System and methods for intelligent routing of customer requests using customer and agent models

• US 6,389,400 B1
• Filed: 05/03/1999
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bushey, Robert R., Deelman, Thomas, Mauney, Jennifer Mitchell
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NORMAN, MARC E
• Application Number:
  US09/303,622
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 379/265, 379/266, 379/220, 379/212
• US Class Current: 705/7.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

System and methods for intelligent routing of requests from customers to agents where a request is received at a service center from a customer. Identification information related to the customer is accessed. Background information on the customer is retrieved from a storage facility. Task and attitude information about the customer is gathered. A model of the customer is created. Models for at least two agents are created. A performance optimizing calculation is performed that matches the customer model and the models for the at least two agents. A best match agent from the at least two agents is determined based on the matching. The customer request is routed to the best match agent.

Claims

1. A method for intelligent routing of requests from a customer to an agent in a telecommunications environment comprising:

receiving a request from a customer;

creating a model of the customer, the model of the customer being calculated from a detailed profile of the customer'"'"'s needs, task objectives, sales preference, and expectations for satisfaction;

creating a model of at least two agents;

comparing the model of the customer with each of the models of the at least two agents;

routing the request from the customer to a best matched agent of the at least two agents based on the comparing;

obtaining identifying information from the customer;

retrieving historical background information regarding the customer based on the identifying information;

searching for historical background information regarding the customer'"'"'s account based on the identifying information; and

obtaining information regarding the customer'"'"'s current task objective and the customer'"'"'s current expectations for satisfaction, the customer'"'"'s current task objective and the customer'"'"'s current expectations for satisfaction each comprising one or more attributes, the customer'"'"'s expectations for satisfaction attributes comprising at least one of the customer'"'"'s willingness to be up-sold additional products or services, the customer'"'"'s preference for a lengthy or brief negotiation, and the customer'"'"'s desire to have questions answered.

2. The method according to claim 1, the comparing comprising performance optimization calculations.

3. The method according to claim 2, the performance optimizing calculations being used to generate a match score for each of the at least two agents.

4. The method according to claim 3, the best match agent being one of the at least two agents with the highest match score.

5. The method according to claim 3, a list of optimal agents being generated based on the match scores of the at least two agents that are above an optimal threshold.

6. The method according to claim 5, the request from the customer being routed to an available agent on the list of optimal agents.

7. The method according to claim 5, the request from the customer being placed in a wait queue until an agent on the list of optimal agents becomes available.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

reducing the optimal threshold the longer the request from the customer remains in the wait queue.

9. The method according to claim 8, the request from the customer being routed to an available agent with the highest match score when the wait time equals a maximum wait time.

10. The method according to claim 9, the optimal threshold and the maximum wait time being set by a call center controller.

11. The method according to claim 1, the identifying information comprising at least one of the customer'"'"'s telephone number, e-mail, and account number.

12. The method according to claim 1, the identifying information being obtained by one of a human operator, an automatic caller ID system, an interactive voice response (IVR) interface, e-mail, Internet, and other communications channel.

13. The method according to claim 1, the customer'"'"'s account information comprising at least one of the customer'"'"'s billing history, products and services currently being provided, and household information.

14. The method according to claim 1, comprising upgrading the historical background information based on the customer'"'"'s current task objective and the customer'"'"'s current expectations for satisfaction.

15. The method according to claim 1, the task objective attributes and the expectations for satisfaction attributes being quantified and transformed into numerical values.

16. The method according to claim 15, comprising calculating and constructing the customer model using the task objective attributes values and the customer expectations for satisfaction attributes values.

17. The method according to claim 16, each task objective attribute and each customer expectations for satisfaction attribute assigned a weighting value based on a relative importance of the each attribute.

18. The method according to claim 17, the weighting value for each attribute being used in the calculating and constructing of the customer model.