Graphical method and system for visualizing performance levels in time-varying environment

• US 6,782,093 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Blue Pumpkin Software Inc (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Uckun, Serdar
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, BING Q
• Application Number:
  US09/894,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20030002653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/265.03, 379/265.06, 379/265.08, 379/265.09, 379/266.06, 379/266.1
• US Class Current: 379/266.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• 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

Presented is a method and system for visually depicting performance levels in a time-varying environment such as a workplace experiencing time-varied workloads. A call center is one example of such a workplace. One embodiment includes a graphical depiction with a reference time period, such as a work day, on a the horizontal axis. A vertical axis displays, for example, the length of time an incoming call must wait before being answered. As calls come into the call center a symbol is placed horizontally on the graph corresponding to the time during the reference time period that the call was received, and vertically according to the time the caller had to wait before a call center agent answered the call. Other information may also be superimposed on the graph, such as a call center service metric, and abandoned calls.

Claims

1. A method for visualizing performance levels in a workplace experiencing time-varying workloads comprising;

conveying visually a relationship between at least one predefined performance metric and at least one provided service;

displaying a symbol representing the predefined performance metric;

displaying a symbol representing a relationship between the at least one provided service, at least one response time period, and at least one reference time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein conveying includes using a graph comprising a plurality of axes, including a horizontal axis representing the at least one reference time period and a vertical axis representing the at least one response time period.

3. A method for visualizing performance levels over time in a call center comprising:

conveying visually a relationship between at least one predefined performance level metric and at least one incoming call, including displaying the predefined performance level metric;

displaying a symbol representing a relationship between an at least one incoming call answered by a call center agent and the predefined performance level metric; and

displaying a symbol representing a relationship between an at least one incoming call abandoned by a caller and the predefined performance level metric.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predefined performance level metric is a time period for responding to an incoming call.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the symbol representing the at least one incoming call answered by a call center agent and the symbol representing the at least one incoming call abandoned by a caller are differentiated.

6. A method for visualizing a call center'"'"'s performance comprising:

conveying visually a relationship between at least one performance level metric, at least one incoming call, at least one reference time period and at least one response time period; and

displaying the relationship using a symbol to represent the at least one incoming call.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein conveying includes using a graph comprising a plurality of axes, including a horizontal axis and a vertical axis.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the horizontal axis of the graph represents the at least one reference time period and the vertical axis of the graph represents the at least one response time period until the at least one incoming call is answered.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising;

displaying a symbol representing an elapsed time for the at least one incoming call to be answered by a call center agent;

displaying a symbol representing the elapsed time for the at least one incoming call to be abandoned by a caller;

displaying the at least one performance level metric;

differentiating the symbol representing the elapsed time for the at least one incoming call to be answered by a call center agent from the symbol representing the elapsed time for the at least one incoming call to be abandoned by a caller.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein conveying includes placing all the incoming calls received by a call center during the reference time period on the same graph.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one performance level metric includes a specific percentage of incoming calls to be answered within a specified time.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying includes providing historical statistical data.

13. The method of claim 6, where conveying occurs on a real-time basis.

14. A method for visualizing service levels in a call center comprising:

conveying visually a relationship between at least one reference time period and at least one incoming call;

displaying a first symbol representing the time elapsed until the at least one incoming call is answered by a call center agent;

displaying a second symbol representing the time elapsed until the at least one incoming call is abandoned by a caller; and

differentiating between the first symbol and the second symbol.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein displaying includes a service level metric indicating a specific percentage of the incoming calls to be answered within a specified time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein conveying includes using a graph comprising a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, the horizontal axis representing the at least one reference time period and the vertical axis representing the time elapsed until the at least one incoming call is answered by the call center agent.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein displaying a second symbol includes correlating the second symbol to the time during the at least one reference time period when the call occurred.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein displaying a first symbol includes correlating the first symbol to the time during the at least one reference time period when the call occurred.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein conveying includes depicting a performance level metric.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein conveying occurs on a real time basis.

21. A method for providing a visual indication of performance levels over time in a call center comprising:

conveying visually a relationship between at least one reference time period, at least one incoming call, and at least one predefined performance level metric;

displaying a symbol representing the elapsed time until the at least one incoming call is answered by a call center agent;

displaying a symbol representing the elapsed time until the at least one incoming call is abandoned by the caller, wherein the symbol representing the at least one incoming call abandoned by a caller is differentiated from the at least one incoming call that is answered by a call center agent; and

displaying the performance level metric, wherein the performance level metric includes a specific percentage of incoming calls to be answered within a specified time.

22. The method of claim 21, where conveying occurs on a real-time basis.

23. A computer-readable medium for visualizing a call center service level over time comprising instructions which, when executed in a processing system, causes the system to:

convey visually a relationship between at least one reference time period, at least one service level metric, and at least one incoming call;

display the at least one service level metric;

display a symbol representing the elapsed time until the at least one incoming call is answered by a call center agent;

display a symbol representing the elapsed time until the at least one incoming call is abandoned by the caller; and

differentiate the symbol representing the at least one incoming call abandoned by the caller from the at least one incoming call that is answered by the call center agent.

24. A system for visualizing service levels in a call center comprising at least one server, coupled among at least one storage device and at least one client processor through a network, wherein the storage device stores instructions that, when executed, causes the at least one client processor to gather data concerning incoming calls to a call center, create a visual display conveying the relationship between a reference time period, a predefined service level metric, and at least one incoming call, display a symbol representing the elapsed time until the at least one incoming call is answered by a call center agent, display a symbol representing the elapsed time until the at least one incoming call is abandoned, and differentiate between the symbol representing the at least one incoming call answered by the call agent and the symbol representing the at least one incoming call that is abandoned.

25. A computer readable medium for visualizing performance levels of a workplace experiencing time varying workloads comprising instructions which, when executed on a processing system, causes the system to:

convey visually a relationship between at least one predefined performance metric and at least one provided service;

display a symbol representing the predefined performance metric;

display a symbol representing a relationship between the at least one provided service and the predefined performance metric; and

display a symbol representing a relationship between the at least one provided service, an at least one response time period and an at least one reference time period.

26. A system for visualizing performance levels in a workplace with time varying workloads comprising at least one server coupled at least one storage device and at least one client processor, wherein the storage device stores instructions that, when executed, causes the at least one client processor to:

convey visually a relationship between at least one predefined performance metric and at least one provided service

display a symbol representing the predefined performance metric;

display a symbol representing a relationship between the at least one provided service and the predefined performance metric; and

display a symbol representing a relationship between the at least one provided service, at least one response time period and at least one reference time period.

27. A method for visualizing performance levels in a workplace with time-varying workloads comprising:

conveying visually a relationship between at least one predefined performance metric and at least one provided service; and

displaying a first symbol representing a relationship between the at least one provided service, at least one response time period, and at least one reference time period, wherein the delivered volume of the at least one provided service is indicated by altering the symbol.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein conveying includes using a graph comprising a plurality of axes wherein a vertical axis represents a response time period and a horizontal axis represents a reference time period.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein conveying occurs on a real-time basis.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein conveying includes:

averaging the relationship between the at least one provided service, the at least one response time and the at least one reference time period over a plurality of reference time period of at least one workplace;

displaying a second symbol representing the average of the relationship between the at least one provided service, the at least one reference time period and the at least one response time of at least one workplace;

aggregating the second symbol at a plurality of workplaces on the same visual display wherein relative performance of such workplace is apparent.