Resumo

GARNETT, A  e  GARNETT, DR. To queue or not to queue: an industrial retailer's perspective. JCMAN [online]. 2009, vol.6, n.1, pp.138-150. ISSN 1815-7440.

This article highlights the concept of queue management as a fundamental aspect of the perception of service quality by customers frequenting the retail outlets of an international industrial gas and welding company. To date, research into queuing theory only provides a perspective regarding FMCG retailing. The perceptions of customers regarding inefficient queue management and service delivery were investigated in the industrial retail setting in order to gain perspective on the overall value offered by the company. A hypothesis was made that customers were experiencing service inefficiencies due to system constraints. Based on the internal and external empirical findings, the hypothesis was rejected, but several other problem areas regarding service efficiency and customer relationship management in the industrial retail environment were identified which may be of use for other industrial retailers. A suggested model for mitigating the problem areas was subsequently outlined.

Palavras-chave : Queuing; industrial retailing; service quality.

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