公开(公告)号：US06633640B1

公开(公告)日：2003-10-14

申请号：US09495656

申请日：2000-02-01

申请人： Richard Alan Cohen ,  Andrew Derek Flockhart ,  Robin H. Foster ,  Mila Maximets

发明人： Richard Alan Cohen ,  Andrew Derek Flockhart ,  Robin H. Foster ,  Mila Maximets

IPC分类号： H04M336

CPC分类号： H04Q3/64 ,  H04M3/5234 ,  H04M3/5237 ,  H04Q3/0091 ,  H04Q2213/1302 ,  H04Q2213/13034 ,  H04Q2213/1304 ,  H04Q2213/13072 ,  H04Q2213/13093 ,  H04Q2213/13103 ,  H04Q2213/13106 ,  H04Q2213/13164 ,  H04Q2213/13166 ,  H04Q2213/1322 ,  H04Q2213/1329 ,  H04Q2213/13349 ,  H04Q2213/13389

摘要： A multi-site call processing system includes multiple distributed call center sites, and utilizes a load balancing process to distribute calls among the sites for handling by agents. The system generates a multi-site performance score characterizing the performance of the load balancing process. Adjustments may be made in the load balancing process, such as selection of one type of load balancing over another for use at a particular time, based at least in part on the multi-site performance score. The multi-site performance score may be determined using single-site performance measures such as Average Speed of Answer (ASA) and agent occupancy generated across multiple time intervals. The multi-site performance score as generated for a given interval may be, e.g., a ratio of the maximum and minimum values of a single-site performance measure for that interval. As another example, the multi-site performance score may be in the form of a standard deviation of a set of normalized scores generated for the multiple sites across the specified time intervals. Filtering operations may be applied to the data for one or more selected intervals in order to further improve the ability of the performance measure to distinguish relevant variations in the load balancing process.

摘要翻译： 多站点呼叫处理系统包括多个分布式呼叫中心站点，并利用负载平衡过程在站点之间分配呼叫以供代理处理。 系统生成表征负载平衡过程性能的多站点性能评分。 可以在负载平衡过程中进行调整，例如至少部分地基于多站点性能分数来选择一种在特定时间使用的一种类型的负载平衡。 可以使用诸如平均答案速度（ASA）和跨多个时间间隔生成的代理占用的单站点性能测量来确定多站点性能得分。 对于给定间隔产生的多站点性能分数可以是例如该间隔的单站点性能度量的最大值和最小值的比率。 作为另一示例，多站点性能得分可以是在指定的时间间隔内为多个站点生成的一组归一化分数的标准偏差的形式。 过滤操作可以应用于一个或多个所选间隔的数据，以便进一步提高性能测量的能力来区分负载平衡过程中的相关变化。

公开(公告)号：US08565412B2

公开(公告)日：2013-10-22

申请号：US12490238

申请日：2009-06-23

申请人： Robin H. Foster ,  Hongguang Li ,  Lynn R. Smith ,  Katherine A. Sobus

发明人： Robin H. Foster ,  Hongguang Li ,  Lynn R. Smith ,  Katherine A. Sobus

IPC分类号： H04M3/00

CPC分类号： H04M3/523 ,  H04M3/5235 ,  H04M2201/12 ,  H04M2201/18 ,  H04M2203/408 ,  H04M2242/06

摘要： Methods for enabling call center agents to adapt their servicing of incoming calls based on the estimated value of the calls are disclosed. In accordance with the first illustrative embodiment, when there is a “high-value” call waiting in the queue while one or more agents are currently servicing lower-value calls, an agent who is servicing a lower-value call is informed that there is a higher-value call waiting in the queue, and is prompted to provide an estimate of how much longer he or she will be servicing his or her current call. The call center system selects which agent the high-value call will be routed to based on: (i) the agents' responses to the prompts, and (ii) for each of the responding agents, a measure of how closely prior responses from the agent compared to the actual amount of time taken by the agent to complete servicing the call.

摘要翻译： 公开了使呼叫中心代理能够根据呼叫的估计值适应来电呼叫的方法。 根据第一说明性实施例，当一个或多个代理当前正在服务较低价值呼叫的队列中存在“高价值”呼叫等待时，正在服务于较低价值呼叫的代理被通知存在 在队列中等待更高价值的呼叫，并被提示提供他或她将为其当前呼叫服务多久的估计。 呼叫中心系统根据以下原因选择高价值呼叫将被路由的代理：（i）代理人对提示的响应，以及（ii）对于每个响应代理，对于 代理与代理完成维修通话所需的实际时间相比。

公开(公告)号：US06925165B2

公开(公告)日：2005-08-02

申请号：US09219995

申请日：1998-12-23

申请人： Richard Alan Cohen ,  Robin H. Foster

发明人： Richard Alan Cohen ,  Robin H. Foster

IPC分类号： H04M3/00 ,  H04M3/523 ,  H04M3/60

CPC分类号： H04M3/523

摘要： A call selection process in a call center is configured to utilize a continuum of skill levels, in one or more categories, for a given multi-skill agent. In an illustrative embodiment, categories of levels are associated with skills supported by the given agent, with each of the categories including a level, e.g., a numerical value, for each of the skills. The levels are used in a call selection computation that determines which of a number of waiting calls should be delivered to the agent. The categories may include, for example, a speed category including levels indicative of the speed at which the agent can process calls for each of the corresponding skills, a yield category including levels indicative of results likely to be obtainable by the agent for each of the corresponding skills, and a preference category including levels indicative of preferences of the agent for calls requiring each of the corresponding skills. The process may involve selecting different subsets of one or more of the categories in a given set of categories for use at different times, depending on factors such as call volume. The call selection computation may involve, for example, computing a value for each of the skills, as a function of the corresponding level or levels and a wait time measure, e.g., a current wait time, a predicted wait time, or a ratio of predicted wait time to a service objective, for a call in a corresponding skill queue.

