Waiting for service: ten years of empirical research

The problem of waiting is important in service activities, when customers a ve passive, often standing in a queue. This paper reviews 18 published empi rical studies to identify groups of factors and their influence on customer s. Some groups of factors reveal significant effects, such as real waiting time or expectation; others such as environmental factors are disappointing These results alter our vision of the phenomenon and lead to new direction s for further practical or theoretical investigations for example reintegra ting the non-linear effects of time in the study of waiting, exploring the expectation phenomenon and its variations, classifying customers and situat ions in order to manage critical waiting circumstances better.