212,147 research outputs found
Modeling and simulation of a telephone call center
No full textWe consider a system with two types of traffic and two types of agents. Outbound calls are served only by blend agents, whereas inbound calls can be served by either inbound-only or blend agents. Our objective is to allocate a number of agents such that some service requirement is satisfied. We have taken two approaches in analyzing this staffing problem: We developed a simulation model of the call center, which allows us to do a what-if analysis, as well as continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC) queueing models, which provide approximations of system performance measures. We describe the simulation model in this paper
Lean six sigma in a call centre : a case study
No full textThis paper, a case study, aims to illustrate the application of lean six sigma in a call centre of a service industry corporation. The study draws on process information and primary data from a real project. The study describes improvements in the operation of the call centre attributable to lean six sigma: increase in first-call resolution ratio, reduction in operator turnover and streamlining of processes. The introduction of lean six sigma into the call centre daily operations' management may have organizational benefits. Although lean six sigma has been extremely successful in the last two decades in the manufacturing sector, its applicability to the service sector has been a controversial topic. This study illustrates its application to a fast-growing area of the service sector, assisting companies in identifying areas of development for their call centres
Simulation-based optimization of agent scheduling in multiskill call centers.
No full textWe examine and compare simulation-based algorithms for solvingthe agent scheduling problem in a multiskill call center.This problem consists in minimizing the total costs of agents underconstraints on the expected service level per call type,per period, and aggregated.We propose a solution approach that combines simulation withinteger or linear programming, with cut generation.In our numerical experiments with realistic problem instances,this approach performs better than all other methods proposedpreviously for this problem.We also show that the two-step approach, which is the standard methodfor solving this problem, sometimes yield solutions that arehighly suboptimal and inferior to those obtained by our proposed method.<br/
Authoring a Web‐enhanced interface for a new language‐learning environment
No full textThis paper presents conceptual considerations underpinning a design process set up to develop an applicable and usable interface as well as defining parameters for a new and versatile Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) environment. Based on a multidisciplinary expertise combining Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Web‐based Java programming, CALL authoring and language teaching expertise, it strives to generate new CALL‐enhanced curriculum developments in language learning. The originality of the approach rests on its design rationale established on the strength of previously identified student requirements and authoring needs identifying inherent design weaknesses and interactive limitations of existing hypermedia CALL applications (Hémard, 1998). At the student level, the emphasis is placed on three important design decisions related to the design of the interface, student interaction and usability. Thus, particular attention is given to design considerations focusing on the need to (a) develop a readily recognizable, professionally robust and intuitive interface, (b) provide a student‐controlled navigational space based on a mixed learning environment approach, and (c) promote a flexible, network‐based, access mode reconciling classroom with open access exploitations. At the author level, design considerations are essentially orientated towards adaptability and flexibility with the integration of authoring facilities, requiring no specific authoring skills, to cater for and support the need for a flexible approach adaptable to specific language‐learning environments. This paper elaborates on these conceptual considerations within the design process with particular emphasis on the adopted principled methodology and resulting design decisions and solutions
Non-song social call bouts of migrating humpback whales
No full textThis work was funded by the E&P Sound and Marine Life Joint Industry Programme (JIP), managed by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP), the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) with additional in-kind support from the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation.The use of stereotyped calls within structured bouts has been described for a number of species and may increase the information potential of call repertoires. Humpback whales produce a repertoire of social calls, although little is known about the complexity or function of these calls. In this study, digital acoustic tag recordings were used to investigate social call use within bouts, the use of bouts across different social contexts, and whether particular call type combinations were favored. Call order within bouts was investigated using call transition frequencies and information theory techni- ques. Call bouts were defined through analysis of inter-call intervals, as any calls within 3.9 s of each other. Bouts were produced significantly more when new whales joined a group compared to groups that did not change membership, and in groups containing multiple adults escorting a female and calf compared to adult only groups. Although social calls tended to be produced in bouts, there were few repeated bout types. However, the order in which most call types were produced within bouts was non-random and dependent on the preceding call type. These bouts appear to be at least partially governed by rules for how individual components are combined.Peer reviewe
Optimizing daily agent scheduling in a multiskill call center
No full textWe examine and compare simulation-based algorithms for solving the agent scheduling problem in a multiskill call center. This problem consists in minimizing the total costs of agents under constraints on the expected service level per call type, per period, and aggregated. We propose a solution approach that combines simulation with integer or linear programming, with cut generation. In our numerical experiments with realistic problem instances, this approach performs better than all other methods proposed previously for this problem. We also show that the two-step approach, which is the standard method for solving this problem, sometimes yield solutions that are highly suboptimal and inferior to those obtained by our proposed method.<br/
Gender, choice and constraint in call centre employment
No full textThis paper examines the genderised experience of employment in call centres. While existing studies have acknowledged structural and agential constraints on women in the workplace, this paper goes further by illustrating the gendered nature of career choice and progression in a context which, in certain respects, appears to have benefitted women's desires for advancement. Drawing on quantitative and in-depth qualitative data from four Scottish call centres, the study provides evidence of gender inequality shaped by structural and ideological workplace and household constraints
Exploiting spatiotemporal locality for fast call stack traversal
No full textIn the approach to exascale, scalable tools are becoming increasingly necessary to support parallel applications. Evaluating an application’s call stack is a vital technique for a wide variety of profilers and debuggers, and can create a significant performance overhead. In this paper we present a heuristic technique to reduce the overhead of frequent call stack evaluations. We use this technique to estimate the similarity between successive call stacks, removing the need for full call stack traversal and eliminating a significant portion of the performance overhead. We demonstrate this technique applied to a parallel memory tracing toolkit, WMTools, and analyse the performance gains and accuracy
Quilt by Irene Call Allred
No full textImage of quilt created in 1928 by Irene Call Allred. Also includes questionnaires describing the quilt completed by Delsa A. Thomson as part of the Utah Quilt Guild\u27s documentation days held from 1988-1994. Estimated date of fabric in quilt-late 1920s-early 1930s; quilter made the quilt for Delsa\u27s "Trousseau Tea"(a lost pre-wedding ritual
Staffing multi-skill call centers via search methods and a performance approximation
No full textA multi-skill staffing problem in a call center where the agent skill sets are exogenous and the call routing policy has well-specified features of overflow between different agent types is addressed. Constraints are imposed on the service level for each call class, defined here as the steady-state fraction of calls served within a given time threshold, excluded. An approximation of these service levels is developed that allows an arbitrary overflow mechanism and customer abandonment. A two-stage heuristic that finds good solutions to mathematical programs with such constraints is developed. The first stage uses search methods supported by the approximation. Because service level approximation errors may be substantial, the solution is adjusted in a second stage in which performance is estimated by simulation. Realistic problems of varying size and routing policy are solved. The proposed approach is shown to be competitive with (and often better than) previously available methods
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