Agent vectoring programmably conditionally assigning agents to various tasks including tasks other than handling of waiting calls

An ACD system for distributing calls for handling to available ones of a plurality of agents of a call center that has a plurality of call queues each corresponding to a different one of a plurality of agent skills for queuing waiting calls that need an agent having the corresponding skill for their handling, comprising:

• programmable means for storing, under programming control of an operator of the call center, a plurality of agent vectors each corresponding to a different agent and each specifying one of a plurality of conditions other than the corresponding agent refusing a call that is selected by the operator and one of a plurality of alternative functions that is selected by the operator;
• means responsive to an agent having at least one of the skills becoming available to handle a call while a waiting call is enqueued in at least one queue corresponding to the at least one skill of the agent, for determining whether a present state of the call center satisfies the condition specified by the agent vector that corresponds to the available agent;
• and
• means responsive irrespectively of whether or not another agent is available to handle the waiting call to a determination that the condition is not satisfied, for causing the available agent to handle the waiting call, and responsive irrespectively of whether or not another agent is available to handle the waiting call to a determination that the condition is satisfied, for causing the available agent to perform the alternative function specified by the agent vector that corresponds to the available agent instead of handling the waiting call.

A method of automatically assigning work to individual ones of a plurality of agents of a call center, comprising the steps of:

• an operator of the call center programmably specifying any one of a plurality of conditions other than an agent refusing a call that is selected by the operator;
• in response to the agent becoming available to handle a call while a call is waiting to be handled by an available said agent, determining whether a present state of the call center satisfies the condition specified by the operator;
• in response to a determination that the condition is one of (a) satisfied and (b) not satisfied by the present state, causing the available agent to handle the waiting call irrespectively of whether or not another agent is available to handle the waiting call;
• and
• in response to a determination that the condition is another of (a) satisfied and (b) not satisfied by the present state, causing the available agent to perform a function other than handling the waiting call irrespectively of whether or not another agent is available to handle the waiting call.

A computer-usable program storage device having embodied therein means for automatically assigning work to individual ones of a plurality of agents of a call center, said means being computer-readable program code means for causing the computer to perform the functions of:

• enabling an operator of the call center to programmably specify to the computer any one of a plurality of conditions other than an agent refusing a call that is selected by the operator;
• in response to the agent of the call center becoming available to handle a call while a call is waiting to be handled by an available said agent, determining whether a present state of the call center satisfies the condition specified by the operator;
• in response to a determination that the condition is one of (a) satisfied and (b) not satisfied by the present state, causing the available agent to handle the waiting call irrespectively of whether or not another agent is available to handle the waiting call;
• and
• in response to a determination that the condition is another of (a) satisfied and (b) not satisfied by the present state, causing the available agent to perform a function other than handling the waiting call irrespectively of whether or not another agent is available to handle the waiting call.