TY - CHAP A1 - Worlitz, Jane A1 - Reichl, Sebastian A1 - Woll, Ralf T1 - How long are you ready to wait? - How our experience influences our expectation T2 - Proceedings, 21st QMOD-ICQSS Conference in Cardiff, 2018 N2 - Purpose: Customers are willing to wait for services. But how long? When are customers satisfied or dissatisfied with the waiting time and how should companies organize their waiting times? How do waiting experiences influence expectations and satisfactions? According to the assumptions of the expectation disconfirmation theory, customer satisfaction arises when the expectations of the service are fulfilled or exceeded. The aim of this study is to examine whether waiting experiences influence expectations and thus customer satisfaction. A further objective is to investigate the relationship between waiting experiences and acceptable waiting time. Methodology/Approach: 57 students of a course of the Brandenburg University of Technology took part in a 2-day trial. The actual purpose of the trial was not disclosed. Instead, students were given appointments to evaluate the quality of vehicle surfaces. After arriving to their appointments, they either waited 0 minutes, 5 minutes or 20 minutes alone in a room. On the second day, they waited the same length, longer or shorter under the same conditions. Students answered a questionnaire about their waiting satisfaction right after their waiting period. Supplementary questions distracted them from the actual aim of the questionnaire. Finally, the students evaluated the quality of vehicle surfaces on both days. The specified waiting times of 0 minutes, 5 minutes and 20 minutes were defined by the results of a pretest. The course was asked about its satisfaction with different waiting times. The times represent the transitions from very satisfied (0 minutes) with the waiting time, to satisfied (from 5 minutes) to dissatisfied (20 minutes). Findings: It can be stated that an acceptable waiting time describes a time which causes neither satisfaction, nor dissatisfaction. Already experienced waiting time affects expectations of a future waiting situation. Students who repeatedly waited 20 minutes were less dissatisfied with the waiting time than students who previously waited 0 or 5 minutes. Implication/Research Limitation: It is recommended to keep the waiting time constant. Strong variations in waiting time leads to particularly strong dissatisfaction of the customers and this can lead to avoiding the company. The study does not deal with strategies to reduce waiting time. For economic reasons, a target value of 0 minutes is not always useful. The acceptable waiting time can be used to determine the targeted waiting time. In addition, other factors such as the competitive situation should be taken into account. The results are based on an experiment. Therefore, the examination should be repeated in different waiting environments. Follow-up studies are required. Originality/Value of paper: The satisfaction of the customers regarding the waiting time is very important in order to bind customers to their company on a long-term basis. On the one hand the study gives advices for the organization of waiting times. On the other hand, the study gives an approach for the record of target values for waiting times. By using these advices, service companies can increase the waiting satisfaction of their customers and increase the long-term customer loyalty. KW - waiting satisfaction KW - waiting time KW - acceptable waiting time KW - customer satisfaction KW - service quality KW - positive waiting Y1 - 2018 UR - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330542324_How_long_are_you_ready_to_wait_-_How_our_experience_influences_our_expectation ER -