ACD skill-based routing

• US 6,408,066 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1999
• Issued: 06/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Deutsch, Douglas Anthony, Andruska, Donald Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US09/461,885
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/265.13, 379/266.01, 379/266.02
• US Class Current: 379/265.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

In a disclosed ACD skill-based routing system and method, a group of call agents is established and one or more screening attributes are assigned to each call agent group member. A call agent queue is established that ranks available call agent group members according to an idleness indicator. The call agent group is assigned to at least one call queue that ranks calls according to a priority indicator. Each call in the call queue(s) is associated with one or more call requirement attributes. To assign a call to an agent, a comparison is made of the screening attribute(s) of the highest ranking call agent in the call agent queue with the call requirement attribute(s) of one or more calls in the call queue(s), beginning with the highest ranking call and descending through lower ranking calls as necessary until a call having a call requirement attribute matching one of the highest ranking call agent'"'"'s screening attributes (call-to-agent match) is found. The call associated with the call-to-agent match is then assigned to the highest ranking call agent and the highest ranking call agent is removed from the call agent queue.

Claims

1. An ACD skill-based routing method, comprising the steps of:

establishing a group of call agents and assigning one or more screening attributes to each call agent group member;

establishing a call agent queue that ranks available call agent group members according to an idleness indicator;

assigning said call agent group to at least one call queue that ranks calls according to a priority indicator;

associating each call in said at least one call queue with one or more call requirement attributes;

comparing the screening attribute(s) of the highest ranking call agent identified in said call agent queue with the call requirement attribute(s) of one or more calls in said at least one call queue, beginning with the highest ranking call and descending through lower ranking calls as necessary until a call having a call requirement attribute matching said screening attribute (call-to-agent match) is found; and

assigning the call associated with said call-to-agent match to said highest ranking call agent and removing said highest ranking call agent from said call agent queue.

2. An ACD skill-based routing method in accordance with claim 1 further including, in the event that no call-to-agent match is found relative to said highest ranking call agent, performing said comparing step relative to one or more subsequent call agents in said call agent queue until a call-to-agent match is found, and then performing said assigning step relative to the call associated with said call-to-agent match to assign said call to the call agent associated with said call-to-agent match.

3. An ACD skill-based routing method in accordance with claim 2 wherein, following a call-to-agent match being found relative to a call agent other than said highest ranking call agent, or following no call-to-agent match being found relative to one or more call agents other than said highest ranking call agent, re-performing said comparing step relative said highest ranking call agent.

4. An ACD skill-based routing method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said idleness indicator corresponds to the time that a call agent has been available to handle a call.

5. An ACD skill-based routing method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said priority indicator corresponds to the time that a call has been waiting for handling.

6. An ACD skill-based routing method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said call agent group is assigned to a single call queue and said comparing step includes considering calls in said call queue in accordance with their call queue ranking until a call-to-agent match is found.

7. An ACD skill-based routing method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said call agent group is assigned to multiple call queues and said comparing step includes considering the calls in said multiple call queues in accordance with their overall ranking relative to other calls in said multiple call queues until a call-to-agent match is found.

8. An ACD skill-based routing method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said call agent group m embers having differing screening attributes.

9. An ACD skill-based routing method in accordance with claim 1 wherein some of said call agent group members have specialized screening attributes indicative of specialized skills in addition to a common set of non-specialized screening attributes indicative of non-specialized skills shared with other call agent group members, and wherein said comparing step includes waiting for a call with a matching specialized call requirement attribute before invoking said assigning step to assign said call to said highest ranking call agent.

10. An ACD skill-based routing method in accordance with claim 9 wherein said comparing step further includes invoking said assigning step to assign said highest ranking call agent to a call having a matching non-specialized call requirement attribute if no call having a matching specialized call requirement attribute is found.

11. An ACD skill-based routing system, comprising:

means for establishing a group of call agents having one or more screening attributes assigned to each call agent group member;

a call agent queue containing rankings of available call agent group members according to an idleness indicator;

means for assigning said call agent group to at least one call queue that ranks calls according to a priority indicator;

means for associating each call in said at least one call queue with one or more call requirement attributes;

means for comparing the screening attribute(s) of the highest ranking call agent identified in said call agent queue with the call requirement attribute(s) of one or more calls in said at least one call queue, beginning with the highest ranking call and descending through lower ranking calls as necessary until a call having a call requirement attribute matching said screening attribute (call-to-agent match) is found; and

means for assigning the call associated with said call-to-agent match to said highest ranking call agent and removing said highest ranking call agent from said call agent queue.

12. An ACD skill-based routing system in accordance with claim 11 further including means, responsive to no call-to-agent match being found relative to said highest ranking call agent, for invoking said comparing means relative to one or more subsequent call agents in said call agent queue until a call-to-agent match is found, and then invoking said assigning means relative to the call associated with said call-to-agent match to assign said call to the call agent associated with said call-to-agent match.

13. An ACD skill-based routing system in accordance with claim 12 further including means, responsive to a call-to-agent match being found relative to a call agent other than said highest ranking agent, or to no call-to-agent match being found relative to one or more call agents other than said highest ranking call agent, for re-invoking said comparing means relative to said highest ranking call agent.

14. An ACD skill-based routing system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said idleness indicator corresponds to the time that a call agent has been available to handle a call.

15. An ACD skill-based routing system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said priority indicator corresponds to the time that a call has been waiting for handling.

16. An ACD skill-based routing system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said call agent group is assigned to a single call queue and said comparing means includes means for considering calls in said call queue in accordance with their call queue ranking until a call-to-agent match is found.

17. An ACD skill-based routing system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said call agent group is assigned to multiple call queues and said comparing means includes means for considering the calls in said multiple call queues in accordance with their overall ranking relative to other calls in said multiple call queues until a call-to-agent match is found.

18. An ACD skill-based routing system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said call agent group members having differing screening attributes.

19. An ACD skill-based routing system in accordance with claim 11 wherein some of said call agent group members have specialized screening attributes indicative of specialized skills in addition to a common set of non-specialized screening attributes indicative of non-specialized skills shared with other call agent group members, and wherein said comparing means includes means for waiting for a call with a matching specialized call requirement attribute before invoking said assigning means to assign said call to said highest ranking call agent.

20. An ACD skill-based routing system in accordance with claim 19 wherein said comparing means collectively further includes means for invoking said assigning means to assign said highest ranking call agent to a call having a matching non-specialized call requirement attribute if no call having a matching specialized call requirement attribute is found.

21. In an ACD system, a method for agent-equitable, skill-based call routing method, comprising the steps of:

establishing a group of call agents and assigning one or more screening attributes to each call agent group member, some of said call agent group members having specialized screening attributes indicative of specialized skills in addition to a common set of non-specialized screening attributes also assigned to other call agent group members and indicative of skills shared with said other call agent group members;

establishing a call agent queue that ranks available call agent group members according to an idleness indicator, said idleness indicator corresponding to the time that a call agent has been available to handle a call;

assigning said call agent group to at least one call queue that ranks calls according to a priority indicator, said priority indicator corresponding to the time that a call has been waiting for handling;

associating each call in said call queue(s) with one or more call requirement attributes;

comparing the screening attribute(s) of the highest ranking call agent identified in said call agent queue with the call requirement attribute(s) of one or more calls in said at least one call queue, beginning with the highest ranking call and descending through lower ranking calls as necessary until a call having a call requirement attribute matching said screening attribute (matching call requirement attribute) is found;

if said matching call requirement attribute matches one of said non-specialized screening attributes and said highest ranking call agent does not also have a related specialized screening attribute, assigning the call associated with said matching call requirement attribute to said highest ranking call agent and removing said highest ranking call agent from said call agent queue;

if said matching call requirement attribute matches one of said non-specialized screening attributes and said highest ranking call agent also has an associated specialized screening attribute, continuing said comparing step until a next call having a matching call requirement attribute is found;

if no matching call requirement attribute is found for any call, re-performing said comparing step relative to one or more subordinate call agents in said call agent queue until a call having a matching call requirement attribute is found or until a selected number of subordinate agents has been tested, whichever occurs first;

if a call having a matching call requirement attribute is found relative to a subordinate agent, assigning said call to said subordinate call agent; and

following said call assignment to said subordinate call agent, or upon no matching call requirement attribute being found for said selected number of subordinate agents, re-performing said comparing step relative to said highest ranking call agent.