Decision Sciences Journal
Volume 29, Number 1
Winter 1998

A Simulation Metamodel for Response-Time Planning

Edward F. Watson
Louisiana State University, Department of ISDS, 3190 CEBA Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 email: ewatson@lsu.edu

Prabhulal P. Chawda and Brad McCarthy
Xerox Corporation, 100 Clinton Avenue South, Rochester, NY 14644, email: brad_mccarthy@mc.xerox.com/ prabhu_chawda@mc.xerox.com

Michael J. Drevna and Randy P. Sadowski
Systems Modeling Corporation, Sewickley, PA 15143, email: smcorp@mail.sm.com

Abstract: Field service management continues to be a major challenge for many service organizations as companies are required to provide more service with less resources. Especially in information intense environments, short response times for service calls are essential to avoid disruptions to a business office or production facility. Managers must regularly assess their manpower needs, and ensure that their allocation and operational decisions lead to the best service at the lowest cost.

Xerox Corporation provides copiers, duplicators, and printing systems to an international market. Xerox operates a service network consisting of over 30,000 trained service personnel, each allocated to service regions by the service planning staff. Response-time planning involves many challenging problems: requirements planning at the national level, allocation planning at the district level, and operational planning at the team level. Customer service is critical and is commonly measured by response time—the time that elapses from when a service call is placed to when a service engineer begins service. This paper discusses how Xerox Corporation has used simulation models and metamodels to improve response-time planning and field service operations.

Subject Areas: Case Study, Labor and Staff Planning, Metamodel, Regression, Service Operations Management, and Simulation.