Optimization of Worker Redeployment for Enhancing Customer Service Performance

This study considers ways in which workers can be allocated dynamically in the few hours before the truck departure to flush the system of orders that are almost completed, thereby increasing the service performance of the system. To implement a worker allocation policy correctly, we need to answer the following questions: how many workers should we move, and when? We present the optimal number of workers required and the switching time for the proposed three dynamic worker reallocation policies through simulation experiments. The number of workers required was determined by the difference between the current and target probability of success of an order in the system based on the state-dependent sojourn time distribution, and the performance of the system was measured by Next Scheduled Departure (NSD). We find that the policies with late switching times and higher target probability of success have a greater effect on customer satisfaction. Our results suggest that it is possible to improve service performance significantly, in some conditions, by moving the right number of workers to the right place at the right time.