Bitmaps for next generation contact center

• US 9,571,654 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Flockhart, Andrew D., Steiner, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAUNG, THOMAS H
• Application Number:
  US12/882,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20110255681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,344 Days
• Field of Search: 379/266.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

A queueless 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, achieve true one-to-one matching. Solutions are also provided for managing data structures utilized by the queueless contact center. Furthermore, mechanisms for generating traditional queue-based performance views and metrics for the queueless contact center are proposed to help facilitate a smooth transition from traditional queue-based contact centers to the next generation contact centers described herein.

Claims

1. A work assignment mechanism, comprising:

a work assignment engine that determines that an element in a contact center has become available for assignment, determines a search criteria associated with processing requirements or capabilities of the element, scan a bitmap for the search criteria to identify counter-elements in the contact center that are qualified to be assigned to the element, and, based on the scanning, determines a set of counter-elements that are qualified to be assigned to the element,

wherein the work assignment engine is further configured to assign a selected counter-element from the set of counter-elements to the element, and wherein the element comprises a work item and wherein the counter-element comprises a resource, wherein the bitmap is a resource bitmap that is associated with a resource pool and each bit in the resource bitmap corresponds to a single resource in the resource pool, wherein a value of each bit in the resource bitmap is assigned either a 1 or 0 depending upon whether the resource is qualified to be assigned to the work item, wherein every resource in the contact center is represented in the resource pool and resource bitmap, and wherein less than five percent of the counter-elements represented in the bitmap are included in the set of counter-elements.