eliminated, they have gone down.

Team exercise:

• "We are not suggesting the purchase of a television (although it is not a bad idea). Are there any ideas for occupying the minds of our customers while they wait?"
• "How can we affect customers' perception of wait times?"

Information on the study was derived from Emeraldinsights' website.