Method and system for delivery of individualized training to call center agents

• US 6,324,282 B1
• Filed: 03/02/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intradiem Inc.
• Original Assignee: Knowlagent Incorporated
• Inventors: McConnell, Matthew G. A., McIllwaine, John C. C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/517,500
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265-1-2, 379/266.01, 379/266.1, 379/309, 379/219, 379/220.01, 370/270, 345/337, 345/338, 705/11, 434/320, 434/350, 434/351, 434/353
• US Class Current: 379/265.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

The tailored assignment and delivery of training or other information to an agent in a call center or other constituent contact environment. Agent interactions are recorded by a quality monitoring component of the call center to produce an agent performance record. The agent performance record is scored against predetermined performance criteria to produce an agent score. Training materials are assigned to agents based on the agent score in skill areas corresponding to the subject matter of the particular training materials. The agent score is coded and the training materials are categorized according to the associated subject matter. If an agent score is below a predetermined threshold, then a database record is populated with the agent score and a training material identifier. The database may then be polled to determine whether the agent needs the training materials to address the associated subject matter. The assigned training materials can then be delivered to the agent over the communications network.

Claims

1. In association with a computer system for managing a constituent contact system comprising a communications network, a method for training a contact agent to perform interaction duties, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an agent score indicating contact agent performance; and

assigning training materials to the contact agent, without manual intervention, based on the agent score during time periods regardless of contact system load.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of delivering the training materials to the contact agent over the communications network.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

recording interactions between the contact agent and constituents over the communications network to produce an agent performance record; and

scoring the agent performance record against predetermined performance criteria to produce the agent score.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

coding the agent score to indicate subject matter associated with the agent score; and

categorizing the training materials according to a skill associated with the training materials.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of storing the agent score.

6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of accepting a predetermined threshold for comparing with the agent score.

7. The method according to claim 6 further comprising the step of determining whether the agent score is below the predetermined threshold.

8. The method according to claim 7 further comprising the step of copying the agent score into a database in response to the agent score being below the predetermined threshold.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising the step of polling the database to determine whether the agent needs training.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

accepting training materials for training the contact agent to perform interaction duties;

assigning the training materials to a category;

scheduling a training session for the contact agent so that the contact agent can accept the training materials without disrupting the interaction duties of the contact agent; and

delivering the training materials to the contact agent over the communications network.

11. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of accepting training materials for training the contact agent to perform interaction duties.

12. The method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of coding the training materials to identify subject matter associated with the training materials.

13. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of accepting a modification of the training materials assignment.

14. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of scheduling a training session for the agent so that the contact agent can accept the training materials without disrupting the interaction duties of the contact agent.

15. A method for managing a call center including a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

accepting an agent performance score indicating the performance of a contact agent;

coding the agent performance score to identify subject matter associated with the agent performance score;

coding information to identify subject matter associated with the information;

comparing the agent performance score to a predetermined threshold; and

if the agent performance score is below the predetermined threshold,

associating the coding of the agent performance score with the coding of the information; and

delivering the information as a result of the associating to the contact agent over the communications network.

16. The method according to claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

assigning the information to a category; and

storing the agent performance score.

17. The method according to claim 15 further comprising the step of scheduling the delivery of the information to the agent.

18. The method according to claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

recording the call center agent'"'"'s interaction with a customer over the communications network to generate an agent record; and

scoring the agent record against predetermined performance criteria to produce the agent performance score.

19. In association with a system for managing communications between an organization and its constituents, the system including a communications network, a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions comprising:

a monitoring component adapted to;

produce a score from an interaction record between a representative of the organization and one of the constituents; and

code the score according to the category of representative skill associated with the score;

a training content component adapted to;

code training material according to the category of representative skill associated with the training material; and

an assignment component adapted to compare the score with a representative performance threshold and,

if the score does not meet the representative performance threshold,

match the coded score with the coded training material.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 19 having further computer-executable instructions comprising a delivery component adapted to deliver the training material to the representative over the communications network.

21. The computer-readable medium according to claim 19 wherein the assignment component is further adapted to:

generate a measure of the correlation between the training material coding and the score coding; and

assign the training material to the representative based on the correlation measure.

22. The computer readable medium according to claim 19 having further computer-executable instructions comprising a scheduling component adapted to schedule a training session so that the representative can accept the training material without disrupting the representative'"'"'s duties.

23. In association with a system for managing communications between an agent of an organization and its constituents, the system including a communications network, a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions comprising:

a monitoring component adapted to;

create an interaction record for an interaction between a contact agent and one of the constituents;

produce an agent score from the interaction record; and

code the agent score according to the category of agent skill associated with the agent score;

a training content component adapted to;

code the training material according to the category of agent skill associated with the training material; and

an assignment component adapted to compare the agent score with an agent performance threshold and,

if the agent score does not meet the agent performance threshold,

match the coded agent score with the coded training material, and

assign training material to the contact agent based on the agent score.

24. The computer-readable medium according to claim 23 having further computer-executable instructions comprising a delivery component adapted to deliver the training material to the contact agent over the communications network.

25. The computer-readable medium according to claim 23 wherein the assignment component is further adapted to:

generate a measure of the correlation between the training material code and the agent score coding; and

assign the training material to the contact agent based on the correlation measure.

26. The computer-readable medium according to claim 23 having further computer-executable instructions comprising a scheduling component adapted to schedule a training session so that the contact agent can accept the training material without disrupting the contact agent'"'"'s constituent interaction duties.

27. In association with a computer system for managing a constituent contact system comprising a communications network, a method for training a contact agent to perform interaction duties, the method comprising the steps of:

recording interactions between the contact agent and a constituent to produce an agent performance record;

analyzing the agent performance record to produce an agent score;

coding the agent score to indicate subject matter associated with the agent score;

categorizing training materials according to subject matter associated with the training materials;

comparing the agent score to a predetermined threshold; and

if the agent score is below the predetermined threshold,

matching the coding of the agent score to the categorized training materials;

assigning the categorized training materials that match the coding of the agent score to the contact agent; and

delivering the assigned training materials to the contact agent over the communications network.

28. The method according to claim 27 further comprising the step of storing the agent score.

29. The method according to claim 27 further comprising the step of copying the agent score into a database in response to the agent score being below the predetermined threshold.

30. The method according to claim 29 further comprising the step of polling the database to determine whether the agent needs training.