Global logging and analysis system

• US 8,873,734 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Steiner, Robert C., Geist, Marc A.
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US13/837,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20140270137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/265.05, 379/265.11, 379/265.06, 379/265.03, 379/265.12, 379/265.13
• US Class Current: 379/265.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

An event logging and analysis system and method are disclosed. The event logging and analysis system are described as being configured to analyze decisions made by a work assignment engine in a contact center, map the decisions to one or more events for a contact center entity, and storing information about the event in a buffer associated with the contact center entity, the information stored in the buffer describing how the new decision affected the contact center entity.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining that a work assignment engine in a contact center has made a new decision;

mapping the new decision to an event for a first contact center entity; and

storing information about the event in a first buffer associated with the first contact center entity, the information stored in the first buffer describing how the new decision affected the first contact center entity, wherein the information includes at least one event entry having a bit value and a storage location in the first buffer, wherein the bit value is configured to indicate whether the event occurred, and wherein the storage location is configured to identify the event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more considerations that were made by the work assignment engine during the new decision;

mapping the one or more considerations to an event for a second contact center entity; and

storing information about the event in a second buffer associated with the second contact center entity, the information stored in the second buffer describing the one or more considerations made by the work assignment engine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first contact center entity was selected during the new decision instead of the second contact center entity and wherein the information stored in the second buffer describes why the work assignment engine selected the first contact center entity and not the second contact center entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first buffer comprises a circular buffer, the method further comprising:

deleting at least one entry from the first buffer to make room for the information about the new event, wherein the at least one entry is deleted prior to or during the storing of the information about the event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first buffer comprises a bit vector and each bit in the bit vector corresponds to a predetermined event type.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first buffer comprises a key frame and differential frames, wherein the key frame store key values for a corresponding event type, and wherein the differential frames store values describing changes relative to the key values.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first contact center entity comprises at least one of a work item, a resource, an agent, a group of agents, a service, and a calendar.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing one or more buffers associated with one or more contact center entities;

based on the analysis of the one or more buffers, identifying one or more discrete decisions made by the work assignment engine during a selected period of time; and

preparing a report that describes the identified one or more decisions including one or more of the following;

what considerations were made by the work assignment engine during the one or more discrete decisions, what contact center entities were considered and not selected during the one or more decisions, and what algorithm was being utilized by the work assignment engine during the one or more decisions.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more decisions comprise at least one work item assignment decision.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that cause a computing system to execute a method, the instructions comprising:

instructions configured to determine that a work assignment engine in a contact center has made a new decision;

instructions configured to map the new decision to an event for a first contact center entity; and

instructions configured to store information about the event in a first buffer associated with the first contact center entity, the information stored in the first buffer describing how the new decision affected the first contact center entity, wherein the information includes at least one event entry having a bit value and a storage location in the first buffer, wherein the bit value is configured to indicate whether the event occurred, and wherein the storage location is configured to identify the event.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions configured to determine one or more considerations that were made by the work assignment engine during the new decision;

instructions configured to map the one or more considerations to an event for a second contact center entity; and

instructions configured to store information about the event in a second buffer associated with the second contact center entity, the information stored in the second buffer describing the one or more considerations made by the work assignment engine.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first contact center entity was selected during the new decision instead of the second contact center entity and wherein the information stored in the second buffer describes why the work assignment engine selected the first contact center entity and not the second contact center entity.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first buffer comprises a circular buffer.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first buffer comprises a bit vector and each bit in the bit vector corresponds to a predetermined event type.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first buffer comprises a key frame and differential frames, wherein the key frame store key values for a corresponding event type, and wherein the differential frames store values describing changes relative to the key values.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first contact center entity comprises at least one of a work item, a resource, an agent, a group of agents, a service, and a calendar.

17. A contact center, comprising:

a processor configured to execute programming instructions stored in memory; and

memory comprising instructions that are executable by the processor, the instructions including;

an event logging module configured to determine that a work assignment engine in a contact center has made a new decision, map the new decision to an event for a first contact center entity, and store information about the event in a first buffer associated with the first contact center entity, the information stored in the first buffer describing how the new decision affected the first contact center entity, wherein the information includes at least one event entry having a bit value and storage location in the first buffer, wherein the bit value is configured to indicate whether the event occurred, and wherein the storage location is configured to identify the event.

18. The contact center of claim 17, wherein the first buffer comprises a circular buffer and wherein the first buffer comprises a bit vector and each bit in the bit vector corresponds to a predetermined event type.

19. The contact center of claim 17, wherein the first contact center entity comprises at least one of a work item, a resource, an agent, a group of agents, a service, and a calendar.

20. The contact center of claim 17, wherein the instructions further include an event analysis module configured to analyze one or more buffers associated with one or more contact center entities, based on the analysis of the one or more buffers, identify one or more discrete decisions made by the work assignment engine during a selected period of time, and then invoke a reporting module to prepare a report that describes the identified one or more decisions including one or more of the following:

what considerations were made by the work assignment engine during the one or more discrete decisions, what contact center entities were considered and not selected during the one or more decisions, and what algorithm was being utilized by the work assignment engine during the one or more decisions.