Telephonic communications – Centralized switching system – Call distribution to operator
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-27
2004-08-24
Bui, Bing (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Centralized switching system
Call distribution to operator
C379S265030, C379S265060, C379S266100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06782093
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present method and system are in the field of performance measurement. More particularly, presented is a method and system for providing a visual representation of workplace performance.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Today's workplaces are typically staffed on the basis of forecast workload. Correspondingly, there are performance expectations on how fast a workload is processed and services are provided. Emergency rooms, for example, are staffed on the basis of forecast patient load and expectations of how fast each patient needs to be treated. Loan offices are staffed on the forecast of financing needs of a community and the expectation of how long it should take for a loan to close. Likewise, call centers are staffed using forecasts of call volumes and service level expectations.
Performance expectations can take many forms. They can be expressed to a workplace as goals or standards and serve to motivate and discipline employees. Regardless of the basis, the establishment of such goals plays a critical role in any endeavor's success. As organizations strive to achieve these goals, they often establish metrics, or a system of measurements and standards designed to evaluate organizational performance. One such metric in call center operations measures the responsiveness of the center to incoming calls.
A performance metric entitled, service level, examines what percentage of calls are answered within a specified time limit. The longer the customer has to wait for the call center to respond the lower the service level. A typical example of a call center service level metric is to have eighty percent of the incoming calls answered within twenty seconds. But metrics are dynamic management tools that must be tailored to specific working environments. In the service industry the provided service identifies the competitive market. Evaluating a workplace's performance in providing a service can include several differing criteria. In the call center environment both the percentage of calls answered and the time taken by an agent to answer a call can vary depending on the needs and goals of the company. Likewise, the service level metric, which is a means to evaluate a center's performance, can vary from call center to call center. Another metric useful in call center management is the abandon rate, which specifies the percentage of callers who abandon their calls or hang up before they reach a representative.
While the service level and the abandonment rate are easily ascertainable statistics, they fail, standing alone, to quickly convey to the call center manager an indication of a customer's tolerance for delays in reaching an agent or an understanding of the customer's call center experience. Statistical data does not provide a means to describe the relationship between the amount of time a typical caller has to wait before reaching a representative and the volume of calls being received by the call center. Current methods fail to present any indication of how performance levels vary over a specified period of time. Furthermore, statistical data is by definition historical resulting in a deficit of any real-time or near real-time capability to monitor performance levels. Lacking an understanding and visualization of the overall customer experience as well as the fluctuations in forecast workload results in managers being ill equipped to motivate employees. Similarly, managers are ineffective at adjusting workplace procedures and schedules to better meet the metrics and increase overall productivity. Without the proper indication of performance levels, challenging yet ascertainable metrics are more difficult to design, often causing performance and revenue to suffer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Presented is a system and method for visualizing performance levels of a workplace in a time-varying environment. One possible application for such a method and system is visualizing service levels and abandonment rates for call centers. In one embodiment a display includes a graphical depiction generated from statistical information regarding incoming call volume, call center responsiveness, and abandonment time. In one embodiment, a graph is created consisting of two axes. Depicted on the horizