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.

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 ACD considers the 100 agents with the longest time since last interaction.  Of those agents, ACD finds those with all of the required skills and the highest average skill proficiency (as it is possible for multiple agents to have the same average skill proficiency).  From those, 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.
Disregard Skills, Next Agent ACD selects the agent with the longest time since last interaction.  Skills are not considered.

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.
  • 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 agents’ skill ratings for the requested skills to find the best qualified available agent.
  • 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.