# US 12,120,268 B2 · Techniques for benchmarking performance in a contact center system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,120,268 B2 - Document ID: US12120268B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/197,482 - Filed: 2023-05-15 - Published: 2023-09-07 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-08 - Assignees: Afiniti, Ltd. - Applicants: Afiniti, Ltd. - Inventors: Zia Chishti - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12120268B2 ## CPC - H04M 3/5175: {Call or contact centers supervision arrangements} - G06Q 10/06: Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling - G06Q 10/06393: {Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis} - H04M 3/5191: {interacting with the Internet} - H04M 3/5233: {Operator skill based call distribution} - Y04S 10/50: Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract Techniques for benchmarking performance in a contact center system are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for benchmarking contact center system performance comprising cycling, by at least one computer processor configured to perform contact center operations, between a first contact-agent pairing strategy and a second contact-agent pairing strategy for pairing contacts with agents in the contact center system; determining an agent-utilization bias in the first contact-agent pairing strategy comprising a difference between a first agent utilization of the first contact-agent pairing strategy and a balanced agent utilization; and determining a relative performance of the second contact-agent pairing strategy compared to the first contact-agent pairing strategy based on the agent-utilization bias in the first contact-agent pairing strategy. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for behavioral pairing in a contact center system comprising: obtaining, by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in a contact center system, a plurality of agents; obtaining, by the at least one computer processor, a contact-agent pairing strategy for the contact center system for a time period, wherein the contact-agent pairing strategy comprises a parameter, wherein a first value of the parameter affects a likelihood of selection for pairing of each agent of the plurality of agents, wherein a larger difference in bandwidth between a higher-performing agent and a lower-performing agent corresponds to a larger bias toward skewed agent utilization; pairing, by the at least one computer processor, during a first subset of time of the time period, contacts of a plurality of contacts to agents of the plurality of agents based on the contact-agent pairing strategy and a first value for the parameter; determining, by the at least one computer processor, a second value for the parameter of the contact-agent pairing strategy based on an amount of remaining time in the time period after the first subset of time has elapsed; and pairing, by the at least one computer processor, during a second subset of time of the time period, contacts of the plurality of contacts to agents of the plurality of agents based on the contact-agent pairing strategy, the second value of the parameter, and a corresponding likelihood of selection for pairing of each agent of the plurality of agents. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the contact-agent pairing strategy is a behavioral pairing (BP) strategy. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the parameter is a Kappa parameter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the first value of the Kappa parameter targets an unbalanced agent utilization to compensate for benchmark pollution caused by another contact-agent pairing strategy. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the second value of the Kappa parameter targets a balanced agent utilization after recovering from benchmark pollution caused by another contact-agent pairing strategy. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the second value of the Kappa parameter targets an unbalanced agent utilization. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the first value of the Kappa parameter increases a likelihood of selection for pairing higher-performing agents of the plurality of agents and decreases a likelihood of selection for pairing for lower-performing agents. ### Claim 8 A system comprising: at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in a contact center system, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to: obtain a plurality of agents; obtain a contact-agent pairing strategy for the contact center system for a time period, wherein the contact-agent pairing strategy comprises a parameter, wherein a first value of the parameter affects a likelihood of selection for pairing of each agent of the plurality of agents, wherein a larger difference in bandwidth between a higher-performing agent and a lower-performing agent corresponds to a larger bias toward skewed agent utilization; pair, during a first subset of time of the time period, contacts of a plurality of contacts to agents of the plurality of agents based on the contact-agent pairing strategy and a first value for the parameter; determine a second value for the parameter of the contact-agent pairing strategy based on an amount of remaining time in the time period after the first subset of time has elapsed; and pair, during a second subset of time of the time period, contacts of the plurality of contacts to agents of the plurality of agents based on the contact-agent pairing strategy, the second value of the parameter, and a corresponding likelihood of selection for pairing of each agent of the plurality of agents. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the contact-agent pairing strategy is a behavioral pairing (BP) strategy. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the parameter is a Kappa parameter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the first value of the Kappa parameter targets an unbalanced agent utilization to compensate for benchmark pollution caused by another contact-agent pairing strategy. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the second value of the Kappa parameter targets a balanced agent utilization after recovering from benchmark pollution caused by another contact-agent pairing strategy. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the second value of the Kappa parameter targets an unbalanced agent utilization. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the first value of the Kappa parameter increases a likelihood of selection for pairing higher-performing agents of the plurality of agents and decreases a likelihood of selection for pairing for lower-performing agents. ### Claim 15 An article of manufacture comprising: a non-transitory computer processor readable medium; and instructions stored on the medium; wherein the instructions are configured to be readable from the medium by at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to and configured to operate in a contact center system and thereby cause the at least one computer processor to operate so as to: obtain a plurality of agents; obtain a contact-agent pairing strategy for the contact center system for a time period, wherein the contact-agent pairing strategy comprises a parameter, wherein a first value of the parameter affects a likelihood of selection for pairing of each agent of the plurality of agents, wherein a larger difference in bandwidth between a higher-performing agent and a lower-performing agent corresponds to a larger bias toward skewed agent utilization; pair, during a first subset of time of the time period, contacts of a plurality of contacts to agents of the plurality of agents based on the contact-agent pairing strategy and a first value for the parameter; determine a second value for the parameter of the contact-agent pairing strategy based on an amount of remaining time in the time period after the first subset of time has elapsed; and pair, during a second subset of time of the time period, contacts of the plurality of contacts to agents of the plurality of agents based on the contact-agent pairing strategy, the second value of the parameter, and a corresponding likelihood of selection for pairing of each agent of the plurality of agents. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the contact-agent pairing strategy is a behavioral pairing (BP) strategy. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the parameter is a Kappa parameter. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the first value of the Kappa parameter targets an unbalanced agent utilization to compensate for benchmark pollution caused by another contact-agent pairing strategy. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the second value of the Kappa parameter targets a balanced agent utilization after recovering from benchmark pollution caused by another contact-agent pairing strategy. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the second value of the Kappa parameter targets an unbalanced agent utilization.