User s Guide. Doc ID ARENCC-UM001C-EN-P

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1 User s Guide Doc ID ARENCC-UM001C-EN-P

2 Contacting Rockwell Software Copyright Notice Trademark Notice Warranty Technical Support Telephone Technical Support Fax World Wide Web Copyright 2004 Rockwell Software Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in USA. This manual and any accompanying Rockwell Software products are copyrighted by Rockwell Software Inc. Any reproduction and/or distribution without prior written consent from Rockwell Software is strictly prohibited. Please refer to the license agreement for details. Commercial runtime models may be legally loaded and run only by employees of organizations with a commercial Arena license. Models created using a research licenses may not be used for commercial use. Any other use of a runtime model is illegal and unauthorized. Commercial Arena software can be obtained by contacting Rockwell Software at or contacting your local representative (listed under partners at < Arena and SIMAN are registered trademarks and the phrase Forward Visibility for Your Business and the Rockwell Software logo are trademarks of Rockwell Automation, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and Visual Basic are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. Crystal Reports is a registered trademark of Crystal Decisions. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged. This Rockwell Software product is warranted in accord with the product license. The product s performance will be affected by system configuration, the application being performed, operator control, and other related factors. This product s implementation may vary among users. This manual is as up-to-date as possible at the time of printing; however, the accompanying software may have changed since that time. Rockwell Software reserves the right to change any information contained in this manual or the software at anytime without prior notice. The instructions in this manual do not claim to cover all the details or variations in the equipment, procedure, or process described, nor to provide directions for meeting every possible contingency during installation, operation, or maintenance. ii

3 Contents 1 Welcome to Arena Contact Center Edition 1 What is Arena Contact Center Edition? Intended audience Simulation of contact centers Arena Contact Center Edition: A custom-designed simulation system for contact centers Where can I go for help? Reference the user s guides Explore our examples Get help Use the SMARTs library Access the Arena Symbol Factory Get phone support Get Web support Get training Get consulting services Contact us Introduction to Simulation 7 Simulation defined Systems and models Advantages of simulation The simulation process Problem definition and project planning Style definition and model formulation Experimental design Input data Verification and validation Documentation and implementation References General Concepts 19 Overview Planning horizon Timeslots Contact types Data sources iii

4 ARENA CONTACT CENTER EDITION USER S GUIDE Arrival pattern Data sources Trunk Groups Data sources Routing Scripts Data sources Agent Skill Sets Data sources Schedules Data sources Agent Groups Data sources Parent Groups Data sources Queues Animation Performance measures/reporting Features 27 Different stages in the contact life span Contact arrival (required) Blocked contacts (required) Offered contacts (required) Abandoned contacts (optional) Disconnected contacts (optional) Contacts leaving messages (optional) Handled contacts (required) Talk time (required) Conference (optional) Transfer (optional) After-contact work (optional) Contact back (optional) Queue behavior Queue construction Queue ranking Agent selection Skill-based routing Routing script construction Begin Script Queue for Agent Remove from Queue iv

5 CONTENTS Wait Priority Message Disconnect Overflow Transfer to Script Transfer to Agent Conference Branch Assignment End Script Costing Agent costs Trunk costs Miscellaneous features Pattern entry Agent states Individual agents Advanced configuration agents Getting Started 41 Introduction Loading and running an existing example General modeling skills and concepts Panels and modules Names Lists Module copy and paste Repeat group duplication Disable animation Building an Arena Contact Center Edition model Defining the business application Model overview Model construction Running the model Conclusions The Contact Data Panel 59 Configuration module Schedule module Pattern module v

6 ARENA CONTACT CENTER EDITION USER S GUIDE Agent module Contact module Animate module Report module The Script Panel 99 Begin Script module Queue for Agent module Remove from Queue module Wait module Priority module Message module Disconnect module Overflow module Transfer to Script module Transfer to Agent module Conference module Branch module Assignment module End Script module Script restrictions Arena Contact Center Edition script examples Reports 123 Agents and Trunks report Trunk Summary Agent Summary Example Contact Times and Counts report Contact Times Contact Counts Other Contact Data Contact Count Statistics report Contact Time Statistics report Agent Group Utilization report Parent Group Utilization report Trunk Group Utilization report Overflow Count Statistics report vi

