Systems and methods for context drilling in workforce optimization

• US 7,949,552 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Volcoff, Ari, Korenblit, Shmuel, Shvarts, Simon, Nies, James Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel; Vanel
• Application Number:
  US11/528,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20070195944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/1, 705/11, 379/265
• US Class Current: 705/7.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• 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 50/20 Education

Abstract

The systems and methods described herein provide a drill through engine that facilitates integration of solutions for performing workforce management, quality monitoring, e-learning, performance management, and analytics functionality. The drill through engine facilitates combining quality monitoring/call recording with performance management and e-learning functionality as a unified integrated solution. The combination can be delivered through a single platform and enables users to gain more insight and make smarter decisions faster about sales, service, and overall operations. This takes customer center tools beyond the traditional “suite” approach to a true single workforce optimization platform.

Claims

1. A method for providing information to facilitate operations at a customer center, the method comprising the steps of:

recording interactions of agents at a content recorder in accordance with predetermined business rules;

monitoring, at a quality monitoring component that includes an interaction database and the content recorder, at least one of;

schedules for the agents and key performance indicators (KPIs) of the agents;

responsive to the monitoring and recording, determining, at an admistrative component executing on a computing device, whether there is a variance in any of the schedules; and

responsive to the determining, determining whether to include a drill through option on a graphical user interface that includes root cause information indicating why the variance occurred to the schedule.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring scorecards for low performance of the agents;

responsive to the monitoring, determining whether the scorecards indicate low performance of the agents; and

responsive to the determining, determining whether to include a drill through option on the graphical user interface that includes root cause information indicating why the low performance appeared on the scorecards.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising providing the drill through option that includes a link to a second graphical user interface, the second graphical user interface being operative to provide information indicating one of the variance occurred to the schedule, and the low performance appeared on the scorecard.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the variance includes a training activity for an identified agent and the drill through option provides information indicating that the training activity has been included into a schedule.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the drill through option provides information that includes a date and time that the variance occurred.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein monitoring whether the identified agent has completed the training activity is achieved by receiving a lesson log that includes information about whether the identified agent has completed the training activity.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, further comprising monitoring whether the identified agent has completed the training activity.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the drill through option provides information indicating that the identified agent has completed or not completed the training activity.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising monitoring whether a training activity was assigned to at least one agent due to the KPI falling below a threshold, the drill through option including a link to provide the monitored information.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising associating the KPI with the training activity assigned to the at least one agent, wherein the drill through option includes a link to provide the associated information.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring whether a test was given to the at least one agent to determine competency in the area associated with the training activity;

receiving a test score of the test; and

providing a link to the drill through option to provide information indicating whether the at least one agent passed or failed the test.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising including a link to the drill through option to provide evaluation forms which contain the indications of low performance.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, further comprising including a link to the drill through option to provide a list of recorded interactions associated with the indications of low performance.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, further comprising including a link to the drill through option to provide information providing play back capabilities for the recorded interactions.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring for an occurrence of an exception to agent adherence, the agent adherence being determined from agent activities at the customer center;

associating the exception with at least some of the agent activities at the customer center; and

providing a drill through option on the graphical user interface that includes a link associated with the exception, the link providing access to information indicating that the at least some of the agent activities are the root cause of the exception to the agent adherence.

16. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring quality scores of the agents during the campaign based on the business rules;

determining whether the quality scores are below a quality threshold; and

responsive to the quality scores being below the quality threshold, providing a link that accesses a graphical user interface along with the quality scores, the link being operative to provide the at least some of the agent activities that cause their quality scores to fall below the quality threshold.

17. A method for providing information to facilitate operations at a customer center, the method comprising the steps of:

recording interactions of agents at a content recorder in accordance with predetermined business rules;

monitoring, at a quality monitoring component that includes an interaction database and the content recorder, for an occurrence of an exception to agent adherence, the agent adherence being determined from agent activities at the customer center, wherein the exception to agent adhernence includes a failure of the agent to adhere to a schedule;

associating the exception with at least some of the agent activities at the customer center; and

providing a link associated with the exception, the link providing access to information indicating that the at least some of the agent activities are the root cause of the exception to the agent adherence.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein providing the link provides a graphical user interface that provides the information.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the link is a drill through option allowing the user to access information indicating that the at least some of the agent activities are the root cause of the exception to the agent adherence.

20. The method as defined in claim 19, wherein the graphical user interface includes a date and time that the exception occurred.

21. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the exception to agent adherence further includes poor interaction with customers, no-showing of a training lesson, poor test scores from a training lesson, and poor attendance.

22. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising providing the at least some of the agent activities that produced the exception to the agent adherence stored in an interaction database.

23. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the providing the at least some of the agent activities include:

obtaining a list of the agent activities stored in the interaction database,

selecting from the list the at least some of the agent activities that produced the exception to the agent adherence, and

retrieving the agent activity from the interaction database responsive to selecting the drill through option.

24. A method for optimizing operations at a customer center, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving business rules of a campaign, the campaign including the schedule of agents;

recording interactions of agents at a content recorder in accordance with the business rules;

monitoring quality scores of the agents during the campaign at a quality monitoring component that includes an interaction database and the content recorder

determining whether the quality scores are below a quality threshold;

responsive to the quality scores being below the quality threshold, providing a link that accesses a graphical user interface along with the quality scores, the link being operative to provide the at least some of the agent activities that cause their quality scores to fall below the quality threshold;

responsive to selecting the link, providing the at least some of the agent activities that cause the quality scores to fall below the quality threshold;

associating training classes to the agents;

monitoring whether the training classes improve their quality scores; and

responsive to actuating the link, providing the quality scores after the training classes were taken.

25. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein the link accesses a second graphical user interface that provides the at least some of the agent activities.