Patent EP0090375A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent EP0926872A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0926872A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Arrangement for equalizing levels of service among skills
Assignee: Nokia of America Corp
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Filing: 1998-12-08
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2018-12-08
Abstract
Abstract In a skills-based ACD, an agent is selected to handle a call based on which available agent's handling of the call will produce the least deviation from the agent's target performance criteria, and a call is selected for handling by an agent based on which available call's handling will produce the least deviation from the agent's target performance criteria. Illustrative target performance criteria include target per-agent per-skill skill work time to staff time ratios. Moreover, the selected call is left waiting and the selected agent is left idle if handling of the call by the agent would increase deviation from the agent's target performance criteria. This serves to equalize the levels of service given to small skills (those staffed with few agents) and large skills (those staffed with many agents).
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas S. Fisher
- 👤 Roy A. Jensen
- 👤 Martin I. Reiman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 04:07
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/50; H04M3/51; H04M3/523; H04M3/5232; H04M3/5233
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
153 words
A method of selecting a call handler to handle a call, comprising
the steps of: in response to the call needing one of a plurality of skills for its
handling, selecting an available call handler having the needed skill, and assigning the selected call handler to handle the call, CHARACTERISED BY the step of selecting comprising the step of determining (202-210) one of a plurality of available call handlers
having the needed skill whose handling of the call would result in a
smallest total deviation of per-skill ratios of an amount of time spent by the
call handler in handling calls needing a skill (skill work time) and a total
amount of time spent by the call handler in handling calls (staff time) from
target per-skill ratios of skill work time and staff time; and the step of assigning comprising the step of assigning (212) the determined call handler to handle the call.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
110 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the step of assigning comprises the steps of determining (404) whether the determined call handler's skill work
time for the needed skill exceeds a target amount of time for handling
calls needing the needed skill (target skill work time); in response to a determination that the skill work time for the
needed skill exceeds the target skill work time, forbearing (408) from
assigning the determined call handler to handle the call; and in response to a determination that the skill work time for the
needed skill does not exceed the target skill work time, assigning (406)
the determined call handler to handle the call.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
203 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the step of determining comprises the steps of for each of said available call handlers having the needed skill, determining (202) the call handler's per-skill skill work times, staff time,
and per-skill target ratios of skill work time and staff time; determining (204) an expected handling time for a call needing the
needed skill; for each of said available call handlers having the needed skill,
incrementing (206) the call handler's skill work time for the needed skill
and the staff time by the expected handling time; for each of said available call handlers having the needed skill,
determining (207) a ratio of the incremented skill work time for the needed
skill and the incremented staff time and further determining per-skill ratios
of the skill work times for the call handler's skills other than the needed
skill and the incremented staff time; for each of said available call handlers having the needed skill,
determining (208) per-skill variances between the determined ratios and
the target ratios; for each of said available call handlers having the needed skill,
combining (210) the determined variances to obtain a total deviation; and determining (212) the one call handler having the smallest total
deviation.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of selecting a call for handling by a call handler,
comprising the steps of: in response to the call handler having a plurality of skills for
handling calls, selecting an available call that needs one of the call
handler's skills, and assigning the call handler to handle the selected call, CHARACTERISED BY the step of selecting comprising the step of determining (302-312) one of a plurality of available calls that need
different ones of the call handler's skills whose handling by the call
handler would result in a smallest total deviation of per-skill ratios of an
amount of time spent by the call handler in handling calls needing a skill of
the call handler (skill work time) and a total amount of time spent by the
call handler in handling calls (staff time) from target per-skill ratios of skill
work time and staff time; and the step of assigning comprising the step of assigning (314) the call handler to handle the determined call.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
121 words
The method of claim 4 wherein: the step of assigning comprises the steps of determining (504) whether the call handler's skill work time for the
skill needed by the determined call exceeds a target amount of time for
handling calls needing the needed skill (target skill work time); in response to a determination that the skill work time for the skill
needed by the determined call exceeds the target skill work time,
forbearing (508) from assigning the call handler to handle the determined
call; and in response to a determination that the skill work time for the skill
needed by the determined call does not exceed the target skill work time,
assigning (506) the call handler to handle the determined call.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
207 words
The method of claim 4 wherein: the step of determining comprises the steps of determining (302) skills of the call handler that are needed by the
available calls; for each of the needed skills, determining (304) the call handler's
