Method and apparatus for anticipating and planning communication-center resources based on evaluation of events waiting in a communication center master queue

• US 7,929,464 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Petrovykh, Yevgeniy
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao; Seema S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baron; Henry
• Application Number:
  US10/945,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20050041580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,402 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/352, 370/401, 370/412, 370/309, 379/265.01, 379/265.06, 379/265.02, 709/225, 709/238
• US Class Current: 370/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 : Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 : Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 : interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 : with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 : Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 : with waiting time or load prediction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 : Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 : Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 : Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13164 : Traffic (registration, measurement,...)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13335 : Simulation, emulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 : Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 : Distributing or queueing

Abstract

A software application for recommending workforce resource allocation in a communication center based on requirements of events represented in a communication-center queue has a first interface for accessing information from the queue; a second interface for accessing information from a data source about workforce availability and state information; a processing component for processing queue information and workforce information; and a message generation and delivery component for generating a workforce allocation recommendation based on processing results and sending the recommendation to a target entity. In a preferred embodiment, the application periodically accesses the queue and the data source to obtain the most recent information for processing and generates periodic recommendations based on real-time requirements of events and availability states of resources, the recommendations sent ahead of time before the resources are required.

Claims

1. A computerized server providing a functional system for allocating workforce resources, comprising:

a virtual multimedia queue managing multimedia communication events for assignment to workforce resources;

software intelligence executing from memory of the computerized server for allocating workforce resources for dealing with the queued events;

wherein workforce resources include at least live agents and automated systems for responding to the events and the intelligence accesses information from the queue including at least media type of events, workforce resources and requirements necessary to service each of the events and information from a data source concerning workforce availability and state information, and periodically generates a recommendation for workforce allocation required to service the events in the queue based on all of the information accessed.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein multimedia events include at least connection-oriented-switched-telephony (COST) calls, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls, e-mails, voice-mails, video calls, session initiation events, and Instant Message Presence Protocol (IMPP)-based communication events.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the event information further includes, at least event origination identification requested routing destination identification and event purpose information.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a server hosting the intelligence and a server hosting the queue, the servers linked in a data network.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a server hosting the intelligence and a server hosting the data source, the servers linked in a data network.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the data source serves information according to a presence protocol.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the intelligence performs a comparative analysis between the queue information and the workforce information and uses the results to generate the recommendation.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the recommendation is an IMPP-based message.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the recommendation is sent to a supervising person responsible for workforce allocation.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the recommendation is sent to an automated system and the recommendation is a direct order to that system.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising accessing information from a historical database for the purpose of generating probability statistics concerning incoming events yet to be registered into the queue.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the generated probability statistics are used to help generate recommendations.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the information from the data source comprises availability information, individual agent schedule information, and resolute activity state information.

14. A computerized server executing an instance of software from memory providing a method for allocating workforce resources, comprising the steps of:

(a) accessing information from a virtual multimedia queue managing multimedia communication events for assignment to workforce resources, the information including at least media type of queued events, workforce resources, including at least live agents and automated systems for servicing the events and requirements necessary to service each of the events;

(b) accessing information from a data source concerning workforce availability and state information;

(c) generating a recommendation for workforce allocation required to service the events in the queue based on all of the information accessed.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (c) the recommendation is a message.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (a) information further comprises, at least requested event destination identification, event origination identification and event purpose information.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (b) data access is based on a push model.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (c) data access is based on a pull model.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (b) data is accessed from a server.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (b) the presence and state information comprises work schedules, shift change information, and resolute activity states of differing media types.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (c) knowledge of unallocated resources is incorporated in the recommendation.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein the recommendation is sent to a supervising agent.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein the recommendation is sent to a an automated system and the recommendation is a direct order to the automated system.