Business performance and customer care quality measurement

• US 7,783,513 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2003
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellisist, Inc. dba Spoken Communications (Avaya Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Intellisist, Inc. dba Spoken Communications (Avaya Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lee, Howard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): BORISSOV, IGOR N
• Application Number:
  US10/691,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20050091071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,498 Days
• Field of Search: 705 7- 11, 379/265.02, 379/265.03, 379/265.04, 379/265.05, 37926506-26508, 379/265.09, 379/265.1, 379/265.11, 379/265.12
• US Class Current: 705/7.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

An apparatus includes a plurality of storable representations of interactions between an agent of a business and customers, wherein the business is located in a first geographic area. A storage device in communication with the first geographic area is configured to receive and store the storable representations wherein the storable representations are capable of being analyzed at high frequency for service quality in the second geographic area by an analyst. The second geographic area is subject to a geographic wage attenuator. Report data is generated and fed back to the agent; the report data represents the quality of service rendered by the agent to the customers. An agent can be informed of at least one agent performance element that was well performed and at least one agent performance element that could be performed even better.

Claims

1. A method for providing calibrated evaluations of agent performance, wherein all steps are performed by a computer, comprising:

providing interactions between an agent employed by a business and a customer of the business to analysts for assigning scores to a performance of the agent during one of the interactions, wherein at least one of the interactions is commonly provided to the analysts;

analyzing the performance scores provided by the analysts and determining for each analyst, a total performance score for the commonly-provided interaction via a scoring algorithm;

comparing each of the total performance scores associated with the analysts with a standard score determined by another employee of the business to identify a deviation between each of the total performance scores;

providing feedback to each of the analysts, the feedback comprising that analyst'"'"'s deviation from the standard score;

adjusting for one or more analysts, a scoring criteria in response to the feedback based on the associated deviation, comprising;

if the deviation associated with at least one of the analysts is not within an acceptable range of deviation then repeat the providing, analyzing, and comparing steps for that analyst; and

if the deviation associated with one or more of the analysts is within the acceptable range then the at least one or more analysts are considered calibrated analysts;

randomly sampling the provided interactions for distributing to the calibrated analysts, wherein the interactions occur in a first geographical area and the interactions are analyzed in a second geographical area by the calibrated analysts to produce a calibrated performance score based on a determination of the performance rendered by the agent to the at least one customer;

sending the calibrated performance score to the business and transmitting input from the business, wherein the input is based on feedback generated by the agent in response to the calibrated performance score;

recalculating the standard score based on the input from the business as a recalculated standard score, comprising;

if the deviations associated with one or more of the analysts are not within an acceptable range of deviation from the recalculated standard score then repeating the providing, analyzing, and comparing steps;

if the deviations associated with one or more of the analysts are within the acceptable range of deviation from the recalculated score, then the one or more analysts are considered recalibrated analysts.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the calibrated performance score and the input are provided over a communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactions are based on an analysis frequency that is determined at least one of arbitrarily and as requested by the business.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the interactions is analyzed for quality of service for the agent per day.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a data report with the calibrated performance score.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the report data further comprises at least one of:

an agent performance element that could be improved; and

an agent performance element that was well performed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the report data further comprises a training tip for the agent based on analyzing the agent'"'"'s interactions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactions comprise telephone calls.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactions comprise electronic messages.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactions occur in an area within the United States of America and the analysis of the interactions occur in at least one of a different area within the United States of America and an area that is external to the United States of America.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactions occur in an area external to the United States of America and the analysis of the interactions occur in at least one of a different area external to the United States of America and an area within the United States of America.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the acceptable range of deviation is established by the business.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the acceptable range is expressed as the deviation between an individual analyst'"'"'s calibrated performance scores.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the deviation is expressed as a percentage of deviation from the standard score.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the commonly-provided interaction and the acceptable range of deviation are provided by an anonymous transaction simulation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the anonymous transaction simulation is designed to test a parameter selected from the group consisting of a particular category of a transaction, a training update, and a unique customer interaction scenario.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactions each consist of at least one of voice data and other data.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein wages in the second geographic area are less than wages in the first geographical area to generate wage attenuation.

19. An apparatus for providing calibrated evaluations of agent performance, comprising:

a communications network to provide interactions between an agent employed by a business and a customer of the business to analysts for assigning scores to a performance of the agent during one of the interactions, wherein at least one of the interactions is commonly provided to the analysts; and

a processor configured to;

analyze the performance scores provided by the analysts and to determine for each analyst, a total performance score for the commonly-provided interaction via a scoring algorithm;

compare each of the total performance scores associated with the analysts with a standard score determined by another employee of the business to identify a deviation between each of the total performance scores;

provide feedback to each of the analysts, the feedback comprising that analyst'"'"'s deviation from the standard score;

adjust for one or more analysts, a scoring criteria in response to the feedback based on the associated deviation, comprising if the deviation associated with at least one of the analysts is not within an acceptable range of deviation then repeat the providing, analyzing and comparing steps for that analyst, and if the deviation associated with one or more of the analysts is within the acceptable range then the at least one or more analysts are considered calibrated analysts;

randomly sample the provided interactions for distributing to the calibrated analysts, wherein the interactions occur in a first geographical area and the interactions are analyzed in a second geographical area by the calibrated analysts to produce a calibrated performance score based on a determination of the performance rendered by the agent to the at least one customer;

