Techniques for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system

• US 10,320,985 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2017
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afiniti Ltd
• Original Assignee: Afiniti Europe Technologies Limited (Afiniti Ltd)
• Inventors: Chishti, Zia, Khatri, Vikash
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H
• Application Number:
  US15/687,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20170353607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 37926605, 37926501, 37926601, 379309
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/36 Memories
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

Techniques for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system comprising: determining a first ordering of a plurality of agents according to a behavioral pairing strategy with a balanced agent utilization; determining a second ordering of the plurality of agents according to a performance-based routing strategy with an unbalanced agent utilization; determining a third ordering of the plurality of agents according to a combination of the first ordering and the second ordering having a skewed agent utilization between the balanced agent utilization and the unbalanced agent utilization; and outputting a hybrid behavioral pairing model based on the third ordering for connecting a contact to an agent of the plurality of agents in the contact center system.

Claims

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

determining, by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to perform behavioral pairing operations in the contact center system, a first ordering of a plurality of agents according to a behavioral pairing strategy with a balanced agent utilization;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, a second ordering of the plurality of agents according to a performance-based routing strategy with an unbalanced agent utilization;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, a third ordering of the plurality of agents according to a combination of the first ordering and the second ordering having a skewed agent utilization between the balanced agent utilization and the unbalanced agent utilization;

outputting, by the at least one computer processor, a hybrid behavioral pairing model based on the third ordering for connecting a contact to an agent of the plurality of agents in the contact center system; and

establishing, by the at least one computer processor, in a switch of the contact center system, a connection between the contact and the agent based upon the output hybrid behavioral pairing model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the behavioral pairing strategy is a diagonal pairing strategy.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the at least one computer processor, a target amount of skew for the skewed agent utilization.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the combination of the first ordering and the second ordering is a weighted sum according to the target amount of skew.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first ordering can be expressed as percentiles or percentile ranges.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the third ordering can be expressed as percentiles or percentile ranges adjusted according to the combination of the first ordering and the second ordering.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid behavioral pairing model preferably pairs a higher-performing agent more frequently than a lower-performing agent.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid behavioral pairing model preferably pairs a higher-performing agent with a greater number of contact types than a lower-performing agent.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid behavioral pairing model preferably pairs a higher-performing agent with a higher-frequency contact type than a lower-performing agent.

10. A system for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system comprising:

at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to perform behavioral pairing operations in the contact center system, wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to;

determine a first ordering of a plurality of agents according to a behavioral pairing strategy with a balanced agent utilization;

determine a second ordering of the plurality of agents according to a performance-based routing strategy with an unbalanced agent utilization;

determine a third ordering of the plurality of agents according to a combination of the first ordering and the second ordering having a skewed agent utilization between the balanced agent utilization and the unbalanced agent utilization;

output a hybrid behavioral pairing model based on the third ordering for connecting a contact to an agent of the plurality of agents in the contact center system; and

establish, in a switch of the contact center system, a connection between the contact and the agent based upon the output hybrid behavioral pairing model.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the behavioral pairing strategy is a diagonal pairing strategy.

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

determine a target amount of skew for the skewed agent utilization.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the combination of the first ordering and the second ordering is a weighted sum according to the target amount of skew.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first ordering can be expressed as percentiles or percentile ranges.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the third ordering can be expressed as percentiles or percentile ranges adjusted according to the combination of the first ordering and the second ordering.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the hybrid behavioral pairing model preferably pairs a higher-performing agent more frequently than a lower-performing agent.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the hybrid behavioral pairing model preferably pairs a higher-performing agent with a greater number of contact types than a lower-performing agent.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the hybrid behavioral pairing model preferably pairs a higher-performing agent with a higher-frequency contact type than a lower-performing agent.

19. An article of manufacture for hybrid behavioral 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 perform behavioral pairing operations in the contact center system and thereby cause the at least one computer processor to operate so as to;

determine a first ordering of a plurality of agents according to a behavioral pairing strategy with a balanced agent utilization;

determine a second ordering of the plurality of agents according to a performance-based routing strategy with an unbalanced agent utilization;

determine a third ordering of the plurality of agents according to a combination of the first ordering and the second ordering having a skewed agent utilization between the balanced agent utilization and the unbalanced agent utilization;

output a hybrid behavioral pairing model based on the third ordering for connecting a contact to an agent of the plurality of agents in the contact center system; and

establish, in a switch of the contact center system, a connection between the contact and the agent based upon the output hybrid behavioral pairing model.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the behavioral pairing strategy is a diagonal pairing strategy.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the at least one computer processor is caused to operate further so as to:

determine a target amount of skew for the skewed agent utilization.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the combination of the first ordering and the second ordering is a weighted sum according to the target amount of skew.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the first ordering can be expressed as percentiles or percentile ranges.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the third ordering can be expressed as percentiles or percentile ranges adjusted according to the combination of the first ordering and the second ordering.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the hybrid behavioral pairing model preferably pairs a higher-performing agent more frequently than a lower-performing agent.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the hybrid behavioral pairing model preferably pairs a higher-performing agent with a greater number of contact types than a lower-performing agent.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the hybrid behavioral pairing model preferably pairs a higher-performing agent with a higher-frequency contact type than a lower-performing agent.