Contact Center Agent Routing With Scoring and Flexible Availability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional contact centers face challenges with rigid work schedules, difficulty in engaging and motivating remote agents, and lack of flexibility for both agents and customers in selecting service providers, leading to inefficiencies and suboptimal service experiences.
Innovation Solution
A communication system and method that allows agents to offer services based on filtered attributes, enables customers to choose agents based on scores and fees, and compensates agents based on interaction time or number handled, facilitating flexible shifts and remote work while maintaining high-quality service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional rigid shift schedules are used for contact center agents, then operational control and predictability are maintained, but agent flexibility and work-life balance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic scheduling where agents can flexibly select their availability windows within defined parameters, and the system dynamically matches customers to agents based on real-time availability rather than fixed schedules. This allows the system to adapt to changing agent availability while maintaining operational control through boundary constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the scheduling parameter from fixed time blocks to flexible time windows with minimum/maximum duration constraints. Agents can adjust their availability parameters within system-defined boundaries, transforming the rigid schedule into a flexible parameter-based system that maintains control while enabling adaptability.
2Loss of energy
If virtual contact centers with remote agents are implemented, then facility costs are reduced, but agent engagement and motivation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables agents to self-manage their availability and view customer interactions through the platform, creating a sense of autonomy and control. This self-service capability maintains engagement by allowing agents to actively participate in scheduling decisions rather than passively receiving assignments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides agents with feedback on their performance metrics, customer ratings, and interaction history through the digital platform. This continuous feedback loop maintains motivation and engagement by making agents aware of their impact and providing opportunities for improvement and recognition.
3Productivity
If customers are automatically routed to available agents, then service speed is improved, but customer control over agent selection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-filtering and ranking available agents based on customer preferences and agent qualifications before presenting options to the customer. This preliminary processing enables fast automated routing while giving customers informed choices among pre-vetted agents.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the balance between automated routing and customer choice based on real-time conditions. When multiple qualified agents are available, the system presents options to the customer; when choices are limited, automated routing takes precedence, maintaining both speed and control in different contexts.
4Loss of energy
If agents are paid for fixed shifts regardless of interactions handled, then labor cost predictability is maintained, but agent productivity motivation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a hybrid compensation approach where agents receive base pay for being available during scheduled windows (maintaining predictability) plus additional compensation for interactions handled above a certain threshold (motivating productivity). This partial performance-based action balances cost predictability with productivity motivation.
Data Source
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AI summary
Electronic communication methods and systems for rating agents and allowing customers for select agents are provided. Exemplary systems include a communication server for connecting a user to a communication with a contact center, a presence system to determine status of one or more agents, a wait-time determination engine to determine a wait time for one or more agents present for the communication, an agent scoring system for determining a score for one or more agents present for the communication, and a routing engine to connect a selected agent to the communication.