Deck 11: Waiting for Service

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

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 than if a well-managed wait had not just occurred.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

"People don't want to wait in two lines" has been said to be a disadvantage of multi-phase queues.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Waits of certain length feel longer than waits of uncertain length.

Question 5

The actual waiting time is more important to guests than their perception of waiting time.

Question 6

When there is short-term high demand, an organization should add capacity to fix the waits.

Question 7

Neither restaurant managers nor guests like to see a great deal of excess capacity.

Question 8

The single-channel, multi-phase queue is essentially two or more single-channel, single-phase queues in sequence.

Question 9

The best queue type to use is the one guests prefer, even if service is slower in that type of queue.

Question 10

Because you never know how many guests will show up or when they will show up, the wait can't really be "managed."

Question 11

A queue is just another name for a waiting line.

Question 12

In waiting line discussions, channel means server.

Question 13

An example of a single-channel, multi-phase queue is a drive-thru at a limited-menu fast-service facility.

Question 14

The design day and the capacity day are both concepts used by organizations to predict guest demand.

Question 15

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.

Question 16

A guest's emotional state can have great impact on how long the wait feels to that guest.

Question 17

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.

Question 18

Any waiting-line model must include the number of guests arriving and how long it takes to serve guests.

Question 19

When Disney created a special after-hours ticket to its most popular attractions, it was practicing a "shifting demand" strategy.

Question 20

In waiting line discussions, phase means average length of time spent in line.

Question 21

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

Question 22

If a waiting line is short and you are aware of the make-up of the guests in line such as those waiting for an up-scale brunch at a 5-star hotel, you can vary the treatment of the waiting line by offering them scones, mimosas, tropical fruit juice, or Bloody Marys while they wait, all of which is included in the price of the brunch.

Question 23

A poor 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) security screening at the airport

Question 24

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) arrange demand
D) do nothing; simply allow lines to form

Question 25

To determine how to accommodate the inevitable lines, planners should consider

A) the way the time spent waiting feels to the guest
B) the capacity of the establishment
C) how the organization can turn a profit
D) the line type

Question 26

Calling guests after the service experience and asking their opinion actually adds to the service experience itself.

Question 27

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) organization, opportunities to skip, and entertained guests

Question 28

While waiting in line at a busy pizza restaurant it is a bad idea to offer free mini-slices beause it will make the wait feel longer since you have now whet their appetite.

Question 29

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.

Question 30

A poor illustration of a single-channel, single-phase queue would be

A) a highway toll plaza
B) a McDonald's restaurant serving line
C) the security gate line at the airport
D) the full-service line at the grocery store

Question 31

In a perfect world, the flow of guests meets the supply of service exactly causing only short waits.

Question 32

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

Question 33

When gusts are on vacation such as a cruise, waiting in line is normal. However, it is important to understand the length of wait times in relationship to each experience. Wait times should be fairly consistent or shorter than the prior wait times.

Question 34

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.

Question 35

Which design-day decision would tend to create the longest lines?

A) 5 percent
B) 10 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 90 percent

Question 36

The organization can influence the guest's reaction to the wait before service begins and during service, but not after service.

Question 37

A hotel with too little capacity is typically overbooked and has to bump guests to other hotels. This is why there is no such thing as a hotel with too much capacity.

Question 38

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

Question 39

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

Question 40

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

Question 41

In general, people generally prefer ______ serpentine, ______ channel queue

A) single; single
B) single; multi
C) multi; single
D) multi; multi

Question 42

The key for planners to remember is that the ______ perceives the wait.

A) guest
B) employee
C) manager
D) organization

Question 43

Security check-ins at airports typically use ______ channel, ______ phase queues

A) single; single
B) single; multi
C) multi; single
D) multi; multi

Question 44

Capacity day is the maximum number of guests allowed in a service facility at any one time set by
E) the organization or law
F) guests demands
G) employee availability to satisfy demand h. management statistics

Question 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) focus

Question 46

Using the design day concept, if demand is more than the capacity, guests will be ______ (but/and) the facility will be ______

A) happy; under utilized
B) unhappy; over utilized
C) content; full
D) angry; under used

Question 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.

Question 48

Most drive thru windows at Dunkin Donuts are ______ channel, ______ phase queues

A) single; single
B) single; multi
C) multi; single
D) multi; multi