Agent training sensitive call routing system

• US 8,971,519 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Patent Armory Inc. (Jeffrey M. Gross)
• Original Assignee: Steven Mark Hoffberg
• Inventors: Hoffberg, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US14/067,140
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26514, 37926601-2661, 379/309
• US Class Current: 379/265.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A call-management method and system for distributing calls to agents, wherein each agent has a profile, e.g., defining agent skills, efficiency, etc. The call center management system implements an algorithm for selecting an agent to receive a call to optimize caller utility, call center efficiency, and agent training. Therefore, the algorithm does not seek to necessarily route a call to the agent having the skill set most suited to the call; rather, the call may be routed to an agent who needs experience in the area of the call, and thus serves as a training exercise. Skilled agents may be made available to shadow the training agent when available.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing in a memory a data structure representing a plurality of characteristics of a plurality of potential contacts and a weighting of importance of the respective characteristics;

processing the data structure using at least one automated processor, to determine a priority of a plurality of respective associations of potential contacts based on, for each respective association of potential contacts, an optimization of at least;

(i) a utility function of at least the plurality of characteristics of the respective association of potential contacts and the weighting of importance of the represented characteristics, and

(ii) a cost function of the respective association of potential contacts;

selecting a respective association of potential contacts based on the determined priority of the plurality of respective associations; and

communicating at least an identification of the selected respective association of potential contacts through a communication port.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the respective association of the plurality of potential contacts is mutually exclusive with at least one other respective association of the plurality of potential contacts, and the respective association of the plurality of potential contacts is selected based on a higher priority than a non-selected mutually exclusive other respective association of the plurality of potential contacts.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a set of communications counterparties available for concurrent communications with the plurality of potential contacts; and

the processing of the data structure using the at least one automated system determines a priority of respective associations of potential contacts with communications counterparties based on an optimization, for each respective association of a potential contact, at least;

(i) seeking a maximization of a utility function of at least the plurality of characteristics of the respective association of potential contacts and the weighting of importance of the represented characteristics with respect to a communications counterparty, and

(ii) seeking a minimization of a cost function of the respective association of potential contact with the communications counterparty;

said selecting comprises selecting a plurality of respective associations of a respective potential contact with a respective communications counterparty based on the determined priority of respective associations of potential contacts; and

concurrently communicating in accordance with the selected plurality of respective associations.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of characteristics have a utility value, an association of the potential contacts is associated with a predicted change in the utility value of the plurality of characteristics, and the priority is further determined based on an optimization of at least:

(iii) the predicted change in the utility value of the plurality of characteristics.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cost function is sensitive to an immediate cost and a long term cost.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the utility function is sensitive to an immediate benefit and a long term benefit.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of respective associations is selected to achieve optimum efficiency.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein each potential contact has characteristics which are classified as a multidimensional vector, representing at least one requirement, the processing ensuring that the at least one requirement is satisfied for each communicated identification.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of potential contacts comprises a set of humans, and the association of potential contacts comprises a communication between respective humans.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the potential contacts comprise a call center agents.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the communication between respective humans changes at least one of the plurality of characteristics of the respective potential contact, further comprising updating the data structure to reflect the change in the at least one of the plurality of characteristics of the respective potential contact.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the change in the at least one of the plurality of characteristics of the respective potential contact is a factor included in at least one of the utility function and the cost function.

13. A communication system, comprising:

a memory configured to store a data structure representing a plurality of characteristics, and a weighting of importance of respective characteristics, for each of a plurality of potential contacts;

at least one automated processor configured to process the data structure, to produce an optimized set comprising a plurality of communications pairs involving potential contacts based on, for each communications pair, a utility function and a cost function of at least the plurality of characteristics and the weighting of importance of respective characteristics for the communications pair;

generate a prioritized list of communications pairs based on the optimized set, and select a communication pair involving a potential contact from the prioritized list; and

an output port configured to output a signal to identify or control a communication with the selected communication pair involving the potential contact.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of communications pairs involving a respective potential contact are mutually exclusive, and the at least one automated processor is further configured to optimize mutually exclusive communication of a plurality of the potential contacts.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one automated processor is further configured to determine a set of communications counterparties available for concurrent communications with the potential contacts forming the communications pairs, and to concurrently communicate between a plurality of selected potential contacts from the list and the communications counterparties selectively in dependence on a relationship of the available communications counterparties for concurrent communications with the potential contacts, and the data structure further represents characteristics of a plurality of communications counterparties.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one automated processor is further configured to predict a change in a characteristic of the potential contact, and to update the data structure to reflect the predicted change in the characteristic of the respective potential contact, for use in a subsequent generation of a prioritized list.

17. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a queue configured to concurrently store identifiers of a plurality of requests for communication, each request for communication having a respective profile, wherein the at least one automated processor is further configured to analyze potential communications pairs involving each respective request for communication in the queue and an available potential contact based on the optimization of the utility function, cost function and weighting of importance with respect to the profile of the respective request for communication.

18. A method, comprising:

storing a plurality of first characteristics of a plurality of potential contacts in a memory, the plurality of first characteristics having a utility value;

receiving information with respect to at least one opportunity, each having at least one respective second characteristic;

processing the plurality of first characteristics and the at least one second characteristic with an automated data processor, to optimize a set of potential communications involving the potential contacts with respect to the at least one opportunity, based on at least a at least a short term cost-utility function dependent on at least the plurality of first characteristics and the at least one second characteristic for each respective opportunity, wherein a communication involving a respective potential contact with respect to a respective opportunity produces an expected change in at least one of the plurality of characteristics and an expected change in the utility value of the plurality of first characteristics, said optimization being responsive to the short term cost-utility function and the expected change in the utility value of the plurality of first characteristics; and

outputting at least one set defining potential communications involving the potential contacts with respect to the at least one opportunity, based on the optimization by the at least one automated data processor.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of first characteristics comprise skills, and the expected change in the at least one of the plurality of first characteristics comprises an improvement in at least one skill.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the at least one opportunity comprises a plurality of opportunities, each respective opportunity having a plurality of second characteristics, wherein the optimization by the at least one automated data processor is further responsive to a weighting applied to an importance of a selection criteria.