Contivio offers two routing methods under the "Agent Offer Mode" setting: Route by Last Call and Route by Last Offer. Each mode uses a different approach to determine which agent should receive the next inbound call or chat, allowing contact centers to choose the mode that best suits their workflow and efficiency goals.
1. Route by Last Call
This mode prioritizes offering calls to the agent who has been idle the longest since their last session (voice, chat, SMS, etc.). This timer resets each time an agent completes a session, ensuring that the idle agent is ready for the next inbound call. Key details include:
- Idle Timer Reset: The idle time resets whenever an agent finishes any session type, meaning their time starts fresh after each interaction.
- Outbound Activity: Agents engaged in outbound calls will generally receive fewer inbound call offers, as their session times do not reset with outbound activity.
- Login and Queue Position: When an agent logs out and back in, they are placed at the bottom of the queue and are less likely to receive an immediate call.
2. Route by Last Offer
The "Route by Last Offer" mode prioritizes agents based on the longest time since their last inbound contact offer rather than their session activity. This mode helps maintain agent availability for inbound interactions while ignoring outbound activities. Important points to note:
- Offer Timer Reset: The timer resets each time the agent receives an inbound contact offer (voice call, chat, or SMS), rather than when they complete a session.
- Outbound Activity Ignored: Outbound calls or activities do not reset the timer, making this mode suitable for agents handling inbound calls as a priority.
- Login and Queue Position: If an agent logs out and back in, they will receive the next inbound offer before other logged-in agents, placing them at the top of the queue.
Routing Behavior with Shared Media Types
If the contact center allows shared media types (e.g., routing multiple media types to an agent), the routing will default to the "last time offered" method as described above. However, when media types are not shared (i.e., agents are assigned only one type at a time), a call-stacking behavior may come into effect, allowing calls to queue based on the agent’s media type availability.
Choosing the Right Mode
- Route by Last Call is ideal for a balanced load across agents, ensuring all inbound agents actively receive calls without prioritizing based on past offers.
- Route by Last Offer works well for environments focusing on inbound contacts, where agents frequently engage in outbound calls and you want to maintain their inbound availability.
Each mode has specific advantages, depending on your contact center's workflow and priorities. Adjusting the Agent Offer Mode in Contivio can help align agent availability with customer needs and improve overall contact handling efficiency.