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| Author: | Shumsky, R.A. Pinker, E.J. |
| Title: | Gatekeepers and referrals in services |
| Journal: | Management Science
2003 : JUL, VOL. 49:7, p. 839-856 |
| Index terms: | Agency theory Gatekeepers Routing problem Service Stochastic processes |
| Language: | eng |
| Abstract: | Services in which customers encounter a gatekeeper who makes an initial diagnosis of the customer's problem and then may refer the customer to a specialist are examined. The gatekeeper may also attempt to solve the problem, but the probability of treatment success decreases as the problem complexity increases. Given the costs of treatment by the gatekeeper and the specialist, the authors find the company's optimal referral rate from a particular gatekeeper to the specialists. |
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