Agent training sensitive call routing system

• US 9,635,177 B1
• Filed: 03/02/2015
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Patent Armory Inc. (Jeffrey M. Gross)
• Original Assignee: Steven Mark Hoffberg
• Inventors: Hoffberg, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deane, Jr., William
• Application Number:
  US14/635,868
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26514, 37926601-2661, 379309
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A call-management method and system for distributing calls to agents, wherein each agent has a profile, e.g., defining agent skills, efficiency, etc. The call center management system implements an algorithm for selecting an agent to receive a call to optimize caller utility, call center efficiency, and agent training. Therefore, the algorithm does not seek to necessarily route a call to the agent having the skill set most suited to the call; rather, the call may be routed to an agent who needs experience in the area of the call, and thus serves as a training exercise. Skilled agents may be made available to shadow the training agent when available.

Claims

1. A method optimizing an association of a request for communication with at least one respective member of a set of targets, each member of the set of targets having an associated cost of association, and the association having a utility, comprising:

determining at least one characteristic of the request for communication;

retrieving a profile representing at least one characteristic of a respective member of the set of targets, for a plurality of respective members of a set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication;

determining, with at least one automated processor, a predicted cost-utility value of a predicted change in respective profiles of the plurality of respective members of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication as a result of a prospective association with the request for communication;

determining, with the at least one automated processor, a predicted cost-utility value for the prospective association of the request for communication with respective different subsets of the plurality of respective members of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication, dependent on at least the at least one characteristic of the request for communication and the respective profiles of the plurality of respective members of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication;

determining, with the at least one automated processor, a predicted quantitative relationship of an availability of members of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication, and a demand for requests for communication;

matching, with the at least one automated processor, the request for communication with a respective subset of the members of a set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication, optimized based on at least;

the predicted quantitative relationship of the availability of members of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication, and the demand for requests for communication;

the determined predicted cost-utility value of the predicted change in the respective profiles of the respective members of the respective subset of the members of a set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication as a result of a prospective matching with the request for communication, and

the determined predicted cost-utility value for the prospective matching of the request for communication with the respective different subsets of the members of a set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication as a result of a prospective matching with the request for communication; and

configuring a communications network selectively dependent on the optimized matching.

2. The method according to claim 1, the cost-utility value is further dependent on at least a predicted series of requests for communication over time.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising updating at least one profile and changing an availability status of at least one respective member dependent on a communication resulting from the optimized matching.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating between a human who initiated the request for communication and the matched respective member of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the request for communication comprises a telephone call received by a telephone switch.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the telephone switch comprises a voice over internet protocol switch.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the profile for each of the plurality of respective members of a set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication comprises a skill profile for a call center agent, and the request for communication comprises an inbound call received by a call center awaiting connection with a call center agent.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the request for communication comprises human profile data stored in a database, which is automatically retrieved from the database in dependence on an identification of the request for communication.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the request for communication comprises human profile data generated after receipt of the request for communication and prior to matching.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of respective members of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication are concurrently matched with a respective request for communication.

11. A method optimizing an association of a plurality of requests for communication with a plurality of targets for the communications, comprising:

determining a characteristic of each request for communication;

retrieving a profile for respective members of a set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication;

automatically matching the plurality of requests for communication with a subset of the respective members of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication, using at least one automated processor, to obtain an optimized association, based on at least;

an anticipated quantitative relationship of a concurrent availability of members of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication, and a demand for requests for communication;

an anticipated cost-utility value of respective matchings of the plurality of requests for communication with respective subsets of the respective members of the set of targets available to be associated with each respective request for communication, based on at least the determined characteristic of each respective request for communication and the profile of each respective member of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication; and

an anticipated cost-utility value of a change in the respective profile of members of respective subsets of the respective members of the set of targets matched with respective requests for communication; and

configuring a communications network selectively dependent on the optimized association.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein plurality of requests for communication are received in series over time, and the matching is further based on at least a prediction of the series of requests for communication over time.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising updating at least one profile and changing an availability status of at least one respective member dependent on a communication resulting from the optimized matching.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising communicating between a set of humans who initiated the plurality of requests for communication and the matched respective members of the set of targets available to be associated with the requests for communication.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of requests for communication comprise received telephone calls to a voice over internet protocol communication switch.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the cost-utility value is further dependent on a consumption of respective members of the set of targets available to be associated with the requests for communication as a result of the matching.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the profile comprises a skill profile for a call center agent, and the plurality of requests for communication comprise calls awaiting connection with a respective call center agent.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the characteristic of the request for communication comprises human profile data, which is at least one of:

automatically retrieved from a database in dependence on an identification of the request for communication, and human profile data generated after receipt of request for communication and prior to matching.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein a plurality of respective members of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication are concurrently matched with a single respective request for communication.

20. A system for optimizing an association of a request for communication with a target for the communication, comprising:

a first memory configured to store a determined characteristic of the request for communication;

a second memory configured to store a profile for at least respective members of a set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication;

at least one automated processor, configured to match the request for communication with a respective member of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication, to achieve an optimized association, based on at least the profile of each respective member of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication, a quantitative relationship between a concurrent supply of respective members of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication and a demand based on a quantity of requests for communication, and an anticipated cost-utility value of the matched request for communication,

wherein the cost utility value is dependent on at least an economic value of a respective match of the request for communication with a respective member of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication, an economic value of the quantitative relationship, and an economic value of a predicted change in the profile of a matched member of the set of targets available to be associated with the request for communication; and

a communications network interface, configured to convey information to a communication network having a communication network configuration selectively controlled in dependence on the optimized association.