METHOD FOR REDUCING NON-VALUE ADDED TIME BETWEEN CALLS SERVICED AT A CALL CENTER

• US 20100080377A1
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: INCH, TERRY M., JOHNSON, JONATHAN W., KUBICKI, SCOTT A., GIBB, MARK, GOULD, GARETT W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,345,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.90
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5133 Operator terminal details

Abstract

A method for reducing non-value added time between calls serviced at a call center includes selectively enabling an after-call-work state that is configured to be activated during a call from a subscriber vehicle when an advisor at the call center indicates a need for the after-call-work state. If the advisor does not activate the after-call-work state during the call, then upon completion of the call, automatically setting an operator station of the advisor to a call ready state. If, however, the advisor activates the after-call-work state during the call, then upon completion of the call, the method includes activating the after-call-work state.

Claims

1. A method of reducing non-value added time between calls serviced at a call center, the method comprising:

selectively enabling an after-call-work state that is configured to be activated during a call from a subscriber vehicle when an advisor at the call center indicates a need for the after-call-work state; and

i) if the advisor does not activate the after-call-work state during the call, then upon completion of the call, automatically setting an operator station of the advisor to a call ready state;

or ii) if the advisor activates the after-call-work state during the call, then upon completion of the call, activating the after-call-work state.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the advisor at the call center, the call from the subscriber vehicle;

opening a case upon receiving the call; and

servicing the call.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein after the advisor activates the after-call-work state, the method further comprises:

engaging in work during the after-call-work state;

upon completing the work, via the advisor, closing the case; and

upon closing the case, automatically switching to the call ready state.

4. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

recognizing, via the operator station of the advisor, that the call has been dropped or that the subscriber vehicle has completed the call;

upon such recognition and prior to automatically setting the operator station to the call ready state, inquiring as to whether the advisor would like to i) close the case, or

     2) activate the after-call-work state; and

selecting, by the advisor, to either i) close the case, or ii) activate the after-call-work state.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating usage of the after-call work state for a specialty team; and

setting a default state of an operator station of the specialty team to the after-call-work state when the usage exceeds a predetermined value.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 wherein the default state is set to the after-call-work state, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, at the call center, the call from the subscriber vehicle;

determining whether the call is appropriate for the specialty team;

routing the call to the specialty team;

upon completion of the call, automatically entering the after-call-work state; and

switching to the call ready state upon completing work in the after-call-work state.

7. The method as defined in claim 5 wherein the default state is set to the after-call-work state, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, at the call center, the call from the subscriber vehicle;

determining whether the call is appropriate for the specialty team;

routing the call to the specialty team;

during the call, recognizing that the after-call-work state will not be utilized;

during the call, overriding the default state with the call ready state; and

upon completion of the call, automatically entering the call ready state.

8. The method as defined in claim 5 wherein the usage of the of the after-call work state for the specialty team does not exceed the predetermined value, and wherein the method further comprises:

setting the default state of the operator station of the specialty team to the call ready state; and

selectively enabling the after-call-work state during the call such that a specialty team advisor can manually switch from the call ready state to the after-call-work state.

9. A system of reducing non-value added time between calls serviced at a call center, the system comprising:

a subscriber vehicle in selective communication with the call center; and

an advisor operator station at the call center configured with an algorithm to i) automatically set the advisor operator station to a default call ready state upon completion of a call with the subscriber vehicle if an advisor at the call center does not activate the after-call-work state during the call, and ii) override the default call ready state if the advisor at the call center activates the after-call-work state during the call.

10. The system as defined in claim 9 wherein when the advisor activates the after-call-work state, the advisor operator station is further configured to:

enable the advisor to open a case in response to receiving the call;

enable the advisor to engage in work during the after-call-work state;

enable the advisor to close the case upon completing the work; and

automatically switch to the call ready state upon recognizing that the advisor has closed the case.

11. The system as defined in claim 9 wherein when the advisor activates the after-call-work state, the advisor operator station is further configured to:

recognize that the call has been dropped or that the subscriber vehicle has completed the call;

upon such recognition and prior to automatically setting the operator station to the call ready state, inquire as to whether the advisor would like to i) close the case, or

     2) activate the after-call-work state; and

enable the advisor to i) close the case, or ii) activate the after-call-work state.

12. The system as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

a specialty team at the call center; and

a specialty team operator station configured to have the after-call-work state as a default state when usage of the after-call work state for the specialty team exceeds a predetermined value.

13. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the default state is set to the after-call-work state, and wherein the specialty team operator station is further configured to:

automatically enter the after-call-work state after the call with the subscriber vehicle is complete; and

switch to the call ready state upon completing work in the after-call-work state.

14. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the default state is set to the after-call-work state, and wherein the specialty team operator station is further configured to:

enable a specialty team advisor at the call center to override the default state with the call ready state upon recognizing, during the call, that the after-call-work state will not be utilized;

recognize that the specialty team advisor has overridden the default state; and

automatically enter the call ready state upon completion of the call.

15. The system as defined in claim 12, further comprising:

means for determining if the call qualifies as a call for the specialty team; and

a switch, at the call center, for delivering the call to the specialty team.