When shorter waits increase stress

People hate to wait, says common customer service insight. Marketers will hype their earnest attempts to shorten waiting times or at least promise to provide customers with information or distractions to make the waiting time more palatable. However, when it comes to waiting for stressful events, such as a doctor’s appointments or a job interview, these types of well-meaning wait management strategies may backfire. New research published in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that the effectiveness of wait-related customer service depends upon the nature of the waited-for event.