Method and apparatus for anticipating and planning communication-center resources based on evaluation of events waiting in a communication center master queue

• US RE46,852 E1
• Filed: 11/03/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated), Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated), Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Petrovykh, Yevgeniy
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH DIEU T
• Application Number:
  US14/931,820
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 29/06027 Protocols for multimedia communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4007 Services involving a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel sessions real time messaging, e.g. instant messaging, interacting with other applications or services H04L51/046; multichannel or multilink protocols H04L69/14; services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services H04M7/0024
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/24 Presence management use and manipulation of presence information in instant messaging H04L51/043
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 : Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 : Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 : interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 : with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 : Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 : with waiting time or load prediction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 : Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 : Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 : Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13164 : Traffic (registration, measurement,...)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13335 : Simulation, emulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 : Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 : Distributing or queueing

Abstract

A software application for recommending workforce resource allocation in a communication center based on requirements of events represented in a communication-center queue has a first interface for accessing information from the queue; a second interface for accessing information from a data source about workforce availability and state information; a processing component for processing queue information and workforce information; and a message generation and delivery component for generating a workforce allocation recommendation based on processing results and sending the recommendation to a target entity. In a preferred embodiment, the application periodically accesses the queue and the data source to obtain the most recent information for processing and generates periodic recommendations based on real-time requirements of events and availability states of resources, the recommendations sent ahead of time before the resources are required.

Claims

1. A computerized server providing a functional system for allocating workforce resources, the computerized server comprising:

processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory has stored therein software instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

receive a first event and a second event, wherein the first event utilizes a first media type and the second event utilizes a second media type different from the first media type;

astore information on the first event and the second event in a single virtual multimedia queue, the single virtual multimedia queue managing multimedia communication events for assignment to workforce resources;

access the single virtual multimedia queue for retrieving information on the first and second events;

software intelligence executing from memory of the computerized server for allocatingallocate workforce resources for dealing with the queuedfirst and second events;

, wherein the workforce resources include at least live agents and automated systems for responding to the first and second events;

and the intelligence accessesaccess information from the queue including at least media type of the first and second events, the workforce resources and requirements necessary to service each of the first and second events and;

access information from a data source concerning workforce availability and state information, and wherein the workforce availability and state information includes presence of the workforce resources for a plurality of different media types, wherein a first resource of the workforce resources is detected as available for the first media type and unavailable for the second media type, and a second resource of the workforce resources is detected as unavailable for the first media type and available for the second media type;

periodically generatesgenerate a recommendation for workforce allocation required to service the first and second events in the queue based on all of the information accessed; and

periodically repeat the generating of the recommendation for managing the workforce resources relative to the first and second events in real-time; and

a router coupled to the server for transmitting a first notification over a data network to route the first event to the first resource and a second notification over the data network to route the second event to the second resource, wherein in response to the first and second notifications, a connection is established with equipment associated with respectively the first and second resources.

2. The system server of claim 1 wherein the multimedia communication events include at least connection-oriented-switched-telephony (COST) calls, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls, e-mails, voice-mails, video calls, session initiation events, and Instant Message Presence Protocol (IMPP)-based communication events.

3. The system server of claim 1 wherein the event information from the queue further includes, at least event origination identification, requested routing destination identification, and event purpose information.

4. The system server of claim 1 further comprising a, wherein the server hosting hosts the intelligence and instructions, the server further comprising a second server hosting the queue, wherein the servers are linked in a the data network.

5. The system server of claim 1 further comprising a, wherein the server hosting hosts the intelligence and instructions, the server further comprising a second server hosting the data source, the servers linked in a the data network.

6. The system server of claim 1 wherein the data source serves information according to a presence protocol.

7. The system server of claim 1 wherein the intelligence performs memory further includes instructions that cause the processor to perform a comparative analysis between the queue information and the workforce availability and state information and uses the use results of the comparative analysis to generate the recommendation.

8. The system server of claim 1 wherein the recommendation is an IMPP-based message.

9. The system server of claim 1 wherein the recommendation is sent to a supervising person responsible for workforce allocation.

10. The system server of claim 1 wherein the recommendation is sent to an automated system and the recommendation is a direct order to that system.

11. The system server of claim 1 further comprising accessing information from a historical database for the purpose of generating probability statistics concerning incoming events yet to be registered into the queue.

12. The system server of claim 11 wherein the generated probability statistics are used to help generate recommendations.

13. The system server of claim 1 wherein the information from the data source comprises availability information, individual agent schedule information, and resolute activity state information.

14. A method for allocating workforce resources executed by a computerized server having a memory and a processor, the processor executing an instance of software from the memory providing a method for allocating workforce resources, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a processor, a first event and a second event, wherein the first event utilizes a first media type and the second event utilizes a second media type different from the first media type;

(a) accessingstoring, by the processor, information from aon the first event and the second event in a single virtual multimedia queue, the single virtual multimedia queue managing multimedia communication events for assignment to workforce resources, the information including at least media type of queuedthe first and second events, workforce resources, including at least live agents and automated systems for servicing the events and requirements necessary to service each of the first and second events, wherein the workforce resources include at least live agents and automated systems for servicing the events;

accessing, by the processor, the single virtual multimedia queue for retrieving information on the first and second events;

(b) accessing information from a data source concerning workforce availability and state information, wherein the workforce availability and state information includes presence of the workforce resources for a plurality of different media types, wherein a first resource of the workforce resources is detected as available for the first media type and unavailable for the second media type, and a second resource of the workforce resources is detected as unavailable for the first media type and available for the second media type;

(c) generating a recommendation for workforce allocation required to service the first and second events in the queue based on all of the information accessed;

periodically repeating the generating of the recommendation for managing the workforce resources relative to the first and second events in real-time; and

transmitting, by a router, a first notification over a data network to route the first event to the first resource and a second notification over the data network to route the second event to the second resource; and

in response to the first and second notifications, establishing a connection with equipment associated with respectively the first and second resources.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (c) the recommendation is a message.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (a) the information further comprises, at least requested event destination identification, event origination identification and event purpose information.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (b) the data access is based on a push model.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (c) the data access is based on a pull model.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (b) the data is accessed from a server.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (b) the presence and state workforce availability and state information comprises work schedules, shift change information, and resolute activity states of differing media types.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein in step (c) knowledge of unallocated resources is incorporated in the recommendation.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein the recommendation is sent to a supervising agent.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein the recommendation is sent to a an automated system and the recommendation is a direct order to the automated system.