Patent ID: 8260649

Claim:
A method for determining resource requirements for a plurality of contact channels, the method comprising: performing, on a processor of a computer system, a first contact volume forecast for a season using a first quantitative model and an event-driven model to predict variability in contact volume over a plurality of time periods in the season for each of the plurality of contact channels, wherein performing the first contact volume forecast comprises: using the first quantitative model to predict a first variability in a first contact volume for a first product with historical data, and using the event-driven model to predict a second variability in a second contact volume for a second product without the historical data and to analyze a purchase process of the second product by a consumer identifying a possible problem with the credit of a customer causing the customer to contact one of the plurality of contact channels; and determining, using the processor, a resource plan based on the first contact volume forecast, wherein the resource plan indicates an amount of resources required for each of the plurality of contact channels for each of the plurality of time periods in the season, wherein the first contact volume forecast is based on the first variability in the first contact volume for the first product and the second variability in the second contact volume for the second product, and wherein for at least one time period, the resource plan specifies that resources are to be shifted into a first contact channel of the plurality of contact channels from one or more other contact channels of the plurality of contact channels.