Estimating agent performance in a call routing center system

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for estimating and assigning agent performance characteristics in a call routing center. Performance characteristics (e.g., sales rate, customer satisfaction, duration of call, etc.) may be assigned to an agent when the agent has made few calls relative to other agents or otherwise has a large error in their measure of one or more performance characteristics used for matching callers to agents (e.g., via a performance based or pattern matching routing method). A method includes identifying agents of a plurality of agents having a number of calls fewer than a predetermined number of calls (or an error in the performance characteristic exceeding a threshold), assigning a performance characteristic to the identified agents (that is different than the agent's actual performance characteristic), and routing a caller to one of the plurality of agents based on the performance characteristics of the plurality of agents.

We claim: 
     
       1. A computer implemented method for estimating agent performance in a call-center routing environment, the method comprising:
 identifying, by one or more computers, one agent from a plurality of agents, wherein the one agent identified has a number of calls fewer than a predetermined number;   computing and assigning, by the one or more computers, a respective assigned outcome performance characteristic to the one identified agent, wherein the assigned outcome performance is different from an actual outcome performance characteristic for the identified agent, and is based at least in part on the performance of one or more other of the agents; and   routing, by the one or more computers, a caller to an agent of the plurality of agents based on respective outcome performance characteristics of the plurality of agents, the outcome performance characteristics including the assigned outcome performance characteristic to the one identified agent.   
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the assigned outcome performance characteristic is an average outcome performance characteristic of the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the assigned outcome performance characteristic is based at least in part on an average outcome performance characteristic of the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the assigned outcome performance characteristic for the one identified agent is based at least in part on agent outcome performance data of one or more agents having similar demographic data as the respective agent. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the computing and assigning step comprises computing, by the one or more computers, an adjustment to an actual outcome performance characteristic of the one identified agent based on one or more criteria. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the computing step comprises determining an interpolation between an actual outcome performance characteristic value of the one identified agent and an outcome performance characteristic of the plurality of agents based at least in part on the criterion of a number of calls received by the one identified agent. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined number of calls is determined relative to an average number of calls for the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined number of calls is associated with an error threshold in the outcome performance characteristic of the agents. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the agent outcome performance characteristic comprises a sales rate. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein routing the caller is based on an outcome performance based matching algorithm. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein routing the caller is based on a pattern matching algorithm, and the assigned agent outcome performance characteristic is input into the pattern matching algorithm. 
     
     
       12. A computer implemented method for estimating agent outcome performance in a call-center routing environment, the method comprising:
 determining, by one or more computers, respective actual outcome performance characteristics for each of a plurality of agents;   determining, by the one or more computers, an outcome performance characteristic representative of the plurality of agents;   identifying, by the one or more computers, a respective one of the agents having an error in the respective agent's outcome performance characteristic greater than a predetermined threshold;   assigning, by the one or more computers, an outcome performance characteristic for the identified agent which assigned outcome performance is different from the actual outcome performance characteristic for the one identified agent and which is based at least in part on the representative outcome performance characteristic for the plurality of agents; and   routing, by the one or more computers, a caller to one of the plurality of agents based on the outcome performance characteristics, the outcome performance characteristics including the assigned outcome performance characteristic to the identified agent.   
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the error comprises a fractional error. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the assigned outcome performance characteristic is an average outcome performance characteristic of the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the assigned outcome performance characteristic is based at least in part on an average outcome performance characteristic of the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the assigning step comprises computing, by the one or more computers, an adjustment to an actual outcome performance characteristic of the identified agent. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , wherein the computing step comprises determining an interpolation between an actual outcome performance characteristic value of the respective identified agent and an average outcome performance characteristic of the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the predetermined threshold is based on a fractional error of the outcome performance characteristic. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the agent outcome performance characteristic comprises a sales rate. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 12 , wherein routing the caller is based on an outcome performance based matching algorithm. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 12 , wherein routing the caller is based on a pattern matching algorithm, and the assigned agent outcome performance characteristic is input into the pattern matching algorithm. 
     
     
       22. A system for routing callers to agents in a call center routing environment, the system comprising:
 one or more computers configured with computer-readable program code, that when executed, will cause performance of the steps:
 identifying, by the one or more computers, one agent from a plurality of agents, wherein the one agent identified has a number of calls fewer than a predetermined number; 
 computing and assigning, by the one or more computers, a respective outcome performance characteristic to the one identified agent, wherein the assigned outcome performance is different from an actual outcome performance characteristic for the respective identified agent, and is based at least in part on the performance of one or more other of the agents; and 
 routing, by the one or more computers, a caller to an agent of the plurality of agents based on respective outcome performance characteristics of the plurality of agents, the outcome performance characteristics including the assigned outcome performance characteristic to the one identified agent. 
   
