Predicting Service Levels Using Neural Networks | SpringerLink
Skip to main content

Predicting Service Levels Using Neural Networks

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Artificial Intelligence XXXIV (SGAI 2017)

Abstract

In this paper we present a method to predict service levels in utility companies, giving them advanced visibility of expected service outcomes and helping them to ensure adherence to service level agreements made to their clients. Service level adherence is one of the key targets during the service chain planning process in service industries, such as telecoms or utility companies. These specify a time limit for successful completion of a certain percentage of tasks on that service level agreement. With the increasing use of automation within the planning process, the requirement for a method to evaluate the current plan decisions effects on service level outcomes has surfaced.

We build neural network models to predict using the current state of the capacity plan, investigating the accuracy when predicting both daily and weekly service level outcomes. It is shown that the models produce a high accuracy, particularly in the weekly view. This provides a solution that can be used to both improve the current planning process and also as an evaluator in an automated planning process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
¥17,985 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
JPY 3498
Price includes VAT (Japan)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
JPY 5719
Price includes VAT (Japan)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
JPY 7149
Price includes VAT (Japan)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Voudouris, C.: Defining and understanding service chain management. In: Voudouris, C., Lesaint, D., Owusu, G. (eds.) Service Chain Management, pp. 1–17. Springer, Heidelberg (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-75504-3_1

  2. Verma, D.: Service level agreements on IP networks. Proc. IEEE 92(9), 1382–1388 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Owusu, G., O’Brien, P., McCall, J., Doherty, N.F.: Transforming Field and Service Operations. Springer, Heidelberg (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-44970-3_2

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. Anderson, J.: An Introduction to Neural Networks. MIT Press, Cambridge (1995)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  5. Haga, M., Demuth, H., Beale, M., De Jesús, O.: Neural Network Design, vol. 20. PWS Publishing Company, Boston (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Kourentzes, N., Crone, S.: Advances in forecasting with artificial neural networks. Lancaster University (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Gardner, M.W., Dorling, S.R.: Artificial neural networks (the multilayer perceptron)—a review of applications in the atmospheric sciences. Atmos. Environ. 32(14), 2627–2636 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Zhang, G., Eddy Patuwo, B., Hu, M.Y.: Forecasting with artificial neural networks: the state of the art. Int. J. Forecast. 14(1), 35–62 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Sibi, P., Jones, S., Siddarth, P.: Analysis of different activation functions using back propagation neural networks. J. Theor. Appl. Inf. Technol. 47(3), 1264–1268 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Heaton, J.: Encog: library of interchangeable machine learning models for Java and C#. J. Mach. Learn. Res. 16, 1243–1247 (2015)

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. Ainslie, R., McCall, J., Shakya, S., Owusu, G.: Predictive planning with neural networks. In: Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (2016). https://doi.org/10.1109/IJCNN.2016.7727460

  12. Kisi, Ö., Uncuoglu, E.: Comparison of three back-propagation training algorithms for two case studies. Indian J. Eng. Mater. Sci. 12(5), 434–442 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Prechelt, L.: PROBEN1 – a set of neural network benchmark problems and benchmarking rules, Karlsruhe (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Tian, Y., Shi, Y., Liu, X.: Recent advances on support vector machines research. Technol. Econ. Devel. Econ. 18, 5–33 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Russell Ainslie .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Ainslie, R., McCall, J., Shakya, S., Owusu, G. (2017). Predicting Service Levels Using Neural Networks. In: Bramer, M., Petridis, M. (eds) Artificial Intelligence XXXIV. SGAI 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10630. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71078-5_35

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71078-5_35

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71077-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71078-5

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics