Queue-theoretic models for ideal integration of automated call routing systems with human operators
First Claim
1. An automated call routing system, comprising:
- an automated call routing component to direct calls;
a decision model associated with the automated call routing component to determine when the calls are likely to fail; and
a queuing model to determine a busyness state of an operator, the decision model and the queuing model balance costs between directing the calls to the operator and directing the calls through the automated call routing component.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to queue-theoretic models for integration of automated call routing systems with human operators. Organizations are increasingly turning to spoken dialog systems for automated call routing to reduce call center costs. To maintain quality service even in cases of failure, these systems often resort to ad-hoc rules for dispatching calls to a human operator. The present invention provides queue-theoretic methods that provide a modeling and simulation capability in support of decisions about the staffing of call-handling centers based on the frequency of incoming calls and the competency of automated dialog systems. The methods include a procedure for identifying when callers should be transferred to operators. The procedure integrates models that predict when a call is likely to fail using spoken dialog features with queuing models of call center volume and service time.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An automated call routing system, comprising:
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an automated call routing component to direct calls;
a decision model associated with the automated call routing component to determine when the calls are likely to fail; and
a queuing model to determine a busyness state of an operator, the decision model and the queuing model balance costs between directing the calls to the operator and directing the calls through the automated call routing component. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system that facilitates call routing, comprising:
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means for interacting with a caller;
means for automatically directing the caller to a user; and
means for performing a decision theoretic analysis, the decision-theoretic includes an analysis for determining when callers are to be dispatched to an operator in order to minimize support costs at an enterprise level.
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21. A method for automatic call management, comprising:
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determining a decision-theoretic model to model spoken dialog for a call routing system;
determining a queuing model to model the call routing system; and
automatically directing calls to at least one of an organization member and an operator in order to mitigate costs for an organization. - View Dependent Claims (22, 24, 25, 26)
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23. The method of claim 23, the decision-theoretic model is optimized according to the following equation:
Specification