Apparatus and method for monitoring and adapting to environmental factors within a contact center

• US 6,959,078 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2000
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Verint Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Lubowsky, Ted, Eilbacher, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US09/490,065
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 379/32.01, 379/32.02, 379/32.04, 379/35, 379/265.03, 379/265.04, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.07, 379/265.08, 379/265.09
• US Class Current: 379/265.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2227 Quality of service monitoring
• 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 quality monitoring system is implemented within a communications contact center. All electronic data associated with incoming and outgoing communications is monitored and can selectively be recorded. The recording of the communications data is controlled by a set of recording rules. Environmental data associated with the operation of the contact center is also stored. Periodically, and on demand by contact center personnel and others, the recorded communications data and the stored environmental data are analyzed. The recording rules that are actively controlling the recording of the communications data and the environmental data can be dynamically changed in real time, based on the analysis. The system can also display various results of the analysis on a contact center-wide display, on individual contact center agents'"'"' workstation screens, and on supervisors'"'"' workstation screens. These displays can be a congratulatory message to an agent who has exceeded predetermined goals, can warn of an excessively long wait queue for a class of incoming communications, and can provide contact center environmental information for assisting with evaluating the quality of service being provided by the contact center.

Claims

1. A multimedia contact center, comprising:

a communication receiving unit receiving multimedia communication data at a contact center;

a rules-based recording unit storing the received multimedia communication data;

an evaluation unit analyzing the stored multimedia communication; and

a rules editor changing the recording rules based on the analysis by the evaluation unit.

2. A method for monitoring contact center activity, comprising:

recording data associated with a plurality of communications with the contact center, wherein the recording is based on a first set of contact center recording rules which regulate at least one of recording volumes, types of calls recorded and agents selected for recording;

evaluating environmental data associated with the contact center against predetermined data; and

automatically and dynamically changing the first set of contact center recording rules based on the evaluation.

3. A quality monitoring interface accessing contact center information, comprising:

a recording device recording multimedia data associated with a contact center communication;

a database storing the recorded multimedia data;

an analyzer evaluating the recorded multimedia data to determine whether handling of contact center communication is above or below standards; and

one or more display devices displaying one or more messages indicating whether the handling of the contact center communication is above or below the standards, wherein the analyzer determines the one or more messages to be displayed.

4. The quality monitoring interface according to claim 3, wherein the recording device records multimedia data comprising two or more of:

video data of an exchange between a customer and a contact center agent;

electronic mail data related to the communication; and

facsimile data related to the communication.

5. The quality monitoring interface according to claim 3, wherein the recording device records multimedia data comprising two or more of:

audio data of a conversation between a customer and a contact center agent;

video data of an exchange between a customer and a contact center agent;

web contact data regarding access to the contact center by a customer;

video data of an agent, graphical user interface screen data used by an agent;

electronic mail data related to the communication;

facsimile data related to the communication; and

key pad response data from a party initiating the communication.

6. The quality monitoring interface according to claim 3, wherein the analyzer, while evaluating the recorded multimedia data, compares the recorded multimedia data against predetermined contact center standards.

7. The quality monitoring interface according to claim 3, wherein the analyzer, while evaluating the recorded multimedia data, compares the recorded multimedia data against environmental data associated with the operation of the contact center.

8. The quality monitoring interface according to claim 3, wherein the display displays the results of the analyzer on one or more of:

a workstation of an agent, a workstation of a supervisor, and a display device viewable within the contact center.

9. The quality monitoring interface according to claim 3, wherein the one or more display devices displays information including one or more of:

present queue states;

historical queue states; and

agents whose performance has either exceeded or failed to meet contact center performance standards.

10. A quality monitoring interface accessing contact center information, comprising:

an environmental recording device recording environmental data associated with the operation of a contact center;

an agent data recording device recording information regarding the activity of a contact center agent within the contact center;

an analyzer comparing the recorded agent data against contact center performance standards; and

a display device presenting agent performance as analyzed against the performance standards,

wherein the analyzer adjusts the stored contact center performance standards based on the recorded environmental data prior to comparing the recorded agent data against the stored contact center performance standards.

11. A method for processing contact center information, comprising:

recording data associated with one or more communications with a contact center, wherein the recording of data is controlled by a first set of recording rules;

analyzing the recorded data and environmental data associated with the contact center against a predetermined set of standards established for the contact center; and

dynamically changing the first set of recording rules as a result of the analysis.

12. A method for rules-based recording of information at a communications contact center, comprising:

recording environmental data associated with the operation of a contact center based on an active set of recording rules;

storing the recorded environmental data in a historical database;

periodically analyzing the stored environmental data to determine historical queue states;

comparing the recorded environmental data against the historical queue states; and

implementing a new set of active recording rules upon detecting a change in the queue state based on the comparison.

13. A method for changing rules for the recording of communications data at a contact center, the rules regulating at least one of recording volumes, types of calls recorded and agents selected for recording, said method comprising:

determining at least one environmental factor of a contact center; and

automatically and dynamically changing the recording rules based on the determined environmental factor.

14. The method for changing rules according to claim 13, wherein determining at least one environmental factor comprises determining one or more incoming queue lengths.

15. A computer readable medium encoded with software to change the rules for recording communications data at a contact center by determining at least one environmental factor of a contact center and automatically and dynamically changing the recording rules based on the determined environmental factor, the recording rules regulating at least one of recording volumes, types of calls recorded and agents selected for recording.

16. A recording rules changing apparatus for the recording of communications data at a contact center, comprising:

a decision unit determining at least one environmental factor of a contact center; and

a rules changer automatically and dynamically changing the recording rules based on the determined environmental factor, the recording rules regulating at least one of recording volumes, types of calls recorded and agents selected for recording.

17. A method for displaying contact center information, comprising:

recording data associated with one or more communications with a contact center, wherein the recording is based on one or more recording rules;

comparing the recorded data against predetermined contact center parameters to determine whether handling of the one, or more communications is above or below standards corresponding to the predetermined contact center parameters;

displaying messages to contact center personnel, reporting contact center activity as compared against the parameters to indicate whether the handling of the one or more communications is above or below the standards; and

storing said displayed messages.

18. The method for displaying contact center information according to claim 17, further comprising recording environmental data associated with the operation of the contact center.

19. The method for displaying contact center information according to claim 18, wherein displaying messages to contact center personnel comprises displaying contact center environmental data to at least one contact center supervisor.

20. A computer readable medium encoded with software to record data associated with one or more communications with a contact center, wherein the recording is based on an active set of one or more pre-determined recording rules;

to record environmental data associated with the contact center;

to evaluate the recorded environmental data against predetermined standards established for the contact center; and

to automatically change the active set of recording rules based on the evaluation.

21. A quality monitoring interface accessing contact center information, comprising:

a recording device recording multimedia data associated with a contact center communication;

a database storing the recorded multimedia data;

an analyzer evaluating the recorded multimedia data; and

one or more display devices displaying one or more messages, wherein the analyzer determines the one or more messages to be displayed,

wherein the recording device records multimedia data comprising two or more of;

video data of an exchange between a customer and a contact center agent;

electronic mail data related to the communication; and

facsimile data related to the communication.