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作者：Soyer, Refik; Tarimcilar, M. Murat
作者单位：George Washington University
摘要：In this paper, we present a modulated Poisson process model to describe and analyze arrival data to a call center. The attractive feature of this model is that it takes into account both covariate and time effects on the call volume intensity, and in so doing, enables us to assess the effectiveness of different advertising strategies along with predicting the arrival patterns. A Bayesian analysis of the model is developed and an extension of the model is presented to describe potential heterog...
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作者：Cezik, Mehmet Tolga; L'Ecuyer, Pierre
作者单位：Universite de Montreal; Universite de Montreal
摘要：We study an iterative cutting-plane algorithm on an integer program for minimizing the staffing costs of a multiskill call center subject to service-level requirements that are estimated by simulation. We solve a sample average version of the problem, where the service levels are expressed as functions of the staffing for a fixed sequence of random numbers driving the simulation. An optimal solution of this sample problem is also an optimal solution to the original problem when the sample size...
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作者：Aksin, O. Zeynep; de Vericourt, Francis; Karaesmen, Fikri
作者单位：Koc University; Duke University; Koc University
摘要：This paper considers a call center outsourcing contract analysis and choice problem faced by a contractor and a service provider. The service provider receives an uncertain call volume over multiple periods and is considering outsourcing all or part of these calls to a contractor. Each call brings in a fixed revenue to the service provider. Answering calls requires having service capacity; thus implicit in the outsourcing decision is a capacity decision. Insufficient capacity implies that call...
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作者：Bhandari, Atul; Scheller-Wolf, Alan; Harchol-Balter, Mor
作者单位：Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE); University of Pittsburgh; Carnegie Mellon University; Carnegie Mellon University
摘要：Call center managers are facing increasing pressure to reduce costs while maintaining acceptable service quality Consequently, they often face constrained stochastic optimization problems, minimizing cost subject to service-level constraints. Complicating this problem is the fact that customer-arrival rates to call centers are often time varying. Thus, to satisfy their service goals in a cost-effective manner, call centers may employ permanent operators who always provide service, and temporar...
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作者：Feldman, Zohar; Mandelbaum, Avishai; Massey, William A.; Whitt, Ward
作者单位：Technion Israel Institute of Technology; Princeton University; Columbia University
摘要：This paper develops methods to determine appropriate staffing levels in call centers and other many-server queueing systems with time-varying arrival rates. The goal is to achieve targeted time-stable performance, even in the presence of significant time variation in the arrival rates. The main contribution is a flexible simulation-based iterative-staffing algorithm (ISA) for the M-t/G/s(t) + G model-with nonhomogeneous Poisson arrival process (the M,) and customer abandonment (the +G). For Ma...
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作者：Gurvich, Itay; Armony, Mor; Mandelbaum, Avishai
作者单位：Columbia University; New York University; Technion Israel Institute of Technology
摘要：We study large-scale service systems with multiple customer classes and many statistically identical servers. The following question is addressed: How many servers are required (staffing) and how does one match them with customers (control) to minimize staffing cost, subject to class-level quality-of-service constraints? We tackle this question by characterizing scheduling and staffing schemes that are asymptotically optimal in the limit, as system load grows to infinity. The asymptotic regime...
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作者：Milner, Joseph M.; Olsen, Tava Lennon
作者单位：University of Toronto; Washington University (WUSTL)
摘要：A call center with both contract and noncontract customers was giving priority to the contract customers only in off-peak hours, precisely when having priority was least important. In this paper, we investigate whether this is rational behavior on the part of the call center and what the implications are for customers. In particular, we show that under contracts on the percentile of delay, which are commonly used in the call center industry, this is rational behavior, at least under the approx...
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作者：Ren, Z. Justin; Zhou, Yong-Pin
作者单位：Boston University; University of Washington; University of Washington Seattle
摘要：In this paper, we study the contracting issues in an outsourcing supply chain consisting of a user company and a call center that does outsourcing work for the user company. We model the call center as a G/G/s queue with customer abandonment. Each call has a revenue potential, and we model the call center's service quality by the percentage of calls resolved (revenue realized). The call center makes two strategic decisions: how many agents to have and how much effort to exert to achieve servic...
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作者：Atlason, Julius; Epelman, Marina A.; Henderson, Shane G.
作者单位：University of Michigan System; University of Michigan; Cornell University
摘要：We consider the problem of minimizing staffing costs in an inbound call center, while maintaining an acceptable level of service in multiple time periods. The problem is complicated by the fact that staffing level in one time period can affect the service levels in. subsequent periods. Moreover, staff schedules typically take the form of shifts covering several periods. Interactions between staffing levels in different time periods, as well as the impact of shift requirements on the staffing l...
