Agent registration and bidding system

• US 7,773,740 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2003
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Wesen, David, Sheridan, Michael J, Beckstrom, Robert, Dezonno, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US10/616,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20050008139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,589 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.13, 379/114.15, 379/265.11, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.05, 379/265.08, 379/266.01, 705/7, 718/104, 709/226, 707/100, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/265.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for assigning a call to one of a plurality of agents. The method includes the steps of providing a description of the call to each of the plurality of agents, receiving a bid to handle the call from each of the plurality of agents and assigning the call to an agent of the plurality of agents with a highest relative received bid.

Claims

1. A method of assigning a plurality of pending calls within a contact center to a plurality of agents at least some of which are human agents, such method comprising the steps of:

providing an offer for each of the plurality of pending calls to at least some of the human agents who are available to handle calls prior to assignment of the pending calls to an agent, said offers being presented on a respective terminal of each of the at least some agents where the offer and a description of each of the plurality of pending calls is presented within a separate window on the terminal and allowing the available human agents to separately bid on handling each of the pending calls and where each of the plurality of pending calls is classified as to media type, the description of each of the plurality of pending calls including call associated information, and non-call associated contextual information of the pending call;

determining an agent average number of calls handled per time period for each media type for each agent of the plurality of agents;

receiving bids within the contact center to handle the pending calls from the at least some of the available human agents; and

the contact center assigning at least some of the pending calls to a human agent of the plurality of agents with a highest relative received bid.

2. The method of assigning calls as in claim 1 wherein the description of the call comprises a call target identifier and a client identifier.

3. The method of assigning calls as in claim 2 further comprising submitting a lowest possible bid from an agent of the plurality of agents in response to the agent double-clicking on an Enter Bid button or window.

4. The method of assigning calls as in claim 1 wherein the step of providing the description further comprises displaying the provided information on a terminal display of each available agent of the plurality of agents in a separate call selection window for each call.

5. The method of assigning calls as in claim 1 further comprising defining the bid as being a numerical value between two non-zero limits.

6. The method of assigning calls as in claim 1 wherein the received bids are one of a general and a specific bid.

7. The method of assigning calls as in claim 1 further comprising calculating a group average of calls handled per time period of the call type of the classified call.

8. The method of assigning calls as in claim 7 further comprising rejecting any bid from an agent of the plurality of agents where the agent'"'"'s determined agent average exceeds a threshold value above the calculated group average.

9. The method of assigning calls as in claim 1 further comprising assigning a call of the plurality of calls to a default agent of the plurality of agents when an acceptable bid is not received within a predetermined time period.

10. A apparatus used within a contact center for assigning a plurality of pending calls to a plurality of agents at least some of which are human agents, such apparatus comprising:

means for displaying an offer including a description for each of the calls to at least one of the human agents of the plurality of agents who is available for conversing with callers prior to assignment of the calls to an agent, said means for displaying containing a separate window for each of the plurality of offers, thereby offering the calls to the at least one available human agent for bidding, the description including context information providing textual content of the call or a descriptor indicating a context from which the call originated;

means for classifying each call as to a call type and for determining an agent average number of calls handled per time period for each call type for each agent of the plurality of agents;

means within the contact center for receiving a bid to handle a call of the plurality of calls from at least one of the human agents; and

means within the contact center for assigning the call to an agent of the at least one of the available human agents with a highest relative received bid.

11. The apparatus for assigning calls as in claim 10 wherein the means for displaying further comprises means for submitting a lowest possible bid in response to one of the human agents double-clicking on a Enter Bid button or window.

12. The apparatus for assigning calls as in claim 11 further comprising means for rejecting any bid from an agent of the plurality of agents who does not meet a minimum skill level for the call.

13. The apparatus for assigning calls as in claim 10 wherein the means for providing the description further comprises means for displaying the provided information on a terminal display of each agent of the plurality of agents.

14. The apparatus for assigning calls as in claim 10 further comprising means for defining the bid as being a numerical value between two limits.

15. The apparatus for assigning calls as in claim 14 wherein the means for defining the bid as being a numerical value between two limits further comprises means for defining the two limits as being a numerical value between one and ten.

16. The apparatus for assigning calls as in claim 10 further comprising means for calculating a group average of calls handled per time period of the call type of the classified call.

17. The apparatus for assigning calls as in claim 16 further comprising means for rejecting any bid from an agent of the plurality of agents where the agent'"'"'s determined agent average exceeds a threshold value above the calculated group average.

18. An apparatus within a contact center for assigning a plurality of calls to one of a plurality of human agents, such apparatus comprising:

a call display processor adapted to provide an offer including a description of each of the plurality of calls, the description including context of the call to each of the plurality of human agents on a respective terminal of each of the human agents prior to assignment of the call to an agent of the plurality of human agents;

a respective call selection window for each of the plurality of calls displayed on each of the respective terminals, each of the call selection windows adapted to display the provided description of a call of the plurality of calls and to allow available agents of the plurality of agents to bid on the call;

a classification processor adapted to classify each of the plurality of calls as to call type and to determine an agent average number of calls handled per time period for each call type for each agent of the plurality of agents; and

a call assignment processor of the contact center adapted to receive the bids and to assign the call to an agent of the plurality of human agents with a highest relative received bid.

19. The apparatus for assigning calls as in claim 18 wherein the description includes both call associated information and a contextual indication of the call.

20. The apparatus for assigning calls as in claim 19 further comprising an averaging agent processor adapted to calculate an agent group average of calls handled by the group for each call type, and wherein the assignment processor rejects any bids from an agent for the remainder of the a period if calls of a particular type served by the agent during the period exceeds a threshold amount above the calculated group average for the particular type.

21. The apparatus for assigning calls as in claim 18 wherein bids on the calls further comprise a numerical value between two non-zero limits.

22. A method of assigning a plurality of calls within a contact center to a plurality of agents, such method comprising the steps of:

providing a an offer within a respective call selection window for each of the plurality of calls the offer including a description with context information regarding a context of the call to each of the plurality of agents where each of the plurality of calls is classified as to type;

displaying the provided offers to the plurality of agents on respective terminals of the agents prior to assignment of the calls to the plurality of agents;

determining an agent average number of calls per time period for each call type for each agent of the plurality of agents;

receiving at least one bid within the contact center to handle a call of the plurality of calls from at least some of the plurality of agents available to converse with callers; and

assigning the call within the contact center to an agent of the plurality of agents with a highest relative value of the received bids.

23. A method of assigning a plurality of calls within a contact center to a plurality of human agents, such method comprising the steps of:

providing an offer within a respective call selection window for each of the plurality of calls, the offer including a description of the call including call associated information and information indicating a context of the call;

displaying the provided offers to a portion of the plurality of human agents available to converse with a caller on a respective terminal of the portion, prior to assignment of the call to an agent of the plurality of human agents and classifying the call as to type;

receiving within the contact center a bid to handle the call from each of the portion of the plurality of human agents;

determining an agent average number of calls handled per time period for each call type for each agent of the portion of the plurality of agents;

the contact center comparing a value of each of the received bids; and

the contact center assigning the call to an agent of the plurality of human agents with a highest relative value of the compared bids.