Techniques for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9787841-B2
Application number	US-201514956074-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2015
Priority date	Jan 28, 2008
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

Techniques for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for hybrid behavioral pairing in a contact center system comprising: ordering an agent; ordering a plurality of contacts; applying, by at least one processor, a hybridization function to the ordering of the plurality of contacts to bias a first strategy for pairing toward a second strategy for pairing; comparing, by the at least one processor and based on the hybridization function, a first difference in ordering between the agent and a first contact in a first pair with a second difference in ordering between the agent and a second contact different from the first contact in a second pair; and selecting, by the at least one processor, the first pair or the second pair for connection based on the comparing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for hybrid behavioral pairing 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, an ordering of an available agent of a plurality of agents in the contact center system;
ordering, by the at least one computer processor, a plurality of contacts;
adjusting, by the at least one computer processor, the ordering of the plurality of contacts to bias a first strategy for pairing with a balanced contact utilization toward a second strategy for pairing with a skewed contact utilization, wherein an extent of the adjusting is based at least in part on a hybridization function;
comparing, by the at least one computer processor and after the adjusting, a first difference in ordering between the available agent and a first contact of the plurality of contacts as adjusted in a first pair with a second difference in ordering between the available agent and a second contact of the plurality of contacts as adjusted different from the first contact in a second pair;
selecting, by the at least one computer processor, one of the first pair and the second pair for connection based at least in part upon the comparing; and
outputting, by the at least one computer processor, the selection of one of the first pair and the second pair, wherein the selected one of the first pair and the second pair is connected in the contact center system based at least in part upon the outputting.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the first pair or the second pair based on the comparing further comprises applying, by the at least one computer processor, a diagonal strategy to the orderings.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the ordering of the available agent or the ordering of the plurality of contacts is expressed as percentiles.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the ordering of the available agent or the ordering of the plurality of contacts is expressed as percentile ranges.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of contacts is assigned a percentile within each contact's respective percentile range.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein an assigned percentile is a midpoint of a percentile range.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein an assigned percentile is a random percentile of a percentile range.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the at least one computer processor, a bandwidth for the agent proportionate to a relative performance of the agent.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybridization function enables controllably targeting, by the at least one computer processor, an unbalanced contact utilization.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the hybridization function comprises determining, by the at least one computer processor, disproportional bandwidth for each of a plurality of contact types.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a selected contact or contact type of the selected pair is not any of:
a contact or contact type lagging in a fairness metric,
a contact or contact type rated highest in a value, priority, or performance metric,
a contact or contact type rated highest in a value, priority, or performance metric for a particular agent,
a contact previously assigned to the agent of the selected pair,
a sequentially labeled contact or contact type, or
a randomly selected contact or contact type.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected one of the first pair and the second pair comprises a worse expected instant outcome than the other of the first pair and the second pair.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein a higher-ordered agent remains available for subsequent assignment to a similarly higher-ordered contact, or a higher-ordered contact remains available for subsequent assignment to a similarly higher-ordered agent.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first strategy comprises a behavioral pairing strategy, and wherein the second strategy comprises a priority queuing strategy.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein each successively higher-ordered contact of the plurality of contacts is more likely to be selected than respectively lower-ordered contacts.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein each successively higher-ordered contact of the plurality of contacts comprises a lower average waiting time than respectively lower-ordered contacts.

17. A method for hybrid behavioral pairing 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, an ordering of an available agent of a plurality of agents in the contact center system;
determining, by the at least one computer processor, a first ordering of a plurality of contacts according to a first strategy for pairing with a balanced contact utilization;
determining, by the at least one computer processor, a second ordering of the plurality of contacts according to a second strategy for pairing with a skewed contact utilization;
adjusting, by the at least one computer processor, the first ordering according to the second ordering, wherein an extent of the adjusting is based at least in part on a hybridization function;
comparing, by the at least one computer processor and after the adjusting, a first difference in ordering between the available agent and a first contact of the plurality of contacts as adjusted in a first pair with a second difference in ordering between the available agent and a second contact of the plurality of contacts as adjusted different from the first contact in a second pair;
selecting, by the at least one computer processor, one of the first pair and the second pair for connection based at least in part upon the comparing; and
outputting, by the at least one computer processor, the selection of one of the first pair and the second pair, wherein the selected one of the first pair and the second pair is connected in the contact center system based at least in part upon the outputting.

18. A system for hybrid behavioral pairing 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 an ordering of an available agent of a plurality of agents in the contact center system;
order a plurality of contacts;
adjust the ordering of the plurality of contacts to bias a first strategy for pairing with a balanced contact utilization toward a second strategy for pairing with a skewed contact utilization, wherein an extent of the adjusting is based at least in part on a hybridization function;
compare, after the adjusting, a first difference in ordering between the available agent and a first contact of the plurality of contacts as adjusted in a first pair with a second difference in ordering between the available agent and a second contact of the plurality of contacts as adjusted different from the first contact in a second pair;
select one of the first pair and the second pair for connection based at least in part upon the comparing; and
output the selection of one of the first pair and the second pair, wherein the selected one of the first pair and the second pair is connected in the contact center system based at least in part upon the outputting.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to controllabl

Assignees

• Afiniti Europe Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Chishti Zia
• Khatri Vikash

Classifications

• H04M3/5234

  Uniform load distribution · CPC title

• H04M3/5233

  Operator skill based call distribution · CPC title

• H04M2201/36

  Memories · CPC title

• H04M3/5232 Primary

  Call distribution algorithms · CPC title

• H04M3/5235

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