Providing work, training, and incentives to company representatives in contact handling systems

• US 8,209,209 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: inContact Incorporated (Nice Ltd)
• Original Assignee: inContact Incorporated (Nice Ltd)
• Inventors: Minert, Brian Douglas, Jarman, Paul, Judkins, James Andrew, Dean, Joseph Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOI, PETER H
• Application Number:
  US11/869,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.14, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.08, 379/265.11, 379/265.12
• US Class Current: 705/7.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/403 Agent or workforce training
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

Several of the embodiments disclosed herein relate to accessing and tracking real-time data concerning company representative performance, proficiency, training, scheduling, current workflow, and estimated workflow. Moreover, many of the improvements in contact handling systems disclosed herein automatically provide training, work, and incentives to company representatives to improve performance, proficiency, efficiency, effectiveness, automate scheduling, and automated workflow. Thus, as a result of the teachings disclosed herein, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and revenue may be improved in the contact handling industry.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method performed in a contact handling system for assigning work to one or more company representatives, the method comprising one or more processors performing the following acts:

automatically scheduling a training session to a company representative based at least in part on a variable customer responsiveness score, wherein the variable customer responsiveness score is associated with a maximum or average time in queue for communication media and a correspondingly proportionate amount of time spent by customer representatives performing work and completing training;

automatically and electronically providing the training session to the company representative as scheduled based at least in part on the variable customer responsiveness score;

automatically assigning a proficiency associated with a training session to the company representative as soon as the training session is completed by the company representative;

automatically associating the proficiency with increased work capability as soon as the proficiency associated with the training session is assigned to the company representative; and

automatically assigning work associated with the proficiency to the company representative as soon as the proficiency is assigned to the company representative, wherein the work includes servicing customers via communications media;

automatically assigning an elevated proficiency level after the company representative has performed a predetermined amount of the work associated with the proficiency, or after the company representative has performed the work associated with the proficiency for a predetermined amount of time; and

automatically assigning work associated with the elevated proficiency level to the company representative as soon as the elevated level of the proficiency is assigned to the company representative and based on the variable company responsiveness score.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving an electronic signal identifying the company representative without the proficiency associated with a training session.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising providing the work associated with the proficiency to the company representative for completion as soon as the work is assigned to the company representative.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising providing the work associated with the elevated proficiency level to the company representative for completion as soon as the work is assigned to the company representative.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the work is routed to the company representative, or to a computer program run thereby, via computer network or communications media.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of receiving electronic notification when the training session is completed by the company representative.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the electronic notification includes a description of the date and time on which the training session was completed by the company representative.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the training session includes a test.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising an act of receiving electronic notification when the training session is completed by the company representative, the notification including a result of the test.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the company representative is a member of a team of company representatives, the method further comprising:

electronically providing the training session to each member of the team of company representatives;

automatically assigning the proficiency associated with the training session to each member of the team of company representative as soon as each member of the team of company representatives completes the training session; and

automatically assigning the work associated with the proficiency to each individual member of the team of company representatives as soon as the proficiency is assigned to each individual member.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the work includes servicing customers via communications media.

12. A method according to claim 1, further comprising electronically updating information describing proficiencies assigned to the company representative in an computer-readable media when the training session is completed.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising comparing the information describing the proficiencies stored on the computer-readable media with a proficiency associated with work prior to assigning the work to the company representative.

14. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

accessing the information describing the proficiencies from the computer-readable media, and outputting a description of the proficiencies, and/or any changes to the proficiencies, to an electronic device.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the electronic device includes a display, printer, router, computer-readable media, or a modem.

16. A method according to claim 1, further comprising outputting information describing the assignment of the work to an electronic device.

17. A method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting an electronic confirmation regarding completion of the training session to a supervisor.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising electronically transmitting information describing the assignment of the work associated with the proficiency to the supervisor.

19. A method according to claim 1, further comprising simultaneously causing a visual representation of proficiencies associated with the company representative and work assigned to the company representative to be displayed.

20. A method according to claim 1, further comprising placing communications media associated with the proficiency on-hold in a queue, wherein the communication media is immediately routed to the company representative after the company representative is assigned the proficiency.

21. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving an updated customer responsiveness score, wherein the updated customer responsiveness score increases the amount of training being assigned and completed by customer representatives and decreases the amount of work being assigned to and completed by customer representatives.

22. A method according to claim 21, further comprising requiring authentication prior to updating the customer responsiveness score.

23. A method according to claim 1, wherein the variable customer responsiveness score is associated with a particular geographic location, and a second variable customer responsiveness score is associated with a different geographic location.

24. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a particular company representative who has not performed work associated with a particular proficiency for a predetermined amount of time; and

assigning maintenance training to the particular company representative to insure that the particular company representative retains the required proficiency.

25. A computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for performing the following acts:

automatically scheduling a training session to a company representative based at least in part on a variable customer responsiveness score, wherein the variable customer responsiveness score is associated with a maximum or average time in queue for communication media and a relative amount of time spent by customer representatives performing work and completing training;

automatically and electronically providing the training session to the company representative as scheduled based at least in part on the variable customer responsiveness score;

automatically assigning a proficiency associated with a training session to the company representative as soon as the training session is completed by the company representative;

automatically associating the proficiency with increased work capability as soon as the proficiency associated with the training session is assigned to the company representative; and

automatically assigning work associated with the proficiency to the company representative as soon as the proficiency is assigned to the company representative, wherein the work includes servicing customers via communications media;

automatically assigning an elevated proficiency level after the company representative has performed a predetermined amount of the work associated with the proficiency, or after the company representative has performed the work associated with the proficiency for a predetermined amount of time; and

automatically assigning work associated with the elevated proficiency level to the company representative as soon as the elevated level of the proficiency is assigned to the company representative and based on the variable company responsiveness score.