Minimum interruption cycle time threshold for reserve call center agents

• US 6,353,667 B1
• Filed: 08/27/1998
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Mathews, Eugene P., Foster, Robin H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, BING Q
• Application Number:
  US09/141,273
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/269, 379/309, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.04, 379/265.05
• US Class Current: 379/265.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A minimum interruption cycle time is established for a reserve agent in a call center. The reserve agent may be an exclusively reserve agent which processes only calls requiring reserve skills. In an illustrative embodiment, after the reserve agent completes the processing of a call, a cycle timer is started for that agent. The delivery of additional calls to the reserve agent is then suspended until the value of the cycle timer is greater than or equal to the established minimum interruption cycle time for that agent. The minimum interruption cycle time is selected so as to allow the reserve agent to complete a designated number of non-call tasks between the calls processed by the reserve agent. If there is a pool of reserve agents, one or more of the reserve agents may be temporarily converted to normal agent status for at least one particular skill that is causing excessive interruption of reserve agents, so as to maintain the minimum interruption cycle time for the remaining reserve agents in the presence of an increased call volume.

Claims

1. A method of processing communications in a call center including a plurality of agents, wherein at least a subset of the agents are at least temporarily designated as exclusively reserve agents, the exclusively reserve agents being configured to perform communication processing tasks and non-communication processing tasks but having as a primary responsibility the performance of the non-communication processing tasks, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a minimum interruption cycle time for at least one of the exclusively reserve agents for performance of the non-communication processing tasks;

measuring an amount of time from completion of a communication processed by the exclusively reserve agent; and

suspending delivery of at least one subsequent communication to the exclusively reserve agent based at least in part on whether the measured amount of time is less than the minimum interruption cycle time for performance of the non-communication processing tasks.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining step includes determining the minimum interruption cycle time so as to allow the exclusively reserve agent to complete a designated amount of non-communication task activity between communications processed by the exclusively reserve agent.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of measuring an amount of time includes starting a timer when the exclusively reserve agent has completed processing the communication, and stopping the timer when the subsequent communication is being considered for direction to the exclusively reserve agent.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of measuring an amount of time includes starting a timer when the exclusively reserve agent receives the communication, and stopping the timer when the subsequent communication is being considered for direction to the exclusively reserve agent.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of suspending delivery of at least one subsequent communication to the exclusively reserve agent includes removing the exclusively reserve agent from a pool of agents considered for processing communications.

6. The method of claim 1 further including the step of converting at least one of the exclusively reserve agents to normal agent status for at least one particular skill that is causing excessive interruption of exclusively reserve agents, so as to maintain the minimum interruption cycle time for the remaining exclusively reserve agents in the presence of an increased volume of communications.

7. The method of claim 6 further including the step of restoring at least one exclusively reserve agent which was assigned normal agent status for the at least one particular skill back to exclusively reserve agent status while maintaining the minimum interruption cycle time for the other exclusively reserve agents.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of increasing the number of exclusively reserve agents so as to maintain the minimum interruption cycle time for all of the exclusively reserve agents in the presence of an increased volume of communications.

9. An apparatus for processing communications in a call center including a plurality of agents, at least a subset of which are at least temporarily designated as exclusively reserve agents, the exclusively reserve agents being configured to perform communication processing tasks and non-communication processing tasks but having as a primary responsibility the performance of the non-communication processing tasks, the apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing a minimum interruption cycle time for at least one of the exclusively reserve agents for performance of the non-communication processing tasks; and

a processor associated with the memory and operative to measure an amount of time from completion of a communication processed by the exclusively reserve agent, and to suspend delivery of at least one subsequent communication to the exclusively reserve agent based at least in part on whether the measured amount of time is less than the minimum interruption cycle time for performance of the non-communication processing tasks.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the minimum interruption cycle time is determined so as to allow the exclusively reserve agent to complete a designated amount of non-communication task activity between communications processed by the exclusively reserve agent.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processor is operative to start a timer when the exclusively reserve agent has completed processing the communication, and to stop the timer when the subsequent communication is being considered for direction to the exclusively reserve agent.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processor is operative to start a timer when the exclusively reserve agent receives the communication, and to stop the timer when the subsequent communication is being considered for direction to the exclusively reserve agent.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processor suspends delivery of communications to the exclusively reserve agent by removing the exclusively reserve agent from a pool of agents considered for processing communications.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processor is further operative to convert at least one of the exclusively reserve agents to normal agent status for at least one particular skill that is causing excessive interruption of exclusively reserve agents, so as to maintain the minimum interruption cycle time for the remaining exclusively reserve agents in the presence of an increased volume of communications.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processor is further operative to restore at least one exclusively reserve agent which was assigned normal agent status for the at least one particular skill back to exclusively reserve agent status while maintaining the minimum interruption cycle time for the other exclusively reserve agents.

