Training, certifying, assigning and collaborating agents among multiple users

• US 8,402,070 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2003
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Szlam, Aleksander, Walder, Karl A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashemi, Sana Al
• Application Number:
  US10/449,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20040111310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,581 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 707/104.1, 707/610, 707/707, 707/787, 707/795, 707/802, 707/810, 707/822
• US Class Current: 707/822
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products

Abstract

Automatically accepting applications, and testing, training, certifying, assigning, allocating, controlling, and scheduling remote agents. An applicant (100) transmits an application to a remote agent center (RAC) (130) via a Communications Network (120). The application contains the person'"'"'s profile, training, and experience. The RAC validates the skills via testing or third party confirmation, accepts the person as a remote worker, certifies the person'"'"'s skill levels, and places the person in the remote worker pool. The remote worker can also obtain remote training on new or additional topics. The RAC evaluates the business demands of an external party, identifies remote workers with the needed skills who are available, and transmits the work at the appropriate time to the remote workers. The work is transmitted via or through the RAC. The external parties thus do not have to recruit, train, or test persons, or be concerned with staffing issues.

Claims

1. A method for allocating a resource pool of remote workers among two or more contact centers serving a plurality of external parties, comprising the steps of:

providing a remote agent center;

certifying a plurality of remote workers in a plurality of skill areas, said step of certifying comprising at least one of testing, training or verification;

placing said certified remote workers in said resource pool;

receiving a request from an external party for a remote worker having a specified skill;

inspecting said resource pool to identify remote workers in said resource pool which are certified for said specified skill;

assigning at least one such identified remote worker to serve said external party;

connecting said identified remote worker to said external party through said remote agent center; and

providing services for said external party by said identified remote worker through said remote agent center.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of inspecting said resource pool further comprises reviewing said resource pool to determine availability of said identified remote worker based on a schedule of availability provided by said identified remote worker.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote worker to said external party through a single connection at said remote agent center, said single connection providing for both voice and data transfer.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote worker to said external party through separate voice and data connections at said remote agent center.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of transferring data between said external party and said remote agent through a data connection at said remote agent center.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote worker to said external party through a dial-up connection at said remote agent center.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of certifying further comprises obtaining information regarding characteristics of a workstation available to each said remote worker;

evaluating said characteristics of said workstation; and

certifying a said remote worker for a said skill area only if said characteristics of said workstation are suitable for said skill area.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of certifying comprises electronically testing.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of certifying comprises electronically training.

2. A method of allocating contact center remote workers simultaneously among a plurality of external parties and switching said remote contact center workers between external parties, comprising:

receiving a request for a remote worker having a specified skill from a first external party;

receiving a request for a remote worker having said specified skill from a second external party;

identifying a remote worker having said specified skill;

connecting said identified remote worker to said first external party on an as-needed basis;

providing services for said first external party by said identified remote worker through said remote agent center on an as-needed basis;

connecting said identified remote worker to said second external party on as-available basis; and

providing services for said second external party by said identified remote worker through said remote agent center on an as-available basis.

3. A method of allocating remote workers simultaneously among a plurality of external parties, comprising:

providing a remote agent center;

receiving a request for a remote worker having a specified skill from a first external party;

receiving a request for a remote worker having said specified skill from a second external party;

identifying a remote worker having said specified skill;

connecting said identified remote worker to said first external party on an as-needed basis to perform work for said first external party through said remote agent center;

providing services for said first external party by said identified remote worker through said remote agent center on an as-needed basis;

connecting said identified remote worker to said second external party on as-available basis to perform work for said second external party through said remote agent center; and

providing services for said second external party by said identified remote worker through said remote agent center on an as-available basis.

17. The method of claim 3 wherein said steps of connecting comprise connecting said identified remote worker to said external parties through a single connection at said remote agent center to said identified remote worker, said single connection providing for both voice and data transfer.

18. The method of claim 3 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote worker to said external parties through separate voice and data connections at said remote agent center.

19. The method of claim 3 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote worker to said external parties through a dial-up connection at said remote agent center.

20. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of transferring data between said external party and said remote worker through a data connection at said remote agent center.

21. The method of claim 3 wherein said first external party is a first contact center, said second external party is a second contact center, and further comprising the step of providing statistics regarding said remote worker to said contact centers as an input to determine agent availability.

22. The method of claim 3 wherein said identified remote worker is simultaneously connected to said first external party and said second external party.

31. The method of claim 22 and further comprising the step of providing a remote agent center, and wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote worker to said external parties through said remote agent center.

36. The method of claim 31 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote worker to said external parties through a single connection at said remote agent center to said identified remote worker, said single connection providing for both voice and data transfer.

37. The method of claim 31 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote worker to said external parties through separate voice and data connections at said remote agent center.

38. The method of claim 31 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote worker to said external parties through a dial-up connection at said remote agent center.

39. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of transferring data between said external parties and said remote worker through a data connection at said remote agent center.

40. The method of claim 31 wherein first external party is a first contact center, said second external party is a second contact center, and further comprising the step of providing statistics regarding said identified remote worker to each said contact center as an input to be used by said contact centers to determine availability of agents.

