Granted Patent B2

US 11,381,684 · App. 17/154,893 · Granted Jul 5, 2022

Inventor: Zia Chishti (Washington, DC)

Assignee: AFINITI, LTD.

H04M3/5232H04M3/5183H04M3/5233H04M3/5235H04M2201/18H04M2201/36

Abstract

Claims (61)

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in a contact center system, a first set of historical interactions (HIs) including first interactions between a first contact type and a first agent, second interactions between the first contact type and a second agent, and third interactions between the first contact type and a third agent;

implementing an agent ordering process using the first set of HIs as an input to the agent ordering process, wherein implementing the agent ordering process using the first set of HIs as an input to the process results in a first model in which a first range of values is assigned to the first agent, a second range of values is assigned to the second agent, and a third range of values is assigned to the third agent;

storing, in a storage unit, agent information indicating a first plurality of agents that are available for pairing with a contact, the first plurality of agents comprising the first agent and the second agent;

determining, based on the agent information, that the first agent and the second agent are both available for pairing with a contact;

determining that a first contact of the first contact type is available for pairing at the contact center system;

implementing a pairing strategy in conjunction with the first model to pair the first contact with one of the first plurality of available agents, wherein implementing the pairing strategy in conjunction with the first model results in the first contact being paired with the first agent; and

communicatively connecting the first agent with the first contact via one or more switches as a result of the first agent being paired with the first contact,

wherein the agent ordering process is configured such that implementing the agent ordering process using a second set of HIs as an input to the process, where the second set of HIs includes said first and second interactions, but does not include said third interactions pertaining to the third agent, results in a second model being generated in which a fourth range of values is assigned to the first agent and a fifth range of values is assigned to the second agent, where the fourth range of values is different than the first range of values and the fifth range of values is different than the second range of values, and

further wherein the pairing strategy is configured such that implementing the pairing strategy in conjunction with the second model to pair the first contact with one of the first plurality of available agents, where both the first agent and the second agents are available for pairing, results in the first contact being paired with the second agent, not the first agent.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein

the first range of values is a first range of percentile values.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

assigning to the first contact type a sixth range of values; and

assigning to the first contact of the first contact type a value within the sixth range of values.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein implementing the pairing strategy comprises determining whether the value assigned to the first contact falls within the first range of values assigned to the first agent.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the value assigned to the first contact is value randomly selected from the sixth range of values.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pairing strategy is a behavioral pairing strategy.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pairing strategy is a diagonal behavioral pairing strategy.

8. A system comprising:

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

obtaining a first set of historical interactions (HIs) including first interactions between a first contact type and a first agent, second interactions between the first contact type and a second agent, and third interactions between the first contact type and a third agent;

implementing an agent ordering process using the first set of HIs as an input to the agent ordering process, wherein implementing the agent ordering process using the first set of HIs as an input to the process results in a first model in which a first range of values is assigned to the first agent, a second range of values is assigned to the second agent, and a third range of values is assigned to the third agent;

storing, in a storage unit, agent information indicating a first plurality of agents that are available for pairing with a contact, the first plurality of agents comprising the first agent and the second agent;

determining, based on the agent information, that the first agent and the second agent are both available for pairing with a contact;

determining that a first contact of the first contact type is available for pairing at the contact center system;

implementing a pairing strategy in conjunction with the first model to pair the first contact with one of the first plurality of available agents, wherein implementing the pairing strategy in conjunction with the first model results in the first contact being paired with the first agent; and

communicatively connecting the first agent with the first contact via one or more switches as a result of the first agent being paired with the first contact,

wherein the agent ordering process is configured such that implementing the agent ordering process using a second set of HIs as an input to the process, where the second set of HIs includes said first and second interactions, but does not include said third interactions pertaining to the third agent, results in a second model being generated in which a fourth range of values is assigned to the first agent and a fifth range of values is assigned to the second agent, where the fourth range of values is different than the first range of values and the fifth range of values is different than the second range of values, and

further wherein the pairing strategy is configured such that implementing the pairing strategy in conjunction with the second model to pair the first contact with one of the first plurality of available agents, where both the first agent and the second agents are available for pairing, results in the first contact being paired with the second agent, not the first agent.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein

the first range of values is a first range of percentile values.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the process further comprises:

assigning to the first contact type a sixth range of values; and

assigning to the first contact of the first contact type a value within the sixth range of values.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein implementing the pairing strategy comprises determining whether the value assigned to the first contact falls within the first range of values assigned to the first agent.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the value assigned to the first contact is value randomly selected from the sixth range of values.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the pairing strategy is a behavioral pairing strategy.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the pairing strategy is a diagonal behavioral pairing strategy.

15. An article of manufacture 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 a contact center system and thereby cause the at least one computer processor to perform a process that comprises:

obtaining a first set of historical interactions (HIs) including first interactions between a first contact type and a first agent, second interactions between the first contact type and a second agent, and third interactions between the first contact type and a third agent;

implementing an agent ordering process using the first set of HIs as an input to the agent ordering process, wherein implementing the agent ordering process using the first set of HIs as an input to the process results in a first model in which a first range of values is assigned to the first agent, a second range of values is assigned to the second agent, and a third range of values is assigned to the third agent;

storing, in a storage unit, agent information indicating a first plurality of agents that are available for pairing with a contact, the first plurality of agents comprising the first agent and the second agent;

determining, based on the agent information, that the first agent and the second agent are both available for pairing with a contact;

determining that a first contact of the first contact type is available for pairing at the contact center system;

implementing a pairing strategy in conjunction with the first model to pair the first contact with one of the first plurality of available agents, wherein implementing the pairing strategy in conjunction with the first model results in the first contact being paired with the first agent; and

communicatively connecting the first agent with the first contact via one or more switches as a result of the first agent being paired with the first contact,

wherein the agent ordering process is configured such that implementing the agent ordering process using a second set of HIs as an input to the process, where the second set of HIs includes said first and second interactions, but does not include said third interactions pertaining to the third agent, results in a second model being generated in which a fourth range of values is assigned to the first agent and a fifth range of values is assigned to the second agent, where the fourth range of values is different than the first range of values and the fifth range of values is different than the second range of values, and

further wherein the pairing strategy is configured such that implementing the pairing strategy in conjunction with the second model to pair the first contact with one of the first plurality of available agents, where both the first agent and the second agents are available for pairing, results in the first contact being paired with the second agent, not the first agent.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein

the first range of values is a first range of percentile values.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , the process further comprises:

assigning to the first contact type a sixth range of values; and

assigning to the first contact of the first contact type a value within the sixth range of values.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17 , wherein implementing the pairing strategy comprises determining whether the value assigned to the first contact falls within the first range of values assigned to the first agent.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17 , wherein the value assigned to the first contact is value randomly selected from the sixth range of values.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the pairing strategy is a behavioral pairing strategy.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the pairing strategy is a diagonal behavioral pairing strategy.

Assignments (5)

Continuity (11)