INTEGRATED TESTING PLATFORM FOR CONTACT CENTRES

• US 20110150189A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyara Solutions Pty. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cyara Solutions Pty. Ltd.
• Inventors: KULKARNI, Alok
• Granted Patent: US 8,625,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/32.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/323 for the arrangements providing the connection (test connection, test call, call simulation)
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A contact centre (120) is desirably tested for operating performance by simulating calls in the contact centre (120) in an automated manner. Simulation of calls is achieved with the use of virtual agents that mimic the behaviour of human agents that ordinarily deal with caller enquiries in a contact centre (120). A set of virtual agents, which can mirror their human counterparts, can be generated and assigned activities and behaviours that simulate the behaviour of human agents. These virtual agents can thus be enlisted in testing campaigns placed within the contact centre (120), and assigned to answer calls as if they were in fact human agents, in accordance with the usual operation of the contact centre environment.

Claims

1. A method for testing performance of a contact centre using virtual agents, the method comprising:

defining at least one behaviour profile that specifies behavioural response of a virtual agent to a call to the contact centre;

registering at least one virtual agent into a contact centre server to respond to calls to the contact centre;

generating calls to the contact centre to simulate actual enquiries to the contact centre;

assigning the at least one virtual agent to respond to the generated calls according to the at least one behaviour profile; and

recording details of calls handled by the at least one virtual agent, wherein the at least one virtual agent simulates the behaviour of an actual agent and in concert with the generated calls simulates operation of the contact centre.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one behaviour profile includes at least one activity to be performed by the at least one virtual agent.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one activity includes maximum and minimum durations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one virtual agent is based upon actual agents profiled in a contact centre environment.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of creating the at least one virtual agent for a contact centre environment based upon at least one actual agent registered in a contact centre environment.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of importing actual agent details from a configuration server in a contact centre environment to create the at least one behaviour profile.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of scheduling a campaign of calls to generate the calls to the contact centre.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated calls are scheduled for a predetermined time, interval and volume.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one virtual agent handles calls according to a schedule of the at least one behaviour profile.

10. A system for testing the performance of a contact centre, the platform comprising:

a storage medium for storing a plurality of behaviour profiles each of which specifies behavioural response of a virtual agent to a call to the contact centre and a plurality of virtual agent profiles that define at least one virtual agent that can be registered into the contact centre;

a call generator for generating calls to the contact centre; and

a call meter that records details of the calls handled by the at least one virtual agent, wherein the virtual agents can simulate the behaviour of an actual agent and in concert with the generated calls simulates operation of the contact centre.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one behaviour profile includes at least one activity to be performed by the at least one virtual agent.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one activity includes maximum and minimum durations.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one virtual agent is based upon actual agents profiled in a contact centre environment.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the call generator schedules the calls for a predetermined time, interval and volume.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one virtual agent handles calls according to a schedule of the at least one behaviour profile.