Automated, data-based mechanism to detect evolution of employee skills

• US 8,831,206 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2008
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Fagundes, Luciano Godoy
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Joseph J
• Application Number:
  US12/119,358
• Time in Patent Office: 2,311 Days
• Field of Search: 37926511-26514, 37926601-26606, 709/228
• US Class Current: 379/265.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/401 Performance feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

A contact center is provided that includes a plurality of agents for servicing incoming contacts and an evolutionary routing mechanism that is capable of dynamically testing and analyzing the performance/skills of each agent. As the evolutionary routing mechanism detects that the skills of the agent have sufficiently changed, the evolutionary routing mechanism may cause the skills of that agent to be updated, thereby altering the routing algorithm.

Claims

1. A communication method, comprising:

receiving a contact at a contact center;

applying an evolutionary routing algorithm to assign a first resource in the contact center to the contact;

determining that the contact center is in an Evolutionary Cycle;

identifying a set of one or more Natural Disasters and a set of identified magnitudes singly corresponding to each of the one or more Natural Disasters in the set, wherein the identified magnitudes are based on the evolutionary speed of the contact center; and

applying at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set, to the contact center, wherein applying the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set comprises assigning the contact to the first resource when the contact comprises an evolutionary status requirement that does not equal the evolutionary status of the first resource, wherein the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set is imposed on the contact center according to the identified magnitude of the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set to determine a set of evolutionary information about the first resource,

wherein the Evolutionary Cycle is a pre-determined amount of time based on the identified magnitude of the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set, and

wherein a performance of the first resource is analyzed using the set of evolutionary information to obtain an analyzed performance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the evolutionary routing algorithm comprises:

determining an evolutionary status for at least some resources in the contact center;

determining an evolutionary status requirement for the contact; and

matching the evolutionary status requirement for the contact with the first resource.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the contact center is not in the Evolutionary Cycle; and

wherein the contact comprises an evolutionary status requirement that equals the evolutionary status of the first resource to which it is assigned.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first resource comprises an evolutionary status other than a Hero status and wherein the contact comprises an evolutionary status requirement of Hero.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying an evolutionary routing algorithm comprises augmenting skill-based routing with the evolutionary routing algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing an agent'"'"'s performance during the Evolutionary Cycle;

comparing the agent'"'"'s performance to performance metrics associated with at least one of a Hero and Anomaly agent; and

based on the comparing step, determining an evolutionary factor for the agent.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining an evolutionary history for the agent by comparing the evolutionary factor determined during the Evolutionary Cycle with a previously determined evolutionary factor for the agent.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

using the evolutionary factor for the agent to update a skill level for the agent, wherein the skill level is used for skill-based routing decisions.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with processor executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein an evolution of the first resource is documented in a report comprising an initial performance of the resource and the performance, wherein the initial performance occurred prior to obtaining the analyzed performance.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to receive a contact at a contact center wherein the contact center routes the contact according to at least one of a skills-based routing scheme, an evolutionary routing scheme, and a hybrid routing scheme, wherein the hybrid routing scheme is a combination of the skills-based routing scheme and the evolutionary routing scheme, and the evolutionary router is further operable to apply an evolutionary routing algorithm to the contact received at the server such that the contact is assigned to the first resource in a contact center.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the evolutionary routing algorithm is a component of the evolutionary routing scheme.

13. A communication device, comprising:

an evolutionary router operable to receive a contact and apply an evolutionary routing module to assign the contact to a first resource in a contact center, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to determine that the contact center is in an Evolutionary Cycle, identify a set of one or more Natural Disasters and a set of identified magnitudes singly corresponding to each of the one or more Natural Disasters in the set, wherein the identified magnitudes are based on the evolutionary speed of the contact center, and apply at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set to the contact center, wherein when the evolutionary router applies the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set the evolutionary router assigns the contact to the first resource when the contact comprises an evolutionary status requirement that does not equal the evolutionary status of the first resource, wherein the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set is imposed on the contact center according to an identified magnitude of the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set to determine a set of evolutionary information about the first resource, wherein the Evolutionary Cycle is a pre-determined amount of time based on the identified magnitude of the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set, and wherein a performance of the first resource is analyzed using the set of evolutionary information to obtain an analyzed performance.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to determine an evolutionary status for at least some resources in the contact center, determine an evolutionary status requirement for the contact, and match the evolutionary status requirement for the contact with the first resource.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to determine that the contact center is not in the Evolutionary Cycle and wherein the contact comprises an evolutionary status requirement that equals the evolutionary status of the first resource to which it is assigned.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the first resource comprises an evolutionary status other than a Hero status and wherein the contact comprises an evolutionary status requirement of Hero.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to augment a skill-based routing algorithm.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to analyze an agent'"'"'s performance during the Evolutionary Cycle, compare the agent'"'"'s performance to performance metrics associated with at least one of a Hero and Anomaly agent, then, based on the comparing step, determine an evolutionary factor for the agent.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to perform at least one of the following operations:

(i) determine an evolutionary history for the agent by comparing the evolutionary factor determined during the Evolutionary Cycle with a previously determined evolutionary factor for the agent; and

(ii) use the evolutionary factor for the agent to update a skill level for the agent, wherein the skill level is used for skill-based routing decisions.

20. A communication system, comprising:

a server comprising an evolutionary router operable to apply an evolutionary routing algorithm to contacts received at the server such that the received contacts are assigned to an appropriate resource in a contact center, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to determine that the contact center is in an Evolutionary Cycle, identify a set of one or more Natural Disasters and a set of identified magnitudes singly corresponding to each of the one or more Natural Disasters in the set, wherein the identified magnitudes are based on the evolutionary speed of the contact center, and apply at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set to the contact center, wherein when the evolutionary router applies the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set it assigns the contact to the first resource when the contact comprises an evolutionary status requirement that does not equal the evolutionary status of the first resource, wherein the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set is imposed on the contact center according to an identified magnitude of the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set to determine a set of evolutionary information about the first resource, wherein the Evolutionary Cycle is a pre-determined amount of time based on the identified magnitude of the at least one of the Natural Disasters in the set, and wherein a performance of the first resource is analyzed using the set of evolutionary information to obtain an analyzed performance.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to determine an evolutionary status for at least some resources in the contact center, determine an evolutionary status requirement for a contact, and match the evolutionary status requirement for the contact with a first resource.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to augment a skill-based routing algorithm.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to analyze an agent'"'"'s performance during an Evolutionary Cycle, compare the agent'"'"'s performance to performance metrics associated with at least one of a Hero and Anomaly agent, then, based on the comparing step, determine an evolutionary factor for the agent.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the evolutionary router is further operable to perform at least one of the following operations:

(i) determine an evolutionary history for the agent by comparing the evolutionary factor determined during the Evolutionary Cycle with a previously determined evolutionary factor for the agent; and

(ii) use the evolutionary factor for the agent to update a skill level for the agent, wherein the skill level is used for skill-based routing decisions.