Chapter 11: Waiting for Service
TRUE/FALSE
1. A queue is just another name for a waiting line.
2. Because you never know how many guests will show up or when they will show up, the wait can’t
really be “managed.”
3. Neither restaurant managers nor guests like to see a great deal of excess capacity.
4. When Disney created a special after-hours ticket to its most popular attractions, it was practicing a
“shifting demand” strategy.
5. The Rainforest Cafe calls itself “a wild place to shop and eat.” This expression suggests that it
manages the line by diverting its guests, rather than doing nothing or closing the doors.
6. When there is short-term high demand, an organization should add capacity to fix the waits.
7. The design day and the capacity day are both concepts used by organizations to predict guest demand.
8. Any waiting-line model must include the number of guests arriving and how long it takes to serve
guests.
9. The single-channel, multi-phase queue is essentially two or more single-channel, single-phase queues
in sequence.
10. “People don’t want to wait in two lines” has been said to be a disadvantage of multi-phase queues.
11. An example of a single-channel, multi-phase queue is a drive-thru at a limited-menu fast-service
facility.
12. In waiting line discussions, channel means server.
13. In waiting line discussions, phase means average length of time spent in line.
14. The best queue type to use is the one guests prefer, even if service is slower in that type of queue.
15. Mathematically determining the relationship between the service provider’s capacity and the average
waiting time for the guest can allow the organization to find the ideal balance between the two.
16. Waits of certain length feel longer than waits of uncertain length.
17. The actual waiting time is more important to guests than their perception of waiting time.
18. A guest’s emotional state can have great impact on how long the wait feels to that guest.
19. If the people in a line are a more select clientele with identifiable features, variability in treatment of
the waiting guests may be necessary to ensure that the quality of the entire experience meets the guest
expectations.
20. If a customer has just had a comfortable and predictable wait, followed by a subsequent wait that is
unpredictable and stressful, the second wait will seem longer.
21. The organization can influence the guest’s reaction to the wait before service begins and during
service, but not after service.
22. A virtual queue is only useful in theme parks.
23. People like to choose which line to enter, as it seems fairer to them.
24. A design day is the same thing as a capacity day since you design for capacity.
25. It’s always better to have too much capacity rather than not enough.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
26. At a restaurant, when might the wait begin?
a.
when you enter the parking lot
b.
when you enter the restaurant itself
c.
when you place your order
d.
all of the above
27. Which of the following is NOT a factor planners must predict to manage lines?
a.
how many people will arrive for the service
b.
at what rate they will arrive
c.
if they will enjoy the service
d.
how long the service will take
28. If time and money permit, which strategy for dealing with large crowds of guests is preferable?
a.
Close the doors.
b.
Add capacity.
c.
Manage demand.
d.
Allow the line to form and divert customers.
29. At a hotel, long lines pile up at check-in and check-out each day. What is the best strategy for handling
those lines?
a.
Close the doors.
b.
Add capacity.
c.
Manage demand.
d.
Do nothing; simply allow lines to form.
30. Which design-day decision would tend to create the longest lines?
a.
10 percent
b.
50 percent
c.
90 percent
d.
all the same
31. When capacity is the best trade-off for both the guest and the facility, this is called a
a.
capacity day.
b.
design day.
c.
focus day.
d.
full day.
32. What are the three characteristics that all waiting lines have?
a.
arrival patterns, queue discipline, and time for service
b.
impatient customers, harried employees, and bored guests
c.
potential future issues, caring employees, and focused managers
d.
none of the above
33. The term queue discipline refers to
a.
the pattern of guest arrivals.
b.
the average time taken to serve guests.
c.
how the arriving guests are served.
d.
how guests behave themselves while standing in line.
34. A good illustration of a single-channel, single-phase queue would be
a.
a highway toll plaza.
b.
a McDonald’s restaurant serving line.
c.
the checkout line at (most) grocery stores.
d.
all of the above.
35. A good illustration of a single-channel, multi-phase queue would be
a.
a McDonald’s restaurant serving line.
b.
a cafeteria line.
c.
a line waiting for bank teller service.
d.
a highway toll plaza.
36. A good illustration of a multi-channel, single-phase queue would be
a.
a line waiting for bank teller service.
b.
a line waiting for airline counter service.
c.
picking up the phone and waiting for operator service.
d.
all of the above.
37. According to the text, which line type do guests tend to prefer?
a.
single-channel, single-phase.
b.
multi-channel, single-phase.
c.
single-channel, multi-phase.
d.
multi-channel, multi-phase.
38. Which of the following is NOT one of the four factors which planners should try to provide customers
with when choosing a queue type for a given situation?
a.
activity
b.
a sense of fairness with how their wait was managed
c.
a sense of control over what is happening
d.
a sense of focus on the end goal
39. To determine how to accommodate the inevitable lines, planners should consider
a.
the way the time spent waiting feels to the guest.
b.
managing the value of the experience to the guest.
c.
how the organization can turn a profit.
d.
both a and b.
40. Which of the following is NOT true about managing the perception of the wait?
a.
Anxious waits feel longer than relaxed waits.
b.
Occupied time feels shorter than unoccupied time.
c.
Group waits feel longer than solo waits.
d.
Unfair waits feel longer than fair ones.
41. How do organizations make the wait feel like part of the actual experience?
a.
by letting guests watch a preshow
b.
by beginning contact with guests while they are in line
c.
by teaching customers what they are supposed to do once they reach the actual event or
attraction
d.
all of the above
42. Which statement best describes a typical guest’s perception of wait?
a.
Occupied time feels longer than unoccupied time.
b.
Time spent waiting for service feels shorter than time spent receiving service.
c.
Anxious waits feel shorter than relaxed waits.
d.
Waits of uncertain length feel longer than waits of certain length.
43. Which statement best describes another typical guest’s perception of waits?
a.
Solo waits feel longer than group waits.
b.
Comfortable waits feel longer than uncomfortable waits.
c.
Unhappy waits feel shorter than happy waits.
d.
Unfair waits feel shorter than fair waits.
44. The key for planners to remember is that the _______ perceives the wait.
a.
guest
b.
employee
c.
manager
d.
organization
45. The more ______ the customer receives or expects to receive from the service, the more patiently the
customer will wait.
a.
attention
b.
value
c.
excuses
d.
diversions
46. An organization can manage the perceived value of the service for which the customer is waiting
a.
before the service.
b.
during the service.
c.
after the service.
d.
all of the above.
47. Which statement best describes the typical guest’s response to waiting?
a.
The more people waiting in line, the better value the guest expects to receive.
b.
The more people waiting in line, the happier the guest expects the experience to be.
c.
The more value the guest expects to receive from the service, the more patiently the guest
will wait.
d.
If no guests are waiting for an experience, it can’t be much good.
48. The critical point to managing waits is to make it visibly clear to guests by everything that everyone in
the organization does and says that
a.
they respect their customers’ time.
b.
they appreciate their tolerance of any waits.
c.
the company is doing everything it can to make waits fair, fast, comfortable, and as
enjoyable as possible.
d.
all of the above.
49. A hotel manager trying to use some mathematical calculations to improve the single-channel,
single-phase queue situation at the front desk would need to know
a.
the average time it takes to serve a guest.
b.
how many guests are expected to arrive per time period.
c.
the average time a guest stands in the line before being served.
d.
all of the above.
50. Which of the following is true about waiting line or queue design?
a.
There should be a sense of progress toward obtaining the experience.
b.
There should be a sense of control over what is happening.
c.
There should be a sense of fairness over how the wait was managed.
d.
all of the above.
