System, method, and apparatus for determining effectiveness of advanced call center routing algorithms

• US 8,953,775 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Flockhart, Andrew D., Steiner, Robert C., Kohler, Joylee
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US13/623,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20140079211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.03, 379/265.04, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.07, 379/265.08, 379/265.09, 379/265.1, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/265.13, 379/265.14, 379/266.01, 379/266.02, 379/266.03, 379/266.04, 379/266.05, 379/266.06, 379/266.07, 379/266.08, 379/266.09, 379/266.1
• US Class Current: 379/266.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/401 Performance feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A contact center is described along with various methods and mechanisms for administering the same. The contact center proposed herein provides the ability to, among other things, simultaneously execute two different work assignment algorithms on the same work flow either in real-time as the work flow is received or in a simulation environment. The differences in the way that each work assignment algorithm handles the same work flow are compared and contrasted to help describe the differences in the work assignment algorithms.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a first work flow to a first work assignment algorithm;

providing the first work flow to a second work assignment algorithm;

analyzing, by a microprocessor executable behavior analysis module, a contact center behavior in response to the first work assignment algorithm processing the first work flow;

analyzing, by the microprocessor executable behavior analysis module, the contact center behavior in response to the second work assignment algorithm processing the first work flow; and

based on the analysis of the contact center behavior in response to both the first and second work assignment algorithms processing the first work flow, identifying, by the microprocessor executable behavior analysis module, at least one discrete point in time where the first work assignment algorithm performs an adaptive function and the second work assignment algorithm does not perform the adaptive function, wherein the adaptive function, when performed, prevents violation, by the contact center, of a performance objective that would be violated by the contact center in the absence of performance of the adaptive function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptive function comprises at least one of the first work assignment algorithm assigning one or more new resources to a queue, changing queue assignments of a resource, changing queue assignments of multiple resources, adding a resource to the contact center, and removing a resource from the contact center.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the adaptive function is performed in response to the first work assignment algorithm determining that at least one service level objective will be violated.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

preparing a report that describes how many adaptive functions the first work assignment algorithm performed and when each adaptive function was performed; and

providing the report to at least one interested party via at least one electronic message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the report also describes a difference in the contact center behavior for a predetermined amount of time extending beyond the at least one discrete point in time where the adaptive function was performed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined amount of time corresponds to an amount of time required for the contact center behavior to come into compliance with at least one service level objective in response to the second work assignment algorithm processing the first work flow.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first work flow corresponds to real-time work flow in the contact center.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein both the first and second work assignment algorithms process the real-time work flow but only an output of the first work assignment algorithm is provided to a routing engine in the contact center to execute the results of the first work assignment algorithm processing the real-time work flow.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first work flow corresponds to simulated work flow.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon microprocessor executable instructions for a behavior analysis module that causes a computing system to execute a method, the microprocessor executable instructions comprising:

instructions configured to provide a first work flow to a first work assignment algorithm;

instructions configured to provide the first work flow to a second work assignment algorithm;

instructions configured to analyze a contact center behavior in response to the first work assignment algorithm processing the first work flow;

instructions configured to analyze the contact center behavior in response to the second work assignment algorithm processing the first work flow; and

instructions configured to, based on the analysis of the contact center behavior in response to both the first and second work assignment algorithms processing the first work flow, identify at least one discrete point in time where the first work assignment algorithm performs an adaptive function and the second work assignment algorithm does not perform the adaptive function, wherein the adaptive function, when performed, prevents violation, by the contact center, of a performance objective that would be violated by the contact center in the absence of performance of the adaptive function.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the adaptive function comprises at least one of the first work assignment algorithm assigning one or more new resources to a queue, changing queue assignments of a resource, changing queue assignments of multiple resources, adding a resource to the contact center, and removing a resource from the contact center.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the adaptive function is performed in response to the first work assignment algorithm determining that at least one service level objective will be violated.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

instructions configured to prepare a report that describes how many adaptive functions the first work assignment algorithm performed and when each adaptive function was performed; and

instructions configured to provide the report to at least one interested party via at least one electronic message.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the report also describes a difference in the contact center behavior for a predetermined amount of time extending beyond the at least one discrete point in time where the adaptive function was performed.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the predetermined amount of time corresponds to an amount of time required for the contact center behavior to come into compliance with at least one service level objective in response to the second work assignment algorithm processing the first work flow.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first work flow corresponds to real-time work flow in the contact center.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein both the first and second work assignment algorithms process the real-time work flow but only an output of the first work assignment algorithm is provided to a routing engine in the contact center to execute the results of the first work assignment algorithm processing the real-time work flow.

18. A contact center, comprising:

a first work assignment algorithm configured to process a first work flow and produce a first output in response thereto;

a second work assignment algorithm configured to process the first work flow and produce a second output in response thereto, wherein the first output results in a first contact center behavior and the second output results in a second contact center behavior different from the first contact center behavior; and

a behavior analysis module configured to analyze the first contact center behavior and the second contact center behavior and, in response thereto, identify at least one discrete point in time where the first work assignment algorithm performs an adaptive function and the second work assignment algorithm does not perform the adaptive function, wherein the adaptive function, when performed, prevents violation, by the contact center, of a performance objective that would be violated by the contact center in the absence of performance of the adaptive function.

19. The contact center of claim 18, wherein the adaptive function comprises at least one of the first work assignment algorithm assigning one or more new resources to a queue, changing queue assignments of a resource, changing queue assignments of multiple resources, adding a resource to the contact center, and removing a resource from the contact center, wherein the adaptive function is performed in response to the first work assignment algorithm determining that at least one service level objective will be violated.

20. The contact center of claim 18, further comprising simulation equipment that executes one or more of the first work assignment algorithm and the second work assignment algorithm.