Method and system for optimization of telephone contact campaigns

• US 5,436,965 A
• Filed: 11/16/1993
• Issued: 07/25/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Automated Systems and Programming, Inc.
• Inventors: Simmons, LeRoy, Grossman, Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Application Number:
  US08/152,060
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/201, 379/142, 379/107, 379/92
• 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 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/904 Auto-calling

Abstract

A system and a method of generating outbound telephone contact campaigns is disclosed, which has an optimized probability of contacting targeted individuals during the campaign using a predictive dialer system, telephone operators with computer consoles and stored account records, where each account is associated with an individual with one or more telephone numbers and a history of attempts to contact the individual associated with each account.

Claims

1. A method of generating an outbound telephone contact campaign with an optimized probability of contacting targeted individuals during the campaign on a computer system using a predictive dialer system and stored accounts, each account being associated with an individual having a telephone, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting from the stored accounts a subset of selected accounts for teleprocessing during a first interval;

prioritizing said subset of accounts;

segmenting said first interval into plural second intervals;

computing teleprocessing capacity of the predictive dialer system during each of said second intervals;

determining a first time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is highest;

determining a next time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is next highest;

allocating each of said selected accounts in descending order of priority to one of said second intervals corresponding to a time period within said first interval during which said probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is next highest and teleprocessing capacity of said predictive dialer system exists; and

attempting to contact each of said selected accounts in accordance with said allocation.

2. A method of scheduling an outbound telephone contact campaign with an optimized probability of contacting targeted individuals during the campaign on a computer system using a predictive dialer system and stored accounts, each account being associated with an individual having a telephone, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting from the stored accounts a subset of selected accounts for teleprocessing during a first interval;

prioritizing said subset of accounts;

segmenting said first interval into plural second intervals;

computing teleprocessing capacity of the predictive dialer system during each of said second intervals;

determining a first time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is highest;

determining a next time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is next highest; and

allocating each of said selected accounts in descending order of priority to one of said second intervals corresponding to a time period within said first interval during which said probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is next highest and teleprocessing capacity of said predictive dialer system exist.

3. A method of generating an outbound telephone contact campaign with an optimized probability of contacting targeted individuals during the campaign on a computer system using a predictive dialer system, a plurality of telephone operators, and stored accounts, each account being associated with an individual having a telephone, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting from the stored accounts a subset of selected accounts for teleprocessing during a first interval;

segmenting said first interval into a plurality of second intervals;

determining for each of said selected accounts a first time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is highest;

allocating each of said selected accounts to the one of said second intervals corresponding to said first time period for said selected account;

transmitting said subset of accounts to the predictive dialer system for teleprocessing;

attempting to contact said individual associated with said selected account;

creating a record of attempts to contact the individual associated with each of said selected accounts; and

creating a demographic profile representative of probabilities of right party contact for each of a selected plurality of time periods with the individual associated with each of said selected accounts by modified non-hierarchical cluster analysis.

4. A method of scheduling an outbound telephone contact campaign with an optimized probability of contacting targeted individuals during the campaign on a computer system storing a plurality of accounts, each account being associated with an individual having a telephone, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting from the stored accounts a subset of selected accounts for teleprocessing during a first interval;

segmenting said first interval into a plurality of second intervals;

creating a record of attempts to contact the individual associated with each of said selected accounts;

creating a demographic profile representative of probabilities of right party contact for each of a selected plurality of time periods with the individual associated with each of said selected acount; and

creating a vector of probabilities of right party contact with the individual associated with each of said selected accounts for each of said second time intervals.

5. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein said step of creating a vector of contact probabilities comprises merging said record of contact attempts with demographic profile.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein said merging of said record of contact attempts with said demographic profile incorporated exponential smoothing.

7. A method as defined in claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

associating with each of said selected accounts a priority parameter; and

computing relative processing priority of each of said selected accounts according to said priority parameter.

8. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein said distribution step is performed in descending order of said processing priority.

