Method and system for monitoring and controlling the performance of a call processing center

• US 5,500,795 A
• Filed: 07/06/1994
• Issued: 03/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: E-Talk Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Teknekron Infoswitch Corp. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Shen, Shioupyn, Powers, Michael C., Bliss, Greg A.
• Primary Examiner(s): McElheny, Jr., Donald E.
• Application Number:
  US08/271,228
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/402, 364/419.2, 364/468
• US Class Current: 705/7.38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for generating performance data relating to the efficiency of an organization and including the steps of describing a plurality of performance variables associated with the organization. The performance variables describe measurable properties of the organization. The invention further maps each of the performance variables to a normalized performance variable mapping that has a neutral value and at least one inflection point of the performance variable within a normalized range of values. Each inflection point describes effects of the normalized performance variable in changing from a positive influence to a negative influence on the organization'"'"'s efficiency. Then the invention assigns a weighting factor to each of the normalized performance variables to produce a plurality of weighted normalized performance variables. The method and system calculate the efficiency of the organization as a function of the plurality of weighted normalized performance variables. The method and system further include the use and maintenance of instruction tables for identifying interactions among the various performance variables.

Claims

1. A method, to be carried out on a computer having a memory and a processor, for generating a performance report on the efficiency of a call processing center, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a plurality of performance variables for the call processing center, said performance variables having a measurable property for the call processing center;

storing said performance variable definitions in the computer'"'"'s memory;

collecting data for each of said performance variables for a period of time;

storing the time period'"'"'s variable performance data in the computer'"'"'s memory;

mapping, with the computer'"'"'s processor, the data for each of said plurality of performance variables for the time period to a normalized performance variable having a neutral value and at least one inflection point within a normalized range of values, said inflection point describing varying effects of said normalized performance variable on the call processing center'"'"'s efficiency;

storing said plurality of normalized performance variables in the computer'"'"'s memory;

inputting into the computer'"'"'s memory a weighting factor for each of said performance variables, said weighting factor relating to the importance of each of said performance variables to the efficiency of the call processing center;

retrieving said plurality of normalized performance variables and said variable weighting factors from the computer'"'"'s memory to the computer'"'"'s processor and calculating a plurality of weighted normalized performance variables;

storing said weighted normalized performance variables in the computer'"'"'s memory;

calculating with the computer'"'"'s processor the efficiency of the call processing center as a function of said plurality of weighted normalized performance variables; and

providing the performance report from the computer showing the call processing center'"'"'s calculated efficiency for the time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said mapping step further comprises the step of mapping a variable within a performance range having at least one good value and at least one bad value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said mapping step further comprises the step of normalizing said plurality of performance variables for comparing uncommon raw data values among one another.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said inputting weighting factors step further comprises the step of inputting said weighting to a value for providing an unweighted group weighting.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said efficiency calculating step further comprises the step of calculating the efficiency of all groups within a call processing center.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said efficiency calculating step further comprises the step of calculating the efficiency of a single group within a call processing center.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said efficiency calculating step further comprises the step of calculating the efficiency of an individual portion of a group within a call processing center.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transforming at least one external event into a performance variable for determining the external variable'"'"'s effect on the call processing center'"'"'s efficiency.

9. A method, to be carried out on a computer having a memory and a processor, for generating a performance report describing the interaction of a plurality of input variables relating to the efficiency of a call processing center, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a plurality of performance variables for the call processing center, said performance variables having a measurable property for the call processing center;

storing said performance variable descriptions in the computer'"'"'s memory;

collecting data for each of said performance variables for a period of time;

mapping, with the computer'"'"'s processor, the data for each of said plurality of performance variables to a normalized performance variable according to a neutral value and at least one inflection point of said performance variable within a normalized range of values, said inflection point describing varying effects of said normalized performance variable on the call processing center'"'"'s efficiency;

inputting into the computer'"'"'s memory a weighting factor for each of said normalized performance variables to produce a plurality of weighted normalized performance variables, said weighting factor relating to the importance of each of said normalized performance variables to the efficiency of the (organization) call processing center;

determining with said processor the interactions among said weighted normalized performance variables;

recording in said memory said interactions between the performance variables;

storing in said memory said interaction between said weighted normalized performance variables in an interaction table in said computer'"'"'s memory, said interaction table comprising a plurality of values, each of said values for associating said weighted normalized performance variables among one another;

describing significant chants in a performance variable through a change function; and

providing the performance report from the computer showing the interaction of the plurality of performance variables relating to the efficiency of the call processing center and significant changes in a performance variable for the time period.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said interaction storing step further comprises the step of recording in said memory in a first interaction table an entry for each performance variable that reflects whether the performance variable is expected to increase or decrease when another variable increases and all other performance variables remain constant.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said mapping step further comprises the step of normalizing said plurality of performance variables for comparing uncommon raw data values among one another.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of uniquely inputting into the computer the format and content of the interaction tables.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of automatically establishing with the computer'"'"'s processor the format and content of the interaction tables.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said storing an interaction table step further comprises the step of storing actually measured performance variables for indicating the actual performance of the call processing center.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of querying said interaction tables to determine at least one factor that would cause a predetermined performance variable to change.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of querying said interaction table to determine the effect of the call processing center of a change in a predetermined performance variable.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of outputting a list of possibly changing interactions as determined by a plurality of deviations from the interaction tables against a predetermined acting variable.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of producing a list of variables that were possibly influenced by forces outside of the model as determined by deviations from the interaction tables against the reacting variable.

19. A method for monitoring the efficiency of a call processing center with a digital computer having a memory and processor, the method comprising the steps of:

a. selecting a plurality of performance variables relating to the performance of the call processing center that together characterize the efficiency of the organization;

b. inputting into the computer'"'"'s memory said performance variables;

c. selecting a plurality of time intervals during which to accumulate performance variable data;

d. inputting into said computer'"'"'s memory at least one interaction table that contains an expected change in each performance variable when at least one other performance variable changes;

e. collecting performance variable data for a most recent one of the time intervals;

f. storing said variable data in said memory;

g. calculating with said processor a most recent efficiency rating for the most recent time interval using said performance variable data;

h. determining with said processor the relative impact of each performance variable on the efficiency rating for said most recent time interval; and

i. based upon the results of step h modifying selected ones of said performance variables to increase the call processing center'"'"'s efficiency.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising a mapping step for mapping a variable within a performance range with said processor, said performance having at least one good value and at least one bad value.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said mapping step further comprises the step of normalizing said plurality of performance variables for comparing uncommon raw data values among one another.