Method and system for determining customer's skill, knowledge level, and/or interest

• US 9,654,638 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Waxman, Harvey S., Michaelis, Paul Roller
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, ANTIM G
• Application Number:
  US13/953,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20150030152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501, 37926502, 37926505, 37926511, 37926512, 37926513, 37926601, 37926607, 705 141, 705 1411, 705 1412, 705 1413, 705 1414
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

A microprocessor executable work assignment mechanism selects a work item associated with a customer, dynamically determines, for the customer, a customer proficiency level with respect to a contact center product and/or product area sold and/or serviced by a contact center, and uses the customer proficiency level in assigning the selected work item to a resource for servicing and/or in providing the determined customer proficiency level to an assigned resource for use in servicing the selected work item.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

selecting, by a microprocessor executing a work assignment mechanism, a work item associated with a respective customer having a customer identification;

determining, by the microprocessor executing the work assignment mechanism and for the respective customer, a customer proficiency level with respect to a contact center product and/or product area sold and/or serviced by a contact center, wherein the microprocessor determines the customer proficiency level by providing the respective customer with a game and/or contest, wherein the game and/or contest is provided by the microprocessor executing a script, wherein the microprocessor executable work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, collects and analyzes responses to determine the customer proficiency level of the respective customer and/or to select subsequent questions in the script to be executed from among multiple optional and/or possible questions defined by the script, wherein the microprocessor executable work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, tags the responses with the customer identification and stores the responses in a database, thereby allowing the microprocessor executable work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, to build a more complete picture of the respective customer and also allowing subsequent scripts to be selected for execution based on a proficiency level more appropriate for the respective customer; and

the microprocessor, executing the work assignment mechanism, uses the customer proficiency level in assigning the selected work item to a resource for servicing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the work item is a Real-Time or Pseudo-Real-Time contact, wherein the game and/or contest is provided through the microprocessor executing a selected script, wherein the selected script is selected from among multiple scripts or results from a selected logical route through a master script based on questions answered correctly or incorrectly by the respective customer, and wherein the assigned resource is a human agent.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the work item is a Real-Time or Pseudo-Real-Time contact, wherein the work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, provides the determined customer proficiency level to the assigned resource for use in servicing the work item, wherein the game and/or contest is provided through the microprocessor executing a selected script, wherein the selected script is selected from among multiple scripts or results from a selected logical route through a master script based on questions answered correctly or incorrectly by the respective customer, and wherein the assigned resource is a human agent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigned resource is a human agent, wherein the customer proficiency level is determined by the microprocessor executing the script while the respective customer is awaiting service by the agent, wherein the script is configured as a trivia game, and wherein the respective customer receives a benefit for answering a selected number of questions correctly.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigned resource is a human agent, wherein the microprocessor determines the customer proficiency level by executing the script while the respective customer is awaiting service by the agent, wherein, based on one or more of contact center performance information, goal, policy, and/or objective, and/or work item information, the work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, determines one or more of:

(a) whether or not to perform the determining step;

(b) an identity of a script to be executed;

(c) a configuration of the script; and

/or (d) a benefit given to the respective customer for completing successfully questions provided by the script, when executed by the microprocessor, wherein the contact center performance information is one or more of a queue length, available resource, and/or contact center performance metric, and wherein the work item information comprises one or more of an identifier of a script successfully completed by the respective customer, a prior response of the respective customer to a script, the customer proficiency level, a contact center product associated with the selected work item, and/or a prior earned incentive, and wherein the determination of the one or more of;

(a) whether or not to perform the determining step;

(b) an identity of a script to be executed;

(c) a configuration of the script; and

/or (d) a benefit given to the respective customer for completing successfully questions provided by the script, when executed by the microprocessor, is determined based on a selected contact center product currently being marketed by the contact center.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, based on the one or more of contact center performance information, goal, policy, objective, and/or work item information, the work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, determines the identity of a script to be executed.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, based on the one or more of contact center performance information, goal, policy, objective, and/or work item information, the work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, determines the configuration of the script.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, based on the one or more of contact center performance information, goal, policy, objective, and/or work item information, the work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, determines the benefit given to the respective customer for completing successfully questions provided by the script.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the following is true:

(a) the script is selected by the microprocessor from among multiple scripts, with each script being associated with a particular customer proficiency level, wherein the customer proficiency level is the highest script level completed by the respective customer with an acceptable score and each script is associated with a specific proficiency level and/or (b) the script to be executed by the microprocessor is configured from a master script that is generic to all proficiency levels, wherein the customer proficiency level is mapped to a particular route followed and completed successfully by the respective customer through a logic tree of the script executed by the microprocessor and each master script has multiple possible navigation routes through its associated logic tree, with the particular route navigated by a particular customer being dependent on which questions are answered correctly or incorrectly by the particular customer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the game and/or contest is the game.

