Telephonic communications – Centralized switching system – Call distribution to operator
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-03
2001-05-01
Matar, Ahmad (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Centralized switching system
Call distribution to operator
C379S266070, C709S241000, C709S201000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226377
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to the field of allocating transaction server resources and, in particular, to allocating transaction servers in telephonic call centers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A call center is a facility for receiving and/or placing large volumes of telephone calls. The calls are received and placed by call servers, such as human agents or automatic response units. Such call centers typically include an automatic call distributor for assigning each incoming call to a call server. Call centers also typically include a predictive dialer for placing outgoing calls that, if answered, are each assigned to a call server.
In some call centers, agents are also assigned to non-call tasks, such as filling out forms, writing letters, or running credit checks. Call centers in which agents are also assigned to non-call tasks are also called service centers. Assignment of these non-call tasks is generally accomplished manually or handled by a workflow system that is distinct from the automatic call distributor or predictive dialer that assigns phone calls to agents.
Conventionally, the automatic call distributor, the predictive dialer, and the workflow system operate independently to assign calls and non-call tasks, respectively, to agents. To accommodate the independence between these two components, a call center supervisor generally manually divides agent resources between calls and non-call tasks in a static, predetermined manner. For example, a first group of agents may be dedicated to conducting calls, while a second, distinct group of agents is dedicated to performing non-call tasks. As another example, certain agents may be dedicated to conducting calls every morning, and dedicated to performing non-call tasks every afternoon.
Such call centers usually succeed in making a certain amount of progress in handling both calls and non-call tasks. Depending on the aptness of the manual division of agent resources and the particular pattern of calls and non-call tasks experienced, however, unacceptable levels of service are often obtained for either calls, non-call tasks, or both. In cases in which it is essential to ensure high levels of service, it is often necessary for call center supervisors to overstaff the pool of agents, at significant cost.
Based on these disadvantages of conventional call centers, which are shared by similar transaction processing systems of several other types, a facility for more effectively managing call server resources and other transaction server resources would have significant utility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a facility for allocating transaction servers (“servers”) in a transaction processing system in a manner that facilitates differentiation between transactions of different priorities and balancing the performance of transactions of the same priority. Within the constraints imposed by the availability of servers, the facility facilitates maintaining pre-defined service level goals. For example, the facility may allocate telephone call processing servers, such as human operators/agents and automatic response units, for processing telephone calls. The facility can also allocate servers to process virtually any other type of transaction, including, but not limited to, form processing; response to world wide web hits (“web hits”); letter, fax, or email generation or response; account adjustment; and various forms of network and Internet communication. The facility can allocate servers between several different types of transactions. Transactions may be initiated within the organization using the facility, by external customers or clients of the organization, or both.
In a preferred embodiment, the facility allocates servers among different applications each of which processes transactions of a different type or of the same type but with a different service level goal. For example, a first application may process incoming telephone call transactions for platinum credit card holders, a second application may process outgoing telephone call transactions for new credit card offers, and a third application may process credit check transactions, such as those received via the world wide web or in the mail, and a fourth application that responds to web hits with outgoing phone calls.
The facility preferably enables a service level goal to be specified for each application, indicating the level of performance sought in processing transactions of the application's type. Service level goals are generally each comprised of two components: a performance criterion specifying an amount of time by which some action relating to the transaction is to completed, and a minimum frequency indicating the percentage of transactions for which the criterion is to be satisfied. As an example, one service level goal may specify a criterion of assigning transaction within 15 seconds of their receipt, and a minimum frequency that indicates that 90% of the transactions are to be processed in accordance with the performance criterion. Performance criteria (“criteria”) may be of various types, including transaction assignment criteria and transaction completion criteria. Transaction assignment criteria relate to the amount of time that it takes for a server to be assigned to transactions after they arrive. A transaction assignment criterion may indicate, for example, that incoming telephone call transactions for platinum credit card holders are to be assigned to a server within 15 seconds of their arrival. Transaction assignment criteria are particularly well adapted to transactions initiated outside the organization using a real-time medium, such as an incoming telephone call or web hit—especially those transactions initiated by a human client. Such transactions are regarded as “volatile,” as they may be lost if not quickly assigned to a server. For example, if an incoming telephone call is not answered within a few seconds after it is initiated, the caller may hang up and end the call.
Transaction completion criteria, on the other hand, relate to the amount of time that it takes to complete the processing of transactions. A transaction completion criterion may indicate, for example, that credit check transactions are to be completed within 4 days of their arrival, or that outgoing telephone call transactions for new credit card offers are to be completed at the rate of 200 per day. Transaction completion criteria are particularly well adapted to transactions initiated outside the organization using a non-real-time medium, such as incoming letters, or transactions that are initiated from inside the organization, such as outgoing telephone calls or are generated as a follow on to a transaction assignment transaction, such as a telephone call requesting a loan. Servicing the telephone call involves a transaction assignment criterion (such as answering all customer telephone calls within 20 seconds) but generating the loan application that results involves satisfying a transaction completion criterion (such as processing all loan applications within 4 business days).
In addition to specifying a performance criterion, a service level goal may also indicate a minimum percentage of times, or “minimum frequency,” that the performance criterion is to be satisfied. For example, a transaction assignment service level goal may indicate that at least 90% of incoming telephone call transactions for platinum credit card holders are to be assigned to a server within 15 seconds of their arrival.
In addition to a service level goal, each application preferably also has a priority level, indicating the importance of satisfying the service level goal of that application relative to the importance of satisfying the service level goals of the other applications. For example, incoming telephone call transactions for platinum credit card holders may have a priority level of 1 (indicating the highest priority), incoming telephone call transactions for gold credit card holders may have a priority level of 2, and outgoing telepho
Avaya Technology Corp.
Matar Ahmad
Tieu Benny Q.
LandOfFree
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