Contact Center Pairing System Using Delayed Assignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing contact center pairing strategies, such as FIFO and PBR, may be inefficient when choosing among multiple possible pairings, leading to suboptimal performance in minimizing contact hold time and agent idle time.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method and system that periodically obtain contact center information to identify available agents and contacts, and then perform pairing processes to optimize pairings, potentially delaying connections to increase choice and enter higher-choice L3 environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If a contact center uses a pairing strategy that chooses the first available pairing to minimize contact hold time or agent idle time, then contact hold time and agent idle time are minimized, but the efficiency and performance of the pairing strategy deteriorate due to limited choice among multiple possible pairings
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of multiple candidate pairings before making the final assignment decision. By pre-evaluating multiple agent-contact combinations and their potential outcomes, the system can select from several optimized options rather than being forced to accept the first available pairing, thus improving overall pairing strategy efficiency while still minimizing contact hold time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of choice by evaluating multiple pairing options simultaneously rather than sequentially. By considering multiple agents and multiple contacts in the evaluation process and using optimization algorithms to select the best pairing from several candidates, the system improves pairing efficiency without sacrificing the minimization of contact hold time or agent idle time.
2Loss of time
If a contact center uses a pairing strategy that chooses the first available pairing, then agent idle time is minimized, but the utilization efficiency deteriorates due to suboptimal pairing selections
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary evaluation of multiple candidate pairings before making final assignments. By pre-identifying several potential agent-contact matches and evaluating their impact on agent utilization and idle time, the system can select pairings that optimize both metrics simultaneously rather than simply minimizing idle time with the first available pairing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the approach by evaluating multiple pairing parameters simultaneously, including agent skills, contact requirements, historical performance data, and predicted interaction outcomes. This multi-parameter evaluation enables the system to improve agent utilization efficiency while still minimizing agent idle time through optimized pairing selections.
3Productivity
If a contact center increases the amount of choice in pairing strategies by delaying connections to enter higher-choice L3 environments, then pairing efficiency improves, but contact waiting time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial delay by waiting for a threshold number of candidate pairings to become available before making an assignment, rather than immediately assigning the first available pairing. This partial waiting period allows the system to evaluate more options and improve pairing efficiency, while the threshold is calibrated to prevent excessive delays that would significantly increase contact waiting time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the timing parameter by introducing a controlled delay mechanism that waits until sufficient pairing options are available. By dynamically adjusting the waiting threshold based on system conditions and using optimization algorithms to evaluate multiple candidates within the delay window, the system improves pairing efficiency while managing the increase in contact waiting time through parameter optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
A pairing module comprising a memory storing contact center information that i) identifies a first set of available agents that are available to be paired with a contact and ii) identifies a first set of available contacts that are waiting to be paired with an available agent. The pairing module further comprises a contact/agent (C/A) pair selector that functions occasionally read the memory to obtain contact center information and then use the obtained contact center information to pair available agents with available contacts.