Synergistic modeling of call center operations

摘要

We synergistically apply queueing theory, integer programming, andstochastic simulation to determine an optimal staffing policy fora repair call handling center. A stationary Markovian queueingmodel is employed to determine minimal staffing levels for asequence of time intervals with varying call volumes and meanhandling times. These staffing requirements populate an integerprogram model for determining the mix of call agent shifts thatwill achieve service quality standards at minimum cost. Since theanalytical modeling requires simplifying assumptions, expectedperformance of the optimal staffing policy is evaluated usingstochastic simulation. Computational efficiency of the simulationis improved dramatically by employing the queueing model togenerate an analytic control variate.