Fulfilling staffing requirements via an interactive voice response system

• US 8,965,779 B1
• Filed: 12/01/2014
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Noble Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Noble, James K. Jr., Ouimette, Jason P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Gurkanwaljit
• Application Number:
  US14/556,671
• Time in Patent Office: 85 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/7.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Various embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems, and computer program products for fulfilling a portion of staffing requirements using an interactive voice response system (“IVR”). In particular embodiments, staffing requirements for a business activity are forecasted and a portion of the staffing requirements are identified that require fulfillment using the IVR. This portion of the staffing requirements includes one or more staff member positions required to be performed for the business activity. Eligible staff members that may fulfill the staff member positions are identified and a first member of the eligible staff members is contacted. Upon contacting the first member, the member is requested to fulfill a staff member position by the IVR and if the member accepts fulfilling the staff member position, an acceptance is sent from the IVR and the first member is scheduled based on his acceptance to fulfill the staff member position.

Claims

1. A method for fulfilling a staff member position using an interactive voice response system (IVR), the method comprising the steps of:

identifying the staff member position to be fulfilled using the IVR;

contacting an eligible staff member that may fulfill the staff member position;

upon contacting the eligible staff member, requesting the eligible staff member using the IVR to fulfill the staff member position;

receiving a response from the eligible staff member at the IVR indicating whether the eligible staff member accepts or denies fulfilling the staff member position;

upon the response indicating the eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position, sending an acceptance from the IVR to at least one computer processor; and

upon receiving the acceptance, scheduling the eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position by the at least one computer processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of contacting the eligible staff member comprises the sub-steps of:

identifying contact information for eligible staff member, the contact information comprising a plurality of contact sources;

attempting to contact the eligible staff member based on a first contact source from the plurality of contact sources; and

upon failure to contact the eligible staff member based on the first contact source, contacting the eligible staff member based on a second contact source from the plurality of contact sources.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising the steps of, upon the response indicating the eligible staff member denies fulfilling the staff member position:

contacting a second eligible staff member that may fulfill the staff member position;

upon contacting the second eligible staff member, requesting the second eligible staff member using the IVR to fulfill the staff member position;

receiving a second response from the second eligible staff member at the IVR indicating whether the second eligible staff member accepts or denies fulfilling the staff member position;

upon the second response indicating the second eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position, sending a second acceptance from the IVR to the at least one computer processor; and

upon receiving the second acceptance, scheduling the second eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position by the at least one computer processor.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising the step of setting a priority order for each member of a plurality of eligible staff members to establish an order in which the eligible staff members are to be contacted to fulfill the staff member position, wherein the second eligible staff member is a member positioned after the eligible staff member based on the priority order.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the staff member position comprises a position needed to be staffed by a contact center and the eligible staff member comprises an agent employed by the contact center.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the staff member position needed to be staffed by the contact center is for an outbound call campaign, and the method comprises the steps of:

defining campaign parameters for the outbound call campaign, the campaign parameters for the outbound call campaign comprising;

(1) a time period over which the outbound call campaign is to be carried out and (2) a target value identifying a number of an outbound communication result to occur over the time period;

selecting a historical dataset comprising historical data on the corresponding outbound communication result for the outbound call campaign based on past outbound communications handled over a historical time period; and

forecasting the staff member position needed to be staffed by the contact center by generating an outbound forecast by the at least one computer processor, the outbound forecast based on the historical dataset and the campaign parameters for the outbound call campaign, and the outbound forecast comprising a number of the outbound communication result forecasted to be achieved over the time period for the outbound call campaign in an attempt to meet the target value for the outbound call campaign.

7. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for fulfilling a staff member position using an interactive voice response system (IVR), the computer executable instructions when executed by at least one computer processor are configured to cause the at least one computer processor to:

identify the staff member position to be fulfilled using the IVR;

identify an eligible staff member that may fulfill the staff member position;

upon receiving an acceptance from the IVR indicating the eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position, schedule the eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position, wherein the IVR is configured to;

upon contacting the eligible staff member, request the eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position;

receive a response from the eligible staff member indicating whether the eligible staff member accepts or denies fulfilling the staff member position; and

upon the response indicating the eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position, send the acceptance indicating the eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position.

8. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the computer-executable instructions when executed by the at least one computer processor are configured to cause the at least one computer processor to:

identify contact information for the eligible staff member, the contact information comprising a plurality of contact sources; and

provide the contact information to the IVR, wherein the IVR is configured to;

attempt to contact the eligible staff member based on a first contact source from the plurality of contact sources; and

upon failure to contact the eligible staff member based on the first contact source, contact the eligible staff member based on a second contact source from the plurality of contact sources.

9. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the computer-executable instructions when executed by the at least one computer processor are configured to cause the at least one computer processor, upon the response indicating the eligible staff member denies fulfilling the staff member position, to:

identify a second eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position; and

upon receiving a second acceptance from the IVR indicating the second eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position, schedule the second eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position, wherein the IVR is configured to;

upon contacting the second eligible staff member, request the second eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position;

receive a second response from the second eligible staff member indicating whether the second eligible staff member accepts or denies fulfilling the staff member position; and

upon the response indicating the second eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position, send the second acceptance indicating the second eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position.

10. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the computer-executable instructions when executed by the at least one computer processor are configured to cause the at least one computer processor to set a priority order for each member of a plurality of eligible staff members to establish an order in which the eligible staff members are to be contacted to fulfill the staff member position.

11. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the staff member position comprises a position needed to be staffed by a contact center and the eligible staff member comprises an agent employed by the contact center.

12. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the staff member position needed to be staffed by the contact center is for an outbound call campaign and campaign parameters are defined for the outbound call campaign comprising:

(1) a time period over which the outbound call campaign is to be carried out and (2) a target value identifying a number of an outbound communication result to occur over the time period, and the computer-executable instructions when executed by the at least one computer processor are configured to cause the at least one computer processor to;

select a historical dataset comprising historical data on the corresponding outbound communication result for the outbound call campaign based on past outbound communications handled over a historical time period; and

forecast the staff member position needed to be staffed by the contact center by generating an outbound forecast based on the historical dataset and the campaign parameters for the outbound call campaign, the outbound forecast comprising a number of the outbound communication result forecasted to be achieved over the time period for the outbound call campaign in an attempt to meet the target value for the outbound call campaign.

13. A system for fulfilling a staff member position, the system comprising:

at least one computer processor; and

an interactive voice response system (IVR), wherein;

the at least one computer processor is configured to;

identify the staff member position that requires fulfillment using the IVR;

identify an eligible staff member that may fulfill the staff member position; and

the IVR is configured to;

upon contacting the eligible staff member, request the eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position;

receive a response from the eligible staff member indicating whether the eligible staff member accepts or denies fulfilling the staff member position; and

upon the response indicating the eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position, send an acceptance to the at least one computer processor, wherein the at least one computer processor is configured, upon receiving the acceptance indicating the eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position, to schedule the eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising a dialer, wherein:

the at least one computer processor is configured to;

identify contact information for the eligible staff member, the contact information comprising a plurality of contact sources; and

provide the contact information to the IVR; and

the dialer is configured to;

attempt to contact the eligible staff members based on a first contact source from the plurality of contact sources; and

upon failure to contact the eligible staff member based on the first contact source, contact the eligible staff member based on a second contact source from the plurality of contact sources.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein, upon the response indicating the eligible staff member denies fulfilling the staff member position, the IVR is configured to:

upon contacting a second eligible staff member, request the second eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position;

receive a second response from the second eligible staff member indicating whether the second eligible staff member accepts or denies fulfilling the staff member position; and

upon the second response indicating the second eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position, send a second acceptance to the at least one computer processor; and

the at least one computer processor is configured to, upon receiving the second acceptance indicating the second eligible staff member accepts fulfilling the staff member position from the IVR, schedule the second eligible staff member to fulfill the staff member position.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to set a priority order for each member of a plurality of eligible staff members to establish an order in which the eligible staff members are to be contacted to fulfill the staff member position, and the second eligible staff member is a member positioned after the eligible staff member based on the priority order.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the staff member position comprises a position needed to be staffed by a contact center and the eligible staff member comprises an agent employed by the contact center.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the staff member position needed to be staffed by the contact center is for an outbound call campaign and campaign parameters are defined for the outbound call campaign comprising:

(1) a time period over which the outbound call campaign is to be carried out and (2) a target value identifying a number of an outbound communication result to occur over the time period, and the at least one computer processor is configured to;

select a historical dataset comprising historical data on the corresponding outbound communication result for the outbound call campaign based on past outbound communications handled over a historical time period; and

forecast the staff member position needed to be staffed by the contact center by generating an outbound forecast based on the historical dataset and the campaign parameters for the outbound call campaign, the outbound forecast comprising a number of the outbound communication result forecasted to be achieved over the time period for the outbound call campaign in an attempt to meet the target value for the outbound call campaign.