Enhanced polling method and system
A method and system for dynamically determining a poll wherein at least a first parameter for each queue of one or more queues is maintained and a poll for each queue based upon an initial polling mode corresponding to each of the one or more queues is conducted. The polling mode comprises either a scheduled polling mode or an on-demand polling mode. Thereafter, at least a second parameter for each queue based on the poll is determined and an interval or a mode of a subsequent poll for each queue based on a comparison between the first parameter and the second parameter corresponding to each queue is scheduled. The subsequent poll is either (a) a different one of the scheduled poll and the on-demand poll, or (b) the scheduled poll having a different polling interval than the initial polling mode wherein the initial polling mode is also the scheduled poll.
1. A method of dynamically determining a poll subsequent to an event, wherein the event comprises an arrival of a call or expiry of a polling interval, the method comprising:
a) maintaining at least a first parameter for each of one or more queues;
b) conducting a poll for each queue based upon an initial polling mode corresponding to each of the one or more queues, wherein the initial polling mode comprises one of a scheduled poll and an on-demand poll;
c) determining at least a second parameter for each queue based on the poll;
d) scheduling a subsequent poll for each queue based on a comparison between the first parameter and the second parameter corresponding to each queue, wherein the subsequent poll is either a different one of the scheduled poll and the on-demand poll, or the scheduled poll having a different polling interval than the initial polling mode, wherein the initial polling mode is also the scheduled poll; and
wherein the scheduling further comprises:
e) determining whether the second parameter is greater than or equal to the first parameter, wherein the first parameter is a polling interval indicative of how frequently the scheduled poll is conducted and the second parameter is a weighted advance time providing a measure of an exponential moving average time it takes a call to advance one position within a corresponding queue;
f) switching the initial polling mode to the on-demand poll if the second parameter is equal to or greater than the first parameter and the corresponding queue is in the scheduled poll mode;
g) switching the initial polling mode to the scheduled poll if the second parameter is less than the first parameter by a second threshold and the corresponding queue is in the on-demand poll mode; and
h) maintaining the initial polling mode if neither (f) nor (g) exists.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first parameter comprises at least one of an expected arrival time parameter, the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the queue polling interval.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second parameter comprises at least one of the weighted advance time and the actual expected wait time.
4. A method of determining a poll, the method comprising:
a) maintaining at least one first parameter of each queue of a plurality of queues;
b) determining at least one second parameter of each queue on expiry of a corresponding queue polling interval;
c) comparing a difference between the second parameter and the corresponding first parameter with a first threshold; and
d) scheduling a subsequent poll by adjusting the queue polling interval based upon the comparison, wherein the scheduling of the subsequent poll by adjusting comprises:
e) increasing the queue polling interval if the difference is less than the first threshold; and
f) decreasing the queue polling interval if the difference is more than the first threshold.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first parameter comprises at least one of a weighted advance time, an adjusted expected wait time, a first threshold, and a queue polling interval.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second parameter comprises an actual expected wait time.
7. A system for dynamically determining a poll subsequent to an event, wherein the event comprises an arrival of a call or expiry of a polling interval, the system comprising:
a) a memory maintaining at least a first parameter for each of one or more queues;
b) a communications device that conducts a poll for each of the one or more queues based upon an initial polling mode corresponding to each of the one or more queues, wherein the initial polling mode comprises one of a scheduled poll and an on-demand poll;
c) a determinator that determines at least a second parameter for each of the one or more queues based on the poll; and
d) a scheduler that schedules a subsequent poll for each of the one or more queues based on a comparison between the first parameter and the second parameter corresponding to each of the one or more queues, wherein the subsequent poll is a different one of the scheduled poll and the on-demand poll, and
wherein the scheduler further:
e) determines whether the second parameter is greater than or equal to the first parameter, wherein the first parameter is a polling interval indicative of how frequently the scheduled poll is conducted and the second parameter is a weighted advance time providing a measure of an exponential moving average time it takes a call to advance one position within a corresponding queue;
f) switches the initial polling mode to the on-demand poll if the second parameter is equal to or greater than the first parameter and the corresponding queue is in the scheduled poll mode;
g) switches the initial polling mode to the scheduled poll if the second parameter is less than the first parameter by a second threshold and the corresponding queue is in the on-demand poll mode; and
h) maintains the initial polling mode if neither (f) nor (g) exists.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first parameter comprises at least one of an expected arrival time, a first threshold, a second threshold, and a queue polling interval.
9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the second parameter comprises at least one of a weighted advance time and actual expected wait time.
10. An apparatus for performing the method of one or more of the claims 1 and 2 - 6 .
11. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions which, when executed in a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of one or more of claims 1 and 2 - 6 .
12. A method of dynamically determining a poll subsequent to an event, wherein the event comprises an arrival of a call or expiry of a polling interval, the method comprising:
a) maintaining at least a first parameter for each of one or more queues;
b) conducting a poll for each queue based upon an initial polling mode corresponding to each of the one or more queues, wherein the initial polling mode comprises one of a scheduled poll and an on-demand poll;
c) determining at least a second parameter for each queue based on the poll;
d) scheduling a subsequent poll for each queue based on a comparison between the first parameter and the second parameter corresponding to each queue, wherein the subsequent poll is either a different one of the scheduled poll and the on-demand poll, or the scheduled poll having a different polling interval than the initial polling mode, wherein the initial polling mode is also the scheduled poll; and
wherein the scheduling further comprises:
e) determining whether the second parameter is less than the first parameter, wherein the first parameter is a third threshold and the second parameter is a weighted advance time providing a measure of an exponential moving average time it takes a call to advance one position within a corresponding queue;
f) switching the initial polling mode to the scheduled poll if the second parameter is less than the first parameter and the corresponding queue is in the on-demand poll mode; and
g) maintaining the initial polling mode if the second parameter is greater than or equal to the first parameter.