     
     
       23. A system for routing callers to agents in a call center routing environment, the system comprising:
 one or more computers configured with computer-readable program code, that when executed, will cause performance of the steps:
 determining, by the one or more computers, respective actual outcome performance characteristics for a plurality of agents; 
 determining, by the one or more computers, an outcome performance characteristic representative of the plurality of agents; 
 identifying, by the one or more computers, a respective one of the agents having an error in the respective agent's outcome performance characteristic greater than a predetermined threshold; 
 assigning, by the one or more computers, an outcome performance characteristic for the identified agent which assigned outcome performance is different from the actual outcome performance characteristic for the one identified agent and which is based at least in part on the representative outcome performance characteristic for the plurality of agents; and 
 routing, by the one or more computers, a caller to one of the plurality of agents based on the outcome performance characteristics, the outcome performance characteristics including the assigned outcome performance characteristic to the identified agent. 
   
     
     
       24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions for carrying out, when executed by one or more computers, the method:
 identifying, by the one or more computers, one agent from a plurality of agents, wherein the one agent identified has a number of calls fewer than a predetermined number;   computing and assigning, by the one or more computers, a respective assigned outcome performance characteristic to the one identified agent, wherein the assigned outcome performance is different from an actual outcome performance characteristic for the identified agent, and is based at least in part on the performance of one or inure other of the agents; and   routing, by the one or more computers, a caller to an agent of the plurality of agents based on respective outcome performance characteristics of the plurality of agents, the outcome performance characteristics including the assigned outcome performance characteristic to the one identified agent.   
     
     
       25. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions for carrying out, when executed by one or more computers, the method:
 determining, by the one or more computers, respective actual outcome performance characteristics for a plurality of agents;   determining, by the one or more computers, an outcome performance characteristic representative of the plurality of agents;   identifying, by the one or more computers, a respective one of the agents having an error in the respective agent's outcome performance characteristic greater than a predetermined threshold;   assigning, by the one or more computers, an outcome performance characteristic for the identified agent which assigned outcome performance is different from the actual outcome performance characteristic for the one identified agent and which is based at least in part on the representative outcome performance characteristic for the plurality of agents; and   routing, by the one or more computers, a caller to one of the plurality of agents based on the outcome performance characteristics, the outcome performance characteristics including the assigned outcome performance characteristic to the identified agent.   
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined number of calls is determined based at least in part on a conversion rate for the plurality of the agents. 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 computing, by the one or more computers, a boost of performance based at least in part on a representative number for agent outcome performances of the agents that were selected and based at least in part on the representative number for the agent outcome performances of the agents that would have been selected based on their actual agent performances.   
     
     
       28. The system of  claim 22 , wherein the predetermined number of calls is determined based at least in part on a conversion rate for the plurality of the agents. 
     
     
       29. The system of  claim 22 , where the one or more computers are further configured with computer-readable program code, that when executed, will cause performance of the step:
 computing, by the one or more computers, a boost of performance based at least in part on a representative number for agent outcome performances of the agents that were selected and based at least in part on the representative number for the agent outcome performances of the agents that would have been selected based on their actual agent performances.   
     
     
       30. The system of  claim 22 , wherein the assigned outcome performance characteristic for the one identified agent is based at least in part on agent outcome performance data of one or more agents having similar demographic data as the respective agent. 
     
     
       31. The system of  claim 22 , wherein the assigned outcome performance characteristic is based at least in part on an average outcome performance characteristic of the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       32. The system of  claim 22 , wherein the computing and assigning step comprises computing, by the one or more computers, an adjustment to an actual outcome performance characteristic of the one identified agent based on one or more criteria. 
     
     
       33. The system of  claim 32 , wherein the computing step comprises determining an interpolation between an actual outcome performance characteristic value of the one identified agent and an outcome performance characteristic of the plurality of agents based at least in part on the criterion of a number of calls received by the one identified agent. 
     
     
       34. A method for pairing contacts and agents in a contact center system comprising:
 determining, by at least one computer processor configured to perform contact/agent pairing operations in the contact center system, a measured performance rating of a first agent of a plurality of agents;   assigning, by the at least one computer processor, an adjusted performance rating to the first agent when a calculated error in the measured performance rating exceeds a threshold, wherein the adjusted performance rating is different from the measured performance rating and is based at least in part on regression toward a mean performance measurement of one or more other of the plurality of agents;   pairing, by the at least one computer processor, a contact with the first agent of the plurality of agents based on the adjusted performance rating of the first agent; and   establishing, by the at least one computer processor, a connection between the paired contact and first agent in the contact center system based on the adjusted performance rating of the first agent.   
     
