Ebook: Performance Analysis and Optimization of Inbound Call Centers
Author: Raik Stolletz (auth.)
- Tags: Operation Research/Decision Theory, Production/Logistics/Supply Chain Management
- Series: Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems 528
- Year: 2003
- Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- pdf
The material presented in this book is a result of my work in the field of call center management during the period 1999-2002. The focus is on the perfor mance analysis and optimization of inbound call centers. Since call arrivals and call-handling times are often random in inbound call centers, this thesis concentrates on the performance analysis and optimization using queueing models. This book describes mathematical methods and algorithms to relate the number of agents and telephone trunks of a given call center configuration to technical as well as economic performance measures. This book has been accepted as a PhD thesis in Business Administration at the Technical University of Clausthal, Germany. I am indebted to many people for their support during the process of writing this thesis. First of all, I would like to thank my advisor, Prof. Dr. Stefan Helber, for motivating my research to call center related problems. He gently pushed me in fruitful directions and encouraged me to strike a balance between mathematical results and economic implications. Many other helpful suggestions came from him, and his constructive comments on draft versions of this book are invaluable. I am thankful to him and to Prof. Dr. Rolf Schwinn for refereeing this thesis.
The focus of this book is on the management of inbound call centers. Based on technical performance measures this book develops economic performance measures for different classes of telephone service numbers. Both the numbers of agents and the number of offered phones lines are decision variables in the operational personnel planning process. Since call arrivals as well as call-handling times are random in inbound call centers, this book concentrates on performance analysis and optimization using queueing models. These models may differ with respect to several features, for example, the number of customer classes, the number of differently trained agent groups, the limitation of the waiting room, or the customer's impatience. This book describes mathematical methods and algorithms to relate these decision variables to technical as well as economic performance measures.
The focus of this book is on the management of inbound call centers. Based on technical performance measures this book develops economic performance measures for different classes of telephone service numbers. Both the numbers of agents and the number of offered phones lines are decision variables in the operational personnel planning process. Since call arrivals as well as call-handling times are random in inbound call centers, this book concentrates on performance analysis and optimization using queueing models. These models may differ with respect to several features, for example, the number of customer classes, the number of differently trained agent groups, the limitation of the waiting room, or the customer's impatience. This book describes mathematical methods and algorithms to relate these decision variables to technical as well as economic performance measures.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-X
Introduction....Pages 1-2
Characterization of Inbound Call Centers....Pages 3-20
Classification of Queueing Models of Inbound Call Centers....Pages 21-46
Queueing Models of Call Centers with Homogeneous Customers and Homogeneous Agents....Pages 47-96
Queueing Model of a Call Center with two Classes of Customers and Skill-Based Routing....Pages 97-163
Conclusions and Suggestions for Further Research....Pages 165-166
Back Matter....Pages 167-222
The focus of this book is on the management of inbound call centers. Based on technical performance measures this book develops economic performance measures for different classes of telephone service numbers. Both the numbers of agents and the number of offered phones lines are decision variables in the operational personnel planning process. Since call arrivals as well as call-handling times are random in inbound call centers, this book concentrates on performance analysis and optimization using queueing models. These models may differ with respect to several features, for example, the number of customer classes, the number of differently trained agent groups, the limitation of the waiting room, or the customer's impatience. This book describes mathematical methods and algorithms to relate these decision variables to technical as well as economic performance measures.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-X
Introduction....Pages 1-2
Characterization of Inbound Call Centers....Pages 3-20
Classification of Queueing Models of Inbound Call Centers....Pages 21-46
Queueing Models of Call Centers with Homogeneous Customers and Homogeneous Agents....Pages 47-96
Queueing Model of a Call Center with two Classes of Customers and Skill-Based Routing....Pages 97-163
Conclusions and Suggestions for Further Research....Pages 165-166
Back Matter....Pages 167-222
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