Working-Hours-Based CSA Routing for Service Continuity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional customer support systems often mismatch customer and support engineer working hours, leading to delayed issue resolution due to CSA shift end, resulting in poor customer experience and inefficient service request handling.

Innovation Solution

A data processing system that analyzes customer and CSA working hours to calculate compatibility scores, reorders CSA queues based on these scores, and selects the most compatible CSA for service requests, ensuring better alignment and continuity of service.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the first available CSA is assigned to a customer service request, then the service request can be quickly routed, but the working hours of the customer and CSA may not align, causing delays in issue resolution

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice request routing speedVSAvoidissue resolution time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the routing parameter from simple availability status to a compatibility score that incorporates working hours alignment. This allows the system to select CSAs whose working hours best match the customer's, reducing delays while maintaining efficient routing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-calculates and stores working hours information for both customers and CSAs before service requests are submitted. This preliminary data preparation enables rapid compatibility assessment and CSA selection without delaying the routing process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If working hours alignment is prioritized when matching customers with CSAs, then communication and service continuity improve, but the complexity of the routing system increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice continuityVSAvoidrouting system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The compatibility score mechanism serves multiple functions: it evaluates working hours alignment, ranks CSA candidates, and guides routing decisions. This multi-functionality achieves reliable service continuity without requiring separate complex systems for each function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces manual or rule-based CSA selection with an automated algorithm that calculates compatibility scores based on working hours data. This substitution reduces operational complexity while improving service reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11830010B2Working-time-based routing for customer support

Publication Date: 2023.11.28 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Techniques performed by a data processing system for matching a customer service ambassador (CSA) with a customer include receiving a service request for technical assistance from the customer, analyzing estimated working hours information for the customer and estimated working hours information for each of the plurality of CSAs to produce a compatibility score for each CSA, the compatibility score for a respective one of the CSAs providing an indication of how closely the working hours of the customer and of the respective one of the CSAs align, reordering an available CSA queue identifying the plurality of CSAs based on the compatibility scores of each of the CSAs, and selecting a CSA from the queue to provide technical assistance to the customer.