Title: Queueing models and inventory systems integration to address customer orbiting behaviour in service environments

Authors: Karzan Mahdi Ghafour

Addresses: Project Management Department, College of Commerce, University of Sulaimani, Kurdistan, Iraq

Abstract: The demarcation explains a service system organised for customer orders without their presence during service delivery, allowing optimisation of customer time through orbiting. Requested services are stored in inventory space and retrieved later at customer convenience. If unavailable, customers may sample more orbits until ready, hence the term 'apparently-orbiting-while-the-service-is-taken'. The article discusses the queueing inventory multiple orbits (QIMO) system, elucidating operational features via the matrix geometric method. It also presents an economic evaluation based on probabilistic analysis to judge cost-benefit and efficiency. The intricate analysis of models and economic investigations extends knowledge about service systems with orbital behaviour, describing principles and ramifications. It contributes to managing service systems by explaining operations and evaluating economic viability, stressing 'single orbit' and 'multiple orbits' policies. Findings help practitioners and scholars optimise service delivery processes and enhance customer experiences in dynamically changing service environments.

Keywords: queueing theory; inventory system; scheduling; orbit time.

DOI: 10.1504/IJADS.2026.156113

International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences, 2026 Vol.19 No.5, pp.485 - 505

Received: 28 Mar 2025
Accepted: 17 Aug 2025
Published online: 04 Sep 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article