Arrangement for motivating telemarketing agents

• US 5,239,460 A
• Filed: 01/03/1991
• Issued: 08/24/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: LaRoche, Nancy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hazard, Jennifer L.
• Application Number:
  US07/637,382
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/402, 364/408, 364/413.01, 364/400, 364/410, 364/419, 434/107, 434/238, 375/10, 379/34, 379/35, 455/226.1, 455/226.2, 455/226.3, 455/226.4
• US Class Current: 705/7.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

In an ACD system, motivational feedback information, such as the cumulative number of bonus points earned, is displayed on agents'"'"' terminal displays. The information is real-time, up-to-date, and substantially continuously displayed. It combines an objective, quantitative measure, such as the number of calls handled, and a subjective, qualitative measure, such as a quality factor representing a supervisor'"'"'s evaluation of the agents'"'"' observed performance in handling calls. Illustratively, the per-call quantitative measure is multipled by an agent'"'"'s presently-assigned qualitative measure to arrive at the per-call number of bonus points earned by the agent.

Claims

1. An arrangement for providing performance feedback to telemarketing agents, comprising:

first means for repeatedly obtaining a current measure of quantitative performance of each agent during a workday of the agent;

second means for repeatedly obtaining a current measure of qualitative performance of each agent;

third means for using the obtained current measure of the qualitative performance and the obtained current measure of the quantitative performance for each individual agent repeatedly to derive for each individual agent a current indicator of overall performance of said individual agent during the workday of the individual agent; and

fourth means for repeatedly feeding back each individual agent'"'"'s current indicator of the overall performance to the individual agent during the workday of the individual agent, thereby to provide each individual agent with substantially real-time up-to-date feedback on the individual agent'"'"'s overall performance.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the first means comprising means for measuring for each agent each increment in the quantitative performance of the agent;

the second means comprising means for repeatedly obtaining for each agent a factor representative of current said qualitative performance of the agent;

the third means comprising means for modifying each measured increment for each individual agent by the factor for the individual agent to obtain a weighted increment for the individual agent, and adding the obtained weighted increment for each individual agent to a sum of previously-obtained weighted increments for the individual agent to derive for each individual agent a current indicator of the individual agent'"'"'s said overall performance; and

the fourth means comprising means for electronically reporting each individual agent'"'"'s said current indicator to the individual agent through a telecommunications terminal of the individual agent.

3. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the first means comprising means for determining, for each agent, a first increment in a first cumulative measure of transaction events completed by the agent;

the second means comprising means for obtaining, for each agent, a numerical factor representative of a supervisor'"'"'s current evaluation of the agent'"'"'s performance;

the third means comprising means for multiplying, for each agent, the first increment by the numerical factor to obtain a second increment for a second cumulative measure of the agent'"'"'s said overall performance and adding the second increment to the second cumulative measure to obtain a current cumulative measure of the agent'"'"'s said overall performance; and

the fourth means comprising means for electronically reporting, to each agent, the current cumulative measure of the agent'"'"'s said overall performance.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the first through the fourth means operate substantially immediately following every change in the individual agent'"'"'s measure of performance.

5. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the third means derive the current indicator of overall performance for the individual agent and the fourth means feed back the individual agent'"'"'s current indicator substantially immediately following every change in the individual agent'"'"'s obtained current measure of performance.

6. An arrangement for providing performance feedback to agents in an automatic call distribution system having a plurality of telecommunication terminals for use by the agents and means for connecting calls to the terminals, comprising:

means for storing, for each agent, a record of a number of transaction events completed by the agent, a quality factor currently assigned to the agent, and a current measure of cumulative overall performance of the agent;

means, responsive to assignment of a new quality factor to the agent, for effecting storage of a record of the new quality factor in the storing means in place of the record of the quality factor heretofore stored for the agent in the storing means;

means, substantially immediately responsive to completion of a transaction event by the agent, for incrementing the record of the number of transaction events completed by the agent;

means, substantially immediately responsive either to incrementation of the record of the number of transaction events completed by the agent or to storage of the record of the new quality factor, for multiplying the increment by the quality factor and incrementing the record of the current measure of the cumulative overall performance by a result of the multiplication to obtain a record of a new current measure of the cumulative overall performance; and

means, substantially immediately responsive to obtaining of the record of the new current measure of the cumulative overall performance, for electronically sending the record of the new current measure of the cumulative overall performance to a display of a terminal of the agent to visually report the new current measure to the agent, thereby to provide the agent with substantially real-time up-to-date feedback on the agent'"'"'s overall performance.

