Method and system for staffing a call center utilizing a time-based, graduated shrink ramp schedule

• US 8,326,667 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Johnson, Jonathan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett, Scott L
• Application Number:
  US12/815,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.13
• US Class Current: 705/7.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063118 Staff planning in a project environment

Abstract

A method for staffing a call center involves, via a processor at the call center, generating a work schedule of a call center advisor for a then-current work day, the work schedule including i) information related to at least one planned activity, and ii) information related to at least one shrink activity, the information related to the at least one shrink activity being forecasted from a time-based, graduated ramp schedule. The method further involves, via the processor, utilizing the work schedule to determine an appropriate number of call center advisors for the call center throughout a future work day.

Claims

1. A method for staffing a call center, comprising:

by a processor at the call center running computer readable code embedded on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium;

creating a time-based, graduated shrink ramp schedule by;

generating a plurality of individual shrink ramp schedules, each of the plurality of individual shrink ramp schedules including a percent variance of shrink time computed from predicted and observed amounts of shrink time performed during a respective predetermined time interval of the work dam wherein the generating of the plurality of individual shrink ramp schedules includes generating a single individual shrink ramp schedule for each of a predetermined number of time intervals defined throughout each of a predetermined number of work days, the generating of the single individual shrink ramp schedule including;

comparing i) an amount of shrink time from a plurality of individual work schedules of the call center advisor, the plurality of individual work schedules being generated throughout the work day and each of the plurality of individual work schedules representing the predicted work schedule for the particular time interval of the work day, and ii) an amount of shrink time from the observed work schedule of the call center advisor for the particular time interval of the work day; and

computing a percent variance of the compared shrink time for the particular time interval; and

computing an arithmetic mean of the plurality of individual shrink ramp schedules, the arithmetic mean representing the time-based, graduated shrink ramp schedule;

generating a work schedule of the call center advisor for a then-current work day, the work schedule including i) information related to at least one planned activity, and ii) information related to at least one shrink activity forecasted from the time-based, graduated shrink ramp schedule, wherein the at least one shrink activity is an unplanned event; and

in response to one or more occurrences of a shrink activity during the then-current work day, utilizing the time-based, graduated shrink ramp schedule to adjust the work schedule of the call center advisor throughout the remainder of the then-current work day, wherein an adjustment to the work schedule of the call center advisor includes an amount of time that is added or subtracted from the work schedule of the call center advisor at a particular time interval of the then-current work day.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the arithmetic mean is computed over a 90 day interval.

3. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein during the generating of the single ramp schedule, and after the computing of the percent variance, the generating of the single ramp schedule further includes

assigning, by the processor, the percent variance for the particular time interval to a number interval category.

4. The method as defined in claim 3 wherein the comparing and the computing is accomplished for a plurality of time intervals, and wherein the method further comprises:

assigning, by the processor, the percent variance for each of the plurality of time intervals to a respective number interval category; and

organizing, by the processor, the number interval category for each of the plurality of time intervals into the single individual shrink ramp schedule.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the computing of the percent variance is accomplished via equation (A):

6. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein prior to the comparing, the method further comprises:

generating, by the processor sequentially throughout the work day, a plurality of data files representing the plurality of individual work schedules of the call center advisor, each of the plurality of data files including information related to at least one shrink activity performed by the call center advisor;

parsing, by the processor, the information related to the at least one shrink activity into the predetermined time intervals;

generating, by the processor, an other data file representing the completed work schedule performed by the call center advisor on the work day, the completed work schedule including further information related to the at least one shrink activity performed by the call center advisor; and

parsing, by the processor, the further information related to the at least one shrink activity into the predetermined time intervals.

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

by the processor, determining an appropriate number of call center advisors for the call center throughout a work day subsequent to the then-current work day; and

by the processor, staffing the call center for the work day subsequent to the then-current work day based on the determining.

8. A system for staffing a call center, comprising:

a processor selectively and operatively associated with the call center, the processor including computer readable code embedded on non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium for;

creating a time-based, graduated shrink ramp schedule by;

generating a plurality of individual shrink ramp schedules, each of the plurality of individual shrink ramp schedules including a percent variance of shrink time computed from predicted and observed amounts of shrink time performed during a respective predetermined time interval of the work day, wherein the generating of the plurality of individual shrink ramp schedules includes generating a single individual shrink ramp schedule for each of a predetermined number of time intervals defined throughout each of a predetermined number of work days, the generating of the single individual shrink ramp schedule including;

comparing i) an amount of shrink time from a plurality of individual work schedules of the call center advisor, the plurality of individual work schedules being generated throughout the work day and each of the plurality of individual work schedules representing the predicted work schedule for the particular time interval of the work day, and ii) an amount of shrink time from the observed work schedule of the call center advisor for the particular time interval of the work day; and

computing a percent variance of the compared shrink time for the particular time interval; and

computing an arithmetic mean of the plurality of individual shrink ramp schedules, the arithmetic mean representing the time-based, graduated shrink ramp schedule;

generating a work schedule of the call center advisor for a then-current work day, the work schedule including i) information related to at least one planned activity, and ii) information related to at least one shrink activity forecasted from the time-based, graduated shrink ramp schedule, wherein the at least one shrink activity is an unplanned event; and

in response to one or more occurrences of a shrink activity during the then-current work day, utilizing the time-based, graduated shrink ramp schedule to adjust the work schedule of the call center advisor throughout the remainder of the then-current work day, wherein an adjustment to the work schedule of the call center advisor includes an amount of time that is added or subtracted from the work schedule of the call center advisor at a particular time interval of the then-current work day; and

the call center staffed by a plurality of advisors each having a respective work schedule.

9. The system as defined in claim 8 wherein the processor further includes computer readable code for:

assigning the percent variance for the particular time interval to a number interval category.

10. The system as defined in claim 8 wherein the computing of the percent variance is accomplished via equation (A):

11. The system as defined in claim 8 wherein the processor further includes computer readable code for:

generating, sequentially throughout the work day, a plurality of data files representing the plurality of individual work schedules of the call center advisor, each of the plurality of data files including information related to at least one shrink activity performed by the call center advisor;

parsing the information related to the at least one shrink activity into the predetermined time intervals;

generating an other data file representing the completed work schedule performed by the call center advisor on the work day, the completed work schedule including further information related to the at least one shrink activity performed by the call center advisor; and

parsing the further information related to the at least one shrink activity into the predetermined time intervals.

12. The system as defined in claim 8 wherein the processor further includes computer readable code for:

determining an appropriate number of call center advisors for the call center throughout a work day subsequent to the then-current work day; and

staffing the call center for the work day subsequent to the then-current work day based on the determining.