Contact Routing Mechanism Using Estimated Handling Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current contact center routing algorithms are not sensitive to the time required to process work items, leading to inefficient queue ordering where items requiring less time to process may wait behind those requiring more time, even if the wait time would not significantly change.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an Estimated Contact Handling Time (ECHT) calculation for work items, which considers historical data, customer interaction classifications, time-of-day, location, and linguistic differences to reorder or dynamically generate queues, allowing for the creation of a fast track queue for items with lower ECHT, and assigning specialized agents to handle these items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If work items are queued using traditional FIFO or priority-based routing, then queue management is simple, but work items requiring less time to process may wait behind those requiring more time, leading to increased wait times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces ECHT (Estimated Contact Handling Time) as a new parameter for queue ordering, changing the traditional FIFO or simple priority-based ordering. The system calculates ECHT based on historical data, work item type, skill requirements, and agent characteristics, then uses this parameter to dynamically reorder queues and create fast track queues, optimizing wait times without significantly increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts queue ordering based on real-time ECHT calculations rather than using static FIFO or priority rules. The queue configuration changes adaptively as work items are added or removed, and as ECHT estimates are updated, allowing the system to respond to changing conditions and optimize processing efficiency
2Productivity
If a single queue is used for all work items, then queue management is simple, but efficient resource allocation is reduced due to inability to prioritize time-sensitive items
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single queue into multiple queues based on ECHT thresholds. A fast track queue is created for work items with ECHT below a predetermined threshold, while other items remain in the standard queue. This segmentation allows differentiated handling of time-sensitive versus non-time-sensitive items, improving resource allocation efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The ECHT calculation acts as an intermediary mechanism that bridges the simple queue structure and the need for sophisticated resource allocation. By calculating ECHT as an intermediate parameter, the system can make intelligent routing decisions without requiring complex queue structures, using the ECHT value to determine queue placement and agent assignment
3Speed
If work items are processed in traditional queue order, then processing follows simple rules, but overall processing speed is reduced due to items with long handling times blocking faster items
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the routing parameter from simple FIFO order to ECHT-based ordering. By calculating and using ECHT as the primary sorting parameter, the system optimizes processing speed by ensuring that work items requiring less time to process are handled first, reducing overall queue clearance time and improving throughput
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of processing work items in the order they arrive (FIFO) or by traditional priority, the system inverts the approach by processing items in reverse order of their handling time requirements. Items with the shortest ECHT are processed first, regardless of arrival time, fundamentally changing the processing paradigm to optimize speed
Data Source
AI summary
A contact center is described and systems, methods, and devices for processing work items within the contact center are provided. An Estimated Contact Handling Time (ECHT) is computed for one or more work items in the contact center and work items are distributed within the contact center at least partially based on the ECHT calculations. Thus, a time-based contact routing mechanism is provided to increase the efficiency with which a contact center operates.