7. A method of providing performance feedback to telemarketing agents, comprising the steps of:

repeatedly obtaining a current measure of quantitative performance of each agent during a workday of the agent;

repeatedly obtaining a current measure of qualitative performance of each agent;

using the obtained current measure of the qualitative performance and the obtained current measure of the quantitative performance for each individual agent repeatedly to derive for each individual agent a current indicator of the individual agent'"'"'s overall performance of the individual agent during the workday of the individual agent; and

repeatedly feeding back each individual agent'"'"'s current indicator of the overall performance to the individual agent repeatedly during the workday of the individual agent, thereby to provide each individual agent with substantially real-time up-to-date feedback on the individual agent'"'"'s overall performance.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein

the step of repeatedly obtaining a current measure of quantitative performance comprises the step of

measuring for each agent each increment in the quantitative performance of the agent;

the step of repeatedly obtaining a current measure of qualitative performance comprises the step of

repeatedly obtaining for each agent a factor representative of current said qualitative performance of the agent;

the step of using the obtained current measures comprises the steps of

modifying each measured increment for each individual agent by the factor for the individual agent to obtain a weighted increment for the individual agent, and

adding the obtained weighted increment for each individual agent to a sum of previously-obtained weighted increments for the individual agent to derive for each individual agent a current indicator of the individual agent'"'"'s said overall performance; and

the step of repeatedly feeding back comprises the step of

electronically reporting each individual agent'"'"'s said current indicator to the individual agent through a telecommunications terminal of the individual agent.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the step of repeatedly obtaining a current measure of quantitative performance comprises the step of

determining, for each agent, a first increment in a first cumulative measure of transaction events completed by the agent;

the step of obtaining a current measure of qualitative performance comprises the step of

obtaining for each agent, a numerical factor representative of a supervisor'"'"'s current evaluation of the agent'"'"'s performance;

the step of using the obtained current measures comprises the steps of

multiplying, for each agent, the first increment by the numerical factor to obtain a second increment for a second cumulative measure of the agent'"'"'s said overall performance; and

adding, for each agent, the second increment to the second cumulative measure to obtain a current cumulative measure of the agent'"'"'s said overall performance; and

the step of repeatedly feeding back comprises the step of

reporting electronically, to each agent, the current cumulative measure of the agent'"'"'s said overall performance.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the steps of claim 7 singly perform their functions substantially immediately following every change in the individual agent'"'"'s measure of performance.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the current indicator of overall performance for the individual agent is derived and fed back to the individual agent substantially immediately following every change in the individual agent'"'"'s obtained current measure of performance.

12. A method of performance feedback to agents in an automatic call distribution system having a plurality of telecommunication terminals for use by the agents and means for connecting calls to the terminals, comprising the steps of:

initially storing, for each agent, a record of a number of transaction events completed by the agent, a quality factor currently assigned to the agent, and a current measure of cumulative overall performance of the agent;

effecting storage of a record of a new quality factor in place of the record of the quality factor heretofore stored for the agent, in response to assignment of the new quality factor to the agent;

incrementing the record of the number of transaction events completed by the agent, substantially immediately in response to completion of a transaction event by the agent;

multiplying the increment by the quality factor, substantially immediately in response either to incrementing of the record of the number of transaction events completed by the agent or to storage of the record of the new quality factor;

incrementing the record of the current measure of the cumulative overall performance by a result of the multiplication step, substantially immediately in response to multiplying of the increment by the quality factor, to obtain a record of a new current measure of the cumulative overall performance; and

electronically sending the record of the new current measure of the cumulative overall performance to a display of a terminal of the agent to visually report the new current measure to the agent substantially immediately in response to obtaining the record of the new current measure of the cumulative overall performance, thereby to provide the agent with substantially real-time up-to-date feedback on the agent'"'"'s overall performance.