The reason why this is important to consider is that perceived duration of waiting has a bigger impact on consumer satisfaction than the actual wait time.Ĭouple that with the fact that people tend to overestimate their wait time by around 36%, and you now understand why fair queues are the way to go.Īnd there’s nothing fairer in your customers’ eyes than the good ol’ first-come, first-served. The thing is, unfair queues feel longer than they are. Knowing that the queue operates on the first-come, first-served basis alleviates the anxiety. This is connected with the previous point, as the perception of wait times is influenced by the fairness of the queue we stand in. FIFO queues take advantage of the psychology of queuing 27% of consumers have reported to get annoyed by fellow shoppers when queuing.ġ9% of shoppers have even had an argument with a partner or friend while in a queue. Worse yet, there may be other psychological effects. If customers are not happy with the way you manage your queues, they will justifiably become annoyed with your customer service.

(That is, if they are applied correctly.)įairness of queues is directly to customer satisfaction. There are no shortcuts or jumping ahead within FIFO rules. This makes FIFO fair in the eyes of customers: the earlier you join the queue, the sooner you get served.

FIFO queuing promotes fairnessįirst-in, first-out is inherently a very simple, easily understood principle. I’m glad you asked, imaginary reader! Let’s take a look at the core benefits of first-in, first-out queue management. “Now,” you might say, “I get that FIFO queuing is widespread, but why is it so widespread?” Whatever the service method they use, the principle is the same: the earlier you come, the sooner you get to resolve your issue. There’s either a separate queue for different tellers, or there’s one queue, and the customers at the front get served by whichever teller is available at the moment. First-in, first-out queues in banksīanks are also notorious examples of FIFO queuing. people of importance don’t have to stand in line and are seated before anyone else. There are exceptions, of course: restaurants may offer VIP service, i.e. The earlier you got in the queue, the sooner you get the table. If a restaurant is particularly popular, there may be a line of soon-to-be-customers at the entrance, with the staff guiding the people to the newly-available tables. You could say that restaurants, cafes and fast food chains operate on a first-come, first-seated basis. For example… First-come, first-served in restaurants That’s the gist of first-in, first-out queues, and you can see them everywhere. Waiting for the bus, waiting in front of the elevator or a vending machine, or even standing in line to the bathroom all share one quality - the person standing in the front goes before the one standing behind. Most queues that we encounter throughout the day are FIFO queues. In other words, FIFO queuing is when customers are served in the exact order in which they arrive.įIFO is the most common type of queuing, and it’s generally believed to be the fairest way to manage queues. (FCFS doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as nicely, though.) This is also referred to as the first-come, first-served principle. If you’ve ever read anything about queues or queue management, no doubt you’ve seen this term - FIFO.Ī FIFO queue is a queue that operates on the first-in, first-out principle, hence the name. Understanding FIFO: First-In, First-Out in Queue Management

Osu cse queue fifo