11. A system, comprising:

a microprocessor;

a computer readable medium, coupled to the microprocessor, to store, for a plurality of contact center customers, a corresponding customer proficiency level;

a microprocessor executable routing engine that, when executed by the microprocessor routes work items to agent communication devices for servicing, each of the work items being a customer contact received by a contact center; and

a microprocessor executable work assignment mechanism that, when executed by the microprocessor;

selects a work item associated with a respective customer having a customer identification;

determines, for the respective customer, a customer proficiency level with respect to a contact center product and/or product area sold and/or serviced by a contact center, wherein the microprocessor determines the customer proficiency level by providing the respective customer with a game and/or contest, wherein the game and/or contest is provided by the microprocessor executing a script, wherein the microprocessor executable work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, collects and analyzes responses to determine the customer proficiency level of the respective customer and/or to select subsequent questions in the script to be executed from among multiple optional and/or possible questions defined by the script, wherein the microprocessor executable work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, tags the responses with the customer identification and stores the responses in a database, thereby allowing the microprocessor executable work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, to build a more complete picture of the respective customer and also allowing subsequent scripts to be selected for execution based on a proficiency level more appropriate for the respective customer; and

uses the customer proficiency level to select an agent to service the selected work item and causes the microprocessor executable routing engine to route the selected work item to an agent communication device corresponding to the selected agent for servicing.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the work item is a Real-Time or Pseudo-Real-Time contact, wherein the game and/or contest is provided by the microprocessor executing a selected script, and wherein the selected script is selected from among multiple scripts or results from a selected logical route through a master script based on questions answered correctly or incorrectly by the respective customer.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the work item is a Real-Time or Pseudo-Real-Time contact, wherein the work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, provides the determined customer proficiency level to the selected agent for use in servicing the selected work item, and wherein the game and/or contest is provided by the microprocessor executing a selected script, wherein the selected script is selected from among multiple scripts or results from a selected logical route through a master script based on questions answered correctly or incorrectly by the respective customer.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the customer proficiency level is determined by the microprocessor executing the script while the respective customer is awaiting service by the selected agent, wherein the script is configured as a trivia game, and wherein the respective customer receives a benefit for answering a selected number of questions correctly.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor determines the customer proficiency level by executing the script while the respective customer is awaiting service by the selected agent, wherein, based on one or more of contact center performance information, goal, policy, objective, and/or work item information, the work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, determines one or more of:

(a) whether or not to perform the determining operation;

(b) an identity of a script to be executed;

(c) a configuration of the script; and

/or (d) a benefit given to the respective customer for completing successfully questions provided by the script, when executed by the microprocessor, wherein the contact center performance information is one or more of a queue length, available resource, and/or contact center performance metric, and wherein the work item information comprises one or more of an identifier of a script successfully completed by the respective customer, a prior response of the respective customer to a script, a customer proficiency level, a contact center product associated with the selected work item, and/or a prior earned incentive, and wherein the determination of the one or more of;

(a) whether or not to perform the determining operation;

(b) an identity of a script to be executed;

(c) a configuration of the script; and

/or (d) a benefit given to the respective customer for completing successfully questions provided by the script, when executed by the microprocessor, is determined based on a selected contact center product currently being marketed by the contact center.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, based on the one or more of contact center performance information, goal, policy, objective, and/or work item information, the work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, determines the identity of the script to be executed.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein, based on the one or more of contact center performance information, goal, policy, objective, and/or work item information, the work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, determines the configuration of the script.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein, based on the one or more of contact center performance information, goal, policy, objective, and/or work item information, the work assignment mechanism, when executed by the microprocessor, determines the benefit given to the respective customer for completing successfully questions provided by the script.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein one or more of the following is true:

(a) the script is selected by the microprocessor from among multiple scripts, with each script being associated with a particular customer proficiency level, wherein the customer proficiency level is the highest script level completed by the respective customer with an acceptable score and each script is associated with a specific proficiency level and/or (b) the script to be executed by the microprocessor is configured from a master script that is generic to all proficiency levels, wherein the customer proficiency level is mapped to a particular route followed and completed successfully by the respective customer through a logic tree of the script executed by the microprocessor and each master script has multiple possible navigation routes through its associated logic tree, with the particular route navigated by a particular customer being dependent on which questions are answered correctly or incorrectly by the particular customer.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the game and/or contest is the game.