In multi-agent applications such as surveillance and logistics, fleets of mobile agents are often expected to coordinate and safely visit a large number of goal locations as efficiently as possible. The multi-agent planning problem in these applications involves allocating and sequencing goals for each agent while simultaneously producing conflict-free paths for the agents. In this article, we introduce a new algorithm called MS* which computes an optimal solution for this multi-agent problem by fusing and advancing state of the art solvers for multi-agent path finding (MAPF) and multiple travelling salesman problem (mTSP). MS* leverages our prior subdimensional expansion approach for MAPF and embeds the mTSP solvers to optimally allocate and sequence goals for agents. Numerical results show that our new algorithm can solve the multi-agent problem with 20 agents and 50 goals in a minute of CPU time on a standard laptop.

Many companies are turning to self-service to provide a better customer experience at a lower cost. In fact, a report by Customer Contact Week Digital found that 91% of organizations identify web self-service as a relevant investment focus. Companies believe self-service has the ability to reduce call center costs and relieve pressure on customer service agents, but is every self-service attempt successful? We've asked industry leaders to weigh in on the importance of self-services and how brands can overcome some common self-service mistakes. Self-service brings numerous benefits to organizations, which is why most companies now see these capabilities as essential.

Go Moment is the home of the smart concierge Ivy that is well known in the hospitality industry. Singh is also a product design expert and public speaker, and blogs at RajSinghLA.com. Rathinam is also well known and loved in the Seattle tech community and as a mentor to local startups. I caught up with the two of them, in the course of curating and hosting the Rethink CX webinar series sponsored by Freshworks. Like Paddy, I live in the Seattle, Washington area.)

Go Moment is the home of the smart concierge Ivy that is well known in the hospitality industry. Singh is also a product design expert and public speaker, and blogs at RajSinghLA.com. Rathinam is also well known and loved in the Seattle tech community and as a mentor to local startups. I caught up with the two of them, in the course of curating and hosting the Rethink CX webinar series sponsored by Freshworks. Like Paddy, I live in the Seattle, Washington area.)