Queuing Theory and Customer Satisfaction: A Review of Terminology, Trends, and Applications to Pharmacy Practice

Abstract

Queuing theory is the formal study of waiting in line and is an entire discipline in operations management. This article will give the reader a general background into queuing theory, its associated terminology, and it relationship to customer satisfaction. Queuing theory has been used in the past to assess such things as staff schedules, working environment, productivity, customer waiting time, and customer waiting environment. In pharmacy, queuing theory can be used to assess a multitude of factors such as prescription fill-time, patient waiting time, patient counseling-time, and staffing levels. The application of queuing theory may be of particular benefit in pharmacies with high-volume outpatient workloads and/or those that provide multiple points of service. By better understanding queuing theory, service managers can make decisions that increase the satisfaction of all relevant groups – customers, employees, and management.