The DirectCast cable TV company is a national chain that services the small college town that is home to Tech, with a student population of almost 30,000. The company has generally been able to handle service calls and installations in the past, but a growth trend in the town and occasional significant jumps in service requests, especially for new high-definition installations, have made it more difficult for the company to determine the number of technicians and trucks it needs to maintain good service to its customers. Following is the demand for service calls during the past 36 months:
Month Year 1 Service Calls Year 2 Service Calls Year 3 Service Calls January 1,048 1,155 1,135 February 326 319 365 March 303 324 341 April 351 344 370 May 673 712 694 June 274 306 310 July 219 245 266 August 1,347 1,455 1,505 September 973 1,056 981 October 536 545 555 November 312 298 317 December 577 481 562 Develop a monthly forecast for the upcoming year for DirectCast. Explain why you think there are occasional increases and decreases in the monthly demand for service calls. LO.1