The role of procedural justice in the delivery of services

Two field studies examined the role of procedural justice in the delivery of services. Waiting time and waiting procedures, two dimensions of procedural justice, and their effects on customers' reactions, were studied. In Study 1, 135 customers of two fast-food restaurants were surveyed about their service experience and perceptions of justice. The restaurants used two different types of waiting procedures, single-line systems and multiple-line systems. Study 2 consisted of a field experiment in which 102 customers of a bookstore filled out a survey regarding their service experience. The line system was switched systematically between a single-line and a multiple-line system. Although no differences in actual wait time existed, results of both studies show that customers in a single-line system perceived wait time to be shorter. Furthermore, perceived wait time and perceptions of the waiting procedures predicted customers' reactions to the waiting experience. An interaction between the two procedural justice dimensions was observed in Study 2, indicating that customers' reactions to the wait were more positive when perceived wait time was short and the waiting procedures were perceived as adequate. Results are discussed from the perspectives of organizational justice and waiting expectations.