System and method for balancing agent console load during automated call processing

• US 20080043987A1
• Filed: 08/15/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellisist, Inc. dba Spoken Communications (Avaya Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Intellisist, Inc. dba Spoken Communications (Avaya Incorporated)
• Inventors: Odinak, Gilad, McCann, Tom, Jiang, Haodong (Howard), Waalkes, Adam, Thorn, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,023,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5234 Uniform load distribution

Abstract

A system and method for balancing agent console load during automated call processing is provided. A plurality of agent consoles are operated in a call center. Progress of a call session of a caller that is calling into the call center at each agent console is monitored. An absolute upper limit on a number of the call sessions allowed at each agent console at any given time is assigned. A load of call session assignments on each agent console is balanced. Objective and subjective conditions pertinent to each assigned call session are continually collected from each agent console. The objective and subjective conditions that affect call session availability are updated for each agent console. The objective and subjective conditions are evaluated against the absolute upper limit to determine a load factor. Each call session is assigned to one such agent console within bounds applicable to the load factor.

Claims

1. A system for balancing agent console load during automated call processing, comprising:

a console to operate a plurality of agent consoles;

a call processor to process a call session of a caller calling at each agent console; and

a message server to balance a call session load on each agent console, comprising;

a load balance module to continually collect conditions from each agent console, to evaluate the conditions against each agent console, and to determine a load factor as a function of the conditions; and

a call distributor to assign the call sessions to the agent consoles commensurate to the corresponding load factor.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the conditions comprise at least one of a state of a call previously assigned, a limit on a maximum number of call sessions, a priority of the call previously assigned, and a group to which an agent is assigned.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the conditions comprise values for at least one of a difficulty resolving the caller'"'"'s concerns and a difficulty experienced by an agent in dealing with the caller.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the load balance module assigns a fixed limit to the call sessions for each agent console and evaluates the conditions against the fixed limit for that agent console.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the load factors each represent a normalized numeric metric 0≦

LF_i≦

m determined in accordance with the formula;

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein t_i is set to a value for the current state comprising at least one of a waiting, attention, and active state.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the load factors each represent a normalized numeric metric 0≦

LF_i′

≦

m determined in accordance with the formula;

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the call distributor performs an alternative call disposition when each agent console is unavailable to take the assigned call comprising at least one of handling the assigned call through automated response, transferring the assigned call to a live agent, and placing the assigned call on hold.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the load balance module assigns a maximum load factor to the agent console that receives the assigned call and maintains the maximum load factor until the agent console is ready to accept new calls.

10. A method for balancing agent console load during automated call processing, comprising:

operating a plurality of agent consoles;

processing a call session of a caller calling at each agent console; and

balancing a call session load on each agent console, comprising;

continually collecting conditions from each agent console;

evaluating the conditions against each agent console and determining a load factor as a function of the conditions; and

assigning the call sessions to the agent consoles commensurate to the corresponding load factor.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the conditions comprise at least one of a state of a call previously assigned, a limit on a maximum number of call sessions, a priority of the call previously assigned, and a group to which an agent is assigned.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the conditions comprise values for at least one of a difficulty resolving the caller'"'"'s concerns and a difficulty experienced by an agent in dealing with the caller.

13. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

assigning a fixed limit to the call sessions for each agent console; and

evaluating the conditions against the fixed limit for each agent console.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

determining the load factors to represent a normalized numeric metric 0≦

LF_i≦

m in accordance with the formula;

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein t_i is set to a value for the current state comprising at least one of a waiting, attention, and active state.

16. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining the load factors to represent a normalized numeric metric 0≦

LF_i′

≦

m in accordance with the formula;

17. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

performing an alternative call disposition when each agent console is unavailable to take the assigned call, comprising at least one of;

handling the assigned call through automated response;

transferring the assigned call to a live agent; and

placing the assigned call on hold.

18. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

assigning a maximum load factor to the agent console that receives the assigned call; and

maintaining the maximum load factor until the agent console is ready to accept new calls.

19. A system for balancing agent console load during automated call processing, comprising:

a console to operate a plurality of agent consoles in a call center, each comprising;

a display to monitor progress of a call session of a caller that is calling into the call center at each agent console; and

a console load balance module to assign an absolute upper limit on a number of the call sessions allowed at each agent console at any given time; and

a message server to balance a load of call session assignments on each agent console, comprising;

a server load balance module to continually collect objective and subjective conditions pertinent to each assigned call session from each agent console and to evaluate the objective and subjective conditions against the absolute upper limit to determine a load factor;

an updater to update the objective and subjective conditions that affect call session availability for each agent console; and

a call distributor to assign each call session to one such agent console within bounds applicable to the load factor.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein the server load balance module assigns a maximum load factor to each agent console when a number of call sessions reach the absolute upper limit on the number of maximum call sessions for that agent console.

21. A system according to claim 19, wherein the call distributor assigns each incoming call to one such agent console with a load factor not fully met.

22. A method for balancing agent console load during automated call processing, comprising:

operating a plurality of agent consoles in a call center, each comprising;

monitoring progress of a call session of a caller that is calling into the call center at each agent console; and

assigning an absolute upper limit on a number of the call sessions allowed at each agent console at any given time; and

balancing a load of call session assignments on each agent console, comprising;

continually collecting objective and subjective conditions pertinent to each assigned call session from each agent console;

updating the objective and subjective conditions that affect call session availability for each agent console;

evaluating the objective and subjective conditions against the absolute upper limit to determine a load factor; and

assigning each call session to one such agent console within bounds applicable to the load factor.

23. A method according to claim 22, further comprising:

assigning a maximum load factor to each agent console when a number of call sessions reach the absolute upper limit on the number of maximum call sessions for that agent console.

24. A method according to claim 22, further comprising:

assigning each incoming call to one such agent console with a load factor not fully met.