Behavioral Pairing in Contact Centers Using Preferred Hold Activities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contact centers face inefficiencies in pairing contacts with agents, as existing strategies like FIFO and PBR do not account for individual preferences, leading to suboptimal utilization of agents and performance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a behavioral pairing strategy that determines and presents preferred hold activities to contacts, such as music or informational messages, to improve pairing efficiency by using computer processors to assign contacts to agents based on these preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional pairing strategies (FIFO or PBR) are used, then implementation is simple, but agent utilization is unbalanced and contact center performance is suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by determining preferred hold activities for contacts before they are assigned to agents. This advance preparation of contact preferences enables the behavioral pairing strategy to make informed assignment decisions, improving overall contact center performance without requiring complex real-time analysis during the pairing process itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback loops where contact interactions with preferred hold activities are tracked and used to refine future pairing decisions. This feedback mechanism allows the behavioral pairing strategy to continuously optimize agent utilization and contact satisfaction, resolving the contradiction between improved performance and system complexity through data-driven refinement.
2Productivity
If behavioral pairing strategy is implemented, then agent utilization is balanced and performance improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By determining preferred hold activities in advance before agent assignment, the system prepares contact preference data that simplifies the subsequent behavioral pairing decision-making process. This preliminary action reduces the computational complexity of real-time pairing while maintaining the benefits of balanced agent utilization and improved performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The preferred hold activity serves as an intermediary element that bridges contact preferences and agent assignment decisions. This intermediary provides a tangible, measurable attribute that the behavioral pairing strategy can use to match contacts with agents, reducing system complexity by focusing on a specific, manageable preference dimension rather than attempting to analyze all possible contact-agent compatibility factors.
3Ease of operation
If default hold activity is provided to contacts, then implementation is simple, but contact satisfaction is suboptimal and no useful information is provided to pairing strategy
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of hold activity from a fixed default to a variable, preference-based selection. By determining and presenting preferred hold activities based on contact characteristics and behaviors, the system transforms a static implementation into a dynamic one that provides useful information to the pairing strategy, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and information quality.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for behavioral pairing in a contact center system are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for 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, a preferred hold activity for a contact; presenting, by the at least one computer processor, the preferred hold activity to the contact; and assigning, by the at least one computer processor, the contact to an available agent based on the preferred hold activity.