Managing the rate of delivering performance interventions in a contact center

• US 20040202309A1
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Knowlagent Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Knowlagent Incorporated
• Inventors: McIlwaine, John C. C., Richter, Scott, Foley, Lisa Marie, Beard, Robert L., Baggenstoss, Rick, East, Jennifer C.
• Application Number:
  US10/733,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20040202309A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

Managing the rate of delivering performance interventions, such as training sessions, to agents in a contact center, such as a call service center benefits the operations of the contact center. Managing this rate can include adjusting the number of performance interventions delivered in an increment of time according to the state of the contact center. The state of the contact center can be determined by monitoring or predicting contact center performance. Contact center performance increasing above or falling below a management input level can trigger an increase or decrease in intervention delivery rate. In coordination with determining delivery rate, agents can be selected to receive interventions based on ranked performance or need.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for managing delivering performance interventions to agents in a contact center comprising:

delivering performance interventions to at least one of the agents in the contact center at a rate;

determining a state of the contact center; and

responsive to the determining step, adjusting the rate of delivering performance interventions.

2. The computer-based method of claim 1, further comprising setting a state level, wherein the determining step comprises monitoring the state of the contact center, and wherein the adjusting step comprises adjusting the rate of delivering performance interventions on the basis of the monitored state in relation to the state level.

3. The computer-based method of claim 2, wherein the adjusting step further comprises adjusting the rate of delivering performance interventions on the basis of deviation between the monitored state and the state level.

4. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein determining the state comprises receiving the state from a component of the contact center.

5. The computer-based method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

determining if the adjusted rate of delivering performance interventions is sufficient to meet an intervention delivery objective; and

if the adjusted rate of delivering performance interventions is insufficient to meet the intervention delivery objective, adjusting the state level.

6. The computer-based method of claim 5, wherein the intervention delivery objective comprises delivering training in advance of a target completion time.

7. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the state of the contact center comprises predicting the state of the contact center within a defined interval of time.

8. The computer-based method of claim 7, wherein the defined interval of time is within twenty four hours of a current time.

9. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein determining the state of the contact center comprises monitoring a performance of the contact center, and wherein the adjusting step comprises reducing the rate of delivering performance interventions if the monitored performance falls below a predetermined level.

10. The computer-based method of claim 9, wherein reducing the rate of delivering performance interventions comprises terminating a performance intervention prior to completing delivery of the performance intervention.

11. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the state of the contact center comprises monitoring contact volume and handle time.

12. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the state of the contact center comprises determining a performance of the contact center.

13. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the state of the contact center comprises determining at least one of a service level, an abandonment rate, a hold time, and a call volume.

14. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting step further comprises increasing the rate of delivering performance interventions if the state is above a predetermined level and decreasing the rate of delivering performance interventions if the state is below the predetermined level.

15. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein state of the contact center comprises performance of the contact center and wherein delivering performance interventions comprises delivering computer-based training.

16. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein determining the state of the contact center comprises determining a performance of the contact center, and wherein the adjusting step comprises increasing the rate of delivering performance interventions if the determined performance is above a predetermined level.

17. A method for managing delivering performance interventions to agents in a contact center comprising:

determining a state of the contact center;

setting a state level for the contact center; and

determining a number of performance interventions for delivery to the agents during an increment of time on the basis of the state and the state level.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

determining an agent performance for each of the agents; and

selecting certain agents from the agents to receive the performance interventions on the basis of the agent performances.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the agent performances comprises ranking each agent, and wherein selecting certain agents further comprises selecting a first agent over a second agent if the first agent'"'"'s rank indicates lower performance than the second agent'"'"'s rank.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the number of performance interventions for delivery during an increment of time further comprises:

determining a first number if the state is above the state level; and

determining a second number if the state is below the state level, wherein the first number is larger than the second number.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

assigning a performance intervention to at least one of the agents in the contact center; and

selecting the at least one agent to receive the performance intervention on the basis of the assignment.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

determining an agent parameter for at least one of the agents; and

selecting preferred agents from the at least one of the agents to receive the performance interventions on the basis of the agent parameter.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the agent parameter comprises at least one of a performance intervention assignment and a metric of agent performance.

24. A method for delivering performance interventions to agents in a contact center comprising:

delivering the performance interventions to at least one of the agents in the contact center at a current delivery rate;

identifying a time-sensitive performance intervention for delivery to at least one of the agents in advance of a time;

estimating if the time-sensitive performance intervention will be delivered in advance of the time based on the current delivery rate; and

if the estimating step indicates that the time-sensitive performance intervention will not be delivered in advance of the time, increasing the current delivery rate.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of receiving a state of the contact center.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the state of the contact center comprises at least one of a performance of the contact center, a service level, an abandonment rate, a hold time, and a call volume.

27. A computer-based method for supplying performance interventions to agents in a contact center comprising:

providing performance interventions for delivery to at least one of the agents in the contact center at a rate;

receiving a state of the contact center; and

responsive to receiving the state of the contact center, changing the rate of providing performance interventions.

28. The computer-based method of claim 27, wherein the performance interventions are provided to a training system or a workforce management component associated with the contact center.

29. The computer-based method of claim 27, further comprising the step of receiving a state level.

30. The computer-based method of claim 29, further comprising:

comparing the state level and the state of the contact center; and

changing the rate of providing performance interventions based on the comparison.

31. A method for managing agents in a contact center comprising:

receiving a first request for performance interventions to be delivered at a first rate;

responsive to the first request, delivering the performance interventions at a first rate; and

responsive to a change in a state of the contact center, receiving a second request for the performance interventions to be delivered at a second rate.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of delivering the performance interventions at a second rate in response to the second request.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the performance interventions are delivered to the agents.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the first request and the second request are received from a component of the contact center.

35. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the following steps:

delivering performance interventions to an agent in a contact center at a rate;

determining a state of the contact center; and

responsive to the determining step, adjusting the rate of delivering performance interventions.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, having computer-executable instructions for performing the following additional steps:

setting a state level;

comparing the state level to the state of the contact center; and

adjusting the rate of delivering performance interventions based on the comparison of the state level and the state of the contact center.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the step of determining the state of the contact center comprises determining one of a service level, an abandonment rate, a hold time, and a call volume.