Mechanism for work assignment in a graph-based contact center

• US 9,930,179 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Steiner, Robert C., Ju, Wen-Hua
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US14/290,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20150350440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26502, 37926601, 37926602, 715700, 7079991, 707798
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms

Abstract

A graph database is described for use in connection with a contact center. The graph database includes a plurality of nodes and relationships that describe the operations, entities, personnel, and attributes in the contact center. Also described is the operation of a work assignment engine that leverages the graph database to make intelligent and flexible work assignment decisions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining, by a contact center, a model of the contact center, the model of the contact center comprising a plurality of data elements of a graph database, the graph database storing the plurality of data elements without a fixed schema, the plurality of data elements including a plurality of nodes, each node having one or more attributes defining at least one relationship with at least one other node of the plurality of nodes, and wherein each node represents at least one of a work item of the contact center, a contact of the contact center, a resource of the contact center, a conference in the contact center, or an event of the contact center;

receiving a contact in the contact center;

creating a contact node in the graph database that is representative of the contact;

connecting the contact node to a conference node and a work item node in the graph database, the conference node being representative of the contact'"'"'s interaction with the contact center and the work item node being representative of a work item to be processed by the contact center in connection with resolving the contact;

identifying one or more processing requirements associated with the work item;

using a work assignment engine to search the graph database for one or more nodes representing resources that possess or nearly possess an attribute that satisfied the one or more processing requirements associated with the work item;

selecting a first resource for assignment to the work item based on searching the graph database; and

creating one or more attributes defining a relationship in the graph database that connects the conference node to a node representing the first resource, thereby signifying that the first resource has been assigned to the work item.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing the work assignment engine to traverse nodes of an attribute tree maintained in the graph database to make a proximity-based work assignment decision for the work item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first resource does not possess every attribute required to satisfy the one or more processing requirements.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first resource is connected to a first node in the attribute tree, wherein the contact node is connected to a second node in the attribute tree that is different from the first node, and wherein at least one relationship either directly or indirectly connects the first node with the second node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the work assignment engine identifies costs associated with assigning the work item to the first resource by traversing the nodes of the attribute tree from the first node to the second node and summing traversal values associated with traversing the nodes of the attribute tree.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship that connects the conference node to the node representing the first resource comprises a property identifying when the first resource is assigned to the work item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the relationship that connects the conference node to the node representing the first resource further comprises a property identifying how long the first resource takes to process the work item.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the work assignment engine writes information to the graph database reflecting that the first resource has been assigned to the work item.

9. A contact center, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with and readable by the processor and storing therein a set of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to assign work items in the contact center by;

maintaining a model of the contact center, the model of the contact center comprising a plurality of data elements of a graph database, the graph database storing the plurality of data elements without a fixed schema, the plurality of data elements including a plurality of nodes, each node having one or more attributes defining at least one relationship with at least one other node of the plurality of nodes, and wherein each node represents at least one of a work item of the contact center, a contact of the contact center, a resource of the contact center, a conference in the contact center, or an event of the contact center;

receiving a contact in the contact center;

creating a contact node in the graph database that is representative of the contact;

connecting the contact node to a conference node and a work item node in the graph database, the conference node being representative of the contact'"'"'s interaction with the contact center and the work item node being representative of a work item to be processed by the contact center in connection with resolving the contact;

identifying one or more processing requirements associated with the work item;

using a work assignment engine to search the graph database for one or more nodes representing resources that possess or nearly possess an attribute that satisfied the one or more processing requirements associated with the work item;

selecting a first resource for assignment to the work item based on searching the graph database; and

creating one or more attributes defining a relationship in the graph database that connects the conference node to a node representing the first resource, thereby signifying that the first resource has been assigned to the work item.

10. The contact center of claim 9, wherein the first node is connected directly to the second node via a first relationship.

11. The contact center of claim 10, wherein the first relationship comprises one or more properties that describe when the work assignment engine assigned the work item to the resource.

12. The contact center of claim 11, wherein the first relationship further comprises a property that describes an amount of time during which the resource was connected to the work item.

13. The contact center of claim 9, wherein the first node is indirectly connected to the second node via at least two relationships and at least a third node of the graph database.

14. The contact center of claim 13, wherein the third node comprises a conference node to which both the first node and the second node are directly connected.

15. The contact center of claim 9, wherein the data storage medium further comprises an attribute tree that is used by the work assignment engine to match the work item with the resource.

16. The contact center of claim 15, wherein the attribute tree comprises a plurality of nodes, each of which describe different attributes in the contact center and wherein the second node associated with the resource is connected to at least one node in the attribute tree to describe attributes of the resource for reference by the work assignment engine.

17. The contact center of claim 15, wherein the attribute tree enables the work assignment engine to make proximity-based work assignment decisions.

18. The contact center of claim 9, wherein the work assignment engine writes information to the graph database reflecting that the resource has been assigned to the work item.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instruction that, when executed by a processor, perform a method that comprises:

maintaining, by a contact center, a model of the contact center, the model of the contact center comprising a plurality of data elements of a graph database, the graph database storing the plurality of data elements without a fixed schema, the plurality of data elements including a plurality of nodes, each node having one or more attributes defining at least one relationship with at least one other node of the plurality of nodes, and wherein each node represents at least one of a work item of the contact center, a contact of the contact center, a resource of the contact center, a conference in the contact center, or an event of the contact center;

receiving a contact in the contact center;

creating a contact node in the graph database that is representative of the contact;

connecting the contact node to a conference node and a work item node in the graph database, the conference node being representative of the contact'"'"'s interaction with the contact center and the work item node being representative of a work item to be processed by the contact center in connection with resolving the contact;

identifying one or more processing requirements associated with the work item;

using a work assignment engine to search the graph database for one or more nodes representing resources that possess or nearly possess an attribute that satisfied the one or more processing requirements associated with the work item;

selecting a first resource for assignment to the work item based on searching the graph database; and

creating one or more attributes defining a relationship in the graph database that connects the conference node to a node representing the first resource, thereby signifying that the first resource has been assigned to the work item.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the relationship that connects the conference node to the node representing the first resource comprises a property identifying when the first resource is assigned to the work item.