System and method for allocating agent resources to a telephone call campaign based on agent productivity

• US 6,766,012 B1
• Filed: 10/20/1999
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Concerto Software Incorporated (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Inventors: Crossley, Colin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, BING Q
• Application Number:
  US09/421,699
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/220, 379/265.02, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.07, 379/265.1, 379/265.12, 379/265.13, 379/266.05, 379/266.07, 379/266.08
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

A method for allocating agents to telephone call campaigns by a telephony system is disclosed. The disclosed method is aimed at maximizing productivity of successful agents by prioritizing call distribution to those agents enjoying a high level of success with respect to a particular call campaign during a particular period of time. The method includes providing a plurality of agent resources to participate in at least one call campaign, establishing success criteria for each call campaign, assigning a success index to each agent for each call campaign, directing calls to the plurality of agent resources in a prioritized manner, whereby calls are connected to available agents in accordance with the value of agent success indexes from highest to lowest The method also includes updating each agent success index is based on the established success criteria while the call campaign is in progress. Thus, agents satisfying the established success criteria will receive high success indexes, which will result in those agents receiving more calls.

Claims

1. A method of allocating agent resources to at least one telephone call campaign in a telephony system to maximize productivity of successful agents, said method comprising the acts of:

a) providing a plurality of agent resources to participate in the at least one telephone call campaign to be managed by said telephony system;

b) establishing at least one success criteria event for said at least one telephone call campaign;

c) modifying said at least one established success criteria event for and during each of said at least one telephone call campaigns;

d) assigning an initial success index to each agent participating in said at least one telephone call campaign;

e) directing calls to said plurality of agent resources, in a prioritized manner, whereby calls are connected to available agents in accordance with the value of agent success indices from highest to lowest;

f) automatically updating each agent'"'"'s success index after at least one handled call during said at least one telephone call campaign based on a comparison of a result of said at least one handled call and said at least one established success criteria event; and

g) repeating acts e) through f) for each call.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said act of assigning an initial success index to each agent participating in said at least one telephone call campaign further comprises the act of assigning a separate initial success index for each of said at least one telephone call campaign.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said act of assigning a success index to each agent participating in said at least one telephone call campaign further comprises the act of using each said agent'"'"'s historical performance to create a baseline success index.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said act of updating each agent success index further comprises the act of increasing said index if an agent exceeds a threshold number of success criteria events during an established time period.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said established time period comprises an hour.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said established time period comprises a day.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said act of updating each agent success index further comprises the act of updating each said agent success index based on a result of each call in said call campaign connected to each agent.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said act of updating each agent success index further comprises the act of decreasing said index if an agent fails to maintain a high level of success during an established time period.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said act of assigning a success index to each said agent further comprises the act of assigning a priority level selected from a plurality of established priority levels and wherein said act of updating said agent success index further comprises the act of updating an agent priority level based on said established success criteria.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said act of updating each agent success index associated with each of the at least one telephone call campaign further comprises the act of recording a number of success criteria events achieved by each agent participating in a call campaign during an established time period, ranking all agents participating in said call campaign according to the recorded number of success events for each said agent and assigning a relative success index to each said agent based on said ranking.

11. A method of prioritizing agent resources to at least one telephone call campaign in a telephony system to maximize productivity of successful agents, said method comprising the acts of:

a) providing a plurality of agent resources to participate in at least one telephone call campaign to be managed by said telephony system;

b) establishing a plurality of agent priority levels;

c) assigning one of said plurality of agent priority levels to each agent for each of said at least one telephone call campaign as an initial agent priority level;

d) establishing at least one success criteria event for each of said at least one telephone call campaign;

e) modifying said at least one established success criteria event for and during each of said at least one telephone call campaigns;

f) connecting calls to said plurality of agent resources, in a prioritized manner, whereby calls are connected to available agents in accordance with agent priority levels from a highest to a lowest agent priority level;

g) comparing a result of each connected call with said established success criteria and recording a success event if said established success criteria is met;

h) automatically updating each said agent priority level associated with each call campaign based a number of recorded success events; and

i) repeating acts f) though h) for each call.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said act of updating each said agent priority level associated with each of the at least one telephone call campaign further comprises the act of increasing an agent priority level associated with a call campaign if said agent records a predetermined number of success events in an established time period.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said act of updating each agent priority level associated with each of the at least one telephone call campaigns further comprises the act of decreasing an agent priority level if said agent fails to record a predetermined number of success events in an established time period.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said act of updating each agent priority level associated with a call campaign further comprises the act of comparing the number of success events recorded by each agent participating in said call campaign during an established time period and assigning higher priority levels to those agents recording higher numbers of success events.