Methods and apparatus for service state-based processing of communications in a call center

• US 6,614,903 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1999
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Kohler, Joylee E., Mathews, Eugene P., Foster, Robin H., Flockhart, Andrew Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US09/461,902
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.06, 379/265.09, 379/265.1, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/266.02, 379/266.04, 379/309
• US Class Current: 379/265.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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

A call center is configured to determine which of a number of designated service states is associated with a particular skill or type of communication supported by one or more agents of the call center. A particular one of the states represents a branded service level, while other states represent over-service and under-service conditions. If the particular skill or type of communication is determined to be associated with a service state other than that corresponding to the desired branded service level, a communication processing function of the call center is adjusted so as to return the skill or type of communication to the desired branded service level state. An example of such an adjustment is a dynamic agent pooling, in which a pool of agents available to perform work for the particular skill varies in accordance with the current service state of that skill. The call center processing operations may also perform appropriate tests to determine if predictors generated by certain predictive algorithms should be used in the service state determination process. A branded service metric may be used to characterize the performance of the call center with respect to the desired branded service level.

Claims

1. A method of processing communications in a call center, the method comprising the steps of:

determining which of a plurality of designated service states is associated with at least one of a particular skill and a particular type of communication, supported by one or more agents of the call center, wherein the plurality of service states comprises at least first, second and third service states corresponding to a first service level, a second service level representative of an over-service condition relative to the first service level, and a third service level representative of an under-service condition relative to the first service level, respectively; and

adjusting a communication processing function of the call center if the particular skill or type of communication is associated with a state other than the first service state corresponding to the first service level.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of designated service states comprises two or more of an over threshold state, a current jeopardy state, a future jeopardy state, a within range state, an over served state, a queue empty state and an agents idle state, wherein the first service state is the within range state.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the particular skill or type of communication is associated with the over threshold state if there is at least one communication in queue for the skill and a wait time of an oldest waiting communication in queue exceeds a specified upper threshold.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the particular skill or type of communication is associated with the current jeopardy state if there is at least one communication in queue for the skill and a predicted wait time of a communication in queue exceeds a specified upper threshold.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the particular skill or type of communication is associated with the future jeopardy state if there is at least one communication in queue for the skill and an estimated wait time of a communication in queue exceeds a specified upper threshold.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the particular skill or type of communication is associated with the within range state if there is at least one communication in queue for the skill and a wait time of an oldest waiting communication in queue is greater than or equal to a specified lower threshold.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the particular skill is associated with the queue empty state if there no communications in queue and none of the agents are idle.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the particular skill is associated with the agent idle state if there no communications in queue and at least one of the agents is idle.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of adjusting a communication processing function of the call center if the particular skill or type of communication is associated with a state other than the first service state corresponding to the first service level further comprises the step of determining an agent pool for the skill based at least in part on the service state of the skill.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein a different agent pool is specified for each of at least a subset of the plurality of service states by specifying a different set of skill preferences eligible for each of the service states in the subset.

11. The method of claim 1 further including the step of determining if a given predictor should be used in a determination of which of the service states is to be associated with the particular skill.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining if a given predictor should be used further includes the step of performing a test involving at least one of a weighted advance time, the number of communication arrivals in a designated period, and an average communication handling time in a designated period.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first, second and third service levels is characterized at least in part by a branded service metric.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the branded service metric provides a certain maximum score for handling a communication within a specified branded range, and a lower score for handling a communication with a particular amount of over-service or under-service.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the branded service metric is based at least in part on performance relative to a specified branded range.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the branded service metric includes a reference to a specified branded range.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein associated with each of the plurality of designated service states is a different color in accordance with a specified color scheme for use in display of corresponding service state indicators.

18. An apparatus for processing communications in a call center, the apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing information regarding a plurality of designated service states, at least one of the plurality of states representing at least one of a particular service level and a particular type of communication, wherein the plurality of service states comprises at least first, second and third service states corresponding to a first service level, a second service level representative of an over-service condition relative to the first service level, and a third service level representative of an under-service condition relative to the first service level, respectively; and

a processor coupled to the memory and operative to determine which of the designated service states is associated with at least one of a particular skill and a particular type of communication supported by one or more agents of the call center, and to adjust a communication processing function of the call center if the particular skill or type of communication is in a state other than the first service state corresponding to the first service level.

19. An article of manufacture containing one or more software programs which, when executed in a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:

determining which of a plurality of designated service states is associated with at least one of a particular skill and a particular type of communication, supported by one or more agents of the call center, wherein the plurality of service states comprises at least first, second and third service states corresponding to a first service level, a second service level representative of an over-service condition relative to the first service level, and a third service level representative of an under-service condition relative to the first service level, respectively; and

adjusting a communication processing function of the call center if the particular skill or type of communication is associated with a state other than the first service state corresponding to the first service level.

20. A method of processing communications in a call center, the method comprising the steps of:

determining which of a plurality of designated service states is associated with at least one of a particular skill and a particular type of communication, supported by one or more agents of the call center, wherein at least one of the plurality of states represents a particular service level; and

adjusting a communication processing function of the call center if the particular skill or type of communication is associated with a state other than the state representing the particular service level;

wherein the particular service level is characterized at least in part by a branded service metric.