IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jcomop/v44y2022i1d10.1007_s10878-021-00830-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Joint chance-constrained staffing optimization in multi-skill call centers

Author

Listed:
  • Tien Thanh Dam

    (Phenikaa University)

  • Thuy Anh Ta

    (Phenikaa University)

  • Tien Mai

    (Singapore Management University)

Abstract

This paper concerns the staffing optimization problem in multi-skill call centers. The objective is to find a minimal cost staffing solution while meeting a target level for the quality of service (QoS) to customers. We consider a staffing problem in which joint chance constraints are imposed on the QoS of the day. Our joint chance-constrained formulation is more rational capturing the correlation between different call types, as compared to separate chance-constrained versions considered in previous studies. We show that, in general, the probability functions in the joint-chance constraints display S-shaped curves, and the optimal solutions should belong to the concave regions of the curves. Thus, we propose an approach combining a heuristic phase to identify solutions lying in the concave part and a simulation-based cut generation phase to create outer-approximations of the probability functions. This allows us to find good staffing solutions satisfying the joint-chance constraints by simulation and linear programming. We test our formulation and algorithm using call center examples of up to 65 call types and 89 agent groups, which shows the benefits of our joint-chance constrained formulation and the advantage of our algorithm over standard ones.

Suggested Citation

  • Tien Thanh Dam & Thuy Anh Ta & Tien Mai, 2022. "Joint chance-constrained staffing optimization in multi-skill call centers," Journal of Combinatorial Optimization, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 354-378, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jcomop:v:44:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s10878-021-00830-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10878-021-00830-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10878-021-00830-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10878-021-00830-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ingolfsson, Armann & Campello, Fernanda & Wu, Xudong & Cabral, Edgar, 2010. "Combining integer programming and the randomization method to schedule employees," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 202(1), pages 153-163, April.
    2. Rodney B. Wallace & Ward Whitt, 2005. "A Staffing Algorithm for Call Centers with Skill-Based Routing," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 7(4), pages 276-294, August.
    3. Júlíus Atlason & Marina Epelman & Shane Henderson, 2004. "Call Center Staffing with Simulation and Cutting Plane Methods," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 127(1), pages 333-358, March.
    4. Júlíus Atlason & Marina A. Epelman & Shane G. Henderson, 2008. "Optimizing Call Center Staffing Using Simulation and Analytic Center Cutting-Plane Methods," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(2), pages 295-309, February.
    5. Wyean Chan & Ger Koole & Pierre L'Ecuyer, 2014. "Dynamic Call Center Routing Policies Using Call Waiting and Agent Idle Times," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 16(4), pages 544-560, October.
    6. Achal Bassamboo & J. Michael Harrison & Assaf Zeevi, 2006. "Design and Control of a Large Call Center: Asymptotic Analysis of an LP-Based Method," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 54(3), pages 419-435, June.
    7. 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.
    8. Itai Gurvich & James Luedtke & Tolga Tezcan, 2010. "Staffing Call Centers with Uncertain Demand Forecasts: A Chance-Constrained Optimization Approach," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(7), pages 1093-1115, July.
    9. Avramidis, Athanassios N. & Chan, Wyean & Gendreau, Michel & L'Ecuyer, Pierre & Pisacane, Ornella, 2010. "Optimizing daily agent scheduling in a multiskill call center," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 200(3), pages 822-832, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Merve Bodur & James R. Luedtke, 2017. "Mixed-Integer Rounding Enhanced Benders Decomposition for Multiclass Service-System Staffing and Scheduling with Arrival Rate Uncertainty," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(7), pages 2073-2091, July.
    2. Ta, Thuy Anh & Chan, Wyean & Bastin, Fabian & L’Ecuyer, Pierre, 2021. "A simulation-based decomposition approach for two-stage staffing optimization in call centers under arrival rate uncertainty," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 293(3), pages 966-979.
    3. Wyean Chan & Ger Koole & Pierre L'Ecuyer, 2014. "Dynamic Call Center Routing Policies Using Call Waiting and Agent Idle Times," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 16(4), pages 544-560, October.
    4. Ran Liu & Xiaolan Xie, 2018. "Physician Staffing for Emergency Departments with Time-Varying Demand," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 30(3), pages 588-607, August.
    5. Örmeci, E. Lerzan & Salman, F. Sibel & Yücel, Eda, 2014. "Staff rostering in call centers providing employee transportation," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 41-53.
    6. Van den Bergh, Jorne & Beliën, Jeroen & De Bruecker, Philippe & Demeulemeester, Erik & De Boeck, Liesje, 2013. "Personnel scheduling: A literature review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 226(3), pages 367-385.
    7. Defraeye, Mieke & Van Nieuwenhuyse, Inneke, 2016. "Staffing and scheduling under nonstationary demand for service: A literature review," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 4-25.
    8. Kaan Kuzu & Refik Soyer, 2018. "Bayesian modeling of abandonments in ticket queues," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 65(6-7), pages 499-521, September.
    9. Yiting Xing & Ling Li & Zhuming Bi & Marzena Wilamowska‐Korsak & Li Zhang, 2013. "Operations Research (OR) in Service Industries: A Comprehensive Review," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 300-353, May.
    10. Achal Bassamboo & Assaf Zeevi, 2009. "On a Data-Driven Method for Staffing Large Call Centers," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 57(3), pages 714-726, June.
    11. Mehmet Tolga Cezik & Pierre L'Ecuyer, 2008. "Staffing Multiskill Call Centers via Linear Programming and Simulation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(2), pages 310-323, February.
    12. Robbins, Thomas R. & Harrison, Terry P., 2010. "A stochastic programming model for scheduling call centers with global Service Level Agreements," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 207(3), pages 1608-1619, December.
    13. Noah Gans & Yong-Pin Zhou, 2007. "Call-Routing Schemes for Call-Center Outsourcing," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 9(1), pages 33-50, May.
    14. Ibrahim, Rouba & L’Ecuyer, Pierre & Shen, Haipeng & Thiongane, Mamadou, 2016. "Inter-dependent, heterogeneous, and time-varying service-time distributions in call centers," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 250(2), pages 480-492.
    15. Boris N. Oreshkin & Nazim Réegnard & Pierre L’Ecuyer, 2016. "Rate-Based Daily Arrival Process Models with Application to Call Centers," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 64(2), pages 510-527, April.
    16. Mattia, Sara & Rossi, Fabrizio & Servilio, Mara & Smriglio, Stefano, 2017. "Staffing and scheduling flexible call centers by two-stage robust optimization," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 25-37.
    17. Zanna Aa & Josée Bloemer & Jörg Henseler, 2015. "Using customer contact centres as relationship marketing instruments," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 9(2), pages 185-208, June.
    18. Tevfik Aktekin & Tahir Ekin, 2016. "Stochastic call center staffing with uncertain arrival, service and abandonment rates: A Bayesian perspective," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 63(6), pages 460-478, September.
    19. Jinsheng Chen & Jing Dong & Pengyi Shi, 2020. "A survey on skill-based routing with applications to service operations management," Queueing Systems: Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 96(1), pages 53-82, October.
    20. Ekin, Tahir & Aktekin, Tevfik, 2021. "Decision making under uncertain and dependent system rates in service systems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 291(1), pages 335-348.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jcomop:v:44:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s10878-021-00830-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.