Contact Center Routing Using Agent Negativity and User Ease Scores

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing contact centers face challenges in routing calls to appropriate agents due to varying agent expertise and user interactions, which can lead to unsatisfactory issue resolution and negatively impact agent wellbeing.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that determines attitudinal negativity scores and user ease scores to selectively route calls, blocking difficult calls from agents with high negativity scores and routing them to more suitable agents, thereby improving both user satisfaction and agent wellbeing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If calls are routed to agents based on available skills and expertise, then issue resolution effectiveness is improved, but agent wellbeing deteriorates due to exposure to difficult interactions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveissue resolution effectivenessVSAvoidagent wellbeing

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary assessment of both agent attitudinal negativity scores and user ease scores before routing calls. By evaluating these metrics in advance and blocking difficult calls from agents with high negativity scores before the interaction occurs, the system prevents wellbeing deterioration while maintaining effective issue resolution through score-based matching

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary routing system that acts as a mediator between users and agents. This intermediary evaluates attitudinal negativity scores and user ease scores, making intelligent routing decisions that match users with appropriate agents based on score compatibility, thereby protecting agent wellbeing while ensuring effective issue resolution

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If all incoming calls are routed to available agents, then call handling productivity is improved, but quality of interaction deteriorates due to mismatched agent-user compatibility

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecall handling productivityVSAvoidinteraction quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the routing parameters from simple availability-based routing to score-based routing using attitudinal negativity scores and user ease scores. By incorporating these additional parameters, the system maintains high call handling productivity while significantly improving interaction quality through better agent-user matching

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If agents handle all types of calls regardless of current state, then service coverage is improved, but agent burnout risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice coverageVSAvoidagent burnout risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements dynamic call routing that adapts to the current state of agents based on their attitudinal negativity scores. Agents with high negativity scores are dynamically blocked from receiving difficult calls, while their service coverage is maintained through routing to other suitable agents. This dynamic adjustment prevents burnout while ensuring continuous service coverage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12581017B2Communication routing for contact center

Publication Date: 2026.03.17 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

In an example embodiment, a method includes determining an attitudinal negativity score associated with a contact center agent, among a plurality of contact center agents, based on an interaction between the contact center agent and a user during a communication session, receiving data associated with an incoming user communication, determining a user ease score associated with the incoming user communication based on the data, and blocking routing of the incoming user communication to the contact center agent based on the attitudinal negativity score being above a first threshold score and the user ease score being below a second threshold score.