Adjusting, synchronizing and service to varying rates of arrival of customers

摘要

Numbers of servers at latter stage services are synchronized with arrivals of customers at the latter stage services. Detecting entering customers' entries and passages by intermediate points are communicated to a computer. The computer predicts arrivals of customers for the latter stage services and needs for increases or decreases in numbers of servers. Lead times allow changing numbers of servers at the latter stage services to meet changing needs. Detections of times of servers with customers and detections of arrivals of customers at the latter stage services are communicated to the computer aid the estimations of changed requirements for numbers of servers. The computer provides the estimations of server requirement changes to managers and automated controllers with sufficient lead time to facilitate smooth transitions in increasing or decreasing the numbers of servers. Wait lines at checkout registers, call center on-hold times and inter-computer communication delays are avoided.

主权项

1. A method for synchronizing numbers of servers at a latter stage of service in a multi-stage service system with rates of arrivals of customers at said latter stage, comprising:
a. detecting entries of customers into the system, detecting passages by intermediate points in the system, and detecting arrivals at the latter stage of service; b. communicating the detectings in real-time to a computer processor; c. counting the detectings and computing rates of movement by the detectings of the entries and the detectings of the passages by the intermediate points; d. computing, with frequent updates, durations of times between the entries and the passages by the intermediate points, and the arrivals at the latter stage of service, and updating estimates of key characteristics in real-time based on observation of actual current behavior of each of the customers and thereby adjusting anticipation of customer demand based on changing conditions; e. computing rates of service at the latter stage of service depending on the numbers of servers active at the latter stage; f. producing estimated changed requirements for more or fewer of the servers at the latter stage, and producing estimates of times when the estimated changed requirements are predicted to occur; g. providing recommendations to an automated controller or to a human manager for increases or decreases in the numbers of the servers with sufficient lead times to facilitate smooth transitions in implementing the recommendations; and h. synchronizing numbers of servers at the latter stage of service in the multi-stage service system with rates of arrivals of customers at said latter stage.