Methods and apparatus for estimating call intents and recalls

• US 20070189494A1
• Filed: 03/08/2005
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bouygues Telecom (Bouygues SA)
• Original Assignee: Bouygues Telecom (Bouygues SA)
• Inventors: Chauvet, Fabrice, Vatinlen, Benedicte, Nail-Abdallah, Rabie, Meyrignac, Alexandre
• Application Number:
  US10/591,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20070189494A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A method of estimating call intents and recalls in a call center including (a) assessing N corresponding to a number of periods during which recall assessments are performed; (b) assessing α_i representing a proportion of disconnected calls that call back during an i^th period following disconnection; (c) assessing β_i representing a proportion of abandoned calls that call back during an i^th period following abandonment; (d) assessing call status variables: Dec(p) representing the number of calls disconnected during a period p; Abd(p) representing the number of calls abandoned during a period p; Reçus(p) representing the number of calls received during period p; (e) estimating the number of recalls, rappels(p), during the period p, with $\mathrm{rappels}\left(p\right)=\sum _{i=0}^N{\alpha }_i·\mathrm{dec}\left(p-i\right)+{\beta }_i·\mathrm{abd}\left(p-i\right),$where p-i represents the period that precedes p of i periods; and (f) assessing the number of call intents during a period p, intentions(p)=reçus(p)−rappels(p).

Claims

1. A method of estimating call intents and recalls in a call center comprising:

(a) assessing N corresponding to a number of periods during which recall assessments are performed;

(b) assessing α

_i representing a proportion of disconnected calls that call back during an i^th period following disconnection;

(c) assessing β

_i representing a proportion of abandoned calls that call back during i^th period following abandonment;

(d) assessing call status variables;

Dec(p) representing the number of calls disconnected during a period p;

Abd(p) representing the number of calls abandoned during a period p;

Reç

us(p) representing the number of calls received during period p;

(e) estimating the number of recalls, rappels(p), during the period p, with

$\mathrm{rappels}<br><br>\left(p\right)=\underset{i=0}{\overset{N}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}_i·<br><br>\mathrm{dec}<br><br>\left(p-i\right)+{\mathrm{\beta <br><br>}}_i·<br><br>\mathrm{abd}<br><br>\left(p-i\right),$

where p-i represents the period that precedes p of i periods; and

(f) assessing the number of call intents during a period p, intentions(p)=reç

us(p)ç

rappels(p).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein coefficients α

_i and β

_i are calculated by linear regression in at least one representative sample.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein estimation is performed without systematically recording an identifier of each call received.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein capacity of the call center is adapted according to the estimation.

5. A system for estimating call intents and recalls in a call center comprising calculation equipment connected to equipment associated with call-answering stations, wherein the calculation equipment comprises means for counting a number of disconnected calls Dec, a number of abandoned calls Abd, a number of received calls Reç

us and calculation means for determining coefficients α

_i, β

_i and N, as well as calculation means for determining variables of the number of recalls and the number of call intents

$\mathrm{rappels}<br><br>\left(p\right)=\underset{i=0}{\overset{N}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}_i·<br><br>\mathrm{dec}<br><br>\left(p-i\right)+{\mathrm{\beta <br><br>}}_i·<br><br>\mathrm{abd}<br><br>\left(p-i\right)$

and intentions(p)=reç

us(p)−

rappels(p), where N corresponds to a number of periods during which an assessment of recalls takes place;

α

_i represents a proportion of disconnected calls that call back during an i^th period following disconnection;

β

_i represents a proportion of abandoned calls that call back during an i^th period following abandonment; and

p-i represents a period that precedes p of i periods.

6. The system, according to claim 5, further comprising at least one Automatic Call Dispatcher (ACD).