send the calibrated performance score to the business and transmitting input from the business, wherein the input is based on feedback generated by the agent in response to the calibrated performance score; and

recalculate the standard score based on the input from the business as a recalculated standard score, comprising if the deviations associated with one or more of the analysts are not within an acceptable range of deviation from the recalculated standard score then repeating the providing, analyzing and comparing steps, and if the deviations associated with one or more of the analysts are within the acceptable range of deviation from the recalculated score, then the one or more analysts are considered recalibrated analysts.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least one of the calibrated performance score and the input are provided over a communication network.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the interactions are based on an analysis frequency that is determined at least one of arbitrarily and as requested by the business.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least one of the interactions is analyzed for quality of service for the agent per day.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

provide a data report with the calibrated performance score.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the report data further comprises at least one of:

an agent performance element that could be improved; and

an agent performance element that was well performed.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the report data further comprises a training tip for the agent based on analyzing the agent'"'"'s interactions.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the interactions comprise telephone calls.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the interactions comprise electronic messages.

28. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the interactions occur in an area within the United States of America and the analysis of the interactions occur in at least one of a different area within the United States of America and an area that is external to the United States of America.

29. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the interactions occur in an area external to the United States of America and the analysis of the interactions occur in at least one of a different area external to the United States of America and an area within the United States of America.

30. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the acceptable range of deviation is established by the business.

31. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the acceptable range is expressed as the deviation between an individual analyst'"'"'s calibrated performance scores.

32. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the deviation is expressed as a percentage of deviation from the standard score.

33. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the commonly-provided interaction and the acceptable range of deviation are provided by an anonymous transaction simulation.

34. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the anonymous transaction simulation is designed to test a parameter selected from the group consisting of a particular category of a transaction, a training update, and a unique customer interaction scenario.

35. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein wages in the second geographic area are less than wages in the first geographical area to generate wage attenuation.

36. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the interactions each consist of at least one of voice data and other data.

37. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions stored therein, which when executed by a computer, causing said computer to implement the method for providing calibrated evaluations of agent performance, comprising:

providing interactions between an agent employed by a business and a customer of the business to analysts for assigning scores to a performance of the agent during one of the interactions, wherein at least one of the interactions is commonly provided to the analysts;

analyzing the performance scores provided by the analysts and determining for each analyst, a total performance score for the commonly-provided interaction via a scoring algorithm;

comparing each of the total performance scores associated with the analysts with a standard score determined by another employee of the business to identify a deviation between each of the total performance scores;

providing feedback to each of the analysts, the feedback comprising that analyst'"'"'s deviation from the standard score;

adjusting for one or more analysts, a scoring criteria in response to the feedback based on the associated deviation, comprising;

if the deviation associated with at least one of the analysts is not within an acceptable range of deviation then repeat the providing, analyzing, and comparing steps for that analyst; and

if the deviation associated with one or more of the analysts is within the acceptable range then the at least one or more analysts are considered calibrated analysts;

randomly sampling the provided interactions for distributing to the calibrated analysts, wherein the interactions occur in a first geographical area and the interactions are analyzed in a second geographical area by the calibrated analysts to produce a calibrated performance score based on a determination of the performance rendered by the agent to the at least one customer;

sending the calibrated performance score to the business and transmitting input from the business, wherein the input is based on feedback generated by the agent in response to the calibrated performance score;

recalculating the standard score based on the input from the business as a recalculated standard score, comprising;

if the deviations associated with one or more of the analysts are not within an acceptable range of deviation from the recalculated standard score then repeating the providing, analyzing, and comparing steps;

if the deviations associated with one or more of the analysts are within the acceptable range of deviation from the recalculated score, then the one or more analysts are considered recalibrated analysts.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein at least one of the calibrated performance score and the input are provided over a communication network.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the interactions are based on an analysis frequency that is determined at least one of arbitrarily and as requested by the business.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein at least one of the interactions is analyzed for quality of service for the agent per day.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, further comprising:

providing a data report with the calibrated performance score.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 41, wherein the report data further comprises at least one of:

an agent performance element that could be improved; and

an agent performance element that was well performed.

43. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 41, wherein the report data further comprises a training tip for the agent based on analyzing the agent'"'"'s interactions.

44. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the interactions comprise telephone calls.

45. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the interactions comprise electronic messages.

46. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the interactions occur in an area within the United States of America and the analysis of the interactions occur in at least one of a different area within the United States of America and an area that is external to the United States of America.

47. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the interactions occur in an area external to the United States of America and the analysis of the interactions occur in at least one of a different area external to the United States of America and an area within the United States of America.

48. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the acceptable range of deviation is established by the business.

49. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the acceptable range is expressed as the deviation between an individual analyst'"'"'s calibrated performance scores.

50. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the deviation is expressed as a percentage of deviation from the standard score.

51. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the commonly-provided interaction and the acceptable range of deviation are provided by an anonymous transaction simulation.

52. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the anonymous transaction simulation is designed to test a parameter selected from the group consisting of a particular category of a transaction, a training update, and a unique customer interaction scenario.

53. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein wages in the second geographic area are less than wages in the first geographical area to generate wage attenuation.

54. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the interactions each consist of at least one of voice data and other data.