Method and system for tracking employee productivity in a client/server environment

• US 6,735,574 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2001
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Bull, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meinecke-Díaz, Susanna
• Application Number:
  US09/799,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20010008999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 705/11, 705/32, 713/201, 717/170
• US Class Current: 705/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

A method and system for tracking the productivity of technical support specialists in a call center using a client/server configuration. The system comprises a client component and a server component. The client component displays on a display device a form for entry of normal activity and exceptions to normal activity. The client component receives from the technical support specialist indications of normal activity and exceptions. Each indication of an exception includes its type and its length. The client component then requests the server component to record information relating to normal activity and exceptions. When the server component receives the request to record the information, the server component stores the information in a database. The system also provides a reporting component for generating reports to analyze the information stored in the database.

Claims

1. A method in a client-server computer system for tracking the productivity of technical support specialists, the method comprising:

providing client version information on a server computer system;

sending an indication of the version information in a version information message to the server computer system;

receiving the version information message by the server computer system;

comparing the version information in the version information message to the version information in the server computer system to determine if the version information is current version information;

if the version information in the version information message is not current version information, sending a message to a user indicating that the version is not current;

displaying on a display device of a client computer system a form for entry of timecard and exception information;

receiving in the client computer system, from a technical support specialist using the client computer system, timecard information indicating periods when the technical support specialist was performing normal activity, and exception information indicating exceptions to the normal activity by displaying a list of exceptions selectable by the technical support specialist on the display of the client computer system and receiving an indication of an exception selected from the list of exceptions by the technical support specialist using the client computer system;

providing a date table in the server computer system for containing an indication of the technical support specialist who has entered timecard information and an indication of a date, wherein the date table contains other indications of other dates and of the technical support specialist, and further comprising comparing the indications of a date and of the technical support specialist to the indications of other dates and of the technical support specialist in the date table, and, if they do not correspond to any of the indications of other dates and of the technical support specialist, saving an indication of the start of an activity as the type of event in the timecard table;

receiving in a client computer system an indication of a date selected by, and an indication of timecard data entered by the technical support specialist;

transmitting the indications of a date and of timecard data to the server computer system;

saving the indication of a date and an indication of the technical support specialist in the date table;

sending the timecard and exception information from the client computer system to the server computer system;

storing an indication of the technical support specialist, of the timecard event, of the date and time of the event and of the type of the event in the server computer system in a timecard table;

storing an indication of the technical support specialist, of the date of the exception, of the type of exception and of the length of the exception in an exception table in the server computer system;

providing authorized user information on a server computer system;

receiving identification information from the technical support specialist in the client computer system;

sending an indication of the identification information in an identification information message to the server computer system;

receiving the identification information message by the server computer system;

comparing the identification information in the message to the authorized user information to determine if the identification information is identification information of an authorized user; and

allowing access by the technical support specialist to the server computer system only if the indication of identification information corresponds to identification information of an authorized user and the version information in the message corresponds to current version information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of authorized users is stored in the server computer system in a user table and further comprising, upon allowing access by a technical support specialist who is an authorized user to the server computer system, providing an indication in the user table that the technical support specialist has been allowed access to the server computer system.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising:

providing a counter in the server computer system; and

incrementing the counter in the server computer system when an authorized user is allowed access to the server computer system.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving in a client computer system from a technical support specialist a comment and transmitting of the comment from the client computer system to the server computer system, and storing the comment in the exception table with the date of the exception, the type of exception and of the length of the exception.

5. A computer system for tracking the productivity of users in a call center environment, comprising:

a client component operable on a client computer system for displaying on a display device of a client computer system a form for entry of timecard and exception information, for receiving from a technical support specialist using the client computer system timecard information indicating periods when the technical support specialist was performing normal activity, displaying a list of exceptions selectable by the technical support specialist on the display of the client computer system and exception information indicating exceptions to the normal activity, receiving an indication of an exception selected from the list of exceptions by a technical support specialist using the client computer system, and for sending the timecard information and exception information to a server computer system with which the client computer system is in electronic communication, wherein the client component receives an indication of a date selected by, and an indication of timecard data entered by the technical support specialist and transmits the indications of a date and of timecard data to the server component, and wherein the server component provides a date table in the server computer system for containing an indication of the technical support specialist who has entered timecard information and the indication of the date, the date table containing other indications of other dates and of the technical support specialist, and further comprising comparing the indications of a date and of the technical support specialist to the indications of other dates and of the technical support specialist in the date table, and, if they do not correspond to any of the indications of other dates and of the technical support specialist, saving an indication of the start of an activity as the type of event in the timecard table; and

a server component operable on a server computer system for receiving and storing in a timecard table an indication of the technical support specialist, of the timecard event, of the date and time of the event and of the type of the event in the server computer system in response to receipt of timecard data; and

for receiving and storing in an exception table an indication of the technical support specialist, of the date of the exception, of the type of exception and of the length of the exception in response to receipt of exception data, the server component further includes server component version information and wherein the client component includes client component version information and sends an indication of client component version information in a message to the server component, and wherein, in response to receipt of the message, the server computer system compares the server component version information to the client component version information in the message and sends a message to the user if the client component version information is different from the server component version information, wherein the server component includes authorized user information and sends an indication of technical support specialist identification information in a message to the server component, and wherein, in response to receipt of the message, the server computer system compares the indication of identification information to the authorized user information in the server computer system and allows access by a technical support specialist who is an authorized user to the server computer system only if the indication of identification information corresponds to authorized user information.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the server component saves the authorized user information in a user table and, upon allowing access by a technical support specialist who is an authorized user to the server computer system, providing an indication in the user table that the technical support specialist has been allowed access to the server computer system.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the server component provides a counter in the server computer system and increments the counter in the server computer system when an authorized user is allowed access to the server computer system.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the client component receives from a technical support specialist a comment and transmits it to the server component, which stores the comment in the exception table with the date of the exception, the type of exception and of the length of the exception.