Computer implemented methods and apparatus for managing agent workload in a customer service environment

• US 9,398,156 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Snyder, Benjamin, Phan, Vahn K., Al-Alami, Mustafa O., Ellis, Jason Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S
• Application Number:
  US14/180,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20140307863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.09
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable storage media for managing customer service agent workload in a customer service environment. In some implementations, one or more servers receive a communication associated with a customer case item. The one or more servers determine one or more case attributes associated with the customer case item and identify a first customer service agent having one or more agent attributes that match the one or more case attributes of the customer case item. The one or more servers assign the customer case item to the first customer service agent and provide first data of the customer case item to a first display device associated with the first customer service agent, the first display device configured to display a user interface including a first component indicating the first data of the customer case item.

Claims

1. A system for managing customer service agent workload in a customer service environment, the system comprising:

a database system implemented using a server system, the database system configurable to cause;

processing a communication associated with a customer case item associated with a customer;

determining one or more case attributes of the customer case item;

identifying, using the database system, a first one and a second one of a plurality of customer service agents in the customer service environment as having one or more agent attributes matching the one or more case attributes of the customer case item;

assigning, using the database system, the customer case item to the first and the second customer service agents;

identifying the customer case item in;

a first component of a first user interface displayed on a first display device associated with the first customer service agent, and

a second component of a second user interface displayed on a second display device associated with the second customer service agent;

processing a request received from the second customer service agent to work on the customer case item; and

updating, responsive to processing the request, the first component of the first user interface to graphically represent that the customer case item is being worked on by the second customer service agent, the first component being associated with one of a plurality of user-selectable tabs identifying work assigned to the first customer service agent and identifying communication modules accessible via the first user interface for electronically communicating with individuals comprising the customer and comprising the second customer service agent.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the case attributes include one or more of:

a topic of the customer case item, a geographical location of the customer, an identity of the customer, a preferred language of the customer, an organizational position of the customer, a communication type of the communication associated with the customer case item, a priority level, or a custom case attribute.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more case attributes is included in the communication.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more case attributes is stored in a communicably accessible database of the database system, wherein the communication includes a database reference to the database, the database including customer case items and case attributes associated with the customer case items, wherein determining the one or more case attributes of the customer case item comprises:

identifying, based on the database reference, the one or more case attributes in the database.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the agent attributes include one or more of:

general skill level, area of expertise, level of experience in an area of expertise, language proficiency, product type expertise, geographical service regions, length of work queue, composition of work queue, availability for customer case items of a designated communication type, or custom agent attributes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more agent attributes is stored in an agent profile in a communicably accessible database of the database system, the database containing agent profiles associated with customer service agents, wherein identifying the first and second customer service agents comprises:

identifying, in the database, an agent profile including the one or more agent attributes.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first and second customer service agents are members of an agent group, and wherein the agent profile is associated with the agent group.

8. The system of claim 6, the database system further configurable to cause:

identifying one or more case routing rules stored in a case routing database of the database system, wherein each case routing rule associates one or more case attribute values with one or more agent attribute values;

identifying a case routing rule having one or more case attribute values that match one or more case attributes of the customer case item; and

determining that the agent profile includes agent attributes that match the one or more agent attribute values of the case routing rule.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more case routing rules are established by an administrator of the customer service environment, and wherein the case routing rules may utilize custom case attributes and custom agent attributes determined by the administrator.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer case item has a communication type, the communication type indicating a mode of communication with the customer, the communication type being one of:

a live chat, a telephone call, a web form submission, an email, or a social media message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein an availability status of a customer service agent indicating availability for customer case items of a designated communication type is determined by the customer service agent, the database system further configurable to cause:

processing a request from the first customer service agent to be unavailable for customer case items having a communication type designated by the request; and

setting an availability status parameter in an agent profile database indicating that customer case items of the designated communication type will not be assigned to the first customer service agent.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first user interface includes a graphical representation of a list of one or more customer case items assigned to the first customer service agent, wherein each of the one or more customer case items has a communication type, the communication type indicating a mode of communication with the customer, wherein the graphical representation of the list of customer case items displays the customer case items grouped by communication type.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the list of customer case items includes customer case items having a first communication type and customer case items having a second communication type, wherein the first and second communication types are different.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first user interface is configured to display an availability status indicator proximate to a group of customer case items having the same communication type, wherein the availability status indicator indicates whether the first customer service agent is available to receive additional customer case items having the same communication type as the group of customer case items.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the one or more assigned customer case items of the list has a priority level, and wherein the list of customer case items is configured to display the one or more assigned case items in order of decreasing priority level.

16. A method for managing customer service agent workload in a customer service environment, the method comprising:

processing, using a database system implemented using a server system, a communication associated with a customer case item associated with a customer;

determining one or more case attributes of the customer case item;

identifying, using the database system, a first one and a second one of a plurality of customer service agents in the customer service environment as having one or more agent attributes matching the one or more case attributes of the customer case item;

assigning, using the database system, the customer case item to the first and the second customer service agents;

causing identification of the customer case item in;

a first component of a first user interface displayed on a first display device associated with the first customer service agent, and

a second component of a second user interface displayed on a second display device associated with the second customer service agent;

processing a request received from the second customer service agent to work on the customer case item; and

causing, responsive to processing the request, updating of the first component of the first user interface to graphically represent that the customer case item is being worked on by the second customer service agent, the first component being associated with one of a plurality of user-selectable tabs identifying work assigned to the first customer service agent and identifying communication modules accessible via the first user interface for electronically communicating with individuals comprising the customer and comprising the second customer service agent.

17. A computer program product comprising computer-readable program code capable of being executed by one or more processors when retrieved from a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the program code comprising instructions configurable to cause:

processing, using a database system implemented using a server system, a communication associated with a customer case item associated with a customer;

determining one or more case attributes of the customer case item;

identifying, using the database system, a first one and a second one of a plurality of customer service agents in the customer service environment as having one or more agent attributes matching the one or more case attributes of the customer case item;

assigning, using the database system, the customer case item to the first and the second customer service agents;

identifying the customer case item in;

a first component of a first user interface displayed on a first display device associated with the first customer service agent, and

a second component of a second user interface displayed on a second display device associated with the second customer service agent;

processing a request received from the second customer service agent to work on the customer case item; and

updating, responsive to processing the request, the first component of the first user interface to graphically represent that the customer case item is being worked on by the second customer service agent, the first component being associated with one of a plurality of user-selectable tabs identifying work assigned to the first customer service agent and identifying communication modules accessible via the first user interface for electronically communicating with individuals comprising the customer and comprising the second customer service agent.