Performance Motivation Systems and Methods for Contact Centers

• US 20080267386A1
• Filed: 07/10/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kim A. Cooper
• Original Assignee: Kim A. Cooper
• Inventors: Cooper, Kim A.
• Application Number:
  US12/170,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20080267386A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

An embodiment of a system for optimizing agent performance includes a data collector configured to receive data representative of contact center statistics from a contact center and to use the statistics to calculate performance metrics. The system also includes a presentation module configured to provide data representative of the performance metrics to a client device configured to present the performance metrics for consideration by an agent associated with the contact center. The performance metrics are representative of agent performance in relation to at least one predefined performance threshold. In certain embodiments, the statistics include a customer satisfaction survey score that is based on actual feedback received from a customer. In certain embodiments, the performance metrics are provided to the client device in real time or near real time.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a data collector configured to receive data representative of contact center statistics from a contact center and to use said statistics to calculate performance metrics; and

a presentation module configured to provide data representative of said performance metrics to a client device configured to present said performance metrics for consideration by an agent associated with the contact center, said performance metrics being representative of agent performance in relation to at least one predefined performance threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said performance metrics include a customer satisfaction survey score based on actual feedback received from a customer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said performance metrics include at least one of:

a quality score based on one or more criteria selected from a group including a first contact closure score, a contact monitoring score, a schedule adherence score, a peer review score, and a certification score; and

a productivity score based on a number of incidents handled by the agent.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said at least one predefined performance threshold includes at least one of:

a predefined customer satisfaction threshold;

a predefined quality score threshold; and

a predefined productivity score threshold.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said performance metrics presented for consideration by an agent by said presentation module comprise a representation of a profitability of said agent performance in relation to said at least one predefined performance threshold;

wherein said predefined performance threshold is a predefined margin greater than an overhead cost associated with said agent.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said performance metrics include information indicative of whether the performance of the agent qualifies the agent for a bonus.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the information indicates that the agent qualifies for said bonus when the performance of the agent is greater than or equal to said at least one predefined performance threshold.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said at least one predefined performance threshold includes a combination of a productivity threshold, a quality threshold, and a customer satisfaction threshold.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said performance metrics are provided to the client device in real time or near real time for real time or near real time consideration by the agent.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said performance metrics include at least one customer satisfaction survey score based on actual feedback received from a customer, said presentation module being configured to present said at least one customer satisfaction survey score to the client device in real time or near real time.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said data collector is configured to receive said statistics from the contact center by way of a communication network, and said presentation module is configured to provide said performance metrics to the client device by way of the communication network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet, and said data collector and said presentation module are deployed in a hosted architecture.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said statistics are received in one or more e-mail messages, comma-separated-value files, or comma-separated-value files attached to one or more e-mails messages.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said data collector is configured to use web services to receive said statistics from the contact center.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said data collector includes:

at least one receive port configured to receive said statistics in a first data format and convert said statistics to a second data format;

a message store configured to queue said statistics in said second data format for further processing;

a transformation module configured to transform said statistics in said second data format to an internal schema; and

a calculations module configured to calculate said performance metrics from said statistics represented in said second data format having said internal schema.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least a subset of said at least one receive port, said message store, and said transformation module are integrated with the contact center in a distributed architecture.

17. A system comprising:

a contact center configured to collect contact center statistics indicative of a performance of an agent associated with said contact center; and

a host subsystem configured to communicate with said contact center over a communication network, said host subsystem including;

a data collector configured to receive data representative of said contact center statistics from said contact center and to use said statistics to calculate performance metrics, and

a presentation module configured to provide data representative of said performance metrics to a client device configured to present said performance metrics for consideration by the agent associated with said contact center, said performance metrics being representative of agent performance in relation to at least one predefined performance threshold.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said contact center includes a data source configured to

present a customer satisfaction survey to a customer after the agent handles an incident associated with the customer,

collect customer satisfaction data provided by the customer in response to said customer satisfaction survey, and

insert said customer satisfaction data in said statistics for transmission to said host subsystem.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said data collector is configured to

use said customer satisfaction data to calculate a customer satisfaction score, and

include said customer satisfaction score in said performance metrics.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said data collector is configured to use historic customer satisfaction data to fill in for missing customer satisfaction data to calculate said customer satisfaction score.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said at least one predefined performance threshold includes a predefined customer satisfaction threshold, and said performance metrics include information indicative of whether said customer satisfaction score qualifies the agent for a bonus.

22. A method comprising:

receiving data representative of contact center statistics from a contact center over a communication network;

using said statistics to calculate performance metrics; and

providing data representative of said performance metrics over the communication network to a client device configured to present said performance metrics for consideration by an agent associated with the contact center, said performance metrics being representative of agent performance in relation to at least one predefined performance threshold.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

presenting a customer satisfaction survey to a customer after the agent handles an incident associated with the customer;

collecting customer satisfaction data provided by the customer in response to said customer satisfaction survey;

inserting said customer satisfaction data in said statistics; and

transmitting said statistics over the communication network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said using step includes using said customer satisfaction data to calculate a customer satisfaction score, and further comprising:

including said customer satisfaction score in said performance metrics; and

using said customer satisfaction score to determine whether the agent qualifies for a bonus.