摘要翻译： 呼叫中心中的呼叫选择过程被配置为针对给定的多技能代理在一个或多个类别中利用技能等级的连续性。 在说明性实施例中，级别的类别与给定代理所支持的技能相关联，其中每个类别包括针对每种技能的级别，例如数值。 这些级别用于呼叫选择计算中，该计算确定应将多少等待呼叫中的哪一个传送给代理。 类别可以包括例如速度类别，包括指示代理可以处理对于每个相应技能的呼叫的速度的等级，包括指示代理可能获得的针对每个相应技能的结果的级别的收益类别 相应的技能，以及偏好类别，包括指示代理人的偏好的级别，要求每种相应的技能。 该过程可以涉及根据诸如呼叫量的因素来选择在不同时间使用的给定类别集合中的一个或多个类别的不同子集。 呼叫选择计算可以涉及例如根据相应的级别或级别计算每种技能的值，以及等待时间测量，例如当前等待时间，预测的等待时间或比率 预测等待服务目标的等待时间，用于对应的技能队列中的呼叫。

公开(公告)号：US20100322406A1

公开(公告)日：2010-12-23

申请号：US12490238

申请日：2009-06-23

申请人： Robin H. Foster ,  Hongguang Li ,  Lynn R. Smith ,  Katherine A. Sobus

发明人： Robin H. Foster ,  Hongguang Li ,  Lynn R. Smith ,  Katherine A. Sobus

IPC分类号： H04M3/00

CPC分类号： H04M3/523 ,  H04M3/5235 ,  H04M2201/12 ,  H04M2201/18 ,  H04M2203/408 ,  H04M2242/06

摘要： Methods for enabling call center agents to adapt their servicing of incoming calls based on the estimated value of the calls are disclosed. In accordance with the first illustrative embodiment, when there is a “high-value” call waiting in the queue while one or more agents are currently servicing lower-value calls, an agent who is servicing a lower-value call is informed that there is a higher-value call waiting in the queue, and is prompted to provide an estimate of how much longer he or she will be servicing his or her current call. The call center system selects which agent the high-value call will be routed to based on: (i) the agents' responses to the prompts, and (ii) for each of the responding agents, a measure of how closely prior responses from the agent compared to the actual amount of time taken by the agent to complete servicing the call.

摘要翻译： 公开了使呼叫中心代理能够根据呼叫的估计值适应来电呼叫的方法。 根据第一说明性实施例，当一个或多个代理当前正在服务较低价值呼叫的队列中存在“高价值”呼叫等待时，正在服务于较低价值呼叫的代理被通知存在 在队列中等待更高价值的呼叫，并被提示提供他或她将为其当前呼叫服务多久的估计。 呼叫中心系统基于以下方式选择高价值呼叫将被路由的代理：（i）代理人对提示的响应，以及（ii）对于每个响应代理，对于来自 代理与代理完成维修通话所需的实际时间相比。

公开(公告)号：US06760428B2

公开(公告)日：2004-07-06

申请号：US09364434

申请日：1999-07-30

申请人： Robin H. Foster

发明人： Robin H. Foster

IPC分类号： G06F1300

CPC分类号： H04M3/5166 ,  H04M3/42042 ,  H04M3/42059 ,  H04M3/42068 ,  H04M3/5183 ,  H04M3/5235 ,  H04M2203/353 ,  H04M2242/22

摘要： A call center is configured such that voice prompts provided to a given caller are modified based on prior e-mail notifications or other non-telephonic communications between the call center and that caller. In an illustrative embodiment, information regarding at least one previous non-telephonic communication with a given caller is stored in a database or other memory accessible to the call center. When the given caller places a subsequent call to the call center, the call center retrieves the stored information for that caller, and selects voice prompts for the caller based at least in part on the e-mails or other non-telephonic communications previously sent to the caller. The call is then routed to an appropriately-skilled agent based at least in part on a response of the caller to the voice prompt. Additional information relating to the previous non-telephonic communication, e.g., a copy or summary of the communication, may be transmitted to the agent that receives the call.

摘要翻译： 呼叫中心被配置为使得基于先前的电子邮件通知或呼叫中心与该呼叫者之间的其他非电话通信来修改提供给给定呼叫者的语音提示。 在说明性实施例中，关于与给定呼叫者的至少一个先前非电话通信的信息被存储在呼叫中心可访问的数据库或其他存储器中。 当给定的呼叫者向呼叫中心发出后续呼叫时，呼叫中心检索该呼叫者的存储信息，并且至少部分地基于先前发送给呼叫者的电子邮件或其他非电话通信来选择呼叫者的语音提示 来电者 该呼叫然后至少部分地基于呼叫者对语音提示的响应被路由到适当技术的代理。 可以向接收呼叫的代理发送与先前的非电话通信相关的附加信息，例如通信的副本或摘要。