7 CONTENTS 9 Case Studies 137 Purposes of cases and examples Example 1 Bilingual Contact Center model Overview and business objective Key modeling techniques illustrated in this example The data detail for the Bilingual Contact Center example Example 2 Bank model Overview and business objective Key modeling techniques illustrated in this example The data detail for the Bank example Example 3 Skill-based Routing model Key modeling techniques illustrated in this example The data detail for the Skill-based Routing example Example 4 Premium Service model Overview and business objective Key modeling techniques illustrated in this example The data detail for the Premium Service example Example 5 Teamwork model The data detail for the Teamwork example Example 6 Multi-site model Overview and business objective Key modeling techniques illustrated in this example The data detail for the Multi-site example Other examples Outbound/blend examples A Reserved Words 187 B Reports 189 Index 193 vii

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9 1 Welcome to Arena Contact Center Edition What is Arena Contact Center Edition? Arena Contact Center Edition is a simulation system developed by Rockwell Software Inc. for the performance analysis of contact centers. It is built on Rockwell Software s Arena simulation system and has been customized to enable its users to build and run simulation models of contact center operations quickly and easily and to analyze the results that these models produce. Intended audience Arena Contact Center Edition is designed for contact center managers and analysts and industrial or systems engineers. It is typically deployed as an enterprise business analysis and productivity tool. We assume that you are familiar with the basic concepts and terms used in these types of systems. You are interested in improving business productivity and are responsible for evaluating and predicting the impact of proposed strategic and tactical changes to help improve performance. A familiarity with computers and the Microsoft Windows operating system is assumed. A familiarity with the concepts and terms used in simulation is also helpful. Simulation of contact centers For contact center managers and analysts, their planning problems are far easier to describe than to model or to solve. I ve got my staffing budget for the next fiscal year, but I don t know how many people I need to make service levels, what shifts to hire for, or what skills to train my workers on. Service levels look pretty good right now, but our peak season is coming up. What I don t know is how badly our service levels and abandonment rates will suffer if our forecasts turn out to be too low. Our service levels are in bad shape. We are considering either hiring an outsourcer to help share the handling load or extending our hours. I wish I knew where to get the most bang for the buck. My telecomm guy has a new set of routing scripts to make use of some of our advanced phone switch capabilities. I wonder how this is going to impact our average speed of answer and our staff utilization. 1 Welcome 1

10 ARENA CONTACT CENTER EDITION USER S GUIDE Marketing has come up with a new program giving our preferred customers a special priority when they contact us with questions. What I m worried about is how this new program will affect the waiting times that the rest of our customers experience. We ve been asked to provide telephone service and support for another business unit. They re asking us how much staff we need to hire or cross-train in order to handle this increased load. Contact center managers have traditionally attacked these types of problems with several methods, including gut feel estimates, back-of-the-envelope calculations, elaborate spreadsheets, and analytical queueing formulas such as Erlang C. Each of these approaches, however, has significant limitations when applied to contact centers and contact center networks. Simulation is the only analysis method that can effectively and accurately model a contact center (or a network of contact centers). Such models can be used to study the performance of the system. The simulation method is based on creating a computerized copy of the actual contact center system and running this system on the computer for a period of time representing a day, a week, or a month. In particular, simulation explicitly models the interaction between contacts (e.g., calls or ), routes, and agents, as well as the randomness of individual contact arrivals and handle times. By using simulation, managers and analysts translate contact center data (forecasts, contact-routing vectors, contact-handle time distributions, agent schedules, agent skills, etc.) into actionable information about service levels, customer abandonment, agent utilization, first-contact resolution, and other important contact center performance measures. These results are used to support key management decisions that drive contact center operations and expenditures. 2

