Operations Management a Late Night

Operations Management

A late night trip to the grocery store is likely a quick trip to pick up a handful of essential items. The objective is going to be a fast, straightforward transaction, with a focus on limiting the amount of time I spend on the task. One key factor would be an unexplained wait. I would expect service capacity to be reduced but late at night sometimes the capacity can be too long, with just one or two clerks serving the entire store. My attitude is going to be a factor as well, as I may be tired and thus more irritable than usual. The service is not terribly valuable so that will be a factor as well.

For a trip to the bank on my lunch break, I am pressed for time and the task, being banking, is likely to be important. Because of this, the perception of fairness is a key concern. The initial and subsequent waits will both be measured, in terms of the time to get service and the time the service takes. The former should be minimized. Unexplained service shortages will be another factor, as banks are often notorious for having visible staff who are not serving the lineup. Whether my time in the line is occupied or unoccupied is another key factor - some banks have televisions to provide a bit of entertainment, but some do not. I would argue lighting to be a factor - some banks have rather harsh lighting while others provide a more comfortable atmosphere.

At a fast food restaurant the expectation is speed rather than comfort. However, the presence of children makes the occupied/unoccupied spectrum a factor. I do not need to be occupied but the children, be my own or someone else's, should be occupied such that they do not cause a nuisance. Solo/group wait is important here too. If it is busy, a wait can be tolerated but if I am the only customer, I would not expect to wait in a fast food restaurant as the service is not valuable.

2) the waits at doctors' and dentists' offices are usually as long as they are because of the nature of the lines and the service rendered. The most important variable in the equation is that the service rendered has an unknown time frame. Moreover, the degree to which the doctor or dentist will be able to delegate some of the service to assistants is unknown as well. For more routine procedures the time may be known but for many appointments the amount of time the doctor or dentist will need is unknown. They wish to keep as busy as possible, so they build a queue to ensure maximum efficiency for themselves.

The service provided is sufficiently important to the customer that they will bear some wait. With these types of issues, customers are more willing to wait than for a service deemed less important. That the service is performed is more important than the speed with which it is performed.

Another factor is that the waiting experience is structured in such a manner as to facilitate long waits. The customer's initial contact is almost immediate, so they are "in the system" and thus more likely to be patient while awaiting the subsequent contact. They are typically comfortable and relatively occupied while waiting as well. The wait is usually in done in a group, which lends itself to lower perceived wait times. Plus, the customer has made an appointment and is thus unlikely to have any immediate plans for their time.

Lastly, the customer's expectation is that they will exit the system feeling better than when they entered. While the customer wishes to feel better as soon as possible, they are willing to wait; plus they expect thorough treatment themselves and thus few would begrudge other customers that - it's a fair wait in that sense.

3) Bottlenecks in the system affect the customer in that they are subject to delays. The delays are unexplainable in that the customer cannot understand why there is a bottleneck. This type of delay increases customer agitation. The wait time for the good or service can cause problems for the customer if they need to make immediate use of that good or service.