Demand Biorhythm Estimation for Setting Service Capacity

This article is based on an analysis of empirical data on various service demand patterns such as electricity and water consumption, banks, hospitals, communications and others. The research findings show similar patterns of demand for various different services in different parts of the world. The patterns reflect the relevant population's level of activity. Daytime services have typical peak hours during a workday. This is nicely explained by what the authors call the ‘Demand Biorhythm.' Many daytime services experience a double hump demand, whereas in the US the service demand may also have a single hump. The analysis shows a striking demand similarity of the same weekdays, and a significant difference between the demand of workdays and weekend days. Also, the first day of the week always experiences a demand surge. The article discusses ways to efficiently plan the service workforce and capacity based on the relevant demand patterns.