Server displaying status of operator using seat layout, terminal for manager, system, and method

• US 8,869,057 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: P&W Solutions Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: P&W Solutions Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Omiya, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): BHARGAVA, ANIL K
• Application Number:
  US12/524,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20100122202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,461 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771, 715/772, 379/256
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

A server (10) is connected to a terminal (13) for an operator and a terminal (12) for a manager through a network (14), receives operation situation data representing the operation situation of the terminal (13) transmitted from the terminal (13) together with the seat ID, creates display data for displaying an image of the seat layout representing the operation situation different with the type of the received operation situation data according to the seat ID from the layout data read out of a storage unit (120) of the server (10), and transmits the display data to the terminal (12).

Claims

1. A server in combination with a manager terminal, the server connected via a communication line to operator terminals including a telephone function and the manager terminal including a display unit in a contact center, the server comprising:

a memory unit configured to store;

an operator identification table for storing data that enables identification of operators operating the operator terminals on an hourly basis by associating seat IDs uniquely indicating the operator terminals and operator IDs identifying the operators operating the operator terminals; and

a layout table for storing layout data that indicates layout locations of the operator terminals based on the seat IDs, and for storing task identification data that corresponds to a task associated with the seat ID;

a unit configured to receive operational status data, which is transmitted from the operator terminals, and which indicates operational statuses of the operator terminals, together with the seat IDs;

a unit configured to read the layout data from the layout table;

a unit configured to generate display data based on the seat IDs from the read layout data to display a seat layout image indicating operational statuses that are different depending on types of the received operational status data, and to transmit the display data to the manager terminal; and

a unit configured to selectively transmit notice data to the operator terminals based on a determination of a number of operator terminals having, in the layout table, task identification data that corresponds to a task to a threshold,

wherein the manager terminal comprises a listing of audio recording data, the audio recording data comprising conversation contents which have been recorded, with a “

seat ID” and

a “

audio recording start date and time”

as keys,

wherein the unit configured to selectively transmit notice data to the operator terminals is further configured to transmit the notice data only to the operator terminals having, in the layout table, task identification data that corresponds to the task and having the operational status that does not indicate readiness to accept the task when the number of operator terminals having, in the layout table, task identification data that corresponds to the task and having an operational status that indicates readiness to accept the task is not greater than the threshold, and

wherein the notice data directs an operator terminal to terminate the task.

2. The server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a unit configured to receive, from the manager terminal, evaluation data of an operator operating one operator terminal, which has been input by a manager into an evaluation input form displayed on the display unit of the manager terminal, together with the seat ID indicating the one operator terminal, in response to the manager terminal having accepted a selection of the one operator terminal among the operator terminals displayed as the seat layout image on the display unit of the manager terminal, together with designation of time; and

a unit configured to store the received evaluation data into the memory unit by associating with the received seat IDs.

3. The server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a unit configured to transmit, to the manager terminal, data of an evaluation input form for inputting evaluation data of an operator operating one operator terminal based on the seat ID indicating the one operator terminal, which has been transmitted in response to the manager terminal having accepted a selection of the one operator terminal among the operator terminals displayed as the seat layout image on the display unit of the manager terminal, together with designation of time;

a unit configured to receive, from the manager terminal, the evaluation data of the operator operating the one operator terminal, which has been input by a manager into the evaluation input form displayed on the display unit of the manager terminal, together with the seat ID indicating the one operator terminal, in response to the manager terminal having received the data of the evaluation input form; and

a unit configured to store the received evaluation data into the memory unit by associating with the received seat IDs.

4. The server according to claim 3, wherein the unit configured to transmit the data of the evaluation input form transmits the data of the evaluation input form, together with other evaluation data, which is stored in advance in the memory unit in association with the seat ID, of the operator operating the one operator terminal, to the manager terminal.

5. The server according to claim 3, wherein the unit configured to transmit the data of the evaluation input form transmits the data of the evaluation input form, together with image data of the operator operating the one operator terminal, based on the seat ID, to the manager terminal.

6. The server according to claim 3, wherein the data of the evaluation input form is data configured so as to enable inputting thereof by accepting a selection of predetermined input items.

7. The server according to claim 1, wherein the types of the operational status data include a type for determining whether the operator terminals are at least operating.

8. The server according to claim 1, wherein the operational status data transmitted from the operator terminal is received in response to the operator terminal having accepted an operation from the operator.

9. The server according to claim 1, wherein the operational status data transmitted from the operator terminal is received, provided that the operator terminal does not accept an operation from the operator within a predetermined time.

10. The server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a unit configured to store, in the memory unit, conversation data including telephone call contents of the operator operating the operator terminal indicated by the seat ID received from the operator terminal, in association with the received seat ID; and

a unit configured to extract the conversation data of the operator operating one operator terminal from the memory unit and to transmit the conversation data to the manager terminal, based on a seat ID indicating the one operator terminal, which has been transmitted in response to the manager terminal having accepted a selection of the one operator terminal among the operator terminals displayed as the seat layout image on the display unit of the manager terminal, together with designation of time.