11 1 WELCOME TO ARENA CONTACT CENTER EDITION Agent Population (# (# of of Agents, Skills, Priorities, Shifts, Breaks )) 1 Welcome Routing Scripts (By Contact Name) Call-Volume Forecasts (By Contact Name, Time Slots) Contact Center Simulation Model Contact Center Performance Statistics Center Configuration Data (Hours of of Operation, Trunk Line Capacity, etc.) Arena Contact Center Edition: A custom-designed simulation system for contact centers The successful use of simulation in many contact center environments led to the development of Arena Contact Center Edition. It was developed by Rockwell Software in partnership with Onward, a management consulting firm based in Mountain View, California, specializing in contact center operations. In conjunction with a team of contact center managers and analysts from many different types of business environments, Rockwell Software and Onward have designed Arena Contact Center Edition to: 1. Make it easy for analysts to build accurate and detailed simulation models of contact centers, ranging from fairly simple to very complex, without extensive simulation or management science training. 2. Support a process of managing input data into these contact center simulation models that is as easy and sensible as possible. 3. Have the capacity to deliver real-time statistics, animation, and output statistics that provide insight into key contact center performance measures. 4. Use standard contact center terminology wherever possible to make the model building and usage process as intuitive as possible for contact center professionals. 3

12 ARENA CONTACT CENTER EDITION USER S GUIDE Arena Contact Center Edition is a Microsoft Windows operating system-based simulation system. It is one of a family of application solution templates (ASTs) built on top of the Arena simulation system, leveraging Arena s development environment to create a focused and easy-to-use tool for contact center managers and analysts. Where can I go for help? Our commitment to your success starts with the suite of learning aids and assistance we provide for Arena. Whether you re new to simulation or a seasoned veteran putting a new tool to use, you ll quickly feel at home with the Arena Contact Center Edition. Reference the user s guides The documentation set includes this manual, Arena Contact Center Edition User s Guide, which cover the product basics; the Arena User s Guide, which covers the standard product modules and offers an easy, click-by-click tutorial; and the Variables Guide, a separate reference booklet providing complete descriptions of Arena variables found in the Arena product templates. DOCUMENT CONVENTIONS Throughout the guides, a number of style conventions are used to help identify material. New terms and concepts may be emphasized by use of italics or bold; file menu paths are in bold with a (>) separating the entries (e.g., go to Help > Arena Help); text you are asked to type is shown in Courier Bold (e.g., in this field, type Work Week), and dialog and window button names are shown in bold (e.g., click OK). Explore our examples Arena is accompanied by a number of sample models that illustrate many of the commonly used approaches for capturing the essence of manufacturing processes. Examples are provided for both job shop and flow shop environments. For a description of and list of Arena s examples, go to Help > Arena Help. On the Contents tab, choose Model Building Basics, and then select Viewing Arena Example Models. Get help Online help is always at your fingertips! Arena incorporates the latest in help features, including What s This? help that displays a brief description of fields in dialogs, contextsensitive help on menu and toolbar buttons, and a help button on each of Arena s modules. Just refer to the Arena help table of contents and index for a list of all help topics. 4

13 1 WELCOME TO ARENA CONTACT CENTER EDITION Use the SMARTs library As you craft models of your own manufacturing processes, use our SMARTs library to explore how to best use Arena. This suite of tutorial models covers topics ranging from modeling resources to animation techniques. The library is organized into categories to help you find the right model with ease. When you re wondering how to take the next step in your model, browse the SMARTs library for a ready-made solution. For a list of categories and their related SMARTS, go to Help > Arena Help. On the Contents tab, first click Model Building Basics, and then Learning Arena with SMART Files. 1 Welcome Access the Arena Symbol Factory Arena animations can be enhanced using Arena Symbol Factory s extensive library of symbols. These symbols can be used for entity, resource, transporter or global pictures; or as graphic symbols within a model window. You can copy these symbols directly to the Arena model window, add them to your own libraries (.plb files), or add them to any of the Arena picture library files. Get phone support Rockwell Software provides full support for the entire Arena family of products. Questions concerning installation, how modules work, the use of the model editor, and the use of the software are handled by technical support. ARENA TECHNICAL SUPPORT INCLUDES: (for users on active maintenance) a technical support hotline and address staffed by full-time, experienced professionals help with installation problems or questions related to the software s requirements troubleshooting limited support regarding the interaction of Arena with other programs support of the Arena Object Model, which is used in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications. If you call the support line ( ), you should be at your computer and be prepared to give the following information: the product serial number the product version number the operating system you are using the exact wording of any messages that appeared on your screen a description of what happened and what you were doing when the problem occurred a description of how you tried to solve the problem. 5

