Predictive model for abandoned calls

• US 9,609,133 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Tendick, Patrick, Davis, Sheldon, Ju, Wen-Hua
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US14/673,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20160295020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26509, 3792651-2661
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/556 Statistical analysis and interpretation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A predictive model for abandoned calls provided by a contact center communication system for routing optimization is described along with various methods and mechanisms for administering the same. Based on multiple attributes, the system can calculate the probabilities, risks, and costs associated with abandonment and wait, taking into account the patience of a caller, region where the caller lives, agents available to handle the call, length of time that the caller has already been waiting, potential cost of having the caller and call type abandon, and potential total cost of having the caller wait to be served.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a microprocessor and via a network, a work item in a contact center, the work item being associated with a first customer and corresponding to a first contact in the contact center to be processed by a contact center agent, wherein the first contact is a first communication from a communication device of the first customer;

placing, by the microprocessor, the work item into a contact center queue;

determining, by the microprocessor, a wait tolerance of the work item, wherein the determined wait tolerance is based on a customer history for the first customer, wherein the customer history includes at least one abandonment of a second contact by the first customer along with a wait time prior to the at least one abandonment, and wherein the second contact is a second communication from the communication device of the first customer;

determining, by the microprocessor, an amount of time that the first customer has been waiting for service by the contact center;

based on a comparison of the determined wait tolerance and the determined amount of time that the first customer has been waiting for service by the contact center, determining, by the microprocessor, a risk of the first customer abandoning the first contact in the contact center queue; and

based on the determined risk, determining whether to keep the work item in the contact center queue or route the work item from the contact center queue to a communication device of an agent, out of order in the contact center queue, in an attempt to avoid the first customer abandoning the first contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the work item is routed from the contact center queue to the communication device of the agent based on the determined risk.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the risk is further determined based on a skill type for the work item.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the risk is based on a communication channel used by the first customer for the first contact.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the risk is based on a transaction type.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the microprocessor, an estimated cost associated with the first customer abandoning the first contact;

determining, by the microprocessor, an abandon risk based on the determined risk of the first customer abandoning the first contact coupled with the estimated cost associated with the first customer abandoning the first contact;

determining, by the microprocessor, a risk of wait for the first customer; and

comparing, by the microprocessor, the risk of wait with the determined abandon risk to determine whether to keep the work item in the contact center queue or route the work item to the communication device of the agent, out of order in the contact center queue, in an attempt to avoid the first customer abandoning the first contact.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the risk of wait is calculated as a monetary value and compared with the abandon risk, which is also calculated as a monetary value.

8. A contact center comprising:

a microprocessor; and

a computer readable medium, coupled with the microprocessor and comprising microprocessor readable and executable instructions that program the microprocessor to;

receive, via a network, a work item in the contact center, the work item being associated with a first customer and corresponding to a first contact in the contact center to be processed by a contact center agent, wherein the first contact is a communication from a communication device of the first customer;

place the work item into a contact center queue;

determine a wait tolerance of the work item, wherein the determined wait tolerance is based on a customer history for the first customer, wherein the customer history includes at least one abandonment of a second contact by the first customer along with a wait time prior to the at least one abandonment, and wherein the second contact is a second communication from the communication device of the first customer;

determine an amount of time that the first customer has been waiting for service by the contact center;

based on a comparison of the determined wait tolerance and the determined amount of time that the first customer has been waiting for service by the contact center, determine a risk of the first customer abandoning the first contact in the contact center queue; and

instructions configured to, based on the determined risk, determine whether to keep the work item in the contact center queue or route the work item from the contact center queue to a communication device of an agent out of order in the contact center queue, in an attempt to avoid the first customer abandoning the first contact.

9. The contact center of claim 8, wherein the work item is routed from the contact center queue to the communication device of the agent based on the determined risk.

10. The contact center of claim 8, wherein the risk is further determined based on a skill type for the work item.

11. The contact center of claim 10, wherein the risk is based on a communication channel used by the first customer for the first contact.

12. The contact center of claim 10, wherein the risk is based on a transaction type.

13. The contact center of claim 8, further comprising microprocessor readable and executable instructions that program the microprocessor to:

determine an estimated cost associated with the first customer abandoning the first contact;

determine an abandon risk based on the determined risk of the first customer abandoning the first contact coupled with the estimated cost associated with the first customer abandoning the first contact;

determine a risk of wait for the first customer; and

compare the risk of wait with the determined abandon risk to determine whether to keep the work item in the contact center queue or route the work item to the communication device of the agent, out of order in the contact center queue, in an attempt to avoid the first customer abandoning the first contact.

14. The contact center of claim 13, wherein the risk of wait is calculated as a monetary value and compared with the abandon risk, which is also calculated as a monetary value.

15. A contact center, comprising:

a microprocessor; and

a computer readable medium, coupled with the microprocessor and comprising microprocessor readable and executable instructions that program the microprocessor to execute;

a work assignment engine that receives a plurality of contacts from customers, generates, for each contact, a work item, and places the plurality of contacts into a contact center queue, wherein the plurality of contacts are communications from a plurality of customer communication devices;

a routing engine that establishes a connection between one or more resources selected for processing a work item and a customer associated with the work item such that the one or more resources can communicate electronically with each customer associated with each work item; and

a prediction engine that determines that a first customer associated with a first contact of the plurality of contacts in the contact center queue has a wait tolerance that is shorter than a wait tolerance of at least one other customer who is associated with a second contact enqueued in the contact center queue ahead of the first contact, wherein the first contact wait tolerance is based on a previous abandoned contact from the first customer and, in response to determining that the first customer has a wait tolerance shorter than the at least one other customer, instructs the work assignment engine to assign the first contact to a first resource prior to assigning the second contact to a second resource.

16. The contact center of claim 15, wherein the wait tolerance of the first customer is calculated based on a transaction type of the first contact.

17. The contact center of claim 16, wherein the wait tolerance of the first customer is also calculated based on a geographic region in which the first customer is situated.

18. The contact center of claim 17, wherein the wait tolerance of the first customer is also calculated based on historical abandonment statistics for the geographic region and wherein the at least one other customer is situated in a different geographic region than the first customer that has a lower abandonment percentage than the geographic region in which the first customer is situated.

19. The contact center of claim 18, wherein the prediction engine determines a risk associated with the first customer abandoning the first contact and compares the determined risk with a risk of waiting to assign the first customer to a contact after the at least one other customer has been assigned to a resource.

20. The contact center of claim 19, wherein the prediction engine calculates a risk associated with different contact types in the contact center.