Children’s Hospital Case *Hillier and Lieberman

Children’s Hospital Case Appointments, referrals a mess –Each department separate –Some phone number not listed –Not clear which department appropriate –Lack of communication –Takes time, annoys clients Wants to consolidate appointment scheduling into one call-center.

Organizational Issues Jobs? Departments must adopt centralized appointment system –Loss of control –Loss of flexibility

Operational Issues How many people do we need? English and Spanish speakers? Part time vs. full time? Staffing schedule? Wait times? Costs?

Data Available Avg. # calls per hour % of calls to wrong department (currently) % of callers speak Spanish Wages Staff availability

Data 20% of callers speak Spanish +20% pay after 5pm Full-time 8hr/day Part-time 4hr/day Employees cost $20 / hr Operator can handle 6 calls / hr To vary the job and even the load you try to find ~140 hrs of paperwork per day from other hospital departments that your call center staff can do between calls –Costs of paperwork is not charged to the call center Period Avg # of Calls per hr 7-9am pm pm10

Assignment Some of your questions not answered Make reasonable assumptions How many staff are needed? When? What type? Wait time? Try to use (existing) full time employees –dislike working evenings (unlike part timers) Bilingual operators are harder to find

Assignment Due Wednesday –Originally Monday but moved Class Discussion Due in class is a 1 page memo to the hospital administrator outlining your recommendation. –Don’t focus on how you determined it. –If there are multiple near-optimal solutions, then mention that (it gives them flexibility).