Skills-based routing of a communication session

• US 7,072,966 B1
• Filed: 08/14/2001
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: E-Talk Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: etalk Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Whisenhunt, William O., Nygren, Blair E., Benjamin, Gerald D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): MESFIN, YEMANE
• Application Number:
  US09/930,616
• Time in Patent Office: 1,785 Days
• Field of Search: 709226-229, 709/240, 379/265.02, 379/265.03, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/265.13, 379/26, 379/226, 379/240
• US Class Current: 709/228
• 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 which routes a communication session, from a client to a service agent station, utilizing a dynamic skills table improves the efficiency of the communication session and increases client satisfaction. A remote server dynamically updates the skills table with service agent information, obtained from one or more sources, and communicates the skills table to a switch. A profile of the client'"'"'s request for the communication session is generated and compared to the skills table. The switch subsequently routes the client to the optimal service agent station.

Claims

1. A method for skills-based routing of a communication session received at a switch, comprising:

receiving, at a switch, a request to establish a communication session between a client and one of a plurality of service agent stations;

generating a profile of the communication session in response to the request, wherein the profile of the communication session comprises at least two attributes;

comparing the profile of the communication session to a skills table, wherein the skills table includes a plurality of service agent records, each service agent record associating a service agent station with one or more skill entries;

identifying, based on the comparison of the profile and the skills table, a subset of the service agent records included in the skills table, wherein the subset contains a plurality of service agent records;

generating an ordered list of service agent records by applying one or more arithmetic algorithms to skill entries associated with the subset of service agent records;

selecting a service agent station associated with a first service agent record in the ordered list;

receiving, at a server remote from the switch, service agent information from a client, the service agent information pertaining to a service agent station associated with the client;

storing the service agent information on the server;

dynamically updating a skills table utilizing the service agent information, wherein the skills table associates each service agent station with a plurality of skill entries in a service agent record; and

communicating the skills table to the switch.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a profile of a communication session comprises:

establishing communication between the client and a voice response unit;

receiving responses from the client;

communicating the responses to a remotely located server; and

generating the profile of the communication session utilizing the responses.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the profile of the communication session to a skills table comprises:

applying one or more arithmetic algorithms to a plurality of attributes included in the profile to generate a plurality of modified attributes; and

comparing the modified attributes to the skills table.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the service agent station comprises:

assessing whether the service agent station associated with the first service agent record is available;

selecting the service agent station associated with the first service agent record if the service agent station associated with the first service agent record is available; and

selecting a service agent associated with a second service agent record in the ordered list if the service agent station associated with the first service agent record is unavailable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises establishing a communication session between the client and the selected service agent station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the service agent information comprises:

establishing communication between the client and a voice response unit;

requesting, through operation of the voice response system, service agent information pertain to a service agent station associated with the client;

receiving data from the client at the server, wherein the data comprises at least one response to the request; and

converting the data into numeric values.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the service agent information comprises:

establishing communication between the client and a network-based feedback system;

requesting, through operation of the network-based feedback system, service agent information pertaining to a service agent station associated with the client;

receiving data from the network-based system in response to the request; and

converting the data into numeric values.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically updating a skills table comprises:

associating the service agent information to the appropriate service agent record in the skills table; and

updating at least one service agent record associated with the service agent information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein service agent information comprises information received from a supervisor workstation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the skills table to a switch is in response to a request from the switch.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the skills table to the switch comprises communicating a subset of the skills table from the server to the switch.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises an automatic call distributor.

13. Software for skills-based routing of a communication session received at a switch, the software being embodied in a computer-readable medium and when executed by one or more computers operable to:

receive, at a switch, a request to establish a communication session between a client and a service agent station;

generate a profile of the communication session in response to the request, wherein the profile of the communication session comprises at least two attributes;

compare the profile of the communication session to a skills table, wherein the skills table includes a plurality of service agent records, each service agent record associating one of a service agent station with one or more skill entries;

identify, based on the comparison of the profile and the skills table, a subset of the service agent records included in the skills table, wherein the subset contains a plurality of service agent records;

generate an ordered list of service agent records by applying one or more arithmetic algorithms to skill entries associated with the subset of service agent records;

select a service agent station associated with a first service agent record in the ordered list;

receiving, at a server remote from the switch, service agent information from a client, the service agent information pertaining to a service agent station associated with the client;

storing the service agent information on the server;

dynamically updating a skills table utilizing the service agent information, wherein the skills table associates each service agent station with a plurality of skill entries in a service agent record; and

communicating the skills table to the switch.

14. The software of claim 13, wherein comparing the profile of the communication session to a skills table comprises:

applying one or more arithmetic algorithms to a plurality of attributes included in the profile to generate a plurality of modified attributes; and

comparing the modified attributes to the skills table.

15. The software of claim 13, wherein updating a skills table comprises:

associating the service agent information to the appropriate service agent record in the skills table; and

updating at least one service agent record associated with the service agent information.

16. A server, comprising:

an interface operable to communicate with a network, the interface further operable to;

receive a request to establish a communication session between a client and one of a plurality of service agent stations;

receive service agent information from a client, the service agent information pertaining to a service agent station associated with the client; and

after a skills table has been updated, communicate the updated skills table to a switch, wherein the skills table associates each service agent station to a plurality of skill entries in a service agent record;

a processing module coupled to the interface, the processing module operable to;

generate a profile of the communication session in response to the request, wherein the profile of the communication session comprises at least two attributes;

compare the profile of the communication session to a skills table, wherein the skills table includes a plurality of service agent records, each service agent record associating a service agent with one or more skill entries;

identify, based on the comparison of the profile and the skills table, a subset of the service agent records included in the skills table, wherein the subset contains a plurality of service agent records;

generate an ordered list of service agent records by applying one or more arithmetic algorithms to skill entries associated with the subset of service agent records;

select a service agent station associated with a first service agent record in the ordered list; and

dynamically update the skills table utilizing the servile agent information; and

a storage medium coupled to the processing module, the storage medium operable to store the skills table.

17. The sever of claim 16, wherein operable to update the skills table comprises:

operable to associate the service agent information to the appropriate service agent record in the skills table; and

further operable to update at least one service agent record associated with the service agent information.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the processing module is operable to compare the profile of the communication session to a skills table by:

applying one or more arithmetic algorithms to a plurality of attributes included in the profile to generate a plurality of modified attributes; and

comparing the modified attributes to the skills table.