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

• US RE46,853 E1
• Filed: 11/03/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• 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:
  US14/931,832
• 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 method executed by a computerized server operating within a communication center enhancing resource management for routing a plurality of events, comprising steps of:

(a) receiving, by the server, a first event and a second event from the plurality of events, wherein the first event utilizes a first media type and the second event utilizes a second media type different from the first media type;

(b) storing, by the server, information on the first event and the second event in a single queue;

(c) retrieving, by the server, from the single queue, information concerning the plurality of events to be routed from a routing engine, the information including at least nature and quantity of resources required by the plurality of events, and identification of a media type for each of the plurality of events;

(b)(d) retrieving, by the server, information concerning instant state of the resources potentially available to service the plurality of events, wherein the information concerning the instant state includes presence of the resources for a plurality of different media types, wherein a first one of the resources is detected as available for the first media type and unavailable for the second media type, and a second one of the resources is detected as unavailable for the first media type and available for the second media type;

(c)(e) processing the retrieved information from steps (a) and (b)(c) and (d) by the server;

(d)(f) based on the processing, recommending allocation of the resources by the server to best serve upcoming ones of the plurality of events to be routed;

and

(e) (g) repeating steps (a) through (d) (c) through (f) periodically to allocate, re-allocate and manage the resources relative to the needs of the plurality of events in near real time, wherein the needs take into account the media type utilized by each of the plurality of events; and

(h) transmitting, by the routing engine, based on the recommending, a first notification over a data network to route the first event to the first one of the resources, and a second notification over the data network to route the second event to the second one of the resources, wherein in response to the routing, a connection is established with equipment associated with respectively the first and second one of the resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in step (c) (e) the processing also includes recommending allocation of resources based upon a set time threshold for servicing the plurality of events.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in step (d) (f) the recommendation includes using probability factors to predict quantity and nature of the plurality of events up to a specified window of time ahead of receipt of the plurality of events at the routing engine and allocating said resources based on the prediction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information concerning the instant state of the resources further includes information on level of accessibility to database storing state information, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the first one of the resources has limited accessibility to the database;

selecting a third one of the resources having accessibility to the database; and

routing the first event to the third one of the resources instead of the first one of the resources.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second events is tokenized with selected information associated with respectively the first and second events.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

prior to processing by the routing engine, periodically accessing the single queue for identifying the plurality of events waiting to be routed;

determining the needs of the plurality of events; and

reallocating a particular one of the resources from a first resource group to a second resource group based on the determining.