Routing and evaluation methods

Genesys Cloud ACD uses a queue’s routing method to determine how to match interactions and agents. When using a skills-based routing method, the evaluation method determines how Genesys Cloud processes skill requests for interactions. A customer can request skills, for example, from the IVR. The evaluation method (when used) and the routing method for the queue determine the way that Genesys Cloud matches the interaction with an agent.

A queue administrator assigns a routing method and, if required, an evaluation method to each queue.

Genesys Cloud ACD uses a queue’s routing method to determine how to match interactions and agents. The routing method determines which routing behavior to use. Skills-based routing methods also use the evaluation method to determine how Genesys Cloud processes skill requests for interactions.

The routing methods are:

Method Description
Standard ACD Routes interactions to the next available agent. Considers skills as specified by the evaluation method.
Predictive routing  Routes interactions based on AI analysis that discovers the best available match between an agent and specific interaction.
Preferred agent  Routes interactions to a pool of preferred agents first.
Bullseye Routes interactions to a targeted sub-queue of agents with specific skills, and if no agents are available, it relaxes the requested skills, based on the queue configuration, to expand the pool of agents.
Conditional group routing

Routes interactions to dynamically expanded pool of target group of agents shared between different queues based on the rules set. The rules ensure that the KPI targets of the other queues are not compromised during the routing process.

In an interaction surplus scenario, when an agent becomes available, the interaction with the highest rank routes first, based on the routing method and evaluation method that you specify.

  • Conversation score – A combination of an interaction’s arrival time and its priority value. The arrival time is represented as a static 13-digit epoch value and one priority point is equal to 60,000 milliseconds (one minute). When an interaction with a higher priority arrives, Genesys Cloud changes the actual arrival time to an earlier time by reducing the number of milliseconds equivalent to its priority value. This makes it appear as if the interaction arrived earlier than the other interactions and is therefore routed first. For example, call B arrives 30 seconds later than call A, but has a higher priority. Genesys Cloud routes call B first because its arrival time is adjusted to an earlier time.
    • Priority score – The priority value assigned by Genesys Cloud. When the priority score of two interactions are same, Genesys Cloud considers their time in queue for routing. 

    Note: When different queues have different scoring methods, Genesys Cloud first routes the interactions in queues that have the priority score method set. 

    You can view the priority of an interaction on the Interaction panel. For more information, see Queues Activity Detail view.

    For skills-based routing methods, agent profiles include ACD skill tags to indicate an agent’s areas of expertise and knowledge. A skill rating indicates the level of proficiency for each agent ACD skill. Genesys Cloud uses agent skills and ratings for some ACD routing methods.

    Note: When determining which agent to route the next interaction, Genesys Cloud only looks back 7 days. If an agent has not been on queue in more than 7 days, Genesys Cloud does not take into account that agent’s last handled time. For example, an agent who has not taken a call in 5 days will receive the interaction before an agent who hasn’t taken a call in 10 days.

    The evaluation methods are:

    Method Description
    Best Available Skills
    1. ACD considers the 100 agents with the longest time since last interaction.
    2. Of those agents, ACD finds those with all of the required skills and calculates their highest average skill proficiency, and then assigns the interaction to the agent with the highest average skill proficiency.
    3. If multiple agents have the same average skill proficiency, ACD selects the agent with the longest time since last interaction.
    All Skills Matching ACD selects the agent who has all of the required skills with the longest time since last interaction; it does not consider the agent skill rating.
    Disregard Skills, Next Agent ACD selects the agent with the longest time since last interaction; it does not consider the agent skills.

    Notes:
    • In all three methods, agents with the longest time (in milliseconds) since the last-handled ACD interaction have highest priority.  Status changes and on-queue behavior do not affect agent priority. If an agent is assigned to multiple queues, Genesys Cloud considers all of the agent’s queues to calculate the time since their last interaction. This is not restricted to the queue that is under evaluation; that is, if an agent interacted in a different queue previously, the time since that interaction is considered. 
    • Proficiency scores are considered for both ACD and language skills together. 

    Together, the combination of evaluation and routing methods determines specific behavior when using a skills-based routing method.

    Standard ACD Routing Bullseye Routing
    Best Available Skills
    • For the first 100 available agents in the queue, it averages the skill ratings of the requested skills for each individual agent to identify the agent with the highest rating. For example, if an agent has proficiency 2 of skill A and proficiency 3 of skill B, the average of these proficiencies 2.5 is compared with the average  of other agents who have the same skills.  
    • If none of the first 100 agents evaluated possess the skills required by the interaction, ACD continues to evaluate agents on the queue until any agent with matching skills is found, regardless of skill proficiency.
    • Evaluates agents in the order in which they become available.
    • If no agents with all skills are available, then the call waits until an agent with all skills becomes available.
    • Looks first for an agent with the exact skills in the targeted sub-queue.
    • Evaluates each available agent in the targeted sub-queue by averaging the agent’s skill ratings for the requested skills to find the best qualified, available agent.
    • Expands the selection pool of agents one ring at a time, either immediately or after some time delay, to increase the number of agents that are evaluated.
    • The evaluation stops when the first 100 agents of the selection pool have been checked and if a matching agent is found.
    • If no matching agents are available in the queue after the last ring is added, then the call waits until an agent with all of the skills becomes available.
    All Skills Matching
    • Looks in the queue for the first available agent with all of the requested skills.
    • Evaluates agents in the order in which they become available.
    • If no agents with all skills are available, then the call waits until an agent with all skills becomes available.
    • Looks first for an agent with the exact skills in the targeted sub-queue.
    • Expands the selection pool of agents one ring at a time, either immediately or after some time delay, until it finds a match.
    • If no matching agents are available in the queue after the last ring is added, then the call waits until an agent with all of the skills becomes available.
    Disregard Skills, Next Agent
    • Looks for the first available agent in the queue.
    • Evaluates agents in the order in which they become available.
    • If no agents are available, then the call waits until an agent becomes available.
    • Looks for an agent in the targeted sub-queue.
    • Expands the selection pool of agents one ring at a time, either immediately or after some time delay, until it finds an available agent in the queue.
    • If no agents are available in the selection pool, then the call waits until an agent becomes available.