Agent scheduler incorporating agent profiles

• US 7,406,171 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Whitman, Raymond Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deane; William J
• Application Number:
  US10/741,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20050138167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-2661, 379/309
• US Class Current: 379/265.05
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Systems and methods for scheduling of agents for a network, which in one embodiment among many, can be broadly summarized by a representative method of forecasting network data for a future time interval from past network data, determining a group of agents, forecasting group statistics using at least the forecasted network data, and assigning a second group of agents to work the future time interval. Another embodiment can be described as an agent scheduler system that has logic configured to forecast network data for a future time interval using past network data, logic configured to determine a first group of agents, logic configured to forecast group statistics using the forecasted network data and the agent profiles of the agents in the first group, and logic configured to assign a second group of agents to work the given time interval.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling agents working in a network, the method comprising:

forecasting network data for a given future time interval using at least network data related to a past time interval;

determining a first group of agents belonging to a workforce, wherein each agent in the first group has an agent profile associated therewith;

forecasting group statistics based at least in part on the forecasted network data and the agent profiles of the agents in the first group;

prior to assigning the second group of agents,

(i) selecting one of;

(a) including at least one more agent in the first group, and (b) removing at least one agent from the first group of agents; and

(ii) determining that the second group of agents is satisfactory; and

if the second group of agents is satisfactory, assigning the second group of agents to work the given time interval based at least upon the group statistics, wherein the agents of the second group belong to the workforce.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein forecasting network data further includes:

extrapolating network data into the future using past network data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the past network data includes averages of daily network statistics.

4. The method of claim 1, prior to assigning the second group of agents:

defining the first group of agents as the second group.

5. The method of claim 4, prior to defining, further including:

repeating the forecasting group statistics and selecting until (c),

determining that the second group is satisfactory, has been selected.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the future time interval is approximately two weeks in the future.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the forecasted network data forecasts network data for an average business day, and further including:

forecasting network data for a given future day based at least in part on the average business day forecasted network data;

forecasting a temporal distribution of network usage for the given day; and

forecasting an agent line based upon the temporal distribution.

8. The method of claim 7, further including:

forecasting a second agent line based at least in part on the agent profiles of the agents in the first group;

determining agent tours for the given future day; and

assigning agents from the second group to agent tours.

9. An agent scheduler in a network, the agent scheduler comprising:

logic configured to forecast network data for a given future time interval using at least network data related to a past time interval;

logic configured to determine a first group of agents belonging to a workforce, wherein each agent in the first group has an agent profile associated therewith;

logic configured to forecast group statistics based at least in part on the forecasted network data and the agent profiles of the agents in the first group;

logic configured to, before assigning a second group,

(i) select one of;

(a) including at least one more agent in the first group, and (b) removing at least one agent from the first group of agents; and

(ii) determine whether the second group of agents is satisfactory; and

logic configured to, if the second group of agents is satisfactory, assign a second group of agents to work the given time interval based at least upon the group statistics, wherein the agents of the second group belong to the workforce.

10. The method of claim 9, further including:

logic configured to extrapolate network data into the future using past network data.

11. The agent scheduler of claim 10, wherein the past network data includes averages of daily network statistics.

12. The agent scheduler of claim 9, further including:

logic configured to define the first group of agents as the second group.

13. The agent scheduler of claim 12, further including:

logic configured to repeat the implementation of the logic configured to forecast group statistics and the logic configured to select until the logic configured to determine that the second group is satisfactory has been selected.

14. The agent scheduler of claim 9, wherein the future time interval is approximately two weeks in the future.

15. The agent scheduler of claim 9, wherein the forecasted network data forecasts network data for an average business day, and further including:

logic configured to forecast network data for a given future day based at least in part on the average business day forecasted network data;

logic configured to forecast a temporal distribution of network usage for the given day; and

logic configured to forecast an agent line based upon the temporal distribution.

16. The agent scheduler of claim 15, further including:

logic configured to forecast a second agent line based at least in part on the agent profiles of the agents in the first group;

logic configured to determine agent tours for the given future day; and

logic configured to assign agents from the second group to agent tours.