16. A computer-readable medium containing software for processing communications in a call center including a plurality of agents, wherein at least a subset of the agents are at least temporarily designated as exclusively reserve agents, the exclusively reserve agents being configured to perform communication processing tasks and non-communication processing tasks but having as a primary responsibility the performance of the non-communication processing tasks, wherein the software, when executed in a processor, causes the processor to perform the steps of:

determining a minimum interruption cycle time for at least one of the exclusively reserve agents for performance of the non-communication processing tasks;

measuring an amount of time from completion of a communication processed by the exclusively reserve agent; and

suspending delivery of at least one subsequent communication to the exclusively reserve agent based at least in part on whether the measured amount of time is less than the minimum interruption cycle time for performance of the non-communication processing tasks.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the software further causes the processor to perform the step of converting at least one of the exclusively reserve agents to normal agent status for at least one particular skill that is causing excessive interruption of exclusively reserve agents, so as to maintain the minimum interruption cycle time for the remaining exclusively reserve agents in the presence of an increased volume of communications.

18. A method of processing communications in a call center including a plurality of agents, wherein at least a subset of the agents are at least temporarily designated as exclusively reserve agents, the exclusively reserve agents being configured to receive processing tasks from at least a first source and a second source but having as a primary responsibility performance of the processing tasks from the first source, at least a portion of the processing tasks received from the first source including non-communication processing tasks, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a minimum interruption cycle time for at least one of the exclusively reserve agents for performance of the processing tasks received from the first source;

measuring an amount of time from completion of a communication received from the second source and processed by the exclusively reserve agent; and

suspending delivery of at least one subsequent communication from the second source to the exclusively reserve agent based at least in part on whether the measured amount of time is less than the minimum interruption cycle time for performance of the processing tasks received from the first source.

19. An apparatus for processing communications in a call center including a plurality of agents, at least a subset of which are at least temporarily designated as exclusively reserve agents, the exclusively reserve agents being configured to receive processing tasks from at least a first source and a second source but having as a primary responsibility performance of the processing tasks from the first source, at least a portion of the processing tasks received from the first source including non-communication processing tasks, the apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing a minimum interruption cycle time for at least one of the exclusively reserve agents for performance of the processing tasks received from the first source; and

a processor associated with the memory and operative to measure an amount of time from completion of a communication received from the second source and processed by the exclusively reserve agent, and to suspend delivery of at least one subsequent communication from the second source to the exclusively reserve agent based at least in part on whether the measured amount of time is less than the minimum interruption cycle time for performance of the processing tasks received from the first source.

20. A computer-readable medium containing software for processing communications in a call center including a plurality of agents, wherein at least a subset of the agents are at least temporarily designated as exclusively reserve agents, the exclusively reserve agents being configured to receive processing tasks from at least a first source and a second source but having as a primary responsibility performance of the processing tasks from the first source, at least a portion of the processing tasks received from the first source including non-communication processing tasks, wherein the software, when executed in a processor, causes the processor to perform the steps of:

determining a minimum interruption cycle time for at least one of the exclusively reserve agents for performance of the processing tasks received from the first source;

measuring an amount of time from completion of a communication received from the second source and processed by the exclusively reserve agent; and

suspending delivery of at least one subsequent communication from the second source to the exclusively reserve agent based at least in part on whether the measured amount of time is less than the minimum interruption cycle time for performance of the processing tasks received from the first source.

21. A method of processing communications in a call center including a plurality of agents, wherein at least a subset of the agents are at least temporarily designated as exclusively reserve agents, the exclusively reserve agents being configured to perform at least two different types of processing tasks including a first type of processing task and a second type of processing task but having as a primary responsibility performance of the first type of processing task, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a minimum interruption cycle time for at least one of the exclusively reserve agents for performance of the first type of processing task;

measuring an amount of time from completion of a communication processed by the exclusively reserve agent, the communication being associated with the second type of processing task; and

suspending delivery of at least one subsequent communication associated with the second type of processing task to the exclusively reserve agent based at least in part on whether the measured amount of time is less than the minimum interruption cycle time for performance of the first type of processing task.

22. An apparatus for processing communications in a call center including a plurality of agents, at least a subset of which are at least temporarily designated as exclusively reserve agents, the reserve agents being configured to perform at least two different types of processing tasks including a first type of processing task and a second type of processing task but having as a primary responsibility performance of the first type of processing task, the apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing a minimum interruption cycle time for at least one of the exclusively reserve agents for performance of the first type of processing task; and

a processor associated with the memory and operative to measure an amount of time from completion of a communication processed by the exclusively reserve agent, the communication being associated with the second type of processing task, and to suspend delivery of at least one subsequent communication associated with the second type of processing task to the exclusively reserve agent based at least in part on whether the measured amount of time is less than the minimum interruption cycle time for performance of the first type of processing task.

23. A computer-readable medium containing software for processing communications in a call center including a plurality of agents, wherein at least a subset of the agents are at least temporarily designated as exclusively reserve agents, the exclusively reserve agents being configured to perform at least two different types of processing tasks including a first type of processing task and a second type of processing task but having as a primary responsibility performance of the first type of processing task, wherein the software, when executed in a processor, causes the processor to perform the steps of:

determining a minimum interruption cycle time for at least one of the exclusively reserve agents for performance of the first type of processing task;

measuring an amount of time from completion of a communication processed by the exclusively reserve agent, the communication being associated with the second type of processing task; and

suspending delivery of at least one subsequent communication associated with the second type of processing task to the exclusively reserve agent based at least in part on whether the measured amount of time is less than the minimum interruption cycle time for performance of the first type of processing task.