14 ARENA CONTACT CENTER EDITION USER S GUIDE Get Web support In addition to phone support, the Rockwell Automation Customer Support Center offers extensive online knowledgebases of tech notes and frequently asked questions for support of non-urgent issues. These databases are updated daily by our support specialists. To receive regular messages with links to the latest tech notes, software updates, and firmware updates for the products that are of interest to you or to submit an online support request, register through And be sure to check the Arena User Zone section of our Web site at The User Zone links to a peer-to-peer forum on Arena topics and has a link to a download page where you can check for possible software updates (patches). If you can t find the answer you need, contact your local representative or Arena technical support. Get training Do you need training? Rockwell Software offers a standard training course comprised of lecture and hands-on workshops designed to introduce you to the fundamental concepts of modeling with Arena. We also offer customized training courses designed to meet your specific needs. These courses can be held in our offices or yours, and we can accommodate one person or twenty. You design the course that s right for you! Simply contact our consulting services group to discuss how we can help you achieve success in your simulation efforts. Get consulting services Rockwell Automation provides expert consulting and turnkey implementation of the entire Arena product suite. Please contact your local representative for more information. Contact us We strive to help all of our customers become successful in their manufacturing improvement efforts. Toward this objective, we invite you to contact your local representative or Rockwell Software at any time that we may be of service to you. Support Arena-Support@software.rockwell.com Corporate Arena-Info@software.rockwell.com Support phone: URL: URL: 6

15 2 Introduction to Simulation This chapter contains excerpts from the simulation textbook written by C. Dennis Pegden, Randall P. Sadowski, and Robert E. Shannon entitled Introduction to Simulation Using SIMAN, Second Edition (McGraw-Hill, 1995). Simulation defined Simulation is one of the most powerful analysis tools available to those responsible for the design, analysis, and operation of complex processes or systems. In an increasingly competitive world, simulation has become a very powerful tool for the planning, design, and control of systems. It is viewed today as an indispensable problem-solving methodology for engineers, designers, and managers. To simulate, according to Webster s Collegiate Dictionary, is to feign, to obtain the essence of, without the reality. According to Schriber [1987], Simulation involves the modeling of a process or system in such a way that the model mimics the response of the actual system to events that take place over time. We will define simulation as the process of designing a model of a real system and conducting experiments with this model for the purpose of understanding the behavior of the system and/or evaluating various strategies for the operation of the system. We consider simulation to include both the construction of the model and the experimental use of the model for studying a problem. Thus, you can think of simulation modeling as an experimental and applied methodology that seeks to accomplish the following: describe the behavior of systems, construct theories or hypotheses that account for the observed behavior, and use the model to predict future behavior; i.e., the effects produced by changes in the system or in its method of operation. The terms model and system are key components of our definition of simulation. By model, we mean a representation of a group of objects or ideas in some form other than that of the entity itself. By system, we mean a group or collection of interrelated elements that cooperate to accomplish some stated objective. We can simulate systems that already exist and those that can be brought into existence; i.e., those in the preliminary or planning stage of development. 2 Introduction to Simulation Systems and models The conceptualization and development of models have played a vital part in our intellectual activity ever since we began to try to understand and manipulate our environment. People have always used the idea of models to attempt to represent and 7