     
       35. The method of claim 34, wherein the adjusted performance rating is greater than the measured performance rating. 
     
     
       36. The method of claim 34, wherein the adjusted performance rating is a baseline performance rating or an interpolation between the baseline performance rating and the measured performance rating. 
     
     
       37. The method of claim 36, wherein the baseline performance rating is a mean performance rating across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       38. The method of claim 36, wherein the baseline performance rating is a below-mean performance rating across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       39. The method of claim 36, wherein a number of contact interactions of the first agent is less than a first threshold number of contact interactions, and wherein the adjusted performance rating comprises the baseline performance rating. 
     
     
       40. The method of claim 36, wherein a number of contact interactions of the first agent is between a first threshold number of contact interactions and a second threshold number of contact interactions, and wherein the adjusted performance rating is between the baseline performance rating and the measured performance rating. 
     
     
       41. The method of claim 40, wherein the second threshold number of contact interactions comprises an average number of contact interactions across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       42. The method of claim 34, wherein the first agent is a new agent, and wherein the adjusted performance rating comprises the mean performance rating across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       43. A system for pairing contacts and agents in a contact center system comprising:
 a routing engine configured to perform contact/agent pairing operations in the contact center system, wherein the routing engine comprises:
 at least one computer processor; and 
 memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one computer processor, cause the at least one computer processor to:
 determine a measured performance rating of a first agent of a plurality of agents; 
 assign an adjusted performance rating to the first agent when a calculated error in the measured performance rating exceeds a threshold, wherein the adjusted performance rating is different from the measured performance rating and is based at least in part on regression toward a mean performance measurement of one or more other of the plurality of agents; 
 pair a contact with the first agent of the plurality of agents based on the adjusted performance rating of the first agent; and 
 establish a connection between the paired contact and first agent in the contact center system based on the adjusted performance rating of the first agent. 
 
   
     
     
       44. The system of claim 43, wherein the adjusted performance rating is greater than the measured performance rating. 
     
     
       45. The system of claim 43, wherein the adjusted performance rating is a baseline performance rating or an interpolation between the baseline performance rating and the measured performance rating. 
     
     
       46. The system of claim 45, wherein the baseline performance rating is a mean performance rating across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       47. The system of claim 45, wherein the baseline performance rating is a below-mean performance rating across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       48. The system of claim 45, wherein a number of contact interactions of the first agent is less than a first threshold number of contact interactions, and wherein the adjusted performance rating comprises the baseline performance rating. 
     
     
       49. The system of claim 45, wherein a number of contact interactions of the first agent is between a first threshold number of contact interactions and a second threshold number of contact interactions, and wherein the adjusted performance rating is between the baseline performance rating and the measured performance rating. 
     
     
       50. The system of claim 49, wherein the second threshold number of contact interactions comprises an average number of contact interactions across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       51. The system of claim 43, wherein the first agent is a new agent, and wherein the adjusted performance rating comprises the mean performance rating across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       52. An article of manufacture for pairing contacts and agents in a contact center system 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 configured to perform contact/agent pairing operations in a routing engine of the contact center system and thereby cause the at least one computer processor to operate so as to:
 determine a measured performance rating of a first agent of a plurality of agents; 
 assign an adjusted performance rating to the first agent when a calculated error in the measured performance rating exceeds a threshold, wherein the adjusted performance rating is different from the measured performance rating and is based at least in part on regression toward a mean performance measurement of one or more other of the plurality of agents; 
 pair a contact with the first agent of the plurality of agents based on the adjusted performance rating of the first agent; and 
 establish a connection between the paired contact and first agent in the contact center system based on the adjusted performance rating of the first agent. 
   
     
     
       53. The article of manufacture of claim 52, wherein the adjusted performance rating is greater than the measured performance rating. 
     
     
       54. The article of manufacture of claim 52, wherein the adjusted performance rating is a baseline performance rating or an interpolation between the baseline performance rating and the measured performance rating. 
     
     
       55. The article of manufacture of claim 54, wherein the baseline performance rating is a mean performance rating across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       56. The article of manufacture of claim 54, wherein the baseline performance rating is a below-mean performance rating across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       57. The article of manufacture of claim 54, wherein a number of contact interactions of the first agent is less than a first threshold number of contact interactions, and wherein the adjusted performance rating comprises the baseline performance rating. 
     
     
       58. The article of manufacture of claim 54, wherein a number of contact interactions of the first agent is between a first threshold number of contact interactions and a second threshold number of contact interactions, and wherein the adjusted performance rating is between the baseline performance rating and the measured performance rating. 
     
     
       59. The article of manufacture of claim 58, wherein the second threshold number of contact interactions comprises an average number of contact interactions across the plurality of agents. 
     
     
       60. The article of manufacture of claim 52, wherein the first agent is a new agent, and wherein the adjusted performance rating comprises the mean performance rating across the plurality of agents.