Monitoring service personnel

• US 7,558,382 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Teletech Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Teletech Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Sharpe, Bruce, Torres, Oscar Pablo, Recalde, Jorge Alfredo
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Stella L
• Application Number:
  US11/291,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20090016522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.17, 379/265.06, 379/265.03, 379/106.01, 379/106.02, 379/90.01, 379/93.01
• US Class Current: 379/106.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

An approach for monitoring interaction between individuals engaged in a communication session is disclosed. The individuals are described herein as a customer service representative and a customer and the communication session is accomplished over a communication network. Audio data embodying the communication session is copied and stored to a media file in conjunction with video data captured by a video capture device monitoring the customer service representative. The media file is a data structure in which the audio data and the video data are stored in segmented fashion. Each segment of audio data is associated with a segment of video data based on a common time reference, thereby providing synchronized documentation of the communication session. The media file is stored on a database and available to a supervisor using a server computer to monitor the communication session for quality assurance or other evaluation purposes.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring interaction between individuals engaged in a communication session embodied in interactive data transmitted between the individuals by way of a communication network, the method comprising:

receiving the interactive data during transmission between the communication network and a communication device used by a first individual to participate in the communication session, wherein the interactive data is in the form of a plurality of data packets, wherein each data packet comprises a payload region storing a portion of the interactive data;

creating a plurality of segments of the interactive data by grouping together portions of the interactive data embodied in the payload region of a predetermined number of contiguously received data packets, wherein the predetermined number corresponds to a predetermined length of time;

capturing an activity data embodying actions by the first individual during the communication session;

creating a plurality of segments of the activity data according to the predetermined length of time; and

associating the plurality of segments of the interactive data with the plurality of segments of the activity data based on a common time reference thereby substantially synchronizing the interactive data and the activity data for subsequent playback.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the receiving act further comprises:

copying the portions of the interactive data from the payload region of each of the plurality of data packets.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the associating act comprises:

associating a first segment of the interactive data with a first segment of the activity data, wherein the first segment of the interactive data comprises portions of the interactive data received in the plurality of data packets beginning at an initial time and ending at a second time and wherein the first segment of the activity data comprises video frames captured beginning at the initial time and ending at the second time, the second time occurring the predetermined length in time after occurrence of the initial time.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

saving the associated plurality of interactive data segments and the plurality of activity data segments relative to one another in a media file; and

uploading the media file to a database for storage and subsequent access by one or more server computers.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising:

providing a server computer access to the media file in the database for use in playing the media file thereon such that a user of the server computer is operable to monitor the communication session.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first individual is a customer service representative and a second individual engaged in the communication session is a customer.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the first individual is one of a plurality of customer service representatives, the method further comprising:

in response to receipt of a first of the plurality of data packets, determining that the first individual has been selected from the plurality of customer service representatives to engage in the communication session;

evaluating whether the first individual is due for monitoring; and

if the first individual is due for monitoring, performing the receiving act, the capturing act and the associating act.

8. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the associating act comprises:

associating a next segment of the interactive data with a next segment of the activity data, wherein the next segment of the interactive data comprises portions of the interactive data received beginning at the second time and ending at a third time and wherein the next segment of the activity data comprises the video frames captured beginning at the second time and ending at the third time, the third time occurring the predetermined length in time after occurrence of the second time.

9. A system for monitoring interaction between individuals engaged in communication sessions embodied in interactive data transmitted between the individuals by way of a communication network, the system comprising:

a client communication device operable for use by a first individual to participate in the communication sessions;

a monitoring module operable to select for recording the communication sessions to which the first individual has been selected for participation;

a client computer communicatively connected to the communication network and the client communication device such that the client computer receives the interactive data transmitted therebetween, the interactive data being transmitted between the communication network and the client communication device in the form of a plurality of data packets, each data packet comprising a payload region storing a portion of the interactive data, wherein the client computer comprises an activity recording device operable to record an activity data embodying actions made by the first individual during the communication sessions; and

a media file comprising the interactive data copied by the client computer during a selected communication session and the activity data recorded by the activity recording device during the selected communication session, wherein a predetermined number of the plurality of data packets contiguously received corresponding to a predetermined length of time are associated with the activity data for the predetermined length of time and are synchronized in the media file according to the predetermined length of time.

10. system as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

an intranet; and

a database communicatively connected to the client computer by way of the intranet thereby providing a communication medium for transmitting the media file from the client computer to the database for storage.

11. A system as defined in claim 10, wherein the media file is stored on the database, the system further comprising:

a server computer communicatively connected to the database and operable to retrieve the media file therefrom, wherein the server computer comprises a media application operable to play the media file when retrieved from the database.

12. A system as defined in claim 11, wherein the database and the server computer are communicatively connected by way of the intranet.

13. A system as defined in claim 10, wherein the media file is created and maintained on the client computer prior to transmission to the database.

14. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the interactive data is transmitted between the communication network and the client communication device in the form of the plurality of data packets, the system further comprising:

an intranet; and

a central server computer communicatively connected to the client computer by way of the intranet and on which the monitoring module is at least partially implemented to examine the plurality of data packets received by the client computer to select the communication sessions for recording.

15. A system as defined in claim 14, wherein the monitoring module is implemented in a distributed computing environment comprising the client computer, the central server computer and the intranet.

16. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the interactive data is transmitted between the communication network and the client communication device in the form of the plurality of data packets and wherein the client communication device is a VOIP phone.

17. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for monitoring interaction between individuals engaged in a communication session, wherein the communication session is embodied in interactive data transmitted between the individuals by way of a communication network, the method comprising:

receiving the interactive data during transmission between the communication network and a communication device used by a first individual to participate in the communication session, wherein the interactive data is in the form of a plurality of data packets, wherein each data packet comprises a payload region storing a portion of the interactive data;

creating a plurality of segments of the interactive data by grouping together portions of the interactive data embodied in the payload region of a predetermined number of contiguously received data packets, wherein the predetermined number corresponds to a predetermined length of time;

capturing an activity data embodying actions by the first individual during the communication session;

creating a plurality of segments of the activity data according to the predetermined length of time; and

associating the plurality of segments of the interactive data with the plurality of segments of the activity data based on a common time reference thereby substantially synchronizing the interactive data and the activity data for subsequent playback.

18. A computer storage medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the method comprises:

creating each segment of the interactive data by grouping together portions of the interactive data received during a plurality of time intervals defined according to the predetermined length in time, wherein each interactive data segment represents the interactive data received during one of the plurality of time intervals; and

creating each segment of the activity data by grouping together portions of the activity data received during the plurality of time intervals, wherein each activity data segment represents the activity data recorded during one of the plurality of time intervals.

19. A computer storage medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the method comprises:

saving the associated interactive data segments and activity data segments relative to one another in a media file; and

uploading the media file to a database for storage and subsequent access by one or more server computers.

20. A computer storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

providing a server computer access to the media file in the database for use in playing the media file thereon such that a user of the server computer is operable to monitor the communication session.