16 ARENA CONTACT CENTER EDITION USER S GUIDE express ideas and objects. Historically, modeling has taken many forms: from communicating through wall paintings to writing complex systems of mathematical equations for the flight of a rocket through outer space. As a matter of fact, the progress and history of science and engineering are reflected most accurately in the progress of our ability to develop and use models. One of the major elements required in attacking any problem is the construction and use of a model. We use models because we want to learn something about some real system that we cannot observe or experiment with directly either because the system does not yet exist, or because it is too difficult to manipulate. A carefully conceived model can strip away the complexity, leaving only that which the analyst finds important. Such a model can take many forms, but one of the most useful and certainly the most often used is simulation. Likewise, the concept of systems plays a critical role in our modern view of the world. The fundamental idea of thinking about the world in terms of systems and trying to take the systems approach to attacking problems has become so ingrained in contemporary practice that we tend to take it for granted. The systems approach tries to consider total system performance rather than simply concentrating on the parts [Weinberg, 1975]; it is based on our recognition that, even if each element or subsystem is optimized from a design or operational viewpoint, overall performance of the system may be suboptimal because of interactions among the parts. The increasing complexity of modern systems and the need to cope with this complexity underscore the need for engineers and managers to adopt a systems approach to thinking. Although complex systems and their environments are objective (i.e., they exist), they are also subjective (i.e., the particular selection of included (and excluded) elements and their configuration is dictated by the problem solver). Different analyses of the same objective process or phenomenon can conceptualize it into very different systems and environments. For example, a telecommunications engineer may think of a contact center system as a collection of trunk lines and routing scripts. The contact center director, however, is more likely to view the system as the combination of phone lines, scripts, contacts, agents, and schedules. The vice president in charge of contact center operations may see the system as the collection of all the centers her company runs/along with all outsourcers under contract. Hence, several different conceptualizations of any particular real-world system and thereby several different models can simultaneously exist. System elements are the components, parts, and subsystems that perform a function or process. The relationships among these elements and the manner in which they interact determine how the overall system behaves and how well it fulfills its overall purpose. Therefore, the first step in creating any model is to specify its purpose. There is no such thing as the model of a system: we can model any system in numerous ways, depending on what we wish to accomplish. Both the elements and the relationships included must be 8

17 2 INTRODUCTION TO SIMULATION chosen to achieve a specific purpose. The model developed should be as simple as the stated purpose will allow. The types of simulations of interest here are those used to develop an understanding of the performance of a system over time. We typically use simulation models to help us explain, understand, or improve a system. To be effective, simulation must concentrate on some previously defined problem (otherwise, we do not know what elements to include in the model or what information to generate and collect). We typically use models to predict and compare that is, to provide a logical way of forecasting the outcomes that follow alternative actions or decisions and (we hope) to indicate a preference among them. Although this use of models is important, it is by no means its only purpose. Model building also provides a systematic, explicit, and efficient way to focus judgment and intuition. Furthermore, by introducing a precise framework, a simulation model can effectively communicate system configuration and assist the thought process. Advantages of simulation Because its basic concept is easy to comprehend, a simulation model is often easier to justify to management or customers than some of the analytical models. In addition, simulation might have more credibility because its behavior has been compared to that of the real system or because it has required fewer simplifying assumptions and thereby has captured more of the true characteristics of the real system. Virtually all simulation models are so-called input-output models; that is, they yield the output of the system for a given input. Simulation models are therefore run rather than solved. They cannot generate an optimal solution on their own as analytical models can; they can only serve as tools for the analysis of system behavior under specified conditions. (The exception is a simulation model used to find the optimum values for a set of control variables under a given set of inputs.) We have defined simulation as experimentation with a model of the real system. An experimental problem arises when a need develops for specific system information that isn t available from known sources. The following list describes some of the benefits associated with simulation. In a contact center, the impact of new types of contacts, new agent schedules, modified contact priorities, contact volumes, and other key inputs can be explored without disrupting ongoing operations. New routing scripts or transfer logic can be tested before committing resources to implementation. Hypotheses about how or why certain phenomena occur can be tested for feasibility. Time can be controlled: it can be compressed, expanded, etc., allowing us to speed up or slow down a phenomenon for study. 2 Introduction to Simulation 9

18 ARENA CONTACT CENTER EDITION USER S GUIDE Insight can be gained about which variables are most important to performance and how these variables interact. A simulation study can prove invaluable to understanding how the system really operates as opposed to how everyone thinks it operates. New situations, about which we have limited knowledge and experience, can be manipulated in order to prepare for theoretical future events. Simulation s great strength lies in its ability to let us explore what if questions. The simulation process The essence or purpose of simulation modeling is to help the ultimate decision maker solve a problem. Therefore, to learn to be a good simulation modeler, you must merge good problem-solving techniques with good software engineering practice. The following steps should be taken in every simulation study. 1. Problem Definition. Defining the goals of the study clearly so that we know the purpose; i.e., why are we studying this problem and what questions do we hope to answer? What is the business impact of these answers? 2. Project Planning. Being sure that we have sufficient personnel, management support, computer hardware, and software resources to do the job with a relevant timetable. 3. System Definition. Determining the boundaries and restrictions to be used in defining the system (or process) and investigating how the system works. 4. Conceptual Model Formulation. Developing a preliminary model either graphically (e.g., block diagrams) or in pseudo-code to define the components, descriptive variables, and interactions (logic) that constitute the system. 5. Preliminary Experimental Design. Selecting the measures of effectiveness to be used, the factors to be varied, and the levels of those factors to be investigated; i.e., what data need to be gathered from the model, in what form, and to what extent. 6. Input Data Preparation. Identifying and collecting the input data needed by the model. 7. Model Translation. Formulating the model in an appropriate simulation language or software package such as Arena Contact Center Edition. 8. Verification and Validation. Confirming that the model operates the way the analyst intended (debugging) and that the output of the model is believable and representative of the output of the real system. 10

