The optimal service time allocation of a versatile server to queue jobs and stochastically available non-queue jobs of different types

摘要

In this paper, we consider a service system in which the server can process N + 1 different types of jobs. Jobs of type 0 are generated randomly according to a Poisson stream. Jobs of types 1 to N are non-queue types which may or may not be available for completion by the server. To optimally allocate the server's time to these jobs, we formulate a finite state semi-Markov decision process model to this environment. With this model, the optimal stationary policies can be numerically determined via a policy-iteration algorithm. We also discuss the practical applications of this model to tele-service and tele-marketing operations.