Waiting Line

SERVICE MARKETING PRESENTATION

Waiting-Line Models

CONTENTS ♦ CHARACTERISTICS OF A WAITING-LINE SYSTEM ♦ A BRIEF HISTORY ♦ Waiting Line Terminology ♦ Waiting line systems. ♦ WAITING LINE STRATEGIES

♦ CHARACTERISTICS OF A WAITING-LINE SYSTEM Arrival Characteristics Waiting-Line Characteristics Service Facility Characteristics ♦ Measuring the Queue’s Performance ♦ Queuing Costs ♦ ♦

You’ve Been There Before! Thank you for holding. ‘The other line Hello...are you there? always moves faster.’

‘If you change lines, the one you left will start to move faster than the one you’re in.’ © 1995 Corel Corp.

Waiting Line Examples Situation Bank Process

Arrivals

Servers

Service

Customers

Teller

Deposit etc.

Doctor’s office

Patient

Doctor

Treatment

Traffic intersection

Cars

Light

Controlled passage

Assembly line Parts

Workers

Assembly

Tool crib tools

Clerks

Check out/in

Workers

Waiting Lines ♦ First studied by A. K. Erlang in 1913 ♦

Analyzed telephone facilities

♦ Body of knowledge called queuing theory ♦

Queue is another name for waiting line

♦ Decision problem ♦

Balance cost of providing good service with cost of customers waiting

C ost

Deciding on the Optimum Level of Service Total expected cost

Minim um total cost

Cost of providing service

Low level of service

Optimal service level

Negative Cost of waiting time to company High level of service

Waiting Line Terminology ♦ Queue: Waiting line ♦ Arrival: 1 person, machine, part, etc. that arrives and demands service ♦ Queue discipline: Rules for determining the order that arrivals receive service ♦ Channel: Number of waiting lines ♦ Phase: Number of steps in service

Three Parts of a Queuing System at MR “X” Car-Wash

Input Characteristics Input Source (Population) Arrival Pattern

Size

Infinite

Finite

Random

Poisson

NonRandom

Other

Input Characteristics Input Source (Population) Arrival Pattern

Size

Infinite

Finite

Random

Poisson

NonRandom

Other

Behavior

Patient Impatient Balk

Renege

Waiting Line Characteristics Waiting Line

Queue Discipline

Length

Unlimited

Limited

FIFO (FCFS)

Random

Priority

Service Characteristics Service Facility Configuration Single Channel Single Phase

MultiChannel

Single-Channel, SinglePhase System Service system Arrivals

Ships at sea

Queue

Servic e facility

Ship unloading system Waiting ship line Dock

Served units

Empty ships

Single-Channel, MultiPhase System Service system Arrivals

Queue Servic e facility

Servic e facility

Cars McDonald’s drive-through in area Waiting cars Pay

Pickup

Served units

Cars & food

Multi-Channel, Single Phase System Service system Arrivals

Queue

Servic e facility Servic e facility

Example: Bank customers wait in single line for one of several tellers.

Served units

Multi-Channel, MultiPhase System Service system Arrivals

Queue

Servic e facility Servic e facility

Servic e facility Servic e facility

Served units

Example: At a laundromat, customers use one of several washers, then one of several dryers.

Assumptions of the Basic Simple Queuing Model ♦ Arrivals are served on a first come,

first served basis ♦ Arrivals are independent of preceding arrivals ♦ Arrival rates are described by the Poisson probability distribution, and customers come from a very large population ♦ Service times vary from one customer to another, and are independent of one and other; the average service time is known ♦ Service times are described by the negative exponential probability

Types of Queuing Models ♦ Simple (M/M/1) ♦

Example: Information booth at mall

♦ Multi-channel (M/M/S) ♦

Example: Airline ticket counter

♦ Constant Service (M/D/1) ♦

Example: Automated car wash

♦ Limited Population ♦

Example: Department with only 7 drills

WAITING LINE STRATEGIES When demand and capacity cannot be matched: ♦ EMPLOY OPERATIONAL LOGIC A] Multiple Queue B]Single Queue C]Take a number

Contd….. ♦ Establish a Reservation Process. ♦ Differentiate Waiting Customers. iii.Importance of the customer. iv.Urgency of the job. v.Duration of the service transaction. vi.Payment of a premium price.

MAKE WAITING FUN,OR AT LEAST TOLERABLE ♦ Unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time. ♦ Preprocess waits feel longer than in process waits. ♦ Anxiety makes waits seem longer. ♦ Uncertain waits are longer than known, finite waits. ♦ Unexplained waits are longer than explained waits.

Contd….. ♦ Unfair waits are longer than equitable waits. ♦ The more valuable the services, the longer the customer will wait. ♦ Solo waits feel longer than group waits.

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