9. A method of scheduling an outbound telephone contact campaign with an optimized probability of contacting targeted individuals during the campaign on a computer system using a predictive dialer system, a plurality of telephone operators, and stored accounts, each account being associated with an individual having a telephone, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting from the stored accounts a subset of selected accounts for teleprocessing during a first interval;

segmenting said first interval into a plurality of second intervals;

determining for each of said selected accounts a first time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is highest;

allocating each of said selected accounts to the one of said second intervals corresponding to said first time period for said selected account;

creating a record of attempts to contact the individual associated with each of selected accounts; and

creating a demographic profile representative of probabilities of right party contact for each of a selected plurality of time periods with the individual associated with each of said selected accounts by modified non-hierarchical cluster analysis.

10. A method of scheduling an outbound telephone contact campaign with an optimized probability of contacting targeted individuals during the campaign on a computer system using a predictive dialer system, a plurality of telephone operators, and stored accounts, each account being associated with an individual having a telephone, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting from the stored accounts a subset of selected accounts for teleprocessing during a first interval;

segmenting said first interval into a plurality of second intervals;

determining for each of said selected accounts a first time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is highest;

allocating each of said selected accounts to the one of said second intervals corresponding to said first time period for said selected account;

creating a record of attempts to contact the individual associated with each of selected accounts;

creating a demographic profile representative of probabilities of right party contact for each of a selected plurality of time periods with the individual associated with each of said selected accounts; and

creating a vector of probabilities of right party contact with the individual associated with each of said selected accounts for each of said second time intervals.

11. A computer system for scheduling a telephone contact campaign from a plurality of stored accounts, each account corresponding to an individual having a telephone, and a predictive dialer system, said computer system comprising:

means for maintaining a history of attempts to contact the individual corresponding to each of the accounts for teleprocessing;

means for determining relative teleprocessing priority of said accounts;

means for sorting said accounts according to said relative teleprocessing priority;

means for determining a probability of right party contact with the individual corresponding to each of said selected accounts during each of a plurality of time periods, said probabilities being different between at least two of said time periods;

means for determining available teleprocessing capability during each of said time periods;

means for scheduling each of said accounts in order of said teleprocessing priority to one of said time periods during which said probability of right party contact is highest and teleprocessing capacity is available; and

means for merging said demographic profiles and said history of attempts to contact said individual corresponding to each of said selected accounts.

12. A computer system for outbound teleprocessing of a plurality of stored accounts for teleprocessing, each account corresponding to an individual having a telephone, a predictive dialer system and a plurality of operators, said computer system comprising:

means for selecting from the stored accounts a subset of selected accounts for teleprocessing during a first interval;

means for segmenting said first interval into plural second intervals;

means for determining available teleprocessing capability during each of said second intervals;

means for determining a probability of right party contact with the individual corresponding to each of said selected accounts during each of said second intervals, said probabilities being different between at least two of said time periods;

means for determining a next time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is next highest;

means for allocating each of said selected accounts to one of said second intervals corresponding to a time period within said first interval primarily according to said probability of right party contact and secondarily according to whether teleprocessing capability is available; and

means for transmitting said account to the predictive dialer system.

13. A computer system for outbound teleprocessing of a plurality of stored accounts for teleprocessing, each account corresponding to an individual having a telephone, a predictive dialer system and a plurality of operators, said computer system comprising:

means for selecting from the stored accounts a subset of selected accounts for teleprocessing during a first interval;

means for segmenting said first interval into plural second intervals;

means for computing teleprocessing capacity of the predictive dialer system during each of said second intervals;

means for determining a first time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is highest;

means for determining a next time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is next highest;

means for allocating each of said selected accounts to one of said second intervals corresponding to a time period within said first interval during which said probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is next highest and teleprocessing capacity of said predictive dialer system exists; and

means for transmitting said account to the predictive dialer system.

14. A computer system for outbound teleprocessing of a plurality of stored accounts, each account corresponding to an individual having a telephone, and a predictive dialer system, said computer system comprising:

means for selecting from the stored accounts a subset of selected accounts for teleprocessing during a first interval comprised of a plurality of second intervals;

means for determining for each of said selected accounts a first time period within said first interval during which the probability of contacting the individual associated with the selected account is highest;

means for allocating each of said selected accounts to the one of said second intervals corresponding to said first time period for said selected account;

means for creating a record of attempts to contact the individual associated with each of said selected accounts;

means for creating a demographic profile representative of probabilities of right party contact for each of a selected plurality of time periods with the individual associated with each of said selected accounts; and

means for creating a vector of probabilities of right party contact with the individual associated with each of said selected accounts for each of said second time intervals.