Reference no: EM133283095
Assignment:
A leading provider of diagnostic services and solutions has a call center, in which there are 400 representatives and 25 supervisors are working. Since last year, this call center has been receiving many complaints from customers. Two major complaints are:
1) customers wait too long on the phone just for someone to answer and,
2) representatives are often unable to give the right information in one call. The company is losing some key customers due to the call center's poor quality of service. Now, please assuming you are hired as a consultant by this company to turn around the call center service quality. As a consultant, you decide to use Waiting Line Analysis (i.e., queueing theory) and Critical Path Method (CPM) to address these issues. Then please answer the questions below. Note that you need to provide your detailed thoughts, logic, and solutions step by step. Related formulas are not required.
1. In the beginning, you plan to estimate the number of customers in the waiting line (waiting to be answered by one of the representatives) and the average waiting time in distinct situations (e.g., morning, afternoon, weekday, and weekend). How do you plan to do this work using the Waiting Line Analysis? What conditions or data do you need to complete the estimations?
2. Many hidden issues in operations management (e.g., service processes, human resources) can cause the aforementioned service problems. List at least three issues and provide the techniques or tools you are going to use to identify them. Moreover, give your thoughts and strategies that can help fix those issues in your list.
3. To solve those identified issues, you asked the call center managers, the HR staff, and the directors to list what they needed to do. The group listed ten activities that had to be done ASAP. You noted that some of the activities need to be done immediately before moving on to another activity. This means some activities can be done simultaneously, whereas some of them have to be completed sequentially. How do you schedule these activities using the Critical Path Method? What information do you need?
4. Please list at least three effective Yield management approaches to decrease the customers' waiting time and increase the service quality of the call center.