Assignment of call-center agents to incoming calls
A technique is disclosed that optimizes the background noise experienced by a party who is calling into a call center. Working as part of an overall call-assignment algorithm, the technique considers the acoustic noise that is present in the vicinities of multiple call-center agents who are otherwise satisfactory candidates to handle a call. The technique then selects an agent to handle the call who is associated with an optimal acoustic noise. Typically, the selected agent is associated with lowest background noise level. The background noise is monitored at each call agent's station by evaluating the signals that are present at the agent's microphone. Usually, this is done when a call agent is between calls and, as a result, is not using her headset at that moment. In other words, the background noise is actually measured, and the measurements are then used to assign a call agent to the incoming call.
1. A method comprising:
receiving an incoming call at a data-processing system;
identifying a plurality of call agents who are available to handle the incoming call;
determining a respective acoustic noise in a vicinity of each call agent in the plurality of call agents by inferring the respective acoustic noise based on a location distance of each call agent relative to other call agents presently engaged in calls; and
assigning, based on the respective acoustic noise, a call agent in the plurality of the call to handle the incoming call.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of the acoustic noise comprises measuring acoustic noise after receiving the incoming call.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the determining of the acoustic noise further comprises accumulating multiple measurements of acoustic noise, wherein at least one of the multiple measurements was made prior to receiving the incoming call.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the assigning of the call agent occurs when the acoustic noise is less than a predetermined threshold.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the predetermined threshold is based on an attribute of the incoming call.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein the assigning is made using the call agent in the plurality who is associated with the least amount of acoustic noise present.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the assigning of the call agent occurs when the acoustic noise is greater than a predetermined threshold.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the predetermined threshold is based on an attribute of the incoming call.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of call agents further comprises one or more call agents who are unavailable at the time of the identifying but who are associated with favorable levels of acoustic noise.
10. A method comprising:
receiving an incoming call at a data-processing system;
identifying i) that at most one call agent is presently available to handle the incoming call, and ii) at least one call agent who will become available to handle the incoming call within a predetermined time interval;
determining the acoustic noise that is present in the vicinity of a call agent, for each of the call agents in a plurality that comprises i) the at most one call agent available and ii) the at least one call agent to become available by inferring a level of acoustic noise from a location distance of each available call agent relative to other call agents who are presently engaged in calls; and
assigning a call agent in the plurality to the incoming call, based on the determining of the acoustic noise that is present.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the determining of the acoustic noise comprises measuring acoustic noise after receiving the incoming call.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the determining of the acoustic noise comprises accumulating multiple measurements of acoustic noise, wherein at least one of the multiple measurements was made prior to receiving the incoming call.
13. The method of claim 10 wherein the assigning of the call agent with respect to the acoustic noise level is also based on an attribute of the incoming call.
14. A method comprising:
receiving an incoming call at a data-processing system;
identifying a plurality of call agents who are available to handle the incoming call;
inferring the level of acoustic noise that is present in the vicinity of each call agent in the plurality, from a location distance of each call agent in the plurality relative to other call agents who are presently engaged in calls; and
assigning a call agent in the plurality to the incoming call, based on the inferring of the level of acoustic noise.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the assigning of the call agent occurs when the level of acoustic noise is inferred to be less than a predetermined threshold.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the assigning is made using the call agent in the plurality who is associated with the lowest level of acoustic noise present.
17. The method of claim 14 wherein the assigning of the call agent occurs when the level of acoustic noise is inferred to be greater than a predetermined threshold.
18. The method of claim 14 wherein the plurality of call agents further comprises one or more call agents who are unavailable at the time of the identifying but who are associated with favorable levels of acoustic noise.