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ccProphet FAQThis FAQ is designed to answer some of the most common detailed questions that we receive about ccProphet, our call center planning tool. It is not designed, however, to answer questions about why simulation in general is so essential as an analysis tool for today's contact centers. That is a subject worthy of its own FAQ, and is one we find ourselves discussing often. We have provided some additional information in that vein on the ccProphet page. Table of Contents
Technical / Product Development
Can I see a system clock move forward in time just as it would in a real system? Yes. This is one of the fundamental features of simulation. The model created by ccProphet is a virtual representation of your center. For example, the queue lengths shown by the model at 10:06a.m.of the simulated day are representative of what would be expected to happen in the modeled center at 10:06a.m.on a real day. Can I use probability distributions such as UNIFORM (min, max) and TRIANGULAR (min, mode, max) to define input parameters such as talk times, abandonment, and so on? Yes, these are provided in a drop box format in the user interface. Can I find out the status of the system at any specific point in time during the day, say 8:32a.m.? Yes, ccProphet, unlike analytical simulators or spreadsheet programs, is based on discrete event simulation. As a result, the model can be stopped at any point and results to that point in time can be evaluated. All calls currently in the system can be interrogated as to their details. Can I follow the path taken by a call or transaction from start to finish during the course of a simulation run? Yes, animation will show the route of all calls taken through the simulation. In addition, each call has a number of detailed attributes attached to it containing information such as the time it entered the system, the skill group answering it, and much more. Can I see how the time advances and how the system state changes at every time advance? Can I change the status of a system (such as global settings, variables, call attributes) at any point during the day? Yes, all the details of the model are live. SIMUL8 is an interpretive language. This means that changes to the model (at any point in time) are immediately reflected in the model. Can I step through the logic one time-advance at a time to validate if my scripts are working correctly, and my call routing rules are being obeyed? Yes, SIMUL8 provides an "Events Monitor." This allows the model to be stepped one event at a time for validation and debugging purposes. Can I get minimum, maximum, average values of specific calls, speed of answer, and other important parameters? Yes, all common performance metrics (including the above and more) are collected and displayed. Using the pivot table feature of Excel in the GUI, these types of results can be aggregated and compared by (a) Time Period (b) Point of Entry (c) Call Type (d) Skill Group (e) Customer Value Index. Can I get detailed information on every simulation run, so I can perform appropriate analysis across runs? Yes, results are generated for each run individually. A run is one simulation using one set of independent random number seeds. Detailed results can be stored in an Excel file to be compared with alternate runs (using new seeds). This is especially convenient when the results of each run are to be used in an experimental design. Can I check the status of a particular call at any point in time? Yes, the simulation can be stopped and the user can interrogate the system and determine the state of every call in the system. Because SIMUL8 is a true discrete-event engine, each call can carry with it a great deal of path and history information as it moves through the system. This includes details such as time of entry, point of entry, call type, IVR time, abandonment (willingness to wait), skill group, start time of agent conferencing, and others. How can I make sure that my dynamic rules are being obeyed? (Such as routing based upon minimum expected queue times, or average speed to answer.) Debugging procedures and call log files allow for easy verification. The ability of each call to carry a large number of attributes with it also greatly facilitates detailed debugging. The analyst can, for example, examine the path actually taken by a call. When coupled with information on the state of the system at the time of arrival of that call (available in Does the sensitivity analysis have worst, best, and regular scenario comparisons? No, sensitivity analysis is provided using confidence intervals. Because of the randomness of the system, best and worst scenarios are usually considered unrealistic. It is generally more accurate to use the 95th or 99th percentile confidence intervals. Does this software have the capability of leveraging the best in breed in two neighboring and complementary technologies: workforce management and ACDs? Absolutely. It is possible to directly import information from both workforce management systems and ACDs. This is particularly useful for importing staffing levels and forecasted call volumes. Directly interfacing with an ACD may not be practical in all implementations. Does this software have point and click capability? Yes, both SIMUL8 and the user interface have a modern WindowsR point and click interface. The user interface of ccProphet is based in Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic. What are the modules that form the software template? The template is managed using a wizard. The steps of the wizard are:
Once the wizard is complete, the simulation model is automatically generated and configured. The simulation is then ready to be executed. Once complete, the results can be reviewed, parameters changed, and the simulation re-run. What is the process of importing a data file for use in the simulation? Currently, individual scenarios (including all parameters and results) can be saved as individual ccProphet data files. Within a scenario, external data can be imported using a dialog box. What is the process of exporting a file? Currently, data can be exported as regular Excel workbooks or individual spreadsheets. Excel also supports many other formats such as database files and ASCII files. How many report types are produced? What are the types? What are the sections/fields for each type of report? Reports currently include: 1. Overall Results Summary:
2. Agent Utilization for each report period (15, 30, 60 Min) 3. Detail Call Log: This is displayed using a pivot table. This can be aggregated by (a) Time Period (b) Point of Entry (c) Transaction Type (d) Skill Group (e) Customer Value Index. Specific Results include:
