Aggregate planning models for field service delivery

A major planning problem for any after-sales repair service operation concerns the siting and staffing of field offices. Field service management seeks to balance costs against customer satisfaction, which is usually measured in responsiveness. This paper applies set covering models to the problem of field service aggregate planning. Four model formulations are developed and tested with a subset of actual data. The results of these aggregate planning models indicate which offices should be opened and how many field engineers of various expertise levels should be placed in each office to meet the dual objectives of minimizing cost and ensuring adequate responsiveness. Three of the four models are multiple objective formulations that demonstrate the tradeoffs between cost and responsiveness for varying levels of staffing and office openings.