Contact center service monitoring and correcting

• US 8,938,063 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Hackbarth, Kenneth R., Jenson, Murray, Kiefhaber, Sarah H., Kohler, Joylee
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoque, Nafiz E
• Application Number:
  US11/517,646
• Time in Patent Office: 3,057 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/265.03, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.07, 379/265.08, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/265.13, 379/265.14
• US Class Current: 379/265.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/401 Performance feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

A contact center is provided that includes a plurality of agents for servicing incoming contacts and an event manager that is operable to monitor various administrative changes made within the contact center, determine if those changes had a positive or negative effect on the contact center performance (either locally or globally), and reverse the change if it is determined that the change resulted in negative effect on the contact center.

Claims

1. A method for servicing contacts in a contact center comprising an automated event manager executed by a processor of a contact center server, the method comprising:

during operation of the contact center, storing working state information which comprises settings for agent queue and vector assignments;

the event manager detecting at least a predetermined level of change in a primary contact center performance parameter;

the event manager determining a time when the predetermined level of change in the primary contact center performance parameter occurred;

in response to detecting the change in the primary contact center performance parameter, the event manager identifying a change in a secondary contact center parameter that occurred before the determined time of the change in the primary contact center performance parameter, but no more than a selected time period before the determined time, wherein the primary contact center performance and secondary contact center parameters are different, and wherein the change in the secondary contact center parameter is a possible cause of the change in the primary contact center performance parameter;

determining that the at least one change in the secondary contact center parameter comprises a reversible change and then, in response to determining that the at least one change in the secondary contact center parameter comprises a reversible change, automatically reversing the reversible change by using type 2 data; and

in response to identifying the change in the secondary contact center parameter, the event manager performing at least one of the following substeps;

notifying a contact center administrator of the identified change in the secondary contact center parameter as a possible cause of the detected change in the primary contact center performance parameter; and

automatically re-configuring the contact center to operate in conformance with a working state defined by working state information stored prior to the selected time period before the determined time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the primary contact center performance parameter is identified as a negative change in at least one of contact center percent in service level, percentage abandon, average speed of answer, expected wait time, and match rate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting a predetermined level of change in the primary contact center performance parameter comprises:

comparing the primary contact center performance parameter to at least one of an expected contact center performance parameter and a historical record of contact center performance parameters; and

determining that the primary contact center performance parameter deviates from the at least one of an expected contact center performance parameter and historical record of contact center performance parameters by a predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined threshold comprises at least one of a standard deviation and a percent change from the at least one of an expected contact center performance parameter and historical record of contact center performance parameters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the at least one change comprises a reversible change comprises:

identifying that contact center traffic has substantially changed; and

determining that a routing change was made in an attempt to improve service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the at least one change comprises a reversible change comprises:

identifying that contact center traffic has not substantially changed;

determining that a substantial staffing change has not occurred;

determining that a substantial occupancy change has not occurred; and

determining that an assignment change was made in an attempt to improve service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a message to a system administrator that asks if the system administrator would like to re-configure the at least one change in the secondary contact center parameter; and

the system administrator verifying that the at least one change in the secondary contact center parameter should be re-configured.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary contact center parameter comprises at least one of a queue assignment and contact vector.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

10. A method for servicing contacts in a contact center comprising a plurality of agents, the method comprising:

during operation of the contact center, storing working state information which comprises settings for agent queue and vector assignments;

a processor detecting a negative change in at least one primary contact center performance parameter;

the processor determining a time when the negative change in at least one primary contact center performance parameter occurred;

the processor providing a system administrator a list of possible secondary contact center parameter changes, the list of possible secondary contact center parameter changes determined by an automated event manager identifying a secondary contact center parameter change which preceded the determined time of the negative change in the at least one primary contact center performance parameter;

the processor determining the change in the secondary contact center parameter comprises a reversible change and then, in response to determining that the change in the secondary contact center parameter comprises a reversible change, automatically reversing the reversible change by using type 2 data, thereby enabling the processor to re-configure

the contact center to operate in conformance with a working state defined by working state information stored prior to the determined time of the negative change.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

the system administrator selecting the at least one secondary contact center parameter change from the list of possible changes.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing the system administrator a report of historical contact center performance and potential reasons for the detected negative change in contact center performance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the report comprises a first set of reports based on a negative change in contact center service level, and wherein the report comprises a second set of reports based on a negative change in contact center match rate, wherein both the first and second sets of reports suggest causes that have a higher probability of being a root cause of the negative change in contact center performance and further provide suggestions for correcting the negative change in contact center performance.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining that the negative change in contact center performance resulted from a negative change in service level; and

providing the system administrator the first set of reports.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining that the negative change in contact center performance resulted from a negative change in match rate; and

providing the system administrator the second set of reports.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions for performing the method of claim 10.

17. A system for managing contact center performance, comprising:

a server comprising;

at least one input for measuring a primary contact center performance parameter;

a memory;

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor operable to execute an event manager, the event manager operable to;

during operation of the contact center, store working state information which comprises settings for agent queue and vector assignments;

detect a change in at least one primary contact center performance parameter from the at least one input;

determine a time when the change in at least one primary contact center performance parameter occurred;

identify at least one change in a secondary contact center parameter that occurred prior to the determined time of the detected change in the primary contact center performance parameter, but no more than a selected time period before the determined time; and

in response identify at least one change in a secondary contact center parameter, automatically re-configure the contact center to operate in conformance with a working state defined by working state information stored prior to the selected time period before the determined time, wherein the at least one change comprises a first change to a secondary contact center parameter, and wherein the event manager is operable to reverse the first change by altering type 2 data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the event manager is operable to modify at least one secondary contact center parameter comprising at least one of a queue assignment and contact vector.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the event manager is operable to suggest at least one of a staffing change, schedule change, routing change, and queue assignment change for a system administrator based on the detected change in the primary contact center performance parameter.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the event manager is operable to compare the primary contact center performance parameter to at least one of an expected contact center performance parameter and a historical record of contact center performance parameters and determine that contact center performance deviates from the at least one of an expected contact center performance parameter and historical record of contact center performance parameters by a predetermined threshold.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the predetermined threshold comprises at least one of a standard deviation and a percent change from the at least one of an expected contact center performance parameter and historical record of contact center performance parameters.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the primary contact center performance parameter comprises at least one of percent in service level, match rate, percent abandon, expected wait time and average speed of answer.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the secondary contact center parameter comprises at least one of traffic change, routing change, staffing change, occupancy change, and queue assignment change.

24. The system of claim 17, further comprising a database containing at least one change that was made to a secondary contact center parameter in the past and resulted in a positive change in a primary contact center performance parameter, and wherein the server is operable to reference the database prior to modifying the at least one secondary contact center parameter to compensate for the at least one change.