Managing the selection of performance interventions in a contact center

• US 20040202308A1
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Knowlagent Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Knowlagent Incorporated
• Inventors: McIlwaine, John C. C., Foley, Lisa Marie, Baggenstoss, Rick, East, Jennifer C.
• Application Number:
  US10/733,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20040202308A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/403 Agent or workforce training
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6018 Subscriber or terminal logon/logoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

Managing the selection of performance interventions, such as training sessions, for delivery to agents in a contact center, such as a call service center benefits the operations of the contact center. Managing performance intervention selection can include selecting performance interventions according to the state of the contact center. State can be a monitored or a forecast performance of the contact center. Contact center performance meeting a management input criterion can trigger the selection of specific performance interventions. Performance interventions can be prioritized. When contact center performance is poor, high-priority interventions can be preferentially selected over less important interventions. In coordination with selecting performance interventions, agents can be selected to receive interventions based on ranked performance or need.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for managing delivering performance interventions in a contact center comprising:

assigning a first priority to a first performance intervention and a second priority to a second performance intervention;

determining a state of the contact center;

comparing the state of the contact center to a state level; and

responsive to the comparing step, if the state of the contact center is below the state level, delivering the first performance intervention.

2. The computer-based method of claim 1, further comprising the step of responsive to the comparing step, if the state of the contact center is above the state level, delivering the second performance intervention.

3. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the state of the contact center comprises a performance of the contact center.

4. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein determining the state of the contact center comprises monitoring a call volume of the contact center.

5. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein determining the state of the contact center comprises determining a performance of the contact center.

6. The computer based method of claim 1, wherein determining the state of the contact center comprises determining at least one of a service level, an abandonment rate, and a hold time.

7. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein determining the state of the contact center comprises forecasting the state of the contact center.

8. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein determining the state of the contact center comprises forecasting the state of the contact center within twenty four hours of a current time.

9. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises receiving the state from a component of the contact center.

10. The computer-based method of claim 9, wherein the component of the contact center is operative to determine the number of contacts serviced by the contact center in an increment of time.

11. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein assigning the first priority comprises setting a target time for completing the first performance intervention.

12. The computer-based method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining an agent performance for each agent in a plurality of agents of the contact center; and

selecting agents from the plurality of agents to receive the first performance intervention on the basis of the agent performances.

13. The computer-based method of claim 12, wherein determining agent performances comprises ranking each agent in the plurality of agents, and wherein selecting agents further comprises selecting a first agent over a second agent if the first agent'"'"'s rank indicates lower performance than the second agent'"'"'s rank.

14. The computer-based method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining an agent parameter for each agent in a plurality of agents of the contact center; and

selecting agents from the plurality of agents to receive the first performance intervention on the basis of the agent parameter.

15. The computer-based method of claim 14, wherein the agent parameter comprises at least one of a performance intervention assignment and a metric of agent performance.

16. The computer-based method of claim 14, wherein the agent parameter for each agent in a plurality of agents comprises a characterization of a benefit to the contact center from delivering the first performance intervention to the each agent.

17. The computer-based method of claim 14, wherein the agent parameter for each agent in the plurality of agents comprises a potential for the each agent in the plurality of agents to impact performance of the contact center.

18. The computer-based method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

estimating whether delivering the first performance intervention to a first agent in the contact center will benefit the contact center more than delivering the first performance intervention to a second agent in the contact center; and

responsive to the estimating step, delivering the first performance intervention to the first agent.

19. A method for selecting performance interventions to deliver to agents in a contact center comprising:

specifying an intervention parameter for at least one performance intervention in a plurality of performance interventions;

setting a state range corresponding to the intervention parameter;

determining a state of the contact center; and

if the state of the contact center is in the state range, selecting the at least one performance intervention for delivery to at least one of the agents in the contact center.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the intervention parameter comprises a metric of performance intervention importance.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein specifying the intervention parameter comprises specifying a timeframe for delivering the at least one performance intervention.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein specifying the intervention parameter comprises assigning a target delivery time to the at least one performance intervention.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

forecasting if the at least one performance intervention will be delivered by the target delivery time; and

if the forecast indicates that the at least one performance intervention might not be delivered by the target delivery time, modifying the state range.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein modifying the state range comprises sending a notification to management of the contact center.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one of the agents comprises a first agent and a second agent, and wherein the method further comprises the step of determining an agent parameter for each of the first agent and the second agent, and wherein the selecting step further comprises selecting the at least one performance intervention for delivery to the first agent on the basis of the agent parameters.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the agent parameter comprises at least one of a performance intervention assignment and a metric of agent performance.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one of the agents comprises a first agent and a second agent, and wherein the method further comprises the step of estimating whether delivering the at least one performance intervention to the first agent would benefit the contact center more that delivering the at least one performance intervention to the second agent, and wherein the selecting step further comprises selecting the at least one performance intervention for delivery to the first agent on the basis of the estimating step.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the state of the contact center comprises at least one of a call volume, a monitored contact center performance, a forecast contact center performance, a compliance statistic, a hold time, a service level, and an abandonment rate.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the intervention parameter comprises an intervention assignment.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein setting the state range comprises entering a management input into a computer system in the contact center.

31. A method for delivering performance interventions to agents in a contact center comprising:

determining a state of the contact center;

receiving a state level;

comparing the state of the contact center to the state level;

selecting performance interventions for delivery to at least one of the agents in the contact center based on the comparing step;

identifying a time-sensitive performance intervention for delivery in advance of a time;

estimating if the time-sensitive performance intervention will be delivered in advance of the time based on the state level;

if the estimating step indicates that the time-sensitive performance intervention will not be delivered in advance of the time, modifying the state level.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the state of the contact center comprises at least one of a service level, an abandonment rate, a hold time, and a call volume.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the state level is set by a contact center manager.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the time-sensitive performance intervention is designated time-sensitive by a contact center manager.

35. A computer-based method for providing performance interventions in a contact center comprising:

assigning a first priority to a first performance intervention and a second priority to a second performance intervention;

receiving a contact center state and a contact center state level;

comparing the contact center state and the contact center state level; and

responsive to the comparing step, providing the first performance intervention at a first time and the second performance intervention at a second time.

36. The computer-based method of claim 35, wherein the contact center state level is designated by a contact center manager.

37. The computer-based method of claim 35, wherein the contact center state comprises at least one of a service level, an abandonment rate, a hold time, and a contact volume.

38. The computer-based method of claim 35, wherein the first performance intervention and the second performance intervention are provided to a delivery module.

39. A method for selecting performance interventions in a contact center comprising:

receiving an intervention parameter for a performance intervention;

determining if a state of the contact center is within a state range of the contact center;

responsive to the determining step, selecting the performance intervention based on the intervention parameter.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the intervention parameter designates the performance intervention as having a high priority.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the selected performance intervention is delivered to an agent of the contact center.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the selected performance intervention is delivered to an intervention delivery system in the contact center.

43. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising the following steps:

identifying an intervention parameter for a performance intervention;

determining whether a contact center state is within a contact center state range; and

responsive to the determining step, providing the performance intervention for delivery to an agent.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, having computer-executable instructions for performing the following additional step:

receiving the contact center state and the contact center state range from a workforce management component of the contact center.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, having computer-executable instructions for performing the following additional steps:

identifying a time-sensitive performance intervention for delivery in advance of a time; and

if the time-sensitive performance intervention will not be delivered before the time based on the contact center state, modifying the contact center state range.