| Article ID: | iaor2003105 |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Volume: | 108 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Start Page Number: | 175 |
| End Page Number: | 192 |
| Publication Date: | Nov 2001 |
| Journal: | Annals of Operations Research |
| Authors: | Henderson Shane G., Chen Bert P.K. |
| Keywords: | queues: applications |
Motivated by a problem facing the Police Communication Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, we consider the setting of staffing levels in a call center with priority customers. The choice of staffing level over any particular time period (e.g., Monday from 8 am–9 am) relies on accurate arrival rate information. The usual method for identifying the arrival rate based on historical data can, in some cases, lead to considerable errors in performance estimates for a given staffing level. We explain why, identify three potential causes of the difficulty, and describe a method for detecting and addressing such a problem.