Systems and methods for data synchronization in a customer center

• US 20070274505A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gupta, Rajan, Rush, Kurt, Peleg, Uri
• Granted Patent: US 7,817,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing agent data synchronization in a customer center having a plurality of agents. In this regard, a representative method comprises: storing agent data on a customer center network; sending the agent data to a plurality of workforce applications that are coupled to the customer center network, at least one workforce application including agent data; and updating the agent data of the plurality of workforce applications according to the received agent data such that synchronization of the agent data is maintained among the plurality of the workforce applications.

Claims

1. A method for data synchronization in a customer center having a plurality of agents, comprising the steps of:

storing agent data on a customer center network;

sending the agent data to a plurality of workforce applications that are coupled to the customer center network, at least one workforce application including agent data; and

updating the agent data of the plurality of workforce applications according to the received agent data such that synchronization of the agent data is maintained among the plurality of the workforce applications.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring to detect a change to the agent data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising importing the agent data to the plurality of the workforce applications of the customer center responsive to detecting the change to the agent data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein sending the agent data includes pushing the agent data by at least one of the plurality of workforce applications responsive to detecting the change to the agent data.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising causing one workforce application to operate as a master application among the plurality of workforce applications, and causing remaining ones of the workforce applications to operate as slave applications, wherein the master application, due to changes in the agent data, has a priority in exporting agent data using at least one of the following:

file, web service, representational state transfer (REST), database, and socket.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising pushing the agent data by the master workforce application as part of a one-time update to set up the synchronization and the slave applications.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising periodically exporting by the master workforce application a portion of the agent data using at least one of the following:

file, web service, representational state transfer (REST), database, and socket, to maintain synchronization of the agent data among at least a portion of the slave applications.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising prioritizing the slave applications, wherein a slave application with highest priority among available slave applications replaces the master application upon the master application being unavailable.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating further comprises updating agent data corresponding to a plurality of agents.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent data is sent to the plurality of workforce applications using at least one of the following:

file, web service, representational state transfer (REST), database, and socket.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically exporting a portion of the agent data using at least one of the following:

file, web service, representational state transfer (REST), database, and socket, to maintain the synchronization of the agent data among at least a portion of the plurality of the workforce applications.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising exporting a full representation of the agent data using at least one of the following:

file, web service, representational state transfer (REST), database, and socket, to maintain the synchronization among at least a portion of the plurality of the workforce applications.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising logging an agent on to a first of the workforce applications, wherein logging the agent on to the first of the workforce applications includes logging the agent on to additional ones of the workforce applications.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

planning at least one campaign to implement the goals;

scheduling and deploying a workforce in accordance with the campaign to produce a plurality of agent-customer interactions;

measuring performance of an agent on at least a portion of the agent-customer interactions to produce a set of quality metrics for the agent;

analyzing the quality metrics to produce a rating of the measured interactions;

combining at least a portion of quality metrics to produce performance indicators; and

using the performance indicators in the planning step of a second campaign or another iteration of the at least one campaign.

15. A system for data synchronization in a customer center, comprising:

a plurality of workforce applications, the workforce applications configured for forecasting of the customer center, scheduling of the agents, monitoring of the activities of the customer center, and recording of interaction of the agents; and

a synchronization manager operative to;

communicate with the plurality of software applications,

monitor changes to agent data, the agent data corresponding to customer center agents that utilize at least one of the plurality of workforce applications, and

update the agent data to at least one of the plurality of workforce applications responsive to detecting a change to the agent data within one of the plurality of workforce applications.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the synchronization manager pushes the agent data to the plurality of workforce applications.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of workforce applications imports the agent data from the synchronization manager responsive to detecting the change to the agent data.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein one of the plurality of workforce applications operates as a master application among the plurality of workforce applications, and the remaining ones of the plurality of workforce applications operate as slave applications, wherein the master application, due to the change in the agent data, has priority in exporting agent data using at least one of the following:

fife, web service, representational state transfer (REST), database, and socket.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the master workforce application pushes the agent data as part of a one-time update to set up the slave applications.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the master workforce application periodically exports a portion of the agent data to maintain synchronization of the agent data among at least a portion of the slave applications.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the slave applications are prioritized to replace the master application upon the master application being unavailable.

22. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a workforce manager comprising a scheduler; and

a quality monitor configured to provide, to the scheduler, at least one quality goal for a work period and at least one agent quality score,

wherein the scheduler is configured to produce a workforce schedule comprising agent assignments to work activities,

wherein the workforce schedule is based at least in part on the at least one quality goal and the at least one agent quality score.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising a lesson assignment component configured to receive at least one indicator of performance of an agent, and further configured to assign a lesson to the agent based on the at least one indicator.

24. A computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implemented steps of:

exporting agent data to a plurality of workforce applications that are coupled to the customer center network, the plurality of workforce applications including forecasting, scheduling, recording, and monitoring;

monitoring the agent data within at least one of the plurality of workforce applications to detect a change to the agent data;

importing the agent data to the at least one of the plurality of workforce application responsive to detecting the change to the agent data; and

updating the agent data within the at least one of the plurality of workforce applications responsive to importing the agent data.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, further comprising periodically exporting a portion of the agent data to maintain the synchronization of the agent data among at least a portion of the plurality of the workforce applications.