Matching using agent/caller sensitivity to performance

• US 10,027,811 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2016
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afiniti Ltd
• Original Assignee: Afiniti International Holdings, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kan, Ittai, Chishti, Zia, Merchant, Akbar A.
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US15/193,673
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26502, 37926505-26506, 37926601-26602, 37926511-26512
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/00 Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 5/00 Manual exchanges substation equipment in general H04M1/00

Abstract

A method, system and program product, the method comprising: obtaining for each call in one set of calls a respective pattern representing multiple different respective data fields; obtaining performance data for the respective patterns of the calls; obtaining performance data for the respective agents; determining agent performance sensitivity to call pattern performance for agents in a set of agents comprising the agent performance data correlated to call performance data for the calls the agent handles; and matching a respective one of the agents from the set of agents to one of the calls based at least in part on the performance data for the respective pattern of the one call and on the agent sensitivity to call performance for the respective one agent of the set of agents.

Claims

1. A method for pairing in a contact center system comprising:

determining, by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system, contact pattern data for each of a plurality of contacts;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, agent performance data for an agent;

calculating, by the at least one computer processor, a degree of agent performance sensitivity for the agent to contact pattern data for each of the plurality of contacts based on the agent performance data and the contact pattern data;

comparing, by the at least one computer processor, the degree of agent performance sensitivity to a threshold degree of agent performance sensitivity for at least a first contact having a first contact pattern as compared to at least a second contact having a second contact pattern;

applying, by the at least one computer processor, a first matching strategy for pairing the agent with the first contact of the plurality of contacts based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity for the agent to the first contact pattern of the first contact; and

establishing, by a routing engine of the contact center system, a communications channel between communication equipment of the agent and communication equipment of the first contact based upon the first matching strategy to realize a first amount of performance gain for the contact center system attributable to the first matching strategy.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

correlating, by the at least one computer processor, the agent performance data to the contact pattern data from a data set indicating at least one contact pattern with which the agent has previously handled.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking, by the at least one computer processor, each of the plurality of contacts based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity to the contact pattern data of each of the plurality of contacts,

wherein the pairing is based on the ranking of each of the plurality of contacts.

4. The method claim 1, wherein a contact pattern for each of the plurality of contacts is based on an abstract contact data field.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent performance data is based on data for at least one of sales, customer retention, contact handle time, customer satisfaction, revenue, first call resolution, units sold, or transaction points.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, by the at least one computer processor, a first measure of contact center performance for a first set of contact-agent pairs based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity to the contact pattern data with a second measure of contact center performance for a second set of contact-agent pairs based on a second pairing strategy.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, by the at least one computer processor, contact center performance data based on a first set of contact-agent pairs based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity to the contact pattern data.

8. A system for pairing in a contact center system comprising:

at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to;

determine contact pattern data for each of a plurality of contacts;

determine agent performance data for an agent;

calculate a degree of agent performance sensitivity for the agent to contact pattern data for each of the plurality of contacts based on the agent performance data and the contact pattern data;

compare the degree of agent performance sensitivity to a threshold degree of agent performance sensitivity for at least a first contact having a first contact pattern as compared to at least a second contact having a second contact pattern;

apply a first matching strategy for pairing the agent with the first contact of the plurality of contacts based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity for the agent to the first contact pattern of the first contact; and

establish, in a routing engine of the contact center system, a communications channel between communication equipment of the agent and communication equipment of the first contact based upon the first matching strategy to realize a first amount of performance gain for the contact center system attributable to the first matching strategy.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to:

correlate the agent performance data to the contact pattern data from a data set indicating at least one contact pattern with which the agent has previously handled.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to:

rank each of the plurality of contacts based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity to the contact pattern data of each of the plurality of contacts,

wherein the pairing is based on the ranking of each of the plurality of contacts.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein a contact pattern for each of the plurality of contacts is based on an abstract contact data field.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the agent performance data is based on data for at least one of sales, customer retention, contact handle time, customer satisfaction, revenue, first call resolution, units sold, or transaction points.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to:

compare a first measure of contact center performance for a first set of contact-agent pairs based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity to contact pattern data with a second measure of contact center performance for a second set of contact-agent pairs based on a second pairing strategy.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to:

output contact center performance data based on a first set of contact-agent pairs based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity to contact pattern data.

15. An article of manufacture for pairing in a contact center system comprising:

a non-transitory processor readable medium; and

instructions stored on the medium;

wherein the instructions are configured to be readable from the medium by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system and thereby cause the at least one computer processor to operate so as to;

determine contact pattern data for each of a plurality of contacts;

determine agent performance data for an agent;

compare the degree of agent performance sensitivity to a threshold degree of agent performance sensitivity for at least a first contact having a first contact pattern as compared to at least a second contact having a second contact pattern;

apply a first matching strategy for pairing the agent with the first contact of the plurality of contacts based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity for the agent to the first contact pattern of the first contact; and

establish, in a routing engine of the contact center system, a communications channel between communication equipment of the agent and communication equipment of the first contact based upon the first matching strategy to realize a first amount of performance gain for the contact center system attributable to the first matching strategy.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one computer processor to operate so as to:

correlate the agent performance data to the contact pattern data from a data set indicating at least one contact pattern with which the agent has previously handled.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one computer processor to operate so as to:

rank each of the plurality of contacts based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity to the contact pattern data of each of the plurality of contacts,

wherein the pairing is based on the ranking of each of the plurality of contacts.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein a contact pattern for each of the plurality of contacts is based on an abstract contact data field.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the agent performance data is based on data for at least one of sales, customer retention, contact handle time, customer satisfaction, revenue, first call resolution, units sold, or transaction points.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one computer processor to operate so as to:

compare a first measure of contact center performance for a first set of contact-agent pairs based on the degree of agent performance sensitivity to contact pattern data with a second measure of contact center performance for a second set of contact-agent pairs based on a second pairing strategy.