Does the software have the ability to customize reports that can be shown to a manager? Yes, using Excel, any table, report, or graph can easily be developed. Does the software have the ability to generate business graphics that can be used in presentations and reports? Yes. Does the software allow the analyst to define and create new or custom measures of performance for a model? Or is the analyst constrained to a predefined set of performance measures? NovaSim's wizard-based GUI automatically creates a sophisticated and professionally-designed SIMUL8 model. Custom performance measures can be added to this model, just as they could be added to any other SIMUL8 model, using the full-featured SIMUL8 license included with NovaSim's product. NovaSim can facilitate the customization process in two ways: (1) An in-house analyst can be trained in the use of SIMUL8 (NovaSim regularly provides general and contact center-specific SIMUL8 training courses), or (2) NovaSim can be contracted to provide comprehensive professional services for product customization. Additional reports can be easily added through customization of the software or future version releases. Does the software allow data events, or system variables to be written to a file whenever desired? Yes, the software can easily export data either automatically or through a manual cut and paste exercise. What are the software applications for which this program is suited? Some of the applications for which the product is especially well-suited are:
Is the syntax easily understood, consistent, and unambiguous? The goal of ccProphet's user interface is to eliminate the need for the user to learn, understand, or use any programming or simulation syntax in the vast majority of cases. The model development wizard automatically creates the simulation model. Only in circumstances that customization is required would a user even see the simulation syntax. In these cases, the user will find the syntax quite easy to follow. SIMUL8 is very well known in the simulation industry for the power, flexibility, and user-friendliness of its built-in control language and simulation objects. Professional customization services are also available. Can you represent a problem to any desired level of detail or complexity? Yes, it is possible to completely expand the simulation to any level of detail that is required. NovaSim's goal is to determine which level is most applicable to the widest range of customer contact centers and build an automated simulation-based system that will help them better manage their businesses. In those rare circumstances not covered by ccProphet off-the-shelf, special situations can easily be handled via either in-house or outsourced customization services. This is difficult to assess. It mainly depends on the call volume, processor speed and memory available. Because the template is based on discrete event simulation, a higher call volume will require more mathematical calculations and memory. However, processing time is typically quite fast on basic Windows-based machines. As an example, a simulation running on a Pentium III (500 mhz) will simulate 10,000 calls in under 5 minutes. Does this software have a debugger? Yes, SIMUL8 and Visual Basic both have debugging features. However, the main objective in ccProphet is to completely replace any model-building requirements. Through extensive testing, the resulting simulation model will be verified and validated against many data sets from varying call center configurations and sizes. What are the reset capabilities? The term 'Reset' in SIMUL8 refers to emptying the system of entities from pervious simulations. SIMUL8 does offer a warm-up period that allows the statistics to be reset after some amount of time from the start of the simulation. The warm-up does not clear entities from the system, but rather starts collecting statistics at the completion of the warm-up period. The usual purpose in using a warm-up period is to allow queues to reach steady-state levels before model statistics are collected. In many contact center environments, however, the system typically starts with empty queues (callers in queue at the end of one day don't usually hold until the start of the next day!). A warm-up Is customization of the product possible? Yes, SIMUL8 and ccProphet are both completely expandable. Again, NovaSimoffers comprehensive customization services with our professional simulation analysts. We can support your own in-house customization efforts with SIMUL8 training courses. NovaSim is also willing to discuss licensing arrangements in which the ccProphet engine can be made available for integration in a third party offering. How often do you plan to come out with new versions? Are you committed to continuous improvement of the product? Our current plans call for new versions on an annual cycle. Between major version releases, NovaSim will actively seek feedback from its client base, and is committed to integrating the improvements suggested on an ongoing basis. If there's a needed feature that the product doesn't handle, we want to know about it and will make every attempt to include that functionality as soon as possible. Our goal is to develop a reputation as the premier provider of contact center simulation solutions. We understand that we can only meet that goal with a firm committment to continually enhancing the quality of our product. What computer platforms and operating systems are supported? ccProphet runs on all versions of Windows, and requires that a licensed copy of Microsoft Excel has already been installed. What kind of purchase methods are available? ccProphet will be sold to end users using company purchase orders or credit cards. Is formal training available as part of the package? What is the agenda? User training for ccProphet will be offered either regularly scheduled according to demand, or on-site as part of an implementation effort. Training is usually scheduled for two days, and covers data input, running simulation, and interpreting results. General purpose and contact center specific SIMUL8 training is also provided by NovaSim. What kind of customer support is offered? What are the methods and hours? Support for ccProphet will be provided via telephone, e-mail, and the Web from 9:00 - 17:00 Pacific Time. How much tech support is required? Technical support should only be required for data entry and results interpretation (general end user questions). Development-level support should not be required in most cases. Do you offer preferred customer/partner services? Yes, NovaSim is actively looking for partners to act as agents and resellers for ccProphet. |