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L. L. Bean Chooses a Telephone Agent Scheduling System

Author

Listed:
  • Bruce H. Andrews

    (School of Business, Economics, and Management, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04103)

  • Henry L. Parsons

    (School of Business, Economics, and Management, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04103)

Abstract

We recently participated with L. L. Bean in developing a computerized procedure for selecting complex, large-scale telephone-operator scheduling systems. To assess capability in forecasting work load, setting requisite capacity levels, and generating satisfactory work-shift schedules, we used cost/benefit analysis and considered the expected penalty costs of lost orders due to understaffing and loaded-wage costs of overstaffing. We used queuing theory to model customer-call behavior for every hour over 24-hour days, seven days per week, and implemented the results of linear regression, which correlated customer-service level with expected customer abandonment rate, to estimate the impact on order revenues of telephone-service level.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruce H. Andrews & Henry L. Parsons, 1989. "L. L. Bean Chooses a Telephone Agent Scheduling System," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 19(6), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:19:y:1989:i:6:p:1-9
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.19.6.1
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Vijay Mehrotra & Thomas A. Grossman, 2009. "OR Process Skills Transform an Out-of-Control Call Center into a Strategic Asset," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 39(4), pages 346-352, August.
    2. Easton, Fred F. & Mansour, Nashat, 1999. "A distributed genetic algorithm for deterministic and stochastic labor scheduling problems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 118(3), pages 505-523, November.
    3. Linda V. Green & Peter J. Kolesar, 1998. "A Note on Approximating Peak Congestion in Mt/G/\infty Queues with Sinusoidal Arrivals," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 44(11-Part-2), pages 137-144, November.
    4. Casado Yusta, S. & Pacheco Bonrostro, J., 2003. "Estudio comparativo de diferentes estrategias metaheurísticas para la resolución del labor scheduling problem./Analisys of different methauristas for solving labor scheduling," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 21, pages 537-554, December.
    5. Michael J. Brusco & Larry W. Jacobs, 1998. "Personnel Tour Scheduling When Starting-Time Restrictions Are Present," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 44(4), pages 534-547, April.
    6. Easton, F. F. & Rossin, D. F., 1997. "Overtime schedules for full-time service workers," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 285-299, June.
    7. Linda V. Green & Peter J. Kolesar & João Soares, 2001. "Improving the Sipp Approach for Staffing Service Systems That Have Cyclic Demands," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 49(4), pages 549-564, August.
    8. Michael J. Brusco & Larry W. Jacobs, 2000. "Optimal Models for Meal-Break and Start-Time Flexibility in Continuous Tour Scheduling," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(12), pages 1630-1641, December.
    9. Noah Gans & Ger Koole & Avishai Mandelbaum, 2003. "Telephone Call Centers: Tutorial, Review, and Research Prospects," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 5(2), pages 79-141, September.
    10. Ger Koole & Auke Pot, 2011. "TECHNICAL NOTE---A Note on Profit Maximization and Monotonicity for Inbound Call Centers," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 59(5), pages 1304-1308, October.
    11. S Casado & M Laguna & J Pacheco, 2005. "Heuristical labour scheduling to optimize airport passenger flows," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 56(6), pages 649-658, June.
    12. Brusco, Michael J. & Jacobs, Larry W., 2001. "Starting-time decisions in labor tour scheduling: An experimental analysis and case study," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(3), pages 459-475, June.
    13. Robert M. Saltzman & Vijay Mehrotra, 2001. "A Call Center Uses Simulation to Drive Strategic Change," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 31(3), pages 87-101, June.
    14. Thompson, Gary M. & Goodale, John C., 2006. "Variable employee productivity in workforce scheduling," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(2), pages 376-390, April.
    15. Dietz, Dennis C., 2011. "Practical scheduling for call center operations," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 550-557, October.

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