Distributed constraint-based optimized routing of interactions
A system for optimized and distributed routing of interactions, comprising a plurality of media servers operating adapted to handle interactions of one or more specific media types, a statistics server, a routing database, and a routing server. Upon receiving or initiating an interaction of a specific media type, a first media server from the media servers sends a route request message comprising at least an interaction identifier and a collection of interaction-specific data to the routing server, the statistics server receives event notifications from the media servers and computes one or more statistics, and the routing server executes, using statistical data from the statistics server and data from the routing database, a routing script comprising a constraint-based optimization process in response to the route request message and sends a response to the first media server directing it to route the interaction to a specific target resource.
1. A system for optimized and distributed routing of interactions, the system comprising:
a plurality of media servers operating on network-attached computers, each adapted to handle interactions of one or more specific media types;
a routing database accessible via a network; and
a routing server operating on a network-attached computer;
wherein upon receiving or initiating an interaction of a specific media type, a first media server from the plurality of media servers sends a route request message comprising at least an interaction identifier and a collection of interaction-specific data to the routing server;
wherein the routing server periodically executes, using data from the routing database, a routing script and sends routing instructions to the plurality of media servers; and
wherein the routing script comprises at least the setup and execution of a constraint-based optimization process that matches the plurality of interactions requiring routing to one or more of a plurality of resources that may handle interactions, the constraint-based optimization process comprising the steps of:
(1) initializing parameters including global constraints;
(2) for each time increment: (i) computing a time to wait for each resource; (ii) discarding resources whose time to wait exceeds a configured threshold; (iii) determines a wait time for each interaction; (iv) computes an indicia of cost for a plurality of resource-interaction pairs; (v) constructs a problem matrix; and optimizes interaction distribution subject to problem constraints; and (vi) sends the resulting distribution of interactions to resources to the routing server.
2. A method for constraint-based optimization of routing of interactions, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving or initiating a plurality of interactions at a plurality of media servers stored and operating on a plurality of network-attached computers;
(b) sending a plurality of route requests from the plurality of media servers to a routing server stored and operating on a network-attached computer;
(c) periodically executing, at the routing server and using data from the routing database, a routing script, wherein the routing script comprises at least the setup and execution of a constraint-based optimization process that matches the plurality of interactions requiring routing to one or more of a plurality of resources that may handle interactions, the constraint-based optimization process comprising the steps of:
(1) initializing parameters including global constraints;
(2) for each time increment: (i) computing a time to wait for each resource; (ii) discarding resources whose time to wait exceeds a configured threshold; (iii) determines a wait time for each interaction; (iv) computes an indicia of cost for a plurality of resource-interaction pairs; (v) constructs a problem matrix; and optimizes interaction distribution subject to problem constraints; and (vi) sends the resulting distribution of interactions to resources to the routing server; and
(d) sending a plurality of routing instruction messages from the routing server to the plurality of media servers comprising at least an interaction identifier and a target resource.