Hybrid Call Routing Scheme Balancing Agent Fairness and Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing call routing methods in call centers are inefficient, as they either prioritize fairness over efficiency or vice versa, leading to frustration among agents and potential inefficiencies in service.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid call routing scheme that combines longest-idle-agent and performance-based routing, using a tuning parameter to adjust the weighting of these methods based on call center busy status, calculating a hybrid score for each agent to balance fairness and efficiency in real-time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If first-in-first-out routing is used to assign calls to the longest idle agent, then fairness is improved, but efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the routing parameter from a single static criterion (longest idle time) to a composite dynamic score that combines multiple factors including performance metrics, skill matching, and idle time. This parameter transformation allows the system to optimize for both fairness and efficiency by weighing different criteria differently based on real-time conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The routing decision uses a composite evaluation model that combines multiple routing criteria (performance-based routing, skill-based routing, and longest-idle-agent routing) into a unified hybrid scoring mechanism. This composite approach integrates the strengths of different routing methods while mitigating their individual weaknesses.
2Productivity
If performance-based routing is used to increase efficiency, then productivity is improved, but agent frustration increases due to perceived unfairness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges performance-based routing and longest-idle-agent routing into a hybrid model where both criteria are combined through a scoring mechanism. This combination ensures that high-performance agents receive more calls (improving efficiency) while still providing opportunities to less experienced agents (maintaining fairness and reducing frustration).
Solution Approach 2:
The routing system dynamically adjusts the weighting of different routing criteria based on real-time conditions such as call volume, agent performance levels, and idle time distributions. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize efficiency during high-demand periods while prioritizing fairness during lower-demand periods.
3Device complexity
If a fixed routing scheme is used, then system simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to changing call center conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic routing system that continuously adapts to changing conditions by adjusting the hybrid score calculations in real-time based on current call center metrics. This dynamic behavior allows the system to respond to varying call volumes, agent availability, and performance data without requiring complex manual reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The routing system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor call outcomes, agent performance, and waiting times, then use this information to refine future routing decisions. The feedback loop enables the system to learn from past performance and automatically optimize its routing strategy without external intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and apparatus for routing a call using a hybrid call routing scheme are disclosed. For example, the method receives a call for a customer agent at a call center, identifies a list of available customer agents, calculates a hybrid score for each one of the available customer agents, wherein the hybrid score is based upon a combination of a longest-idle-agent routing parameter, a performance based routing parameter and a tuning parameter, selects a customer agent from the list of the available customer agents having a highest hybrid score and routes, by the processor, the call to the customer agent that is selected.