Method for optimizing skill assignment in call center agent applications

• US 8,971,520 B1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Answer Financial Incorporated (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Answer Financial Incorporated (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Bryce, Daniel John, Sue, Randal Cameron, Hodgins, William Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Antim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pope, Kharye
• Application Number:
  US11/925,589
• Time in Patent Office: 2,685 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/265.12, 709/228, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/357
• US Class Current: 379/265.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

The present invention relates to the assignment of calls to groups of call handlers in a call center environment. According to certain aspects, the present invention achieves an optimal balance between the level of service and overall cost by assigning a “common” pool skill to all call handlers in the system and by secondarily assigning one or more additional “rare” pool skills to each call handler. In this configuration, any call handler may receive calls (or other multiple media work assignments) from the states in the common pool while also receiving calls from the states in their additional rare pool(s). According to other aspects, a method according to the invention optimizes the selection of the skills to be included in each of the pools.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing distribution of skills among call handlers for providing a financial services product to callers via the call handlers in an agency having an automatic call distribution system, the method being implemented by one or more computers, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of skills needed for handling calls;

grouping certain of the skills into a common skill pool;

grouping certain other of the skills into a rare skill pool;

assigning all the call handlers to the common skill pool, wherein all the call handlers have the certain skills grouped in the common skill pool and can thereby handle calls where those certain skills are needed;

assigning certain of the call handlers to the rare skill pool, wherein all the certain call handlers have the certain other skills grouped in the rare skill pool and can thereby handle calls where those certain other skills are needed;

causing, by the one or more computers, the certain call handlers assigned to the rare skill pool to handle calls where the certain other skills in the rare skill pool are needed; and

allowing, by the one or more computers, available ones of the certain call handlers assigned to the rare skill pool to handle calls where the certain skills in the common skill pool are needed, wherein the step of grouping skills into the common skill pool includes;

identifying a first set of skills needed for a large majority of the calls;

identifying a second different set of skills needed for the large majority of the calls;

comparing a cost associated with the first and second sets to determine the lower cost set;

identifying the skills in the lower cost set as the certain skills; and

iteratively performing the first identifying, the second identifying and comparing steps until an absolute lowest cost set is identified; and

entering the call handler assignments into the automatic call distribution system, such that calls to the agency are automatically routed to the call handlers according to the assignments.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising grouping all of the remaining skills into one or more other rare skill pools.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising equalizing a cost and percentage of calls among all of the rare skill pools.

4. A method according to claim 2, further comprising limiting the total number of skill pools based on capabilities of a call distribution system.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising routing incoming calls to the call handlers based on the common skill pool and the rare skill pool.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising entering the call handler assignments into a call distribution system.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the large majority of calls is 80% or more of incoming calls to an automatic call distribution system implemented by the one or more computers.

7. A system optimizing distribution of skills among call handlers for providing a financial services product to callers via the call handlers in an agency having an automatic call distribution system, comprising:

one or more computers; and

a computer program running on the one or more computers, the computer program being adapted to allow an administrator to;

identify a plurality of skills needed for handling calls;

group certain of the skills into a common skill pool;

group certain other of the skills into a rare skill pool;

assign all the call handlers to the common skill pool, wherein all the call handlers have the certain skills grouped in the common skill pool and can thereby handle calls where those certain skills are needed;

assign certain of the call handlers to the rare skill pool, wherein all the certain call handlers have the certain other skills grouped in the rare skill pool and can thereby handle calls where those certain other skills are needed;

cause the certain call handlers assigned to the rare skill pool to handle calls where the certain other skills in the rare skill pool are needed; and

allow available ones of the certain call handlers assigned to the rare skill pool to handle calls where the certain skills in the common skill pool are needed, wherein the portion of the computer program adapted to group skills into the common skill pool is further adapted to;

identify a first set of skills needed for a large majority of the calls;

identify a second different set of skills needed for the large majority of the calls;

compare a cost associated with the first and second sets to determine the lower cost set;

identify the skills in the lower cost set as the certain skills; and

iteratively perform the identification of the first set, the identification of the second set and the comparison of the cost until an absolute lowest cost set is identified; and

entering the call handler assignments into the automatic call distribution system, such that calls to the agency are automatically routed to the call handlers according to the assignments.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the computer program is further adapted to group all of the remaining skills into one or more other rare skill pools.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the computer program is further adapted to equalize a cost and percentage of calls among all of the rare skill pools.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein the computer program is further adapted to limit the total number of skill pools based on capabilities of a call distribution system.

11. A system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a call distribution system adapted to route incoming calls to the call handlers based on the common skill pool and the rare skill pool.

12. A system according to claim 7, wherein the computer program is further adapted to group all of the remaining skills into one or more other rare skill pools, wherein the system further comprises:

a call distribution system adapted to route incoming calls to the call handlers based on the common skill pool and the rare skill pools, wherein the computer program is further adapted to limit the total number of skill pools based on capabilities of the call distribution system.

13. A method of providing a financial services product to callers via call handlers in an agency having an automatic call distribution system, comprising:

identifying a plurality of skills needed by the call handlers for handling calls related to selecting the financial services product;

optimizing distribution of skills among the call handlers, the method comprising;

grouping certain of the skills into a common skill pool;

grouping certain other of the skills into a rare skill pool;

assigning all the call handlers to the common skill pool, wherein all the call handlers have the certain skills grouped in the common skill pool and can thereby handle calls where those certain skills are needed;

assigning certain of the call handlers to the rare skill pool, wherein all the certain call handlers have the certain other skills grouped in the rare skill pool and can thereby handle calls where those certain other skills are needed;

causing the certain call handlers assigned to the rare skill pool to handle calls where the certain other skills in the rare skill pool are needed; and

allowing available ones of the certain call handlers assigned to the rare skill pool to handle calls where the certain skills in the common skill pool are needed, wherein the step of grouping skills into the common skill pool includes;

identifying a first set of skills needed for a large majority of the calls;

identifying a second different set of skills needed for the large majority of the calls;

comparing a cost associated with the first and second sets to determine the lower cost set;

iteratively performing the first identifying, the second identifying and comparing steps until an absolute lowest cost set is identified;

identifying the skills in the absolute lowest cost set as the certain skills; and

entering the call handler assignments into the automatic call distribution system, such that calls to the agency are automatically routed to the call handlers according to the assignments.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

grouping all of the remaining skills into one or more other rare skill pools; and

limiting the total number of skill pools based on capabilities of the automatic call distribution system.