4. A method of allocating and switching contact center, remote agents among a plurality of external parties serviced by one or more contact centers, comprising:

receiving a request for a remote agent having a specified skill from a first external party, wherein first external party is a first contact center;

receiving a request for a remote agent having said specified skill from a second external party, wherein said second external party is a second contact center;

identifying a remote agent having said specified skill;

connecting said identified remote agent to said first external party on an as-needed basis;

providing services for said first external party by said identified remote agent through said remote agent center on an as-needed basis;

connecting said identified remote agent to said second external party on as-available basis;

providing services for said second external party by said identified remote agent through said remote agent center on an as-available basis; and

providing statistics regarding said remote agent to said contact centers as an input to determine agent availability;

wherein said input is used by said contact centers as an input to a predictive dialing algorithm at said contact centers.

5. A method of allocating call center, remote workers among a plurality of external parties serviced by multiple contact centers, comprising:

providing a remote agent center;

receiving a request for a remote worker having a specified skill from a first external party, wherein said first external party is serviced by a first contact center;

receiving a request for a remote worker having said specified skill from a second external party, wherein said second external party is serviced by a second contact center;

identifying a remote worker having said specified skill;

connecting said identified remote worker to said first external party on an as-needed basis;

connecting said identified remote worker to said second external party on as-available basis, wherein said identified remote worker is simultaneously connected to said first external party and said second external party through said remote agent center;

providing tools to said remote worker by said remote agent center to performing services for said first external party and said second external party;

providing statistics regarding said identified remote worker to each said contact center as an input to be used by said contact centers to determine availability of agents;

wherein said input is used by a predictive dialing algorithm used by said contact centers to determine availability of agents.

6. A method of allocating a plurality of remote workers to assist an external party in servicing contacts by customers, comprising:

receiving a request for a first remote worker having a first specified skill from an external party;

identifying a remote worker having said first specified skill;

connecting said identified first remote worker to a first customer of said external party;

receiving a request for a second remote worker having a second specified skill from said external party;

identifying a second remote worker having said second specified skill;

connecting said second identified remote worker to a second customer of said external party;

providing a remote agent interface to said first identified worker;

servicing said first customers of said external party by said first identified remote worker through said remote agent interface;

providing said remote agent interface to said second identified worker; and

servicing said second customers of said external party by said second identified remote worker through said remote agent interface.

7. A method of allocating a plurality of remote workers to assist an external party, comprising:

providing a remote agent center;

receiving a request for a first remote worker having a first specified skill from an external party;

identifying a remote worker having said first specified skill;

connecting said identified first remote worker to said external party through said remote agent center;

providing services for said external party by said first identified remote worker through said remote agent center;

receiving a request for a second remote worker having a second specified skill from said external party;

identifying a second remote worker having said second specified skill;

connecting said second identified remote worker to said external party through said remote agent center; and

providing services for said external party by said second identified remote worker through said remote agent center.

23. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote workers to said external party through connections, each identified remote worker being connected via a single connection to said remote agent center, each said single connection providing for both voice and data transfer.

24. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote workers to said external party through separate voice and data connections at said remote agent center.

25. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote workers to said external party through a plurality of dial-up connections at said remote agent center.

26. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of transferring data between said external party and said remote workers through data connections at said remote agent center.

27. The method of claim 7 wherein a remote agent center coordinates activities of said identified first remote worker and said identified second remote worker, and further comprising the step of providing statistics regarding said identified first remote worker and statistics regarding said identified second remote worker to said remote agent center as inputs to be used by said remote agent center to determine availability of remote workers.

28. The method of claim 7 wherein said external party is simultaneously connected to said identified first remote worker and to said identified second remote worker.

29. The method of claim 7 wherein at least one said step of connecting comprises connecting a said identified remote worker to said external party on an as-needed basis.

30. The method of claim 7 wherein at least one said step of connecting comprises connecting a said identified remote worker to said external party on an as-available basis.

32. The method of claim 28 and further comprising the step of providing a remote agent center, and wherein said step of connecting comprising connecting said identified remote workers to said external party through said remote agent center.

33. The method of claim 28 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote workers to said external party through separate voice and data connections at said remote agent center.

34. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of transferring data between said external party and said remote workers through data connections at said remote agent center.

35. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of sending data regarding said external party from said remote agent center to said remote workers through a data connection.

41. The method of claim 32 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote workers to said external party through connections, each identified remote worker being connected via a single connection to said remote agent center, each said single connection providing for both voice and data transfer.

42. The method of claim 32 wherein said step of connecting comprises connecting said identified remote workers to said external party through a plurality of dial-up connections at said remote agent center.

8. A method of allocating a plurality of remote workers to assist an external party, comprising:

receiving a request for a first remote worker having a first specified skill from an external party;

identifying a remote worker having said first specified skill;

providing a remote agent center to said remote worker;

connecting said identified first remote worker to said external party;

providing services for said external party by said first identified remote worker through said remote agent center;

receiving a request for a second remote worker having a second specified skill from said external party;

identifying a second remote worker having said second specified skill;

providing said remote agent center to said second remote worker;

connecting said second identified remote worker to said external party; and

providing services for said external party by said second identified remote worker through said remote agent center;

wherein a remote agent center coordinates activities of said identified first remote worker and said identified second remote worker; and

providing statistics regarding said identified first remote worker and statistics regarding said identified second remote worker to said remote agent center as inputs to be used by said remote agent center to determine availability of remote workers;

wherein said inputs are used by a predictive dialing algorithm used by said remote worker center to determine availability of remote workers.