Team-Based Agent Assignment in Task Routing Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
In busy contact centers, skills-based agent assignment in CRM systems often defaults to first-availability basis due to all agents being occupied, limiting the opportunity for optimal 'best agent' selection, as the assignment algorithm cannot select from multiple agents simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
Implement a team-based approach that identifies agents expected to become available by monitoring their workflow and 'earmarks' them to suitable tasks, allowing for skills-based assignment even in high-demand situations by anticipating agent availability and optimizing team-level results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If skills-based routing is implemented to select the best agent for each task, then agent-task matching quality is improved, but in busy contact centers all agents are occupied most of the time and assignment decisions are made on first-availability basis rather than optimal selection
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by identifying agents who will become available in the near future (within a defined time window) and pre-assigning tasks to them before they actually become available. This allows the assignment algorithm to optimize at a macro level across multiple agents rather than being forced to make immediate micro-level decisions based on first-availability, thereby improving agent-task matching quality while avoiding delays.
2Manufacturing precision
If the assignment algorithm waits for multiple agents to be available to make optimal selection, then best agent selection is improved, but in practice only one agent is available at any instant and the algorithm must make immediate assignment decisions
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively identifies agents who will become available soon and pre-assigns tasks to them, allowing the algorithm to evaluate multiple agents and make optimal selections in advance. This eliminates the need to wait for multiple agents to naturally become available while maintaining assignment speed, as the pre-assignment process creates a pool of candidates ready for immediate task allocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the pool of available agents by continuously monitoring agent status and identifying those who will become available within a defined time window. This dynamic approach allows the assignment algorithm to adapt to changing availability conditions and maintain optimal selection capabilities without sacrificing assignment speed, as the system continuously updates which agents can be considered for new tasks.
3Productivity
If assignment decisions are made on first-availability basis when only one agent is available, then assignment speed is maintained, but the opportunity for macro-level optimization is lost and only micro-level optimization is possible
Solution Approach 1:
By pre-identifying agents who will become available soon and pre-assigning tasks to them, the system creates a forward-looking assignment pool that enables macro-level optimization. This allows the algorithm to consider multiple agents and tasks together to achieve optimal matching, rather than making isolated micro-level decisions based on first-availability, while maintaining assignment speed through the pre-computed assignment pool.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provide systems and methods for a team-based approach to skills-based agent assignment in task routing systems. According to one embodiment, performing skills-based task assignments in a task routing system can comprise identifying a team of agents. The team of agents can comprise a plurality of agents handling a currently assigned task but expected to become available for assignment of a new task. Each agent of the team of agents can be earmarked to one of a plurality of new tasks selected from a queue of tasks. At some point, one of the agents of the team can be detected as being available and the agent detected as being available can be assigned to one of the plurality of new tasks based at least in part on consideration of the earmarking of the agents of the team to the plurality of new tasks.