Techniques for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system

• US 9,781,269 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afiniti Ltd
• Original Assignee: Afiniti Europe Technologies Limited (Afiniti Ltd)
• Inventors: Chishti, Zia, Khatri, Vikash
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US14/956,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501, 37926601, 379309, 705 713
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/36 Memories
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

Techniques for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system comprising: ordering a contact; ordering a plurality of agents; applying, by at least one processor, a hybridization function to the ordering of the plurality of agents to bias a first strategy for pairing toward a second strategy for pairing; comparing, by the at least one processor and based on the hybridization function, a first difference in ordering between the contact and a first agent in a first pair with a second difference in ordering between the contact and a second agent different from the first agent in a second pair; and selecting, by the at least one processor, the first pair or the second pair for connection based on the comparing.

Claims

1. A method for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system comprising:

determining, by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system, an ordering of an available contact of one of a plurality of contact types in the contact center system;

ordering, by the at least one computer processor, a plurality of agents;

adjusting, by the at least one computer processor, the ordering of the plurality of agents to bias a first behavioral pairing strategy with a balanced agent utilization toward a performance-based routing strategy with a skewed agent utilization, wherein an extent of the adjusting is based at least in part on a hybridization function applied to the ordering of the plurality of agents;

comparing, by the at least one computer processor and after the adjusting, a first difference in ordering between the available contact and a first agent of the plurality of agents as adjusted in a first pair with a second difference in ordering between the available contact and a second agent of the plurality of agents as adjusted different from the first agent in a second pair;

selecting, by the at least one computer processor, one of the first pair and the second pair for connection based at least in part upon the comparing; and

outputting, by the at least one computer processor, the selection of one of the first pair and the second pair, wherein the selected one of the first pair and the second pair is connected in the contact center system based at least in part upon the outputting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing is based on the hybridization function and comprises applying, by the at least one computer processor, a bending diagonal strategy to the orderings.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the ordering of the available contact or the ordering of the plurality of agents can be expressed as percentiles or percentile ranges.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the hybridization function comprises adjusting the percentiles or percentile ranges of the plurality of agents.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein an adjusted percentile of each of the plurality of agents comprises a midpoint of a bandwidth of each of the plurality of agents.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the ordering of the available contact further comprises determining, by the at least one computer processor, a bandwidth for a contact type of the available contact proportionate to a frequency at which contacts of the contact type become available for assignment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybridization function enables controllably targeting, by the at least one computer processor, an unbalanced agent utilization.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the hybridization function comprises determining, by the at least one computer processor, a parameter corresponding to an extent of bias toward the performance-based routing strategy.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising using the parameter within a continuously differentiable function.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising using the parameter within a not continuously differentiable function.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the hybridization function comprises determining, by the at least one computer processor, disproportionate bandwidth for each of the one or more agents.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a selected agent of the selected pair is not any of:

an agent lagging in a fairness metric,

an agent rated highest in a performance metric,

an agent rated highest in a performance metric for a particular contact type,

an agent previously assigned to a contact of the selected pair,

a sequentially labeled agent, or

a randomly selected agent.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the first pair and the second pair comprises a worse expected instant outcome than the other of the first pair and the second pair.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each successively higher-ordered agent of the plurality of agents is more likely to be selected than respectively lower-ordered agents.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein each successively higher-ordered agent of the plurality of agents is targeted to have a lower average waiting time than respectively lower-ordered agents.

16. A method for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system comprising:

determining, by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system, an ordering of an available contact of one of a plurality of contact types in the contact center system;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, a first ordering of a plurality of agents according to a first behavioral pairing strategy with a balanced agent utilization;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, a second ordering of the plurality of agents according to a performance-based routing strategy with a skewed agent utilization;

adjusting, by the at least one computer processor, the first ordering according to the second ordering, wherein an extent of the adjusting is based at least in part on a hybridization function applied to the ordering of the plurality of agents;

comparing, by the at least one computer processor and after the adjusting, a first difference in ordering between the available contact and a first agent of the plurality of agents as adjusted in a first pair with a second difference in ordering between the available contact and a second agent of the plurality of agents as adjusted different from the first agent in a second pair;

selecting, by the at least one computer processor, one of the first pair and the second pair for connection based at least in part upon the comparing; and

outputting, by the at least one computer processor, the selection of one of the first pair and the second pair, wherein the selected one of the first pair and the second pair is connected in the contact center system based at least in part upon the outputting.

17. A system for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system comprising:

at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to;

determine an ordering of an available contact of one of a plurality of contact types in the contact center system;

order a plurality of agents;

adjust the ordering of the plurality of agents to bias a first behavioral pairing strategy with a balanced agent utilization toward a performance-based routing strategy with a skewed agent utilization, wherein an extent of the adjusting is based at least in part on a hybridization function applied to the ordering of the plurality of agents;

compare, after the adjusting, a first difference in ordering between the available contact and a first agent of the plurality of agents as adjusted in a first pair with a second difference in ordering between the available contact and a second agent of the plurality of agents as adjusted different from the first agent in a second pair;

select one of the first pair and the second pair for connection based at least in part upon the comparing; and

output the selection of one of the first pair and the second pair, wherein the selected one of the first pair and the second pair is connected in the contact center system based at least in part upon the outputting.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to controllably target an unbalanced agent utilization using the hybridization function.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to determine disproportionate bandwidth for each of the plurality of agents.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to determine a parameter corresponding to an extent of bias toward the performance-based routing strategy.