Contact Center Floorplan Optimization Using Agent Performance Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contact centers face challenges in optimizing agent performance and resource allocation due to the lack of effective methods to correlate physical placement and logical grouping of resources with key performance indicators (KPIs), leading to suboptimal efficiency and productivity.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that collect and correlate data on agent performance metrics and workforce management data, overlaying this information onto a contact center floorplan to visualize performance and social networks, and predict optimal resource arrangements and interaction routing based on environmental parameters such as noise level, light, and distance, using linear regression models and neural networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If agents are physically grouped by logical resource groups in the contact center, then agent collaboration and resource sharing improve, but physical space constraints and layout complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent overlays performance data and social network visualizations onto a two-dimensional floorplan representation, adding informational dimensions to the physical space visualization. This allows multiple layers of information (performance metrics, social connections, physical location) to coexist without increasing physical complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a computational intermediary that processes workforce management data, performance metrics, and floorplan information to generate optimized physical arrangement recommendations. This intermediary mediates between the complex data inputs and the physical layout output, resolving the contradiction by handling complexity computationally rather than physically
2Measurement precision
If performance data is collected and visualized for each agent location, then performance monitoring accuracy improves, but data processing and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple data sources (workforce management data, performance metrics, floorplan information) into a single integrated visualization system. By merging these disparate data types into one cohesive display, the system achieves comprehensive performance monitoring without proportionally increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy or representation of the physical floorplan and overlays performance data onto this digital model. This copying approach allows precise performance tracking at each location without requiring additional physical monitoring infrastructure at each agent workstation
3Productivity
If the physical arrangement of agents is optimized based on social networks and performance metrics, then contact center efficiency improves, but the difficulty of implementing and reconfiguring layouts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system generates dynamic recommendations for physical arrangements that can be updated as social networks and performance metrics change over time. This dynamic approach allows the optimization to adapt to changing conditions without requiring complete reconfiguration, making implementation more manageable
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of social networks and performance data to generate optimization recommendations before physical reconfiguration is implemented. This preliminary computational work prepares the optimization strategy in advance, reducing the complexity and difficulty of the actual physical reconfiguration process
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes: identifying, by a processor, one or more physical arrangements of resources in a customer contact center; predicting, by the processor, for each of the one or more physical arrangements of resources, a predicted performance metric of the physical arrangement of resources in accordance with one or more working environment parameters of the customer contact center; identifying, by the processor, a particular physical arrangement of the one or more physical arrangements having a corresponding predicted performance metric satisfying a threshold performance among the one or more physical arrangements; and outputting, by the processor, the particular physical arrangement of resources in the customer contact center.