19 2 INTRODUCTION TO SIMULATION 9. Final Experimental Design. Designing an experiment that will yield the desired information and determining how each of the test runs specified in the experimental design is to be executed. 10. Experimentation. Executing the simulation to generate the desired data and to perform a sensitivity analysis. 11. Analysis and Interpretation. Drawing inferences from the data generated by the simulation. 12. Implementation and Documentation. Putting the results to use, recording the findings, and documenting the model and its use. Problem definition and project planning It should be obvious that before you can solve a problem you must know what the problem is. (This is sometimes easier said than done.) Experience indicates that beginning a simulation project properly may well make the difference between success and failure. Simulation studies are initiated because a decision maker or group of decision makers face a problem and need a solution. Often the project is initiated by someone who can t necessarily make the final decision, but who is responsible for making recommendations. In such a case, the results of the study may have to serve two purposes simultaneously: helping the sponsor to formulate the recommendations; and justifying, supporting, and helping to sell those recommendations. We begin our analysis by collecting enough information and data to provide an adequate understanding of both the problem and the system to be studied. A typical project begins with the description of the situation to be modeled in a general and imprecise way, in terms such as service levels, agent utilization, abandonment rates, or other key system performance measures. We must view the problem description as a set of symptoms requiring diagnosis. We begin, therefore, by diagnosing the symptoms; then we define the problem; and, finally, we formulate a model. To make that diagnosis, we must become thoroughly familiar with all relevant aspects of the organization s operations, including influential forces (or factors) outside the organization and the subjective and objective aspects of the problem. Minimally, we should perform the following steps. 1. Identify the primary decision maker(s) and the decision-making process relative to the system being studied. 2. Determine the relevant objectives of each of those responsible for some aspect of the decision. 3. Identify other participants in the final decision (especially those likely to oppose changes in the system) and determine their objectives and vested interests. 2 Introduction to Simulation 11

20 ARENA CONTACT CENTER EDITION USER S GUIDE 4. Determine which aspects of the situation are subject to the control of the decision maker(s) and the range of control that can be exercised. 5. Identify those aspects of the environment or problem context that can affect the outcome of possible solutions but that are beyond the control of the decision maker(s). An important aspect of the planning phase involves ensuring that we have considered certain factors critical to project success: Clearly defined goals. Do we know the purpose of the study i.e., why are we doing it and what do we expect to find? Sufficient resource allocation. Are we sure that there is sufficient time, personnel, and computer hardware and software available to do the job? Management support. Has management made its support for the project known to all concerned parties? Project plans and schedules. Are there detailed plans for carrying out the project? What are the key dates? Competent project manager and team members. Are we assured of having the necessary skills and knowledge available for successful completion of the project? Responsiveness to the clients. Have all potential users of the results been consulted and regularly apprised of the project s progress? Adequate communication channels. Are we continually concerned that sufficient information is available on project objectives, status, changes, user or client needs, etc., to keep everyone (team members, management, and clients) fully informed as the project progresses? The major thrust of the planning and orientation period is the determination of the explicit goals or purpose of the simulation project. Simulation experiments are conducted for a wide variety of purposes, including the following: Evaluation: determining how well a proposed system design performs in an absolute sense when evaluated against specific criteria. Comparison: comparing several proposed operating policies or procedures or other input scenarios. Prediction: estimating the performance of the system under some projected set of conditions. Sensitivity analysis: determining which of many factors affect overall system performance the most. 12