Iowa State University psychology professor Richard Gonzalez has spent much of his career studying the psychology behind waiting and his research has implications for retailers and other service entities that want to make the perceived waiting time for their customers seem shorter.
“What we're trying to figure out is whether we can find a way to make people feel like they're waiting less time, regardless of how much actual time has elapsed,” said Gonzalez, a Robert and Beverly Lewis Chair in the liberal arts and sciences. “We're looking for tools that managers and service providers can use to change people's perceptions.”
Gonzalez and other researchers define perceived waiting time as “the subjective experience of the passage of time during a wait.” He said research shows perceived waiting time is the most important customer service factor to customers who are waiting for service, and it can have a significant impact on their satisfaction and willingness to return.
“For example, if you’re the first person in line at the grocery store and a new person enters right behind you, your perceived waiting time will not change much as more and more people join the line,” Gonzalez explained. “But if you’re 15th in line, and five new customers enter the line with you, your perceived waiting time may feel much longer.”
In a recent experiment, Gonzalez and his team tested whether people who were waiting for a hypothetical plane to take off would perceive the wait to be shorter if the airport provided a free, fully loaded vending machine in the waiting area. Gonzalez found that the presence of the vending machine did have a significant impact on travelers’ perceived waiting time – by about 15%.
“In this experiment, we didn't offer any food from the vending machine, but we let customers browse its contents and read the vending machine menu,” Gonzalez said. “We also made it so the vending machine was in view of the waiting area. But travelers only perceived a reduced waiting time if they were hungry. Otherwise, the vending machine had little to no effect on their perceived wait.”
Gonzalez’s past research on waiting time has shown that people’s perceptions of how long they are waiting can also be affected by their age and whether or not they are offered the option to leave and return at a later time.
According to Gonzalez, elderly patrons typically perceive waits to be longer than younger adults. However, they also tend to be less bothered by it. Additionally, Gonzalez found that people offered an option to leave and return at a later time will usually perceive their wait to be shorter than those not given the option, even if the amount of actual waiting time is the same.
“A lot of people tend to believe the line at the bank or the grocery store will always be shorter if they left and came back later, but our research suggests that isn’t always the case,” Gonzalez said. “There’s a cost associated with leaving and coming back later. Sometimes, it is better just to wait it out.”
Gonzalez said understanding how perceived waiting time is affected can help businesses and organizations make strategic decisions that can help them deliver a better customer experience and increase satisfaction.
