EP0863650A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Waiting-call selection based on anticipated wait times
Assignee: Nokia of America Corp
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Filing: 1998-02-24
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2018-02-24
Abstract
Abstract The maximum wait time for callers in a call center is lowered by selecting, for an agent who has just become available to handle a call, a highest-priority waiting call that would most likely wait the longest if it were not selected at this time. Anticipated wait times are computed for the calls at the heads of the non-empty highest-priority call queues that correspond to the agent's skills or splits (202-210). The anticipated wait time of a call is computed as the call's present (elapsed) wait time plus the average rate of advance of calls in the call's queue (210). The call with the longest anticipated wait time is then selected first and is assigned to the available agent for handling (212-216). The process is repeated each time that any agent becomes available.
Inventors
- 👤 Andrew D. Flockhart
- 👤 Joylee E. Kohler
- 👤 Robin Harris Foster
- 👤 Eugene P. Mathews
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 02:32
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/50; H04M3/51; H04M3/523; H04M3/5232; H04M3/5233; H04M3/5238
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
73 words
A method of selecting one of a plurality of items that are waiting to be
selected, CHARACTERISED BY the steps of: anticipating (204-210) how long each one of the plurality of items that
are waiting to be selected will have waited to be selected if said item is not selected
first from among the waiting items; and first selecting (212) the one of the waiting items that has a longest
anticipated wait time.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
80 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the step of anticipating comprises the steps of determining (206) how long each one of the plurality of items has been
waiting to be selected, determining (208) how long each one of the plurality of items is likely
to wait to be selected if said item is not selected first, and for each one of the items, combining (210) the determinations made for
said item to obtain the anticipated wait time for said item.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
82 words
The method of claim 1 for selecting one of a plurality of items from a
plurality of queues (21) each having at least one enqueued item (23), wherein: the step of anticipating comprises the step of anticipating (206) how long each item that is enqueued at a head of any
of the queues will have waited to be selected if said item is not selected first from
among the items that are enqueued at the heads of the plurality of the queues.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the plurality of items are waiting to be selected for processing, and the first-selected item is selected for being processed (206) first from
among the waiting items.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
84 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the items are communications that are waiting to be processed; the step of anticipating comprises the step of anticipating (204-210) how long each one of the plurality of
communications that are waiting to be processed will have waited before being
processed if said communication is not processed first from among the waiting
communications; and the step of selecting comprises the step of first processing (212-216) the one of the waiting communications that
has a longest anticipated wait time.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
83 words
The method of claim 5 for selecting for processing one of a plurality
of communications from a plurality of queues (21) each having at least one enqueued
communication, wherein: the step of anticipating comprises the step of anticipating (204-210) how long each communication that is enqueued
at a head of any of the queues will have waited to be processed if said
communication is not processed first from among the communications that are
enqueued at the heads of the plurality of the queues.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
125 words
The method of claim 6 wherein: the step of anticipating how long each communication that is enqueued
at a head of any of the queues will have waited comprises the steps of determining (206) how long each one of the plurality of the
communications that are enqueued at the heads of the queues have been enqueued, determining (208) how long each one of the plurality of the
communications that are enqueued at the heads of the queues is likely to remain
enqueued if said communication is not processed first, and for each one of the plurality of the communications that are enqueued at
the heads of the queues, combining (210) the determinations made for said
communication to obtain the anticipated wait time for said communication.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 7 wherein: the step of determining how long each one of the plurality of the
communications is likely to remain enqueued comprises the step of determining (208) for each of the queues a rate of advance of enqueued
communications through the queue.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
130 words
The method of claim 6 wherein: each one of the queues (21) corresponds to a different skill or split, and the step of anticipating comprises the steps of in response to an agent becoming available (200) to process a
communication, determining (202) skills or splits that correspond to the agent; in response to determining the skills or splits that correspond to the
agent, anticipating (204-210) how long each communication that is enqueued at a
head of any of the queues that correspond to the skills or splits that correspond to the
agent will have waited to be processed if said communication is not processed first
from among the communications that are enqueued at the heads of the queues that
correspond to the skills or splits that correspond to the agent.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
An apparatus that effects the steps of claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6
or 7 or 8 or 9.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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