Waiting Line Management
Waiting time influence on the
satisfaction-loyalty relationship
in services
Fre´de´ric Bielen
HEC Ecole de Gestion, Universite´ de Lie` ge, Lie`ge,
Belgium and Ecole de Sante´ Publique, Universite´ Catholique de Louvain,
Louvain, Belgium, and
Nathalie Demoulin
IESEG School of Management, Catholic University of Lille, Lille, France
Abstract
Purpose – Delay is an important issue for service providers. Indeed, previous studies have widely
shown the negative effect of waiting time on consumer service satisfaction. However, being satisfied
with the service seems to be insufficient for customers to remain loyal. Creating customer loyalty is
even more crucial than just satisfying them. The paper aims to investigate how customers weigh up
their service satisfaction and waiting time satisfaction in order to determine whether they will remain
loyal or not.
Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted in the Belgian health care industry.
The final sample includes 946 respondents. Regression analyses were performed and the Baron and
Kenny method used to test moderator and mediator impacts of variables.
Findings – The results confirm that waiting time satisfaction is not only a service satisfaction
determinant, but it also moderates the satisfaction-loyalty relationship. Moreover, determinants of
customer waiting time satisfaction include the perceived waiting time, the satisfaction with
information provided in case of delays, and the satisfaction with the waiting environment. In addition,
it is shown that waiting time satisfaction is a complete mediating variable in the perceived waiting
time and service satisfaction link.
Originality/value – The paper suggests several implications about the waiting time impacts on
service satisfaction and customer loyalty. They show the importance of this...
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