System and method for facilitating triggers and workflows in workforce optimization

• US 8,112,306 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lyerly, Thomas, McLean, Nick, Keren, Shimon
• Primary Examiner(s): Jasmin, Lynda
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALKER III, GEORGE H
• Application Number:
  US11/479,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,048 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.38, 705/7.42
• US Class Current: 705/7.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment 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 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

The systems and methods described herein provide a notification engine that facilitates integration of solutions for performing workforce management, quality monitoring, e-learning, performance management, and analytics functionality. The notification 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 notification process for optimizing operations at a customer center through an integrated process having interfaced components, the method comprising the steps of:

capturing agent-customer interactions at a recording device of a quality monitoring component executing on a computing device within the customer center in accordance with predefined business rules;

applying an analytics function executing on the computing device within the customer center to the agent-customer interactions, the analytics function;

performing speech recognition to convert recorded agent-customer interactions into a searchable repository;

retrieving the agent-customer interactions from the searchable repository and determining patterns and trends within the agent-customer interactions;

applying a weight to the patterns to determine if predetermined ones of the patterns are directed to a same customer intent; and

automatically scoring the agent-customer interactions in accordance with the patterns, weights and trends;

monitoring, at the quality monitoring component, scorecards for low performance of the agents, the scorecards being based on the scoring of the agent-customer interactions;

responsive to the monitoring, determining, at the quality monitoring component, whether the scorecards indicate low performance of the agents;

responsive to the determining, providing, by a notification engine within an administration component executing on the computing device within the customer center that interfaces with the quality monitoring component, a user notification message that notifies a supervisor and at least one agent that indications of a low performance appeared on the scorecards, wherein the notification engine further determines recorded interactions that are associated with the indications of low performance, and the user notification message includes the determined recorded interactions associated with the indications of the low performance;

modifying, by a scheduler that interfaces with the administration component, a schedule of the at least one agent and providing a training activity at a workstation computer for the at least one agent, the training activity being targeted to address the scorecards indicative of low performance of the at least one agent; and

providing the user notification message to notify the supervisor and the at least one agent that the training activity has been included into the schedule.

2. The notification process as defined in claim 1, wherein the user notification messages include a pop-up screen or a text message.

3. The notification process as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining whether the at least one identified agent has completed the training activity.

4. The notification process as defined in claim 3, wherein determining whether the at least one identified agent has completed the training activity is achieved by receiving a lesson log that includes information about whether the at least one identified agent has completed the training activity.

5. The notification process as defined in claim 4, further comprising sending reminder to the at least one identified agent before the training activity is conducted.

6. The notification process as defined in claim 3, further comprising notifying the supervisor and the at least one identified agent that the at least one identified agent has completed or not completed the training activity.

7. The notification process as defined in claim 1, further comprising monitoring whether a training activity was assigned to the at least one agent.

8. The notification process as defined in claim 1, further comprising notifying the at least one agent or the supervisor that the training activity has been assigned to the at least one agent.

9. The notification process as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

providing a test that is 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

notifying the supervisor or at least one agent whether the at least one agent passed or failed the test.

10. The notification process as defined in claim 1, further comprising providing evaluation forms which contain the indications of low performance.

11. The notification process as defined in claim 1, further comprising providing play back capabilities for the recorded interactions.

12. The notification process as defined in claim 1, further comprising tracking responses from recipients of the user notification messages, the responses including whether the recipients have viewed the message and, if the message has a reply option, tracking any response entered by the user.