Routing and evaluation methods

AI-generated summary

Genesys Cloud provides a comprehensive automatic call distribution (ACD) system that routes interactions to agents using multiple methods optimized for different operational scenarios. The platform offers five primary routing approaches: Standard ACD routes to the next available agent with required skills; Predictive routing uses AI analysis to optimize matching; Preferred agent routing prioritizes designated agent pools; Bullseye routing targets specific skill-based sub-queues with incremental expansion; and Conditional group routing dynamically expands agent pools while maintaining KPI targets. The system evaluates agent suitability through three primary methods. Best Available Skills assesses the 100 longest-idle agents with required skills and assigns interactions to the agent with the highest average proficiency, using idle time as a tiebreaker. All Skills Matching selects the longest-idle agent possessing all required skills regardless of proficiency level. Disregard Skills, Next Agent routes to the first available agent without skill consideration. Agent profiles incorporate ACD skill tags and proficiency ratings, with the system considering only activity from the previous 7 days for routing decisions and excluding inactive agents. Interaction priority is determined through scoring methods that process queue position when agents become available. The Conversation score combines arrival time with priority value, where one priority point equals 60,000 milliseconds, causing higher-priority interactions to route first. Priority score uses assigned priority values with time-in-queue as a secondary factor when scores match. When multiple queues employ different scoring methods, Genesys Cloud prioritizes queues using the priority score method. For agents assigned to multiple queues, idle time is calculated across all assigned queues for consistent priority evaluation. Genesys Cloud supports optional ACD skill expression filters that enable granular agent pool refinement through dynamic skill and proficiency combinations defined at the interaction level. These filters function with standard and predictive routing when the queue evaluation method is set to All Skills Matching, allowing interactions to be targeted based on criteria defined in Architect or supplied via API. Invalid filters containing syntax errors or referencing unresolvable skills result in the system reverting to standard queue-configured routing and skill settings. Conditional Group Activation (CGA) dynamically adjusts the eligible agent pool based on real-time queue conditions such as Expected Wait Time thresholds, automatically activating overflow groups when conditions are met and removing them when queue health normalizes. When combined with predictive routing, CGA enables automated, policy-driven capacity management while maintaining KPI-optimized routing decisions without requiring manual intervention. Queue administrators assign both routing and evaluation methods to each queue, with Genesys Cloud recommending that scoring methods be set during queue creation or when no interactions are pending to avoid unexpected routing order changes.

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.

Routing methodsClick to expand

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.

Scoring methodsClick to expand

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.
If you change the scoring method midway when the queue has interactions waiting to be routed, the waiting interactions may be assigned in an unexpected order to the available agents. The new scoring method takes effect only after the interactions that arrived before the change of scoring method are routed. As a best practice, Genesys recommends that you set the scoring method either at the time of queue creation or at a time when the queue has no waiting interactions.

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

Evaluation methodsClick to expand

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 calculates their highest average skill proficiency, and then assigns the interaction to the agent with the highest average skill proficiency. 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.

ACD skill expression filtersClick to expand

Use the ACD skill expression filter to further refine the pool of available agents at a more granular level. This optional filter supports standard and predictive routing methods.

ACD skill expression filter enables you to target interactions to agents based on a dynamic combination of skills and proficiencies defined at the interaction level. Genesys Cloud identifies agents with the set of skills and proficiencies that you defined in the skill expression filter in Architect and applies them to a conversation when transferring to a queue or while the interaction is waiting in queue. The filter is applied to the agents available on the queue to determine the eligible agent pool.

The filters work when the routing method set on the queue is either standard or predictive routing, and when the queue evaluation method is All Skills Matching. In such a scenario, Genesys Cloud evaluates agents based on the filter criteria instead of the ACD skills and language skills configured on the queue. The filters do not work with preferred agent routing (PAR), last agent routing (LAR), direct routing, or bullseye routing.

Skill expression filters are defined in Architect and can also be supplied via API. For more information, see:

Evaluate Skill Expression Filters action
Skill expression filter API (search for ‘expression’ in the routing section)

Genesys Cloud routes a conversation using the routing method and skill configuration defined on the queue when no skill expression filter is defined, or if the defined filter is invalid. A skill expression filter is considered invalid when:

The expression contains syntax errors (for example, malformed structure or invalid operators).
Referenced skills or language skills cannot be resolved in the organization.
The expression cannot be successfully evaluated at runtime.

Evaluation and routing combinationsClick to expand

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.
All Skills Matching and skill expression filter set in Architect	Genesys Cloud evaluates agents based on the filter criteria instead of the ACD skills and language skills configured on the queue.	Genesys Cloud evaluates agents based on the filter criteria instead of the ACD skills and language skills configured on the queue.
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.

How predictive routing works when Conditional Group Activation is setClick to expand

Conditional Group Activation complements predictive routing by dynamically expanding or contracting the eligible agent pool for a queue based on real-time conditions, while predictive routing continues to optimize within whatever pool is currently active.

In practice, configure a baseline set of agents (users/groups) for the queue, and then use CGA to automatically activate an overflow group when a condition is met, such as when the EWT of the queue exceeds a threshold value(for example, EWT is greater than 5 minutes). Genesys Cloud evaluates the condition and the queue health continuously and once the queue returns to normal (that is, the EWT is back under 5 minutes), CGA removes the overflow group—no manual intervention required.

The CGA-GPR combination allows CGA to decide on when to bring in more capacity, while GPR manages as to who would be the best available agent from the available pool. This allows you to preserve KPI-optimized routing while still controlling the process using an automated, policy-driven overflow strategy.

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