David Maister authored a brilliant article entitled, “The Psychology of Waiting Lines,” identifying eight anxiety-inducing reasons why people loathe waiting in line.
It’s fair to assume that we can ALL relate that waiting is the hardest part:
- Occupied time feels shorter than unoccupied time;
- People want to get started;
- Anxiety makes wait seem longer;
- Uncertain waits are longer than known, finite waits;
- Unexplained waits are longer than explained waits;
- Unfair waits are longer than equitable waits;
- The more valuable the service, the longer the customer will wait;
- And solo waits feel longer than group waits.
