IP Library Granted Patent US 8,731,178
Granted Patent B2
US 8,731,178 · App. 13/715,765 · Granted May 20, 2014

Systems and methods for routing callers to an agent in a contact center

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,731,178
App. No.
13/715,765
Granted
May 20, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A methods for routing callers to agents in a contact center, along with an intelligent routing system. One or more agents are graded on achieving an optimal interaction, such as increasing revenue, decreasing cost, or increasing customer satisfaction. Callers are then preferentially routed to a graded agent to obtain an increased chance at obtaining a chosen optimal interaction. In a more advanced embodiment, caller and agent demographic and psychographic characteristics can also be determined and used in a pattern matching algorithm to preferentially route a caller with certain characteristics to an agent with certain characteristics to increase the chance of an optimal interaction.

Claims (53)

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying an ideal agent pool, the method comprising the acts of:

determining, by one or more computers, an optimal interaction;

determining, by the one or more computers, a set of caller data from a sample of callers;

determining, by the one or more computers, a set of agent data from a set of agents;

generating, by the one or more computers, a predictive computer model for the optimal interaction with the set of caller data and the set of agent data;

identifying, by the one or more computers, from the computer model, a mix of characteristics from the set of agents to increase the chances of the optimal interaction occurring for the sample of callers; and

routing, by the one or more computers, one of the callers from the set of callers to one of the agents from the set of agents based at least in part on the mix of characteristics.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using the set of agents and the set of caller data in a pattern matching algorithm.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer model reflects the predicted chances of the optimal interaction occurring for each agent from the set of agents as matched with each caller from the sample of callers.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample of callers is a sample of at least two callers taken from any one or mix of actual callers, theoretical callers, or predicted callers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optimal interaction is based on any of one of improved revenue generation, decreased cost, or improved customer satisfaction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of agents includes at least two agents.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of agents includes any one or mix of an agent employed by a contact center, a theoretical agent, or a predicted agent.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of caller data comprises one of demographic data or psychographic data.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of caller data comprises demographic data, wherein the demographic data comprises one of gender, race, age, education, accent, income, nationality, ethnicity, area code, zip code, marital status, job status, or credit score.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the caller data for the sample of callers is determined from a commercial database.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the caller data for the sample of callers further comprises determining a caller's CallerID.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the caller data for the sample of callers further comprises determining a caller's account number.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of agent data comprises one of demographic data or psychographic data.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of agent data comprises demographic data, wherein the demographic data comprises one of gender, race, age, education, accent, income, nationality, ethnicity, area code, zip code, marital status, job status, or credit score.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the agent data is demographic data determined from a survey.

16. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pattern matching algorithm comprises one of a neural network algorithm or a genetic algorithm.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising configuring an agent pool based on the characteristic of one or more agents from the set of agents that increases the overall chances of an optimal interaction occurring for the sample of callers, wherein the step of configuring comprises any one of hiring an agent, terminating an agent, transferring an agent into the agent pool, or transferring an agent out of the agent pool.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the agent pool is configured for any one of a specific contact center, a specific contact center client, or a specific group of contact center clients.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the agent pool is configured to have a mix of agents with agent data that is proportionate to the ideal mix of agent data.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computers, a change to a new optimal interaction; and

performing, by the one or more computers, the generating a predictive computer model, identifying a mix of characteristics and routing steps of the method based on this new optimal interaction.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions for:

determining, by one or more computers, an optimal interaction;

determining, by the one or more computers, a set of caller data from a sample of callers;

determining, by the one or more computers, a set of agent data from a set of agents;

generating, by the one or more computers, a predictive computer model for the optimal interaction with the set of caller data and the set of agent data;

identifying, by the one or more computers, from the computer model, a mix of characteristics from the set of agents to increase the chances of the optimal interaction occurring for the sample of callers; and

routing, by the one or more computers, one of the callers from the set of callers to one of the agents from the set of agents based at least in part on the mix of characteristics.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21 , further comprising instructions for using the set of agent data and the set of caller data in a pattern matching algorithm.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the computer model reflects the predicted chances of the optimal interaction occurring from each agent from the set of agents as matched with each caller from the sample of callers.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the sample of callers is a sample of at least two callers taken from any one or mix of actual callers, theoretical callers, or predicted callers.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the optimal interaction is any of one of improved revenue generation, decreased cost, or improved customer satisfaction.

26. A system comprising one or more computers, configured to:

determine, by one or more computers, an optimal interaction;

determine, by the one or more computers, a set of caller data from a sample of callers;

determine, by the one or more computers, a set of agent data from a set of agents;

generate, by the one or more computers, a predictive computer model for the optimal interaction with the set of caller data and the set of agent data;

identify, by the one or more computers, from the computer model, a mix of characteristics from the set of agents to increase the chances of the optimal interaction occurring for the sample of callers; and

route, by the one or more computers, one of the callers from the set of callers to one of the agents from the set of agents based at least in part on the mix of characteristics.

27. The system of claim 26 , further comprising the one or more computers configured to use the set of agent data and the set of caller data in a pattern matching algorithm.

28. The system of claim 26 , wherein the computer model reflects the predicted chances of the optimal interaction occurring from each agent from the set of agents as matched with each caller from the sample of callers.

29. The system of claim 26 , wherein the sample of callers is a sample of at least two callers taken from any one or mix of actual callers, theoretical callers, or predicted callers.

30. The system of claim 26 , wherein the optimal interaction is any of one of improved revenue generation, decreased cost, or improved customer satisfaction.

31. The system of claim 26 , further comprising the one or more computers configured to:

receive, by the one or more computers, a change to a new optimal interaction; and

perform, by the one or more computers, the generating a predictive computer model, identifying a mix of characteristics and routing steps of the method based on this new optimal interaction.

Assignments (15)
RELEASE AND TERMINATION OF PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 16, 2025
From: VCP CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC
To: AFINITI, LTD.
Reel/Frame 070866/0614 →
PATENT ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 3, 2025
From: AFINITI AI HOLDINGS LLC
To: AFINITI AI LIMITED
Reel/Frame 069817/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 3, 2025
From: AFINITI AI LIMITED
To: ALTER DOMUS (US) LLC
Reel/Frame 069816/0858 →
PATENT ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 3, 2025
From: AFINITI, LTD.
To: AFINITI AI HOLDINGS LLC
Reel/Frame 069816/0656 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 26, 2024
From: AFINITI, LTD.
To: VCP CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC
Reel/Frame 068793/0261 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ON PAGE ONE OF THE ASSIGNMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 054204 FRAME: 0387. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Nov 24, 2020
From: AFINITI EUROPE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
To: AFINITI, LTD.
Reel/Frame 054700/0324 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 8, 2020
From: AFINITI EUROPE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
To: AFINITI, LTD.
Reel/Frame 054204/0387 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 12, 2019
From: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC (F/K/A ORIX VENTURES, LLC)
To: AFINITI, LTD. (F/K/A SATMAP INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, LTD.)
Reel/Frame 049444/0836 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 8, 2018
From: AFINITI INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, LTD.
To: AFINITI EUROPE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
Reel/Frame 044872/0937 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT TO REMOVE PATENT NUMBER 6996948 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 036917 FRAME: 0627. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SECURITY INTEREST. Recorded Jul 28, 2017
From: SATMAP INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, LTD.
To: ORIX VENTURES, LLC
Reel/Frame 043452/0193 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 11, 2016
From: SATMAP INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, LTD.
To: AFINITI INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 038664/0965 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 29, 2015
From: SATMAP INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, LTD.
To: ORIX VENTURES, LLC
Reel/Frame 036917/0627 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 032498 FRAME: 0677. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Aug 31, 2015
From: CHISHTI, ZIA; SPOTTISWOODE, STUART J.; JONES, CHRIS W.
To: THE RESOURCE GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
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ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 21, 2014
From: CHISHTI, ZIA; SPOTTISWOODE, S. JAMES; JONES, CHRIS W.
To: SATMAP INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 032498/0677 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 10, 2014
From: THE RESOURCE GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
To: SATMAP INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 031942/0608 →