Techniques for behavioral pairing in a contact center system

• US 9,917,949 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2016
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afiniti Ltd
• Original Assignee: Afiniti Europe Technologies Limited (Afiniti Ltd)
• Inventors: Chishti, Zia
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh
• Application Number:
  US15/000,762
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501, 37926601, 379309, 7057013, 705 713
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/36 Memories
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

Techniques for behavioral pairing in a contact center system are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for pairing in a contact center including ordering one or more contacts, ordering one or more agents, comparing a first difference in ordering between a first contact and a first agent in a first pair with a second difference in ordering between a second contact and a second agent in a second pair, and selecting the first pair or the second pair for connection based on the comparing, wherein the first contact and the second contact are different or the first agent and the second agent are different.

Claims

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

ordering, by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system, one or more contacts and a plurality of agents or ordering a plurality of contacts and one or more agents using a model based on outcomes of previous agent-contact pairings;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, for each of the one or more contacts, a frequency at which each type of each of the one or more contacts arrives at the contact center system; and

applying, by at the least one computer processor, a diagonal strategy to the ordering to select a first contact and a first agent in a first pair or a second contact and a second agent in a second pair for connection in the contact center system to optimize performance of the contact center system attributable to the diagonal strategy,

wherein the diagonal strategy causes contacts and agents with similar percentile orderings to be selected for pairing, wherein the first contact and the second contact are different or the first agent and the second agent are different, and wherein the ordering and the diagonal strategy are configured to target a balanced agent utilization based on the frequency at which each type of the one or more contacts arrives at the contact center system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the first pair and the second pair comprises a smaller absolute difference in ordering than the other of the first pair and the second pair.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ordering of one or more contacts or the ordering of one or more agents can be expressed as percentiles.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ordering of one or more contacts or the ordering of one or more agents can be expressed as percentile ranges.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the one or more contacts or each of the one or more agents is assigned a percentile within each contact or agent'"'"'s respective percentile range.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein an assigned percentile is a midpoint of a percentile range.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein an assigned percentile is a random percentile of a percentile range.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the at least one processor, a bandwidth for each contact type of the first and second contacts proportionate to a frequency at which contacts of the each contact type become available for assignment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein targeting the balanced agent utilization further comprises determining, by the at least one processor, proportional bandwidth for each of the one or more agents.

10. 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.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a selected contact of the selected pairing is not any of:

a contact at a head of a queue in the contact center,

a longest-waiting contact,

a highest-priority contact, or

a randomly selected contact.

12. 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.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a higher-ordered agent or a higher-ordered contact remains available for subsequent assignment.

14. A system for 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;

order one or more contacts and a plurality of agents or order a plurality of contacts and one or more agents using a model based on outcomes of previous agent-contact pairings;

determine, for each of the one or more contacts, a frequency at which each type of each of the one or more contacts arrives at the contact center system; and

apply a diagonal strategy to the ordering to select a first contact and a first agent in a first pair or a second contact and a second agent in a second pair for connection in the contact center system to optimize performance of the contact center system attributable to the diagonal strategy,

wherein the diagonal strategy causes contacts and agents with similar percentile orderings to be selected for pairing, wherein the first contact and the second contact are different or the first agent and the second agent are different, and wherein the ordering and the diagonal strategy are configured to target a balanced agent utilization based on the frequency at which each type of the one or more contacts arrives at the contact center system.

15. The system of claim 14, 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.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein a higher-ordered agent or a higher-ordered contact remains available for subsequent assignment.

17. An article of manufacture for pairing in a contact center system comprising:

a non-transitory computer processor readable medium; and

instructions stored on the medium;

wherein the instructions are configured to be readable from the medium by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system and thereby cause the at least one computer processor to operate so as to;

order one or more contacts and a plurality of agents or order a plurality of contacts and one or more agents using a model based on outcomes of previous agent-contact pairings;

determine, for each of the one or more contacts, a frequency at which each type of each of the one or more contacts arrives at the contact center system; and

apply a diagonal strategy to the ordering to select a first contact and a first agent in a first pair or a second contact and a second agent in a second pair for connection in the contact center system to optimize performance of the contact center system attributable to the diagonal strategy,

wherein the diagonal strategy causes contacts and agents with similar percentile orderings to be selected for pairing, wherein the first contact and the second contact are different or the first agent and the second agent are different, and wherein the ordering and the diagonal strategy are configured to target a balanced agent utilization based on the frequency at which each type of the one or more contacts arrives at the contact center system.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, 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.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein a higher-ordered agent or a higher-ordered contact remains available for subsequent assignment.