Method, system and storage medium for utilizing training roadmaps in a call center

• US 7,702,532 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2003
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vigil, Shirley
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett; Scott L
• Application Number:
  US10/735,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,321 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7
• US Class Current: 705/7.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• 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 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a method, system, and storage medium for providing a disciplined approach to business management activities. The method includes developing an activity list of tasks and behaviors that relate to an identified opportunity, performing a time study of observable behaviors associated with the activity, and collecting data resulting from the time study and the performance of work activities. The method also includes identifying issues presented as a result of analyzing the data, generating and implementing a roadmap for resolving the issues, and training individuals affected by the roadmap in accordance with action items contained in the roadmap. The method further includes forecasting future resource requirements based upon reports generated as a result of collecting the data and identifying the issues.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of providing a disciplined approach for conducting business management activities in a call center operating on one or more computer processors, the computer processors in communication with a host system computer over a communication network, the method comprising:

developing an activity list of tasks and behaviors that relate to an identified opportunity;

performing a time study of observable behaviors associated with the activity list in the call center;

collecting, on the computer processors, data resulting from the time study and from performance of work activities, wherein the collecting comprises generating a tally sheet, a daily load review and a daily schedule control;

defining key measurement indicators for the observable behaviors;

identifying issues presented as a result of analyzing the collected time study data;

generating and implementing a roadmap for resolving the identified issues;

training individuals affected by the roadmap in accordance with action items contained in the roadmap;

updating a database of roadmaps based upon notification of a compliance resulting from an activity assessment; and

forecasting, on the computer processors, future call center resource requirements based upon reports generated as a result of the collecting data, identifying issues, and training individuals, wherein the future resource requirements are forecasted using the training by comparing actual progress made by individuals to planned progress for the individuals, the planned progress derived in response to a training assessment;

wherein generating a roadmap includes ranking individuals amongst one another based upon observable behaviors conducted as observed in an initial screening to identify training requirements and creating an action plan and, wherein further, training the individuals includes linking a corresponding training program with the individuals in response to the initial screening, the action plan including detailed action items and metrics that guide the individuals through the roadmap; and

wherein the observable behaviors comprise at least one of determining a percentage change in a number of repeat calls on a same issue over time for a work area by comparing the number of calls on the same issue with the key measurement indicators and determining a percentage change in a speed in which a customer call is answered over time for a work area by comparing a measurement of a speed in which a customer call is answered with key measurement indicators.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein developing an activity list includes:

establishing goals and strategies for exploiting the opportunity;

documenting the goals and strategies; and

communicating the goals and strategies to affected individuals.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising using information in the activity list to develop an activity detail summary comprising:

documenting current workflow conditions and requirements;

identifying key volume indicators;

identifying activities and creating an activity list summary; and

identifying key measurement indicators.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the key volume indicators are derived by:

comparing like work units and validating differences between processes used in the like work units; and

establishing engineering service metrics and reasonable expectations resulting from the comparing like work units;

wherein the engineering service metrics include best demonstrated practices for activities conducted in the work units; and

wherein the key measurement indicators measure performance, service, quality, and effectiveness of work performed and quantify results into relevant measurements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein training the individuals further includes:

evaluating the individuals to determine current skill levels and skills flexibility, the skills flexibility identifying relative strengths and weaknesses within a team of individuals from a training standpoint; and

conducting a pre-training assessment to calibrate the skills of the individuals prior to training, and conducting a post-training assessment to measure the skills retained by the individuals after conducting the training;

wherein the pre-training assessment and the post-training assessment assess skills training needs for three skill areas, including;

basic skills that define basic foundational elements needed to perform a job;

fundamental skills that define an advanced set of skills desirable for optimally performing a job; and

advanced skill areas that define unique or special skills required to perform a job.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing a time study of observable behaviors further includes:

identifying behaviors to observe;

observing the behaviors;

determining statistical validity of observations;

defining metrics for the behaviors; and

documenting the observations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the tally sheet specifies detailed work volumes, the daily load review comprises the calculation of the work volume to be completed and an amount of labor to produce the work volume, and the daily schedule control is created using the tally sheet and the daily load review, the daily schedule control including:

productivity data;

percentage of overtime data;

earned hours; and

lost time;

wherein the method further comprises;

conducting a daily employee performance review including;

meeting with employees to review prior day performance;

gathering lessons learned; and

applying lessons learned to future operations; and

generating a daily planner including;

gathering the results of the daily load review;

gathering the results of the daily schedule control; and

gathering the results of the daily performance review.

19. The method of claim 4, wherein the observable behaviors are percentage of telephone calls answered within an average speed, the average speed determined by the key measurement indicators.

8. A storage medium encoded with machine-readable computer program code for providing a disciplined approach for conducting business management activities in a call center, the storage medium including instructions for causing a server to implement a method, comprising:

developing an activity list of tasks and behaviors that relate to an identified opportunity;

performing a time study of observable behaviors associated with the activity list in the call center;

collecting data resulting from the time study and from performance of work activities, wherein the collecting comprises generating a tally sheet, a daily load review and a daily schedule control;

defining key measurement indicators for the observable behaviors;

identifying issues presented as a result of analyzing the collected time study data;

generating and implementing a roadmap for resolving the identified issues;

training individuals affected by the roadmap in accordance with action items contained in the roadmap;

updating a database of roadmaps based upon notification of a compliance resulting from an activity assessment; and

forecasting future call center resource requirements based upon reports generated as a result of the collecting data, identifying issues, and training individuals, wherein the future resource requirements are forecasted using the training by comparing actual progress made by individuals to planned progress for the individuals, the planned progress derived in response to a training assessment;

wherein generating a roadmap includes ranking individuals amongst one another based upon observable behaviors conducted as observed in an initial screening to identify training requirements and creating an action plan and, wherein further, training the individuals includes linking a corresponding training program with the individuals in response to the initial screening, the action plan including detailed action items and metrics that guide the individuals through the roadmap; and

wherein the observable behaviors comprise at least one of determining a percentage change in a number of repeat calls on a same issue over time for a work area by comparing the number of calls on the same issue with the key measurement indicators and determining a percentage change in a speed in which a customer call is answered over time for a work area by comparing a measurement of a speed in which a customer call is answered with key measurement indicators.

9. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein developing an activity list includes:

establishing goals and strategies for exploiting the opportunity;

documenting the goals and strategies; and

communicating the goals and strategies to affected individuals.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions for causing the server to implement:

using information in the activity list to develop an activity detail summary comprising;

documenting current workflow conditions and requirements;

identifying key volume indicators;

identifying activities and creating an activity list summary; and

identifying key measurement indicators.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the key volume indicators are derived by:

comparing like work units and validating differences between processes used in the like work units; and

establishing engineering service metrics and reasonable expectations resulting from the comparing like work units;

wherein the engineering service metrics include best demonstrated practices for activities conducted in the work units; and

wherein the key measurement indicators measure performance, service, quality, and effectiveness of work performed and quantify results into relevant measurements.

12. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein training the individuals further includes:

evaluating the individuals to determine current skill levels and skills flexibility, the skills flexibility identifying relative strengths and weaknesses within a team of individuals from a training standpoint; and

conducting a pre-training assessment to calibrate the skills of the individuals prior to training, and conducting a post-training assessment to measure the skills retained by the individuals after conducting the training;

wherein the pre-training assessment and the post-training assessment assess skills training needs for three skill areas, including;

basic skills that define basic foundational elements needed to perform a job;

fundamental skills that define an advanced set of skills desirable for optimally performing a job; and

advanced skill areas that define unique or special skills required to perform a job.

13. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the performing a time study of observable behaviors further includes:

identifying behaviors to observe;

observing the behaviors;

determining statistical validity of observations;

defining metrics for the behaviors; and

documenting the observations.

14. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the tally sheet specifies detailed work volumes, the daily load review comprises the calculation of the work volume to be completed and an amount of labor to produce the work volume, and the daily schedule control is created using the tally sheet and the daily load review, the daily schedule control including:

productivity data;

percentage of overtime data;

earned hours; and

lost time;

wherein the method further comprises;

conducting a daily employee performance review including;

meeting with employees to review prior day performance;

gathering lessons learned; and

applying lessons learned to future operations; and

generating a daily planner including;

gathering the results of the daily load review;

gathering the results of the daily schedule control; and

gathering the results of the daily performance review.

15. A system for providing a disciplined approach for conducting business management activities in a call center, comprising:

a server;

a business management system executing on the server, the business management system implementing a method, comprising;

developing an activity list of tasks and behaviors that relate to an identified opportunity;

performing a time study of observable behaviors associated with the activity list in the call center;

collecting data resulting from the time study and from performance of work activities, wherein the collecting comprises generating a tally sheet, a daily load review and a daily schedule control;

defining key measurement indicators for the observable behaviors;

identifying issues presented as a result of analyzing the collected time study data;

generating and implementing a roadmap for resolving the identified issues;

training individuals affected by the roadmap in accordance with action items contained in the roadmap;

updating a database of roadmaps based upon notification of a compliance resulting from an activity assessment; and

forecasting future call center resource requirements based upon reports generated as a result of the collecting data, identifying issues, and training individuals, wherein the future resource requirements are forecasted using the training by comparing actual progress made by individuals to planned progress for the individuals, the planned progress derived in response to a training assessment;

wherein generating a roadmap includes ranking individuals amongst one another based upon observable behaviors conducted as observed in an initial screening to identify training requirements and creating an action plan and, wherein further, training the individuals includes linking a corresponding training program with the individuals in response to the initial screening, the action plan including detailed action items and metrics that guide the individuals through the roadmap; and

wherein the observable behaviors comprise at least one of determining a percentage change in a number of repeat calls on a same issue over time for a work area by comparing the number of calls on the same issue with the key measurement indicators and determining a percentage change in a speed in which a customer call is answered over time for a work area by comparing a measurement of a speed in which a customer call is answered with key measurement indicators.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein developing an activity list includes:

establishing goals and strategies for exploiting the opportunity;

documenting the goals and strategies; and

communicating the goals and strategies to affected individuals, the method further comprising;

using information in the activity list to develop an activity detail summary comprising;

documenting current workflow conditions and requirements;

identifying key volume indicators;

identifying activities and creating an activity list summary; and

identifying key measurement indicators.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the key volume indicators are derived by:

comparing like work units and validating differences between processes used in the like work units; and

establishing engineering service metrics and reasonable expectations resulting from the comparing like work units;

wherein the engineering service metrics include best demonstrated practices for activities conducted in the work units; and

wherein the key measurement indicators measure performance, service, quality, and effectiveness of work performed and quantify results into relevant measurements.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein training the individuals further includes:

evaluating the individuals to determine current skill levels and skills flexibility, the skills flexibility identifying relative strengths and weaknesses within a team of individuals from a training standpoint; and

conducting a pre-training assessment to calibrate the skills of the individuals prior to training, and conducting a post-training assessment to measure the skills retained by the individuals after conducting the training;

wherein the pre-training assessment and the post-training assessment assess skills training needs for three skill areas, including;

basic skills that define basic foundational elements needed to perform a job;

fundamental skills that define an advanced set of skills desirable for optimally performing a job; and

advanced skill areas that define unique or special skills required to perform a job.