Self-Service Model Considering Learning Effect : Self-Service Gas Station

In recent years, service delivery systems employing a self-service approach have been rapidly spreading. Since a self-service system provides a lower product price, it attracts more customers. However, some system managers are still hesitant to accept a self-service system, because there is no systematic model to predict its performance. Therefore, this research attempts to provide a systematic and quantitative model to predict the performance of a self-service system, focused specifically on a self-service gas station. Under this model, the traditional queuing theory was adopted to describe the general self-service process, but it is also assumed that some changes occur in both the customer arrival rate and the service performance rate. In particular, the price elasticity was introduced to capture the change in the customer arrival rate, and the existence of learning effect and helpers were assumed to design the changed service performance rate. Under these assumptions, a simulation model for a self-service gas station is established, and three performance measurements, such as average number of customers, average waiting time, and Utilization are observed, depending on the changes in price difference and helper-operating time. In this research, the optimal operation strategy for price differentiation and helper-operating time is proposed in accordance with the level of the customer learning rate. Although this research confines the scope of the study to the self-service gas station model, the results of this research can be applied to any type of self-service system.

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