Collaborative Research: The Positive Role of Queues on Customer Value Perception: Mathematical Models and Laboratory Experiments

协作研究：排队对顾客价值感知的积极作用：数学模型和实验室实验

• 批准号: 1301090
• 负责人: Seyed M. R. Iravani
• 金额: $ 24.41万
• 依托单位: Northwestern University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-04-01 至 2017-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1301090&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Positive; Role; Queues

The main goal of this collaborative research project is to develop behaviorally enhanced mathematical models grounded in queuing theory that allow predicting human behavior in customer service environments. These models will be evaluated and tested through laboratory and field experiments. Managing congestion (waiting lines) is of primary concern for most organizations providing some sort of service to customers. Customers are typically annoyed by long waiting times and therefore tend not to join long queues. Recent empirical and experimental studies provide new evidence that, in service environments in which the service value is uncertain, long queues may impact the value perception in a positive way. As a consequence, long queues may actually attract more customers and these customers may spend more when they see that the queue behind them is longer.The research, if successful, will develop a set of principles that guides service organizations to better understand and utilize this phenomenon. Applications can be found in service settings (e.g. waiting in a restaurant), as well as in health care settings (e.g. waiting for elective surgery) in which the quality of the outcome is somewhat uncertain. We expect to improve the quality of service (benefiting customers) and profit of service systems (benefiting organizations or businesses). Furthermore, the results of the research are expected to strengthen the field of behavioral queueing models: (i) by developing a set of advanced mathematical models of queues with parameters corresponding to human biases and behavior, (ii) by creating a series of lab and field experiments that captures the essence of human behavior in service environment with uncertainty in service quality, and (iii) by establishing an online queueing simulator and data base for designing behavioral queueing experiments.

该合作研究项目的主要目标是开发基于排队论的行为增强数学模型，以预测客户服务环境中的人类行为。这些模型将通过实验室和现场实验进行评估和测试。管理拥挤（排队等候）是大多数为客户提供某种服务的组织的主要关注点。顾客通常对长时间的等待感到厌烦，因此往往不愿意排长队。最近的实证和实验研究提供了新的证据，在服务环境中，服务价值是不确定的，长队列可能会影响价值感知的积极方式。因此，排长队实际上可能会吸引更多的顾客，当这些顾客看到他们后面的队伍更长时，他们可能会花更多的钱。这项研究如果成功，将制定一套原则，指导服务机构更好地理解和利用这种现象。可以在服务环境（例如在餐厅等待）以及医疗保健环境（例如等待择期手术）中找到应用，其中结果的质量有些不确定。我们期望提高服务质量（使客户受益）和服务系统的利润（使组织或企业受益）。此外，研究结果预计将加强行为模型领域：（i）通过开发一套先进的排队数学模型，其参数对应于人类的偏见和行为，（ii）通过创建一系列实验室和现场实验，这些实验捕捉了服务质量不确定的服务环境中人类行为的本质，以及（iii）通过建立用于设计行为测试实验的在线测试模拟器和数据库。