Research


Service Operations

In 1944, services and manufacturing represented 50% and 33%, respectively, of total non-farm employment in the United States. By 2004, services represented 72%, while manufacturing had fallen to 9%. These statistics may overstate the relative rise of the service sector because (a) many jobs classified as services (e.g., transportation, payroll services, manufacturing consulting) are directly linked to manufacturing, and (b) even though manufacturing employment has remained relatively constant, manufacturing output has grown dramatically due to increased productivity. Nevertheless, it is clear that the service sector employs more people and represents a more important part of the U.S. economy than ever before.

To address this increasingly vital sector, the OPEM group is studying methods for improving efficiency in call centers, sales operations and engineering design systems. A key focus of our research is characterizing flexibility of the workforce in a service system. We have also developed a set of insights into the factors that affect operations efficiency in a multi-task call center and are studying information sharing practices that impact long-term performance in service operations networks.

Graduate Students

• Bilal Gokpinar


• Bora Kofal


• Gigi Yuen

Published Papers

Working Papers