Telemarketing complex with automatic threshold levels

• US 5,390,243 A
• Filed: 11/01/1993
• Issued: 02/14/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malmi, Robert A., Casselman, Brenda L., Strout, Bernadette M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Thomas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Application Number:
  US08/146,662
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 379/112, 379/221, 379/265, 379/266, 379/207, 379/309, 379/133, 379/220
• US Class Current: 379/266.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A system for managing a telemarketing complex is disclosed wherein the probability of meeting a given performance objective by the agents servicing an automatic call distributor (ACD) within the complex is computed for each subinterval of a predetermined service interval. This probability is then compared with threshold levels in order to determine whether the ACD requires that calls be shifted to meet the performance objective or whether calls can be accepted by that ACD. A record is maintained for each subinterval of the probabilities computed for that subinterval and as to whether the system succeeded or failed in achieving the performance objective at the end of the service interval. This record is used to compute the threshold levels used in future comparisons. In addition, the system computes a line-estimation factor which when multiplied by the number of agents working can be used to estimate the call load for an ACD.

Claims

1. A method for managing a telemarketing complex having automatic call distributors and means for collecting data with respect to said automatic call distributors during each subinterval of a service interval, said method comprising the steps of determining the probability during each subinterval of having each one of said automatic call distributors achieve a predetermined performance objective at the end of said service interval, comparing said probability to a threshold level for shifting calls and to a threshold level for accepting calls, determining the number of calls to shift and the number of calls to accept based on said comparison to said threshold levels, determining success or failure in achieving said performance objective at the end of said service interval and storing a record of a success or failure along with the associated probability for each of the subintervals within said service interval thereby adding to an historical record of successes and failures for each of said subintervals, and automatically calculating said threshold for shifting calls and said threshold for accepting calls for each of said subintervals based on said record of successes and failures.

2. A method of managing a telemarketing system as defined in claim 1 wherein the method further includes a step of determining a line-estimation factor for each one of said automatic call distributors which can be used to estimate the call load at said each one of said automatic call distributors.