Outbound Dialer Idle Agent Pool Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional contact center outbound dialing systems prioritize agent idle time optimization over matching agent skills with customer needs, resulting in suboptimal service quality and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an outbound dialer that allows agents to sit idle for predetermined periods to enhance matching between agents and customers, using a rules-based matching system and a genetic pacing algorithm to adjust the pacing of outbound calls, creating an idle agent pool to improve agent-to-customer matches and overall contact center efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If agents are immediately assigned to outbound calls when available, then agent idle time is minimized and productivity is maximized, but the matching quality between agent skills and customer needs deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by proactively identifying and notifying potentially compatible agents before calls are completed, creating a head start on matching. This allows agents to be prepared and pre-positioned for upcoming calls based on predicted compatibility, rather than reacting after calls end
Solution Approach 2:
The matching system dynamically adapts to changing conditions by continuously monitoring call outcomes, agent performance, and customer responses. The system evolves its matching criteria in real-time, adjusting which agents are notified and how compatibility is assessed based on current center conditions and observed patterns
2Manufacturing precision
If agents are forced to sit idle for predetermined periods, then the matching quality between agents and customers is improved, but agent idle time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forcing passive idle time, the system performs preliminary matching actions during what would otherwise be idle periods. Agents are notified in advance of upcoming calls based on compatibility predictions, transforming idle time into productive preparation time
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables agents to self-manage their availability and preferences by allowing them to indicate willingness to take breaks, specify preferred working hours, and set communication preferences. This self-service approach gives agents control over their scheduling while the system optimizes overall matching
3Productivity
If the outbound dialer pace is increased to maximize call volume, then productivity is improved, but the quality of agent-customer matching deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary compatibility assessments and agent notifications before calls are connected, enabling faster routing decisions. By pre-identifying compatible agent-customer pairs, the system reduces call handling time and increases the pace at which quality matches can be made
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical queue-based routing with an intelligent notification system that uses data analytics and machine learning to predict compatibility. This substitution enables more sophisticated matching logic that can operate at higher speeds than traditional rule-based systems
Data Source
AI summary
A contact center is described along with various methods and mechanisms for administering the same. The contact center proposed herein provides the ability to, among other things, establish and maintain a pool of idle agents so that when an outbound call attempt is successful, the agent which is assigned to the successful outbound call attempt can be selected from a plurality of agents based on the agent's superior efficiency rather than being based on the fact that the agent is the next in line to be assigned to such a contact.