System and method for tracking communications within an organization

• US 8,799,045 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Heinz, John W., Shoats, Melvin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koneru, Sujay
• Application Number:
  US11/998,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20090144106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,440 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• US Class Current: 705/7.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring operations within an organization may include a database configured to store information representative of communication history between first employees and service provider employees within the organization. The database may include at least one parameter indicative of a purpose for each communication between the employees. A computing system may be in communication with the database and be configured to execute software for enabling the service provider employees to enter information associated with the communications and for generating reports that include statistics associated with the at least one parameter indicative of a purpose for a communication.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring operations within an organization, said system comprising:

a database configured to store information representative of communication history between employees and internal service provider employees within an organization, said database including at least one parameter associated with each communication between the employees, wherein the at least one parameter includes a pre-designated code indicative of a purpose of an associated communication, the pre-designated code selected from a plurality of pre-designated codes, each of the plurality of pre-designated codes indicative of a different problem encountered by the employees; and

a computing system in communication with said database and configured to execute software for enabling the internal service provider employees to enter information associated with the communications and for generating reports that include statistics associated with the pre-designated code indicative of the purpose for a communication, wherein the software is further configured to determine based on the statistics whether to make corrections to certain products or processes to improve overall efficiencies in the organization;

enable a user to select from a list of predefined reports that include number of calls by an associate, calls by source, calls by resolution, duplicate calls, calls by department, Arc orders, and project report; and

receive user-entered information from an internal service provider employee indicating a current location of the internal service provider employee, wherein the current location of the internal service provider employee is determined based solely on the internal service provider employee selecting a location from a selectable list to indicate the internal service provider employee'"'"'s current location, wherein the selectable list to indicate the internal service provider employee'"'"'s current location includes an indication of whether the internal service provider employee is on a break, working with a particular employee, gone for day, and located at the internal service provider employee'"'"'s desk.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the reports includes statistical information including an amount of time spent associated with each pre-designated code, wherein the reports further includes an identification of one or more of the pre-designated codes that are identified as a common problem within the organization based on the statistical information.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter includes a Wire Center parameter associated with a location that a caller employee works.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said database includes a telephone number parameter, wherein each communication record is related to a telephone number for which corrective action is to be performed.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter includes a Home Wire Center parameter for a service request.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said database includes a resolution code parameter indicative of how the communications are resolved.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter includes an amount of telephone numbers parameter handled during a trouble call.

8. A method for monitoring operations within an organization, said method comprising:

storing, by a computing system, information representative of communication history between employees and internal service provider employees within an organization, the information including at least one parameter associated with the communications between the employees, wherein the at least one parameter includes a pre-designated code indicative of a purpose of an associated communication, the pre-designated code selected from a plurality of pre-designated codes, each of the plurality of pre-designated codes indicative of a different problem encountered by the employees;

enabling, by the computing system, the internal service provider employees to enter information associated with the communications;

enabling, by the computing system, the internal service provider employees to enter information indicating a current location of the internal service provider employees, wherein the current location of an internal service provider employee is determined based solely on the internal service provider employee selecting a location from a selectable list to indicate the internal service provider employee'"'"'s current location;

generating, by the computing system, reports that include statistics associated with the pre-designated code indicative of the purpose for a communication;

determining based on the statistics whether to make corrections to certain products or processes to improve overall efficiencies in the organization;

enabling a user to select from a list of predefined reports that include number of calls by an associate, calls by source, calls by resolution, duplicate calls, calls by department, Arc orders, and project report; and

receiving user-entered information from an internal service provider employee indicating a current location of the internal service provider employee, wherein the current location of the internal service provider employee is determined based solely on the internal service provider employee selecting a location from a selectable list to indicate the internal service provider employee'"'"'s current location, wherein the selectable list to indicate the internal service provider employee'"'"'s current location includes an indication of whether the internal service provider employee is on a break, working with a particular employee, gone for day, and located at the internal service provider employee'"'"'s desk.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising enabling the internal service provider employees to receive and enter information associated with functions performed by an internal service provider department within the organization.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the reports includes statistical information on an amount of time spent associated with each pre-designated code.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising displaying real-time information associated with a status of the internal service provider employees.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising enabling the internal service provider employees to enter information to be displayed to other internal service provider employees.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein storing the at least one parameter includes storing a telephone number parameter, wherein each communication record is related to a telephone number for which corrective action is a database is to be performed.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein generating at least one report includes generating percentages of communications from different departments within the organization.

15. The method according to claim 8, further comprising storing a resolution code parameter indicative of how the communications are resolved, wherein the resolution code parameter is an alphanumeric code.

16. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

aggregating the information associated with the communications; and

determining whether the aggregated information is indicative of a problem affecting more than one of the employees.