IntroductionCustomer waiting time for service typically represents the first direct interaction between customers and most service delivery processes, so the importance of properly managing waiting times is of significant interest to most service operations. In recent years, service managers have made efforts to reduce customer waiting times and, and in some cases, totally to eliminate waits by improving processes or by adopting faster service technologies.Customer reactions to waiting in line, whether they are good or bad, can color the customer's perception of the service delivery process. For example, customers in a restaurant who are unhappy about their long wait for seating may complain about the quality of the food, even if the food is totally acceptable. Chebat et al.'s (1994) study of bank customers supports this notion of a "halo effect", concluding that a customer's evaluation of service quality was affected not only by the end service received, but also by the service delivery process itself, which includes waiting time. It is therefore critical, in situations where waiting is inevitable, that service managers attempt to provide a high level of satisfaction with the waiting portion of the service experience.Previous research on customer satisfaction with respect to waiting in service operations has tended to parallel the broader research issue of customer satisfaction in services. This research can be divided into three broad areas:(1) developing a methodology for defining customer satisfaction;(2) measuring customer satisfaction; and(3) identifying the factors that affect the level of customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction can, therefore, be conceived as one element of an overall model of customer behavior that evolves over time (Beardon and Teele, 1983;Day and Landon, 1977).

Introduces a framework for integrating the operations management and marketing approaches within a service operation. Focuses on customer satisfaction with waiting time, with the aim of providing improved satisfaction for a given level of resources. Provides an application of this methodology by presenting an example in the fast food industry. Concludes with suggestions for extending such a framework to other service organizations.

Queuing, a familiar element of most service delivery systems, has the potential for significantly affecting the customer′s overall satisfaction with the service encounter. A customer′s degree of satisfaction with waiting or with the service received in its entirety is dependent on the actual performance of the delivery system, the customer′s expectations regarding that performance and the customer′s perception of the service encounter. The actual operational performance of different queuing configurations has been previously addressed, as have the issues of managing customers′ expectations and perceptions regarding their queuing experiences. This earlier research has identified several factors which can affect a customer′s perception of waiting and consequently his or her satisfaction with that wait. Proposes a taxonomy based on the service manager′s ability to control the customer′s perception of the queuing experience. Defines which queuing factors can be controlled by the firm, which factors can partially be controlled by the firm and which factors are outside the firm′s control, and suggests tactics for managing queues for each category of factors.

A major concern for service managers is the determination of how long a customer should wait to be served. Services, due to the customer's direct interaction with the process, must face a trade-off between minimizing the cost of having a customer wait and the cost of providing good service. A total cost model is presented for determining how long a customer should wait when these two conflicting cost components are considered. An integral part of this model includes a measure of customer satisfaction with waiting time which is used to develop a waiting cost function. The model is then applied to a major fast food chain, using data collected at several locations. Analysis of the data reveals that the "ideal" waiting time for this firm is significantly less than the current corporate waiting time policy.Thus, as indicated by the model, a corporate policy change is recommended to provide much faster service. The adoption of such a policy would result in increased labor costs, and would simultaneously increase the firm's overall profits. Although appearing contradictory, increases in current labor costs and longterm profits are both possible when management takes the long-range perspective suggested in this paper.Subject Areas: Consumer Behavior and Service Operations Management.

During the latter part of the 20th century, the service sector grew significantly in virtually every developed country, with the United States taking the lead. By 2000, services comprised almost 80% of U.S. employment. This rapid growth was caused by several factors including changing population lifestyles, deregulation, and new and improved infrastructure including the widespread availability of new technologies. With the service sector surpassing 50% of the U.S. economy in the 1950s, researchers -especially economists -began to examine the characteristics of services and attempt to apply some of the concepts that were developed and proven in manufacturing. From these early efforts there emerged a growing demand for business schools to develop both research agendas and courses in service operations. Beginning at the Harvard Business School in the early 1970s, and continuing through to the present, research and courses in service operations have evolved from simply applying basic manufacturing concepts in a service environment to recognizing the need for a trans-disciplinary approach appropriately suited to the particular characteristics of service operations. This article traces the evolution of service operations from its immediate prebusiness school days through its early years as an academic discipline in business schools to the present, identifying ''pioneers'' in service operations who truly blazed a previously unmarked trail that many have since followed. #