Cross-trained versus specialized agents in an inbound call centre: a simulation-based methodology for trade-off analysis

J Chung and K P White

Journal of Simulation, 2008, vol. 2, issue 3, 162-169

Abstract: While advances in call-centre technologies offer increased capabilities and efficiencies, the expanded possibilities for alternative configurations and operating policies complicate call-centre design and management correspondingly. Discrete-event simulation can capture these complexities and assist call-centre management in leveraging new technologies. In this study, we describe a simulation-based methodology developed for the inbound call centres of a leading catalog retailer of consumer electronics. Management sought to understand the implications of exploiting the capabilities of advanced telephone switches to migrate from a staff comprised entirely of cross-trained agents to a staff of dedicated product specialists. At issue was the trade-off between the efficiency of the single-channel generalist configuration and the potential effectiveness of a dual-channel specialist configuration. We describe the resolution of a range of technical issues embodied in this methodology, including modelling non-stationary call-arrival processes, deriving service-delay distributions from aggregate call-duration data, modelling call flow and control processes, adaptation of a framework for proper statistical comparison of multiple alternatives, and a software utility developed to integrate experiment design, run control, and output analysis.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1057/jos.2008.6

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