Perceptions of waiting time in different service queues

Abstract

This paper investigates the extent to which there is a gap between customers' perception of waiting time compared with actual waiting times; and whether this gap varies according to service context. It also investigates a new proposition that customers’ perception of time available for the service influences their perception of wait time. A field study collected 455 actual and perceived customer waiting times in a single queue single server system from a retail grocery store, cafeteria, post office, bus stop and vegetable market. Results showed that perceptions can be significantly greater than actual waiting time across the study; there was no correlation to the service context; and perception varied inversely to the time available.

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