Chapter 18 entitled 'Management of waiting lines' deals with waiting lines which commonly occur in all service systems. Management of queues is governed by a theory what has come to be known as 'queuing theory'. Queuing theory is directly applicable to a wide range of service operations, including call centers, banks, post offices, restaurants, theme parks, telecommunications systems, and traffic management. | Management of Waiting Lines McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. You should be able to: What imbalance does the existence of a waiting line reveal? What causes waiting lines to form, and why is it impossible to eliminate them completely? What metrics are used to help managers analyze waiting lines? What are some psychological approaches to managing lines, and why might a manager want to use them? What very important lesson does the constant service time model provide for managers? 18- Student Slides Queuing theory Mathematical approach to the analysis of waiting lines Applicable to many environments Call centers Banks Post offices Restaurants Theme parks Telecommunications systems Traffic management 18- Student Slides Waiting lines tend to form even when a system is not fully loaded Variability Arrival and service rates are variable Services cannot be completed ahead of time and stored for later use Student Slides 18- . | Management of Waiting Lines McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. You should be able to: What imbalance does the existence of a waiting line reveal? What causes waiting lines to form, and why is it impossible to eliminate them completely? What metrics are used to help managers analyze waiting lines? What are some psychological approaches to managing lines, and why might a manager want to use them? What very important lesson does the constant service time model provide for managers? 18- Student Slides Queuing theory Mathematical approach to the analysis of waiting lines Applicable to many environments Call centers Banks Post offices Restaurants Theme parks Telecommunications systems Traffic management 18- Student Slides Waiting lines tend to form even when a system is not fully loaded Variability Arrival and service rates are variable Services cannot be completed ahead of time and stored for later use Student Slides 18- Why waiting lines cause concern: The cost to provide waiting space A possible loss of business when customers leave the line before being served or refuse to wait at all A possible loss of goodwill A possible reduction in customer satisfaction Resulting congestion may disrupt other business operations and/or customers 18- Student Slides The basic characteristics of waiting lines Population source Number of servers (channels) Arrival and service patterns Queue discipline Student Slides 18- Calling population Arrivals Waiting line Exit Service System Processing Order Student Slides 18- Infinite source Customer arrivals are unrestricted The number of potential customers greatly exceeds system capacity Finite source The number of potential customers is limited Student Slides 18- Channel A server in a service system It is assumed that each channel can handle one customer at a time Phases The number of steps in a queuing system Student Slides 18- Arrival pattern Most .
