Contact Routing via Wait Tolerance and Agent Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing contact center systems fail to allow customers to wait for a preferred agent when one is not initially available, often routing them to non-preferred agents to minimize wait time, which can compromise customer satisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that assign contacts to preferred agents after a tolerable wait period, determining the expected wait time for preferred agents and the contact's wait tolerance, and if it exceeds the tolerance, the contact is routed to a preferred agent, otherwise to an undifferentiated agent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the contact is routed to a non-preferred agent immediately to minimize wait time, then the wait time is reduced, but the customer satisfaction is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the routing decision based on real-time conditions. It implements a wait tolerance threshold that allows the contact to wait for a preferred agent if the expected wait time is within the tolerance, but routes to a non-preferred agent immediately if the expected wait time exceeds the tolerance. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the routing strategy flexible rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the routing parameter from a binary choice (preferred or non-preferred) to a conditional choice based on the comparison between expected wait time and wait tolerance. By introducing this parameter comparison mechanism, the system can optimize both wait time and customer satisfaction depending on the specific situation, resolving the contradiction between these two opposing goals.
2Reliability
If the contact waits for a preferred agent, then the customer satisfaction is improved, but the wait time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines whether to allow waiting based on the relationship between expected wait time and wait tolerance. When expected wait time is less than or equal to wait tolerance, the system allows the contact to wait for a preferred agent, improving satisfaction. When expected wait time exceeds tolerance, the system routes immediately to a non-preferred agent, limiting wait time. This dynamic decision-making resolves the contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial waiting - it allows waiting only up to the point where it becomes excessive (when expected wait time exceeds tolerance). This partial action approach enables the system to capture the benefits of waiting for preferred agents while preventing excessive wait times that would harm customer satisfaction, thus resolving the contradiction.
3Productivity
If an agent waits for a preferred contact, then the agent utilization is improved, but the contact wait time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the agent's state from continuously waiting for any contact to selectively waiting based on preference matching. By introducing the preference matching parameter and comparing it with wait tolerance, the system enables agents to wait strategically for preferred contacts when it makes sense, rather than passively accepting any assignment. This resolves the contradiction by making agent waiting productive rather than wasteful.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for assigning a contact to undifferentiated agents is provided, comprising: describing substantially each undifferentiated agent using at least one agent attribute to produce a set of agent attribute values; describing a contact using at least one contact attribute to produce a set of contact attribute values; relating the sets of agent and contact attribute values to produce at least one preferred agent; determining an expected wait time for substantially each of the at least one preferred agent to produce a set of expected wait times; determining a wait tolerance for the contact; if the expected wait time for at least one preferred agent is less than the wait tolerance, then assign the contact to the at least one preferred agent; and if the expected wait time for the at least one preferred agent is greater than the wait tolerance, then assign the contact to an undifferentiated agent.