Call management system using fast response dynamic threshold adjustment

• US 20020018554A1
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Widener, William H., Jensen, Roy A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,724,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A call center includes functionality for dynamically varying a threshold value associated with each of a number of different call types (i.e. skills) to be handled by the call center. A group of agents and a group of reserve agents are provided within the call center for use in handling incoming calls. A dedicated subgroup of agents is assigned to service each of the call types in the call center. In addition, one or more reserve agents are assigned to service a particular call type when an expected wait time associated with the call type exceeds a threshold value. The threshold value associated with each call type is dynamically adjusted during call center operation based on the fraction of the target service level for a call type being achieved by the call center. In one embodiment, a dynamically adjusted threshold is calculated by multiplying an administered threshold value for a call type by the fraction of the target service level that a measured service level for the call type represents.

Claims

1. A method for allocating call center personnel, comprising:

specifying an administered threshold time period;

specifying a target service level for a first type of call;

measuring an actual service level;

computing a fraction of said target service level achieved by said actual service level;

multiplying said administered threshold time period by said computed fraction to obtain an updated threshold time period;

measuring an actual caller wait time; and

in response to said actual caller wait time having a value exceeding said updated threshold time period, assigning additional call center personnel to answer said first type of call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said updated threshold time period is calculated periodically.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said updated threshold time period is calculated at least once every minute.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to said updated threshold time period exceeding said actual caller wait time, releasing call center personnel from answering said first type of call.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subtracting said administered threshold time period from said updated threshold time period to obtain a translated value;

multiplying said translated value by a scaling factor to obtain a proportioned translated value; and

adding said administered threshold time period to said proportioned translated value to obtain a proportioned updated threshold time period, wherein said step of assigning additional call center personnel comprises assigning additional call center personnel in response to said actual caller wait time exceeding said proportioned updated threshold time period.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising releasing call center personnel from answering said first type of call if said actual caller wait time is less than said proportioned updated threshold time period.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said scaling factor is greater than one.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising constraining said updated threshold time period to a value less than a specified maximum threshold time period.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising constraining said updated threshold time period to a value greater than a specified minimum threshold time period.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said target service level is expressed as a percent of calls of said first type answered within said administered threshold time period;

and

wherein said actual service level is expressed as a percent of calls of said first type answered within said administered threshold time period;

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said means for calculating said dynamically adjusted threshold value multiplies said first result by a scaling value to obtain a scaled first result, and wherein said dynamically adjusted threshold value is set equal to said scaled first result.

11. A system for use in allocating call center agents, comprising:

means for distributing calls received from an exterior environment to a plurality of agent stations and a plurality of reserve agent stations based on call type, said means for distributing calls including means for directing calls of a first call type to a reserve agent station within said plurality of reserve agent stations when an expected wait time for said first call type exceeds a dynamically adjusted threshold value calculated for said first call type;

means for measuring a call service level for said first call type;

means for calculating said dynamically adjusted threshold value associated with said first call type, wherein said means for calculating multiplies a specified threshold value by a proportion comprising a measured service level divided by a desired service level to obtain a first result, wherein said dynamically adjusted threshold value is set equal to said first result; and

means for measuring a caller wait time experienced in connection with said first call type, wherein at least a first reserve agent is assigned to service calls of said first call type in response to a calculated dynamically adjusted threshold value that is less than said measured call service level for said first call type.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least a first reserve agent is assigned to duties other than servicing calls of said first call type in response to a calculated dynamically adjusted threshold value that is greater than or equal to said measured call service level for said first call type.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said means for calculating said dynamically adjusted threshold value subtracts said specified threshold value from said first result to obtain a normalized first result, wherein said means for calculating multiplies said normalized first result by a scaling value to obtain a normalized and scaled first result, wherein said means for calculating adds said specified threshold value to said normalized and scaled first result to obtain a translated first result, and wherein said dynamically adjusted threshold value is set equal to said translated first result.

16. The call center apparatus of claim 15, wherein said dynamic threshold calculation unit comprises a proportioning unit, wherein said dynamic threshold is translated by subtracting said specified agent threshold, multiplied by a scaling factor, and retranslated by adding said specified agent threshold before said dynamic threshold is supplied to said agent allocation unit.

17. The call center apparatus of claim 15, wherein said dynamic threshold is calculated periodically.

18. The call center apparatus of claim 15, wherein said dynamic threshold is calculated at least once a minute.

19. The call center apparatus of claim 15, wherein said dynamic threshold can be no greater than a specified maximum threshold and can be no less than a specified minimum threshold.

20. The call center apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an operator input, wherein at least one of said specified agent threshold and said target service level can be entered by a user.

21. The call center apparatus of claim 15, wherein said scaling factor is greater than one.

15. A call center apparatus, comprising:

a service level measurement unit capable of determining at least a measured service level and a caller wait time;

a call allocation unit wherein a received telephone call of said first type is allocated to at least one of an available call center agent and a call queue;

a dynamic threshold calculation unit, wherein a specified agent threshold is multiplied by a ratio of a target service level to said measured service level to obtain a dynamic threshold; and

an agent allocation unit, wherein an additional agent is assigned to receive telephone calls of said first type in response to a dynamic threshold that is less than a caller wait time, and wherein an agent assigned to receive telephone calls of said first type is assigned to another duty in response to a dynamic threshold that is greater than a caller wait time.