Method and system for automatically monitoring the performance quality of call center service representatives

• US 5,535,256 A
• Filed: 05/03/1995
• Issued: 07/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: E-Talk Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Teknekron Infoswitch Corp. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Maloney, Michael J., McCalmont, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/434,261
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 379/134, 379/135, 379/136, 379/138, 379/265, 379/266, 379/308, 379/34, 379/309, 379/210, 379/157, 379/112, 379/88, 379/89, 379/85
• US Class Current: 379/309
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/10 together with the recording, indicating or registering of other data, e.g. of signs of identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6018 Subscriber or terminal logon/logoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• 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 permit monitoring the performance of a call center agent or similar service representative in servicing calls in a call center by determining an interval within which to monitor the service representative'"'"'s performance in responding to calls, as well as by determining a number of calls or length of time for monitoring the representative within the interval. The invention automatically and randomly determines the precise time within the interval for monitoring the agent for a pre-determined period of time or for a pre-determined number of calls and records the performance of the service representative at the automatically and randomly determined time with or without notification to the agent. The recorded performance may then be listened to and annotated by a call center supervisor. This provides the call center supervisor with an automated method and system for scheduling and monitoring the performance of call center agents or service representatives that is consistent and equitable among all monitored agents.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a plurality of service representatives in handling customer calls, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a time interval within which to monitor conversations between the service representatives and the customers;

determining for each service representative a duration of time to monitor the service representative in responding to customer calls;

randomly determining for each service representative to be monitored a time period within the time interval to individually monitor the service representative during customer conversations for the representative'"'"'s duration of time; and

recording each representative'"'"'s customer conversations during the representative'"'"'s time period in a memory in digital format.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a maximum number of customer conversations to be recorded within said time interval.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of playing back said recorded customer conversations at variable playback speeds.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of annotating said recorded customer conversations by retrieving said recorded conversations from the memory and adding additional data to said recorded conversations.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically generating periodic reports of a plurality of said recorded conversations.

6. A system for monitoring a plurality of service representatives in servicing customer calls, the system comprising:

a processor for executing a plurality of computer implemented instructions comprising;

instructions for determining a time interval within which to monitor conversations between the service representatives and the customers; and

instructions for determining for each service representative to be monitored a duration of time to monitor the service representative in responding to customer calls;

scheduler means for randomly determining for each service representative to be monitored a time period within the time interval to individually monitor the service representative during customer conversations for the representative'"'"'s duration of time; and

a recorder for recording each representative'"'"'s customer conversations during the representative'"'"'s time period in a memory in digital format.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said computer implemented instructions further comprise instructions for determining a maximum number of customer conversations to be recorded within said time interval.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said computer implemented instructions further comprise instructions that permit a user to retrieve said recorded customer conversations from the memory and for adding additional data to said recorded conversations.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said computer implemented instructions further comprise instructions that permit said recorded conversations to be played back.

10. The computer system of claim 6, wherein said computer implemented instructions further comprise instructions that permit said recorded conversations to be played back at one of a plurality of different speeds.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein said computer implemented instructions further comprise instructions for automatically generating periodic reports on a plurality of said recorded conversations.

12. A system for monitoring a plurality of service representatives in servicing customer calls, the system comprising:

a supervisor workstation for executing supervisor instructions comprising;

instructions for determining a time interval within which to monitor conversations between the service representatives and the customers; and

instructions for determining for each service representative to be monitored a duration of time to monitor the service representative in responding to customer calls;

a service monitoring control processor for executing service monitoring control instructions, the service monitoring control instructions comprising;

instructions for randomly determining for each service representative to be monitored a time period within the time interval to individually monitor the service representative during customer conversations for the representative'"'"'s duration of time; and

a recorder for recording each representative'"'"'s customer conversations during the representative'"'"'s time period in a memory in digital format.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said service monitoring control instructions further comprise instructions for notifying a call center agent that said monitoring and recording will occur.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said service monitoring control instructions further comprise instructions for determining a maximum number of customer conversations to be recorded within said time interval.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein said service monitoring control instructions further comprise instructions that permit a user to retrieve said recorded conversations from said memory and to add additional data to said recorded conversations.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said service monitoring control instructions further comprise instructions that permit said recorded conversations to be played back.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein said service monitoring control instructions further comprise instructions for reporting said recorded conversations to said supervisor workstation.