What to Tell Consumers in Waits of Different Lengths: An Integrative Model of Service Evaluation

Abstract

The authors conduct an experimental study to examine the impact of two types of waiting information—waiting-duration information and queuing information—on consumers’ reactions to waits of different lengths. The authors test a model that includes three different constructs—perceived waiting duration, acceptability of the wait, and affective response to the wait—as mediators between waiting information and service evaluation. Results show that though acceptability of the wait and affective response to the wait have a significant mediating effect on the relationship between waiting information and service evaluation, perceived waiting duration does not. Moreover, neither type of information has significant impact in the short-wait condition, whereas waiting-duration information has greater impact than queuing information in the intermediate-wait condition and a smaller impact in the long-wait condition. The authors conclude with a discussion of research and managerial implications.