Techniques for benchmarking performance in a contact center system

1. A method for pairing contacts and agents in a contact center system comprising:

determining, by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system, a first amount of performance suppression of a first contact-agent pairing strategy by a second contact-agent pairing strategy, wherein use of the second contact-agent pairing strategy during a first period suppresses performance of the first contact-agent pairing strategy during a second period later than the first period;

adjusting, by the at least one computer processor, a target agent utilization of the first contact-agent pairing strategy to compensate for at least some of the first amount of performance suppression, wherein adjusting the target agent utilization biases the first contact-agent pairing strategy toward a performance-based routing strategy; and

pairing, by the at least one computer processor, at least one contact to at least one agent in the contact center system using the first contact-agent pairing strategy according to the adjusted target agent utilization,

wherein the compensating for the at least some of the first amount of performance suppression optimizes performance of the contact center system.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating, by the at least one computer processor, a representation of a relative performance of the contact center system using the first contact-agent pairing strategy compared to the second contact-agent pairing strategy based on the first amount of performance suppression.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first amount of performance suppression is attributable to a first amount of agent-utilization bias in the second contact-agent pairing strategy.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the first amount of performance suppression comprises:

determining, by the at least one computer processor, an average available-agent performance of a plurality of agents during at least one transition from the second contact-agent pairing strategy to the first contact-agent pairing strategy.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first contact-agent pairing strategy is a behavioral pairing strategy.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second contact-agent pairing strategy is a performance-based routing strategy.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting the target agent utilization further comprises:

adjusting, by the at least one computer processor, a Kappa parameter for a hybrid behavioral pairing strategy.

8. A system for pairing contacts and agents in a contact center system comprising:

at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to:

determine a first amount of performance suppression of a first contact-agent pairing strategy by a second contact-agent pairing strategy, wherein use of the second contact-agent pairing strategy during a first period suppresses performance of the first contact-agent pairing strategy during a second period later than the first period;

adjust a target agent utilization of the first contact-agent pairing strategy to compensate for at least some of the first amount of performance suppression, wherein adjusting the target agent utilization biases the first contact-agent pairing strategy toward a performance-based routing strategy; and

pair at least one contact to at least one agent in the contact center system using the first contact-agent pairing strategy according to the adjusted target agent utilization,

wherein the compensating for the at least some of the first amount of performance suppression optimizes performance of the contact center system.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to:

generate a representation of a relative performance of the contact center system using the first contact-agent pairing strategy compared to the second contact-agent pairing strategy based on the first amount of performance suppression.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first amount of performance suppression is attributable to a first amount of agent-utilization bias in the second contact-agent pairing strategy.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein determining the first amount of performance suppression comprises determining an average available-agent performance of a plurality of agents during at least one transition from the second contact-agent pairing strategy to the first contact-agent pairing strategy.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first contact-agent pairing strategy is a behavioral pairing strategy.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the second contact-agent pairing strategy is a performance-based routing strategy.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein adjusting the target agent utilization comprises adjusting a Kappa parameter for a hybrid behavioral pairing strategy.

15. An article of manufacture for pairing contacts and agents in a contact center system comprising:

a non-transitory computer processor readable medium; and

instructions stored on the medium;

wherein the instructions are configured to be readable from the medium by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in the contact center system and thereby cause the at least one computer processor to operate so as to:

determine a first amount of performance suppression of a first contact-agent pairing strategy by a second contact-agent pairing strategy, wherein use of the second contact-agent pairing strategy during a first period suppresses performance of the first contact-agent pairing strategy during a second period later than the first period;

adjust a target agent utilization of the first contact-agent pairing strategy to compensate for at least some of the first amount of performance suppression, wherein adjusting the target agent utilization biases the first contact-agent pairing strategy toward a performance-based routing strategy; and

pair at least one contact to at least one agent in the contact center system using the first contact-agent pairing strategy according to the adjusted target agent utilization,

wherein the compensating for the at least some of the first amount of performance suppression optimizes performance of the contact center system.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the at least one computer processor is further caused to operate so as to:

generate a representation of a relative performance of the contact center system using the first contact-agent pairing strategy compared to the second contact-agent pairing strategy based on the first amount of performance suppression.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the first amount of performance suppression is attributable to a first amount of agent-utilization bias in the second contact-agent pairing strategy.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein determining the first amount of performance suppression comprises determining an average available-agent performance of a plurality of agents during at least one transition from the second contact-agent pairing strategy to the first contact-agent pairing strategy.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the first contact-agent pairing strategy is a behavioral pairing strategy.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the second contact-agent pairing strategy is a performance-based routing strategy.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein adjusting the target agent utilization comprises adjusting a Kappa parameter for a hybrid behavioral pairing strategy.