Techniques for benchmarking pairing strategies in a contact center system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11044366-B2
Application number	US-202016915776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2020
Priority date	Jan 28, 2008
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

Techniques for benchmarking pairing strategies in a contact center system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for benchmarking pairing strategies in a contact center system comprising: determining for each contact of a plurality of contacts, an associated plurality of historical contact assignments; determining, for each contact, an associated outcome value; partitioning, for each contact, the associated plurality of historical assignments into a first associated subset assigned using a first pairing strategy and a second associated subset assigned using a second pairing strategy; determining, for each contact, a first portion of the associated outcome value attributable to the first associated subset and a second portion of the associated outcome value attributable to the second associated subset; outputting a difference in performance between the first and second pairing strategies according to the first and second associated portions of the associated outcome value for each contact.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
during a first period, by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in a contact center system, associating a first pairing strategy to a first plurality of contacts;
during a second period subsequent to the first period, by the at least one computer processor, associating a second pairing strategy that is different from the first pairing strategy to a second plurality of contacts;
during a third period subsequent to the second period, by the at least one computer processor, associating a third pairing strategy that is different from the second pairing strategy to a third plurality of contacts;
during a fourth period subsequent to the third period, by the at least one computer processor, associating a fourth pairing strategy that is different from the first and third pairing strategies to a fourth plurality of contacts;
determining, by the at least one computer processor, a first performance measurement based on outcomes of the associations of the first and third pluralities of contacts;
determining, by the at least one computer processor, a second performance measurement based on outcomes of the associations of the second and fourth pluralities of contacts; and
outputting, by the at least one computer processor, data that enables a comparison of the first and second performance measurements;
wherein each period of the first, second, third, and fourth periods is determined prior to the respective each period;
wherein, for each contact of the first, second, third, and fourth pluralities of contacts, use of the respectively associated first, second, third, or fourth pairing strategy connects the each contact with an individual agent;
wherein at least one of the first pairing strategy, the second pairing strategy, the third pairing strategy, and the fourth pairing strategy does not comprise a pairing strategy comprising a comparison between at least two agents that does not require information about any contact.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth periods are time periods.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the time periods are less than or equal to 1 hour.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth periods are a number of contact center system events.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the contact center system events are at least one of contact arrival events, agent free events, and contact pairing events.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the number of contact center system events for each of the first, second, third, and fourth periods are at least five contact center system events.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the number of contact center system events for each of the first, second, third, and fourth periods are at least twenty contact center system events.

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:
during a first period, associating a first pairing strategy to a first plurality of contacts;
during a second period subsequent to the first period, associating a second pairing strategy that is different from the first pairing strategy to a second plurality of contacts;
during a third period subsequent to the second period, associating a third pairing strategy that is different from the second pairing strategy to a third plurality of contacts;
during a fourth period subsequent to the third period, associating a fourth pairing strategy that is different from the first and third pairing strategies to a fourth plurality of contacts;
determining a first performance measurement based on outcomes of the associations of the first and third pluralities of contacts;
determining a second performance measurement based on outcomes of the associations of the second and fourth pluralities of contacts; and
outputting data that enables a comparison of the first and second performance measurements;
wherein each period of the first, second, third, and fourth periods is determined prior to the respective each period;
wherein, for each contact of the first, second, third, and fourth pluralities of contacts, use of the respectively associated first, second, third, or fourth pairing strategy connects the each contact with an individual agent;
wherein at least one of the first pairing strategy, the second pairing strategy, the third pairing strategy, and the fourth pairing strategy associated with one of the first, second, third, or fourth pluralities of contacts does not comprise a pairing strategy comprising a comparison between at least two agents that does not require information about any contact.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth periods are time periods.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the time periods are less than or equal to 1 hour.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth periods are a number of contact center system events.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the contact center system events are at least one of contact arrival events, agent free events, and contact pairing events.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the number of contact center system events for each of the first, second, third, and fourth periods are at least five contact center system events.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the number of contact center system events for each of the first, second, third, and fourth periods are at least twenty contact center system events.

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 operate so as to:
during a first period, associating a first pairing strategy to a first plurality of contacts;
during a second period subsequent to the first period, associating a second pairing strategy that is different from the first pairing strategy to a second plurality of contacts;
during a third period subsequent to the second period, associating a third pairing strategy that is different from the second pairing strategy to a third plurality of contacts;
during a fourth period subsequent to the third period, associating a fourth pairing strategy that is different from the first and third pairing strategies to a fourth plurality of contacts;
determining a first performance measurement based on outcomes of the associations of the first and third pluralities of contacts;
determining a second performance measurement based on outcomes of the associations of the second and fourth pluralities of contacts; and
outputting data that enables a comparison of the first and second performance measurements;
wherein each period of the first, second, third, and fourth periods is determined prior to the respective each period;
wherein, for each contact of the first, second, third, and fourth pluralities of contacts, use of the respectively associated first, second, third, or fourth pairing strategy connects the each contact with an individual agent;
wherein at least one of the first pairing strategy, the second pairing strategy, the third pairing strategy, and the fourth pairing strategy associated with one of the first, second, third, or fourth pluralities of cont

Assignees

• Afiniti Europe Tech Ltd
• Afiniti Ltd

Inventors

• Chishti Zia

Classifications

• H04M3/5141 Primary

  Details of processing calls and other types of contacts in an unified manner (unified messaging in packet-switching networks H04L51/56) · CPC title

• H04M3/5235

  Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS] · CPC title

• H04M2201/36

  Memories · CPC title

• H04M3/5233

  Operator skill based call distribution · CPC title

• H04M3/5232 Primary

  Call distribution algorithms · CPC title