Simul8 Report
MATH2013 Simulation Assignment
1.0 Introduction
The aim of the assignment was to find a staffing solution for a call centre with two types of calls (1, 2) and three types of agents, two of which specialists (agent 1 and agent 2) and a generalist (agent 3) who handles both types of calls on two types of days- Heavy 1, with more type 1 calls and Heavy 2, with more type 2 calls. The staffing solution should meet two performance constraints:
• The Quality of Service, QoS, should be at least 70%.
• The fraction of abandoned calls should not exceed 5%.
The simulation software, Simul8 was used to set up such a staffing.
2.0 Description of Solution Method
Figure 1: General Layout of simulation model
Figure 1 depicts the model used for the simulation, where the two types of calls enter the system through the two entry points - type 1 and type 2. They are then sorted and routed out to their respective queues through labels named ‘type’. Type 1 customers are served by either agent 1 or agent 3 (generalist), depending on availability. Similarly, type 2 customers are served by agent 2 or agent 3, after which the customers leave the system by their respective exit points.
If the customers’ patience time is reached before they are served, they hang up, and the call is then said to be expired – goes to the ‘expired’ work centre.
The clock was set to 08:00 at the beginning of the simulation. A day’s length was set to be 13 hours, so that at the end of the simulation, it was 18:00 – just like a day’s work in the call centre. All travel times were set to zero, since all the work is being done by telephone calls, which move through the system instantly
Two identical models were set up for the two types of days to monitor the staffing performance and the customers’ demand. A trial consisting of 1000 runs were used in all simulations to draw conclusions and analyze the data.
3.1 Staffing and Routing Policies
According to the
1.0 Introduction
The aim of the assignment was to find a staffing solution for a call centre with two types of calls (1, 2) and three types of agents, two of which specialists (agent 1 and agent 2) and a generalist (agent 3) who handles both types of calls on two types of days- Heavy 1, with more type 1 calls and Heavy 2, with more type 2 calls. The staffing solution should meet two performance constraints:
• The Quality of Service, QoS, should be at least 70%.
• The fraction of abandoned calls should not exceed 5%.
The simulation software, Simul8 was used to set up such a staffing.
2.0 Description of Solution Method
Figure 1: General Layout of simulation model
Figure 1 depicts the model used for the simulation, where the two types of calls enter the system through the two entry points - type 1 and type 2. They are then sorted and routed out to their respective queues through labels named ‘type’. Type 1 customers are served by either agent 1 or agent 3 (generalist), depending on availability. Similarly, type 2 customers are served by agent 2 or agent 3, after which the customers leave the system by their respective exit points.
If the customers’ patience time is reached before they are served, they hang up, and the call is then said to be expired – goes to the ‘expired’ work centre.
The clock was set to 08:00 at the beginning of the simulation. A day’s length was set to be 13 hours, so that at the end of the simulation, it was 18:00 – just like a day’s work in the call centre. All travel times were set to zero, since all the work is being done by telephone calls, which move through the system instantly
Two identical models were set up for the two types of days to monitor the staffing performance and the customers’ demand. A trial consisting of 1000 runs were used in all simulations to draw conclusions and analyze the data.
3.1 Staffing and Routing Policies
According to the