Contact center load forecasting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9838532-B2
Application number	US-201514958696-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2015
Priority date	Dec 3, 2015
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

An example method of generating contact totals based on customer communication patterns in different time zones may include obtaining information indicative of geographic locations for customers of a contact center. The obtained information may be analyzed to determine locations for the customers based on the information indicative of geographic locations. The time zone behaviors for each of the determined locations of the customers may be determined. The method may include accumulating numbers of the customers contacting the contact center for a sampled time period. Contact totals may be generated based on the accumulated numbers. The accumulated numbers may be stored along with the corresponding time zone behaviors for the determined locations of the customers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computerized method of generating contact totals based on customer communication patterns in different time zones to provide to a workforce management system, comprising:
obtaining, by a computing device, information indicative of geographic locations for customer contacts of a contact center, wherein the information is based on a type of metadata that is received by the computing device, and wherein the type of metadata is based on a type of customer device each respective customer uses to contact the call center;
analyzing, by the computing device, the obtained information to determine locations for customers associated with the contacts based on the information indicative of geographic locations;
determining, by the computing device, time zone behaviors for the determined locations of the customers;
accumulating, by the computing device, numbers of the customers contacting the contact center over a sampled time period;
grouping, by the computing device, the accumulated numbers based on time spans of days that the customer

contacts with the contact center occurred;
generating, by the computing device, contact totals based on the accumulated numbers, including adjusting at least a portion of the accumulated numbers based on the determined time zone behaviors for the determined locations of the customers, wherein at least a portion of the accumulated numbers are shifted by one hour to account for a daylight saving time shift in at least one of the determined locations of the customers; and
transmitting, by the computing device, the contact totals to the workforce management system.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein determining the contact totals further comprises:
deriving representative load information for a future time period based on the accumulated numbers; and
adjusting the representative load information for the future time period based on the determined time zone behaviors for the determined locations of the customers, wherein at least a portion of the accumulated numbers are shifted by one hour to account for a future daylight saving time shift occurring during the future time period in at least one of the determined locations of the customers.

3. The computerized method of claim 1 , further comprising:
grouping the accumulated numbers based on days of the week that the customer contacts with the contact center occurred; and
averaging the accumulated numbers to obtain an average call load for each of the time spans of each of the days of the week that the customer contacts with the contact center occurred.

4. The computerized method of claim 2 , wherein the deriving of representative load information comprises:
grouping the accumulated numbers according to days of the week in a target time period that customer contacts with the contact center occurred, wherein the target time period is at least a portion of the sampled time period;
grouping the accumulated numbers based on time spans of the days of the week that the customer contacts with the contact center occurred;
shifting at least a portion of the accumulated numbers in the target time period based on the corresponding time zone behavior; and
averaging the accumulated numbers to obtain an average call load for each of the time spans for each of the days of the week in the target time period.

5. The computerized method of claim 4 , wherein the accumulated numbers in the target time period are shifted to correspond with a reference time standard of a reference location.

6. The computerized method of claim 5 , wherein the reference location is the contact center.

7. The computerized method of claim 4 , further comprising shifting the accumulated numbers in the target time period based on the time zone behavior of a reference time standard of a reference location.

8. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the determined locations is a default location, an approximate location, or an exact location for one of the customers.

9. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein the information indicative of geographic locations for the customers includes contact media or account information for the customers.

10. The computerized method of claim 1 , further comprising excluding at least a portion of the accumulated numbers from the sampled time period.

Assignees

• Incontact Inc

Inventors

• Minert Brian Douglas
• Dehart Derek

Classifications

• H04M2242/30

  Determination of the location of a subscriber · CPC title

• G06Q30/0205 Primary

  based on location or geographical consideration · CPC title

• H04M3/5238

  with waiting time or load prediction arrangements · CPC title

• H04M2203/555

  Statistics, e.g. about subscribers but not being call statistics · CPC title

• H04M3/36 Primary

  Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks · CPC title