Improved implicit optimal modeling of the labor shift scheduling problem
Management Science
Optimal shift scheduling with multiple break windows
Management Science
Designing a Call Center with Impatient Customers
Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
Commissioned Paper: Telephone Call Centers: Tutorial, Review, and Research Prospects
Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
A Method for Staffing Large Call Centers Based on Stochastic Fluid Models
Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
Scheduling: Theory, Algorithms, and Systems
Scheduling: Theory, Algorithms, and Systems
Staffing optimization in complex service delivery systems
Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Network and Services Management
Modeling a complex global service delivery system
Proceedings of the Winter Simulation Conference
Simulation-based evaluation of dispatching policies in service systems
Proceedings of the Winter Simulation Conference
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In this paper we develop a two stage algorithm for scheduling call centers with strict SLAs and arrival rate uncertainty. The first cut schedule can be developed in less than a minute using a constructive heuristic. The schedule is then refined via a simulation based optimization approach. We find that when allowed to run for five minutes or less this two stage process can create a schedule with a total expected cost within a few percentage points of schedules generated using much more computationally intensive methods. This rapid scheduling process is designed to support front line managers who wish to evaluate multiple scheduling options in a what if analysis mode.