Prepare a flowchart of the field service division process atDEF, as described here. Start from the point where a call isreceived and end when a technician finishes the job.DEF was a multibillion dollar company that manufacturedand distributed a wide variety of electronic, photographic, andreprographic equipment used in many engineering and medi-cal system applications. The Field Service Division employed475 field service technicians, who performed maintenance andwarranty repairs on the equipment sold by DEF. Customerswould call DEF’s National Service Center (NSC), which receivedabout 3,000 calls per day. The NSC staffed its call center withabout 40 call-takers. A typical incoming service call was receivedat the NSC and routed to one of the call-takers, who enteredinformation about the machine, the caller’s name, and the typeof problem into DEF’s mainframe computer. In some cases,the call-taker attempted to help the customer fix the problem.However, call-takers were currently only able to avoid about10 percent of the incoming emergency maintenance servicecalls. If the service call could not be avoided, the call-taker usu-ally stated the following script: “Depending upon the availabilityof our technicians, you should expect to see a technician some-time between now and (now +X).” (“X” was the target responsetime based on the model number and the zone.) This informa-tion was given to the customer because many customers wantedto know when a tech would arrive on site.Call-takers entered service call information on DEF’s com-puter system, which then sent the information electronicallyto the regional dispatch center assigned to that customerlocation. (DEF had four regional dispatch centers with a totalof about 20 dispatchers.) Service call information was printedon a small card at the dispatch center. About every hour,cards were ripped off the printer and given to the dispatcherassigned to that customer location. The dispatcher placedeach card on a magnetic board under the name of a tech thatthe dispatcher believed would be the most likely candidatefor the service call, given the location of the machine, the cur-rent location of the tech, and the tech’s training profile. Aftercompleting a service call, techs called the dispatcher in theregional dispatch center, cleared the call, and received a newcall assigned by the dispatcher. After getting the service callfrom a dispatcher, a tech called the customer to give an ex-pected time of arrival, drove to the customer site, diagnosedthe problem, repaired the machine if parts were available inthe van, and then telephoned the dispatcher for the next call.If the tech did not have the right parts for a repair, the techinformed the NSC, and the part was express mailed

Practical Management Science
6th Edition
ISBN:9781337406659
Author:WINSTON, Wayne L.
Publisher:WINSTON, Wayne L.
Chapter4: Linear Programming Models
Section4.8: Data Envelopment Analysis (dea)
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Prepare a flowchart of the field service division process at
DEF, as described here. Start from the point where a call is
received and end when a technician finishes the job.
DEF was a multibillion dollar company that manufactured
and distributed a wide variety of electronic, photographic, and
reprographic equipment used in many engineering and medi-
cal system applications. The Field Service Division employed
475 field service technicians, who performed maintenance and
warranty repairs on the equipment sold by DEF. Customers
would call DEF’s National Service Center (NSC), which received
about 3,000 calls per day. The NSC staffed its call center with
about 40 call-takers. A typical incoming service call was received
at the NSC and routed to one of the call-takers, who entered
information about the machine, the caller’s name, and the type
of problem into DEF’s mainframe computer. In some cases,
the call-taker attempted to help the customer fix the problem.
However, call-takers were currently only able to avoid about
10 percent of the incoming emergency maintenance service
calls. If the service call could not be avoided, the call-taker usu-
ally stated the following script: “Depending upon the availability
of our technicians, you should expect to see a technician some-
time between now and (now +X).” (“X” was the target response
time based on the model number and the zone.) This informa-
tion was given to the customer because many customers wanted
to know when a tech would arrive on site.
Call-takers entered service call information on DEF’s com-
puter system, which then sent the information electronically
to the regional dispatch center assigned to that customer
location. (DEF had four regional dispatch centers with a total
of about 20 dispatchers.) Service call information was printed
on a small card at the dispatch center. About every hour,
cards were ripped off the printer and given to the dispatcher
assigned to that customer location. The dispatcher placed
each card on a magnetic board under the name of a tech that
the dispatcher believed would be the most likely candidate
for the service call, given the location of the machine, the cur-
rent location of the tech, and the tech’s training profile. After
completing a service call, techs called the dispatcher in the
regional dispatch center, cleared the call, and received a new
call assigned by the dispatcher. After getting the service call
from a dispatcher, a tech called the customer to give an ex-
pected time of arrival, drove to the customer site, diagnosed
the problem, repaired the machine if parts were available in
the van, and then telephoned the dispatcher for the next call.
If the tech did not have the right parts for a repair, the tech
informed the NSC, and the part was express mailed

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