Abstract: A facility for adjusting a number of servers assigned to server pools for performing certain work types on the basis of unmet service needs in a work processing facility. Servers may include service agents, both human and robotic. A server assignor and a corresponding server assignment method may each be employed in a work distributor or an automatic call distributor (“ACD”) to conditionally adjust server availability in server pools. The server assignor compares a composite preference value for a work type against each server's threshold value for the work type. When the server assignor determines that the composite preference value is greater than or equal to a server's threshold value, then the server assignor indicates that the server may be included in the server pool for that work type. Each server has preference values and threshold values for different kinds of work. The magnitude of a preference value represents an affinity for the work type.

Abstract: A method and system for assigning tasks to contact center agents is disclosed, wherein an automatic call distributor (ACD) used for distributing incoming contact center calls to the agents is used to distribute other tasks to the agents. When an agent task (different from handling an incoming call) is determined, a corresponding “proxy” telephone call is generated from within the contact center to a PBX to assign an agent to the task. The ACD processes the proxy call substantially identically to any other incoming call requesting an agent's services. A proxy call has as its destination phone number the directory number of a call group used in selecting an appropriate agent for performing the task. The proxy call phone number additionally identifies the location of detailed information about the task.

Abstract: A resource task-completion forecaster (122) of an ACD (104) determines a probability that an agent (156) will complete servicing a presently-assigned call by a specified time horizon h. The forecaster determines (202) the type of call that the agent is servicing, determines (204) the amount of time t that the agent has already been servicing the call, retrieves (206) the mean and the variance of time historically spent by agents on servicing this type of call to completion, fits (208) the mean and the variance to a lifetime closed-form cumulative-probability distribution F, such as a Weibull distribution, to determine parameters of dispersion and central tendency, evaluates (210, 212) the distribution for t and h+t, computes (216) the probability of the agent not having completed servicing the call by now as Q=1?F(t), and computes (218) the probability that the agent will have completed servicing the call by the time horizon as P = F ? ( t + h ) - F ? ( t ) Q .

Abstract: A feedback control for a predictive dialer employs three feedback loops. A first feedback loop adjusts the dialer's call initiations to compensate for error between the desired, reference, service level and a service level realized by calls that were initiated by the predictive dialer to steer the realized service level to the reference service level. A second loop adjusts the predictive dialer's call initiations for margin between the number of non-nuisance calls (successes) initiated by the predictive dialer over a time and the number of successes that would have been sufficient to produce the reference service level to force the realized service level to converge to the reference service error while ensuring that the oscillations of the realized service level stay above the reference service level.

Abstract: A facility for adjusting a number of servers assigned to server pools for performing certain work types on the basis of unmet service needs in a work processing facility. Servers may include service agents, both human and robotic. A server assignor and corresponding server assignment method may each be employed in a work distributor or an automatic call distributor (“ACD”) to conditionally adjust server availability in server pools. The server assignor compares a composite preference value for a work type against each server's threshold value for the work type. When the server assignor determines that the composite preference value is greater than or equal to a server's threshold value, then the server assignor indicates that the server may be included in the server pool for that work type. Each server has preference values and threshold values for different kinds of work. The magnitude of a preference value represents an affinity for the work type.

Abstract: The present invention provides for the allocation of agents to channels associated with the contact center. In particular, the present invention provides a contact center that allows agents to be efficiently allocated among channels, without requiring centralized control applications. Instead, the contact center of the present invention provides centralized agent and channel information fields to permit coordination between independent channel and agent work station applications. The present invention allows channels to be added to a contact center without requiring extensive modifications to the various components of the contact center.

Abstract: A queued task/queued resource state forecaster employs a binomial distribution fitter to fit a composite binomial distribution to operational data of a work management system, such as a call center. The fitter obtains arrival statistics for calls and agents in the call center, determines moments for the net calls in-queue from the obtained arrival statistics, determines parameters of binomial distributions that corresponds to the moments, and fits the determined moments to a linear combination of offset binomial distributions to obtain a composite binomial distribution. The composite binomial distribution is then evaluated by a scheduler which adjusts the operation of the call center accordingly. For example, a task scheduler evaluates the distribution to obtain a probability of an additional call being enqueued by the future point in time in order to determine whether an outbound call should be launched.

Abstract: The present invention provides for the allocation of agents to channels associated with the contact center. In particular, the present invention provides a contact center that allows agents to be efficiently allocated among channels, without requiring centralized control applications. Instead, the contact center of the present invention provides centralized agent and channel information fields to permit coordination between independent channel and agent work station applications. The present invention allows channels to be added to a contact center without requiring extensive modifications to the various components of the contact center.

Abstract: A queued task/queued resource state forecaster employs a binomial distribution fitter to fit a composite binomial distribution to operational data of a work management system, such as a call center. The fitter obtains arrival statistics for calls and agents in the call center, determines moments for the net calls in-queue from the obtained arrival statistics, determines parameters of binomial distributions that corresponds to the moments, and fits the determined moments to a linear combination of offset binomial distributions to obtain a composite binomial distribution. The composite binomial distribution is then evaluated by a scheduler which adjusts the operation of the call center accordingly. For example, a task scheduler evaluates the distribution to obtain a probability of an additional call being enqueued by the future point in time in order to determine whether an outbound call should be launched.

Abstract: Hierarchical remediation on the unmet service needs associated with work items queued in a work processing facility is used in order to maximize the achievement of service level goals. A hierarchical remediator and corresponding hierarchical remediation method may each be employed in a work distributor or an automatic call distributor (“ACD”). The hierarchical remediator determines which work item among pending work items of different types will be distributed to an available server. The hierarchical remediator and its corresponding hierarchical remediation method ensure that more important jeopardized service levels receive greater remedial compensation than the less important ones. The hierarchy of distinct service classes associated with jeopardized service levels may comprise one input to the hierarchical remediator. The hierarchical remediator may also consider a skill preference profile for the available server as another input.

Abstract: A resource task-completion forecaster (122) of an ACD (104) determines a probability that an agent (156) will complete servicing a presently-assigned call by a specified time horizon h. The forecaster determines (202) the type of call that the agent is servicing, determines (204) the amount of time t that the agent has already been servicing the call, retrieves (206) the mean and the variance of time historically spent by agents on servicing this type of call to completion, fits (208) the mean and the variance to a lifetime closed-form cumulative-probability distribution F, such as a Weibull distribution, to determine parameters of dispersion and central tendency, evaluates (210, 212) the distribution for t and h+t, computes (216) the probability of the agent not having completed servicing the call by now as Q=1−F(t), and computes (218) the probability that the agent will have completed servicing the call by the time horizon as 1 P = F ⁡ ( t + h ) - F ⁡ ( t ) Q .

Abstract: A system and method for sharing a pool of agents in a telephone call servicing operation so that agents are utilized effectively. The telephones of a pool of agents are coupled to a number of dedicated inbound communication lines through an automatic call distributor (ACD). The telephones of another pool of agents is coupled to a number of dedicated outbound communication lines through an outbound dialer. The outbound agent telephones may be directly coupled to the outbound dialer, or may be coupled to the outbound dialer through the ACD. Alternatively, the agents may be in a single pool and all be available for servicing inbound and outbound calls. Agents are acquired from inbound call servicing to service outbound calls when the agent response indicator for inbound calls is below a predetermined threshold. Agents are acquired for outbound calling by placing an internal call from the outbound dialer through the ACD to an agent.