Automated transaction distribution system and method implementing transaction distribution to unavailable agents
AssigneeAvaya Technology Corp.
InventorsRodney A. Thomson, Thomas S. Fisher, Joylee Kohler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automated transaction distribution system assigns an incoming transaction (call, text chat, email, fax, etc.) to an agent who is selected to handle the transaction. If the best agent to select is not available because he or she is handling another transaction, taking a break, in a meeting, or otherwise unavailable, the incoming transaction may still be assigned if the selected agent is expected to become available within an acceptable time period for that type of transaction.
Claims33
An automated transaction distribution method, comprising the steps of:
- in response to a transaction requiring handling by an agent, identifying, in a group of agents that includes both unavailable agents engaged in contact activities and unavailable agents engaged in non-contact activities, an agent having sufficient transaction skills for handling said transaction commensurate with a desired skill proficiency level;
- testing (either in conjunction with said identifying step or separately therefrom), whether said identified agent is available, or unavailable but expected to become available within an acceptable time period;
- and if so
- assigning said transaction to said identified agent even if said identified agent is unavailable due to being engaged in said non-contact activities.
An automated transaction distribution system, comprising:
- means responsive to a transaction requiring handling by an agent for identifying, in a group of agents that includes both unavailable agents engaged in contact activities and unavailable agents engaged in non-contact activities, an agent having sufficient transaction skills for handling said transaction commensurate with a desired skill proficiency level;
- means for testing (either in conjunction with said identifying means or separately therefrom) whether said identified agent is available, or unavailable but expected to become available within an acceptable time period;
- and
- means responsive to said testing means producing a positive result, for assigning said transaction to said identified agent even if said identified agent is unavailable due to being engaged in said non-contact activities.
In an automated transaction distribution system, a method for transaction distribution, comprising the steps of:
- searching across a group of agents each of whom has particular transaction skills and skill proficiency levels and each of whom may be either available or unavailable due to being engaged in contact activity or unavailable due to being engaged in non-contact activity at any given time;
- and
- assigning transactions to said agents on the basis of their skills and, if they are unavailable, their predicted availability time, including assigning transactions to ones of said agents who are presently unavailable due to being engaged in non-contact activities but are predicted to become available within an acceptable time period.
An automated transaction distribution method comprising the steps of:
- determining when an unavailable resource that is presently engaged in non-contact activity is expected to become available;
- and
- in response to a transaction requiring handling by a resource, assigning said transaction for handling to one of a plurality of resources that is unavailable due to being presently engaged in non-contact activity but expected to become available within an acceptable period.
An automated transaction distribution system comprising:
- a predictor of when an unavailable resource that is presently engaged in non-contact activity is expected to become available;
- and
- a transaction distributor, cooperative with said predictor, that responds to a transaction requiring handling by a resource by assigning said transaction for handling to one of a plurality of resources that is unavailable due to being presently engaged in non-contact activity but is expected to become available within an acceptable time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.