per-skill skill work times and per-skill target ratios of skill work time and
staff time; determining (304) the call handler's staff time; for each of the needed skills, determining (306) a corresponding
expected handling time for a call needing that skill; for each of the needed skills, incrementing (308) the call handler's
corresponding skill work time and the staff time by the corresponding
expected handling time; for each of the needed skills, determining (309) a ratio of the
corresponding incremented skill work time and the corresponding
incremented staff time and further determining for the call handler's skills
other than the corresponding skill per-skill ratios of the skill work times and
the corresponding incremented staff time; for each of the needed skills, determining (310) variances between
the per-skill corresponding determined ratios and the corresponding target
ratios; for each of the needed skills, combining (312) the determined
corresponding variances to obtain a corresponding total deviation; and determining (314) the call needing the one skill having the smallest
corresponding total deviation.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
258 words
A method of matching calls that are available for handling with
call handlers that are available to handle calls, comprising the steps of: in response to a call needing one of a plurality of skills for its
handling becoming available, selecting an available call handler having the needed skill, and assigning the selected call handler to handle the call; and in response to a call handler having a plurality of skills for handling
calls becoming available, selecting an available call that needs one of the call handler's skills,
and assigning the call handler to handle the selected call, CHARACTERISED BY the step of selecting an available call handler comprises the step of selecting (402) one of a plurality of available call handlers having
the needed skill whose handling of the call would produce a least
deviation from target performance criteria; the step of selecting an available call comprises the step of selecting (502) one of a plurality of available calls that need
different ones of the available call handler's skills whose handling by the
call handler would produce a least deviation from target performance
criteria; and the steps of assigning comprise the steps of in response to either selection, determining (404, 504) whether an
assignment of the agent to handle the call would increase deviation from
the target performance criteria; in response to a determination that the assignment would not
increase the deviation, making (406, 506) the assignment; and in response to a determination that the assignment would increase
the deviation, forbearing (408, 508) from making the assignment.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 2 or 5 or 7 wherein: the step of forbearing comprises the steps of leaving the call waiting for another call handler; and leaving the call handler idle.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
543 words
The method of claim 7 wherein: the step of selecting one of a plurality of available call handlers
comprises the step of in response to a call needing one of a plurality of skills for its
handling becoming available, determining (202-210) one of a plurality of
available call handlers having the needed skill whose handling of the call
would result in a smallest total deviation of per-skill ratios of an amount of
time spent by the call handler in handling calls needing a skill (skill work
time) and a total amount of time spent by the call handler in handling calls
(staff time) from target per-skill ratios of skill work time and staff time; the step of selecting one of a plurality of available calls comprises
the step of in response to a call handler having a plurality of skills for handling
calls becoming available, determining (302-312) one of a plurality of
available calls that need different ones of the available call handler's skills
whose handling by the available call handler would result in a smallest
total deviation of per skill ratios of a corresponding skill work time and a
corresponding staff time from target per-skill ratios of skill work time and
staff time; the step of determining whether an assignment would increase
deviation comprises the steps of in response to selection of the determined call handler, determining
(404) whether the determined call handler's skill work time for the one skill
exceeds the determined call handler's target amount of time for handling
calls needing the one skill (target skill work time), and in response to selection of the determined call, determining (504)
whether the available call handler's skill work time for the skill needed by
the determined call exceeds the available call handler's target skill work
time for the needed skill; the step of forbearing from making the assignment comprises the
steps of in response to a determination that the determined call handler's
skill work time for the one skill exceeds the determined call handler's
target skill work time for the one skill, forbearing (408) from assigning the
determined call handler to handle the call needing the one skill, leaving (408) the call needing the one skill waiting for another call
handler, and leaving (408) the determined call handler idle, and in response to a determination that the available call handler's skill
work time for the needed skill exceeds the available call handler's target
skill work time for the needed skill, forbearing (508) from assigning the
available call handler to handle the determined call, leaving (508) the determined call waiting for another call handler,
and leaving (508) the available call handler idle; and the step of making the assignment comprises the steps of in response to a determination that the determined call handler's
skill work time for the one skill does not exceed the determined call
handler's target skill work time for the one skill, assigning (406) the
determined call handler to handle the call needing the one skill, and in response to a determination that the available call handler's skill
work time for the needed skill does not exceed the available call handler's
target skill work time for the needed skill, assigning (506) the available call
handler to handle the determined call.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
An apparatus (101) that performs the method of claim 1 or 2
or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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