Intent based skill-set classification for accurate, automatic determination of agent skills

• US 8,238,541 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Kalavar, Rajeev P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Yuwen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gay, Sonia
• Application Number:
  US11/344,733
• Time in Patent Office: 2,380 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.09, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 705/9, 705/11, 705/7.42, 709/224
• US Class Current: 379/265.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward a method and system for determining the skill levels of an agent in a contact center. The invention creates a relationship between contact intent and agent skill to help determine agent skills based on successfully completed contacts.

Claims

1. A method of automatically determining skill levels of an agent in a contact center, comprising:

receiving a first contact from a first customer;

determining a first intent associated with the first contact, the first intent being associated with a first skill, wherein the first intent is a topic of the first contact;

assigning a point value for the first intent;

after determining a point value for the first intent, connecting the first contact with a first agent, the first agent having an associated set of skills; and

after the first agent has successfully serviced the first contact, updating a skill level of a first skill in the first agent'"'"'s set of skills to indicate that the first agent has increased proficiency in the first skill, wherein an amount of update of the first skill level is associated with the assigned point value of the first intent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of skills includes the first skill and wherein the updating step comprises:

increasing a skill level of the first agent in the first skill.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the assigning a point value step comprises:

assigning weight to the point value; and

wherein the skill level is increased by at least a portion of the point value based on the weight.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the weight is based on a degree of relevance of the first intent to the first contact.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the updating step comprises:

comparing at least a portion of the point value with a threshold value;

when the at least a portion of the point value exceeds the threshold value, performing the update; and

when the at least a portion of the point value is less than the threshold value, not performing the update.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the skill level is not performed when the first agent has not serviced the first contact successfully.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a first set of data structures mapping intents to active contacts to associate the first intent with the first contact;

when the first contact is serviced, associating resolution information from servicing the first contact with the first intent;

identifying a second unserviced contact having the first intent, wherein a second agent is assigned to service the second contact; and

notifying the second agent of the resolution information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein notifying the second agent is performed when the second contact is assigned to the second agent.

9. A contact center, comprising:

a plurality of agent communication devices operable to service customer contacts;

a plurality of agents to operate the plurality of agent communication devices, each of the agents having an associated set of skills; and

an input operable to receive a first contact for servicing by the plurality of agent communication devices; and

an intent analyzer operable to;

determine a first intent and a second intent of the first contact, the first intent being associated with a first skill and the second intent being associated with a second skill, wherein the first intent is a first topic of the first contact and the second intent is a second topic of the first contact;

assign a first point value to the first intent;

assign a second point value to the second intent;

after assigning the first point value to the first intent and second point value to the second intent, connect the first contact with a first agent, the first agent having an associated set of skills; and

after the first agent has successfully serviced the first contact, update a first skill level for the first skill by an amount based on the first point value and a second skill level for the second skill by an amount based on the second point value to indicate that the first agent has increased proficiency in the first skill and second skill.

10. The contact center of claim 9, wherein the first skill level is increased by at least a first portion of the first point value and the second skill level is increased by at least a second portion of the second point value.

11. The contact center of claim 9, wherein the intent analyzer operations include:

assigning the first point value to the first intent and assigning the second point value to the second intent, wherein the first point value and the second point value are different.

12. The contact center of claim 10, wherein the first portion is a function of a first degree of relevance of the first intent to the first contact and the second portion is a function of a second degree of relevance of the second intent to the first contact.

13. The contact center of claim 10, wherein the intent analyzer operations include:

comparing the first portion of the first point value with a threshold value;

when the first portion of the first point value exceeds the threshold value, performing an update operation; and

when the first portion of the first point value is less than the threshold value, not performing an update operation.

14. The contact center of claim 9, wherein update operation is not performed when the first agent has not successfully serviced the first contact.

15. The contact center of claim 9, wherein the intent analyzer is further operable to:

update a first set of data structures mapping intents to active contacts to associate the first and second intents with the first contact;

when the first contact is serviced, associate resolution information from servicing the first contact with the first intent and second intent;

identify a second unserviced contact having either the first intent or the second intent, wherein a second agent is assigned to service the second contact; and

notify a second agent of the resolution information.

16. The contact center of claim 15, wherein the second agent is notified of the resolution information when the second contact is assigned to the second agent.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions being stored on a non-transitory, tangible medium, the computer-executable instructions causing a computer system to execute a method, the method comprising:

receiving a first contact from a first customer;

determining a first intent and a second intent of the first contact, the first intent being associated with a first skill that is automatically assigned a first point value and the second intent being associated with a second skill that is automatically assigned a second point value, wherein the first intent is a first topic of the first contact and the second intent is a second topic of the first contact;

updating a first set of data structures mapping intents to active contacts to associate the first intent and the second intent with the first contact;

when the first contact is serviced, determining that resolution information associated with the serviced first contact is relevant to the first intent but not to the second intent;

associating the resolution information from servicing the first contact with the first intent but not the second intent;

connecting the first contact with a first agent, the first agent having an associated set of skills.

after the first agent has serviced the first contact, updating a first skill level associated with the first skill and a second skill level associated with the second skill to indicate that the first agent has increased proficiency in the first and second skills;

identifying a second unserviced contact having the first intent, wherein a second agent is assigned to service the second contact;

notifying a second agent of the resolution information;

receiving a third agent unserviced contact having the second intent; and

forgoing notifying the third agent of the resolution information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein notifying is performed when the second contact is assigned to the second agent.