Queueing Models and Call Centre Operations: Insights and Technologies | Study notes Business Administration

Mathematical theory

A call centre can be viewed, from an operational point of view, as a queueing

network. The simplest call centre, consisting of a single type of customers and

statistically-identical servers, can be viewed as a single-queue. Queueing theory is a

branch of mathematics in which models of such queueing systems have been

developed. These models, in turn, are used to support work force planning and

management, for example by helping answer the following common staffing-

question: given a service-level, as determined by management, what is the least number

of telephone agents that is required to achieve it. (Prevalent examples of

service levels are: at least 80% of the callers are answered within 20 seconds; or, no

more that 3% of the customers hang-up, due to their impatience, before being served.)

Queueing models also provide qualitative insight, for example identifying the

circumstances under which economies of scale prevail, namely that a single large call

centre is more effective at answering calls than several (distributed) smaller ones; or that

cross-selling is beneficial; or that a call centre should be quality-driven or efficiency-

driven or, most likely, both Quality and Efficiency Driven

(abbreviated to QED). Recently, queueing models have also been used for planning and

operating skills-based-routing of calls within a call centre, which entails the analysis of

systems with multi-type customers and multi-skilled agents. Call centre operations have

been supported by mathematical models beyond queueing, with operations research, w

hich considers a wide range of optimization problems, being very relevant. For example,

for forecasting of calls, for determining shift -structures, and even for analyzing

customers' impatience while waiting to be served by an agent.

Accommodation

The centralization of call management aims to improve a company's operations and

reduce costs, while providing a standardized, streamlined, uniform service for

consumers, making this approach ideal for large companies with extensive customer

support needs. To accommodate for such a large customer base, large warehouses are

often converted to office space to host all call centre operations under one roof.

Centralised offices mean that large numbers of workers can be managed and

controlled by a relatively small number of managers and support staff. They are often

Queueing Models and Call Centre Operations: Insights and Technologies, Study notes of Business Administration