11. The server according to claim 1, wherein the unit configured to selectively transmit the notice data transmits data indicating a number of ready operators who can accept the task.

12. A system comprising a manager terminal which is connected via a communication line to a server communicably connected to operator terminals having a telephone function in a contact center, and which includes a display unit, the system comprising:

on the manager terminal, a unit configured to receive display data, which is transmitted from the server, to display a seat layout image showing operational statuses that are different depending on types of operational status data indicating operational statuses of the operator terminals;

on the manager terminal, a unit configured to display the seat layout image on the display unit based on the received display data;

on the manager terminal, a unit configured to store a listing of audio recording data, the audio recording data comprising conversation contents which have been recorded, with a “

seat ID” and

a “

audio recording start date and time”

as keys; and

on the server, a unit configured to selectively transmit notice data to the operator terminals based on a determination of a number of operator terminals assigned to a task to a threshold,

wherein the unit configured to selectively transmit notice data to the operator terminals is further configured to transmit the notice data only to the operator terminals assigned to the task when the number of operator terminals not assigned to the task and having an operational status that indicates readiness to accept the task is not greater than the threshold, and

wherein the notice data directs an operator terminal to terminate the task.

13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a unit configured to display, on the display unit, an evaluation input form for inputting evaluation data of an operator operating one operator terminal in response to having accepted a selection of the one operator terminal among the operator terminals displayed as the seat layout image on the display unit, together with designation of time;

a unit configured to accept an input of the evaluation of the operator by a manager operating the manager terminal; and

a unit configured to transmit evaluation data showing the accepted evaluation of the operator, together with a seat ID indicating the one operator terminal, to the server.

14. The system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a unit configured to transmit, together with a seat ID indicating one operator terminal, data for requesting an evaluation input form for inputting evaluation data of an operator operating the one operator terminal in response to having accepted a selection of the one operator terminal among the operator terminals displayed as the seat layout image on the display unit, together with designation of time;

a unit configured to receive data of the evaluation input form transmitted from the server;

a unit configured to display the evaluation input form on a display unit, based on the data of the received evaluation input form;

a unit configured to accept an input of the evaluation of the operator by a manager operating the manager terminal; and

a unit configured to transmit evaluation data showing the accepted evaluation of the operator, together with a seat ID indicating the one operator terminal, to the server.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the unit configured to receive the data of the evaluation input form receives the data of the evaluation input form, together with other evaluation data, which is stored in advance in the memory unit in association with the seat ID, of the operator operating the one operator terminal, from the server.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the unit configured to receive the data of the evaluation input form receives the data of the evaluation input form, together with image data of the operator operating the one operator terminal based on the seat ID, from the server.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the evaluation input form is configured so as to enable inputting by accepting a selection of predetermined input items.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein the evaluation input form is displayed on the display unit as a screen that is different from a screen displaying statuses of operators operating the operator terminals displayed on the display unit as a seat layout image.

19. A system, for a contact center, including operator terminals including a telephone function, a manager terminal including a display unit, and a server connected via a communication line to the operator terminals and the manager terminal, the system comprising:

on the server, a memory unit including an operator identification table for storing data that enables identification of operators operating the operator terminals on an hourly basis by associating seat IDs uniquely indicating the operator terminals and operator IDs identifying the operators operating the operator terminals, and a layout table for storing layout data that indicates layout locations of the operator terminals based on the seat IDs and for storing task identification data that corresponds to a task associated with the seat ID;

a unit configured to transmit, by the operator terminals, operational status data indicating operational statuses of the operator terminals, together with the seat IDs;

a unit configured to receive the operational status data, by the server;

a unit configured to read the layout data from the layout table, by the server;

a unit configured to generate, by the server, display data based on the seat IDs from the read layout data to display a seat layout image indicating operational statuses that are different depending on types of the received operational status data, and transmitting the display data to the manager terminal;

a unit configured to receive the display data, by the manager terminal; and

a unit configured to display, by the manager terminal, the seat layout image on the display unit based on the display data; and

on the server, a unit configured to selectively transmit notice data to the operator terminals based on a determination of a number of operator terminals having, in the layout table, task identification data that corresponds to a task to a threshold,

wherein the manager terminal comprises a listing of audio recording data, the audio recording data comprising conversation contents which have been recorded, with a “

seat ID” and

a “

audio recording start date and time”

as keys,

wherein the unit configured to selectively transmit notice data to the operator terminals is further configured to transmit the notice data only to the operator terminals having, in the layout table, task identification data that corresponds to the task and having the operational status that does not indicate readiness to accept the task when the number of operator terminals having, in the layout table, task identification data that corresponds to the task and having an operational status that indicates readiness to accept the task is not greater than the threshold, and

wherein the notice data directs an operator terminal to terminate the task.