System for automatically routing calls to call center agents in an agent surplus condition based on service levels

• US 6,535,600 B1
• Filed: 12/06/1999
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Jensen, Roy A., Fisher, Thomas S., Reiman, Martin I.
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US09/454,508
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/265.12, 379/266.09
• US Class Current: 379/265.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

The system for automatically routing calls to call center agents in an agent surplus condition provides the call center administrator with an automatic agent assignment paradigm which functions to automatically increase the efficiency of assigning multiple skill agents to contacts. The presence of an agent surplus condition provides the present system with a plurality of choices in the assignment of the agent to process a presently received contact. Since the agents who staff the call center include multiple skill agents, the system must make a determination of not only which of the available agents is the best equipped to handle the present contact, but also how that assignment statistically effects the efficiency of successive assignments of agents to contacts next received, based upon the past performance of the agents and the call center. Since the traffic load presented to the call center tends to be highly variable and of content that is difficult to predict, the present system provides several automatic agent assignment paradigms that each have a statistically different impact on the performance of the call center, based upon the quality and quantity of the incoming calls.

Claims

1. A call management system, that is operational in a call center system, for interconnecting a customer who is using a communication device, with a selected one of a plurality of agents who are connected to said call center system, said call management system comprising:

means for retrieving data relating to said customer to determine a service need of said customer;

means, responsive to said determined service need, for selecting a one of said plurality of agents to serve said customer, comprising;

means for storing an identity of each agent, the skills assigned to each agent, and the service level target of each skill,

means for computing a Weighted Service Level for each skill,

means for selecting an agent whose skills as a whole have the best average Weighted Service Level relative to the target service level; and

means for establishing a communication connection through said call center system to said selected one of said plurality of agents who is capable of serving said customer.

2. The call management system of claim 1 wherein said means for computing a Weighted Service Level comprises:

means for determining a ratio of the Expected Wait Time and the administered acceptable service level.

3. The call management system of claim 2 wherein said means for computing further comprises:

means for updating said Weighted Service Level for each skill;

means for updating the Expected Wait Time based on the number of agents eligible to receive a call for the skill, the number of calls queued for that skill, and the weighted advance time for that skill.

4. The call management system of claim 2 wherein said means for comprises:

means, responsive to the weighted service level for any of the agent'"'"'s skills, with the exception of the presently selected skill, being less than the target service level for that skill, for selecting said agent.

5. The call management system of claim 2 wherein said means for selecting further comprises:

means for intentionally leaving a multi-skilled agent idle, even though one or more calls are in queue for one or more of the agent'"'"'s skills, when the value of the Weighted Service Level for any of the multi-skilled agent'"'"'s skills, except for the presently selected skill, is determined to be less than the target service level for that skill.

6. A method of operating a call management system, that is operational in a call center system, for interconnecting a customer who is using a communication device, with a selected one of a plurality of agents who are connected to said call center system, said call management system comprising the steps of:

retrieving data relating to said customer to determine a service need of said customer;

activating a one of a plurality of automatic agent assignment paradigms;

selecting, in response to said determined service need, a one of said plurality of agents to serve said customer as a function of a selected one of said plurality of automatic agent assignment paradigms, with respect to said service need; and

establishing a communication connection through said call center system to said selected one of said plurality of agents who is capable of serving said customer.

7. The method of operating a call management system of claim 6 wherein said step of selecting comprises:

storing an identity of each agent, the skills assigned to each agent, and the service level target of each skill; and

computing a Weighted Service Level for each skill.

8. The method of operating a call management system of claim 7 wherein said step of computing a Weighted Service Level comprises:

determining a ratio of the Expected Wait Time and the administered acceptable service level.

9. The method of operating a call management system of claim 8 wherein said step of computing further comprises:

periodically updating said Weighted Service Level for each skill;

periodically updating the Expected Wait Time based on the number of agents eligible to receive a call for the skill, the number of calls queued for that skill, and the weighted advance time for that skill.

10. The method of operating a call management system of claim 8 wherein said means for comprises:

selecting, in response to the weighted service level for any of the agent'"'"'s skills, with the exception of the presently selected skill, being less than the target service level for that skill, said agent.

11. The method of operating a call management system of claim 7 wherein said step of selecting further comprises:

intentionally leaving a multi-skilled agent idle, even though one or more calls are in queue for one or more of the agent'"'"'s skills, when the value of the Weighted Service Level for any of the multi-skilled agent'"'"'s skills, except for the presently selected skill, is determined to be less than the target service level for that skill.

12. The method of operating a call management system of claim 7 wherein said step of selecting further comprises:

selecting the agent whose skills as a whole have the best average weighted service level relative to the target service level.

13. A call management system, that is operational in a call center system, for interconnecting a customer who is using a communication device, with a selected one of a plurality of agents who are connected to said call center system, said call management system comprising:

customer characterization means for retrieving data relating to said customer to determine a service need of said customer;

process activation means for activating a one of a plurality of automatic agent assignment paradigms;

agent selector means, responsive to said determined service need, for selecting a one of said plurality of agents to serve said customer as a function of a selected one of said plurality of automatic agent assignment paradigms, with respect to said service need, comprising;

agent identification means for storing an identity of each agent, the skills assigned to each agent, and the service level target of each skill,

service definition means for periodically computing a Weighted Service Level for each skill,

means for selecting an agent whose skills as a whole have the best average Weighted Service Level relative to the target service level; and

switching fabric means for establishing a communication connection through said call center system to said selected one of said plurality of agents who is capable of serving said customer.

14. The call management system of claim 13 wherein said service definition means comprises:

calculation means for determining a ratio of the Expected Wait Time and the administered acceptable service level.

15. The call management system of claim 13 wherein said agent selector means comprises:

means for periodically updating the Expected Wait Time based on the number of agents eligible to receive a call for the skill, the number of calls queued for that skill, and the weighted advance time for that skill.

16. The call management system of claim 15 wherein said means for comprises:

means, responsive to the weighted service level for any of the agent'"'"'s skills, with the exception of the presently selected skill, being less than the target service level for that skill, for selecting said agent.

17. The call management system of claim 16 wherein said agent selector means further comprises:

agent occupancy control means for intentionally leaving a multi-skilled agent idle, even though one or more calls are in queue for one or more of the agent'"'"'s skills, when the value of the Weighted Service Level for any of the multi-skilled agent'"'"'s skills, except for the presently selected skill, is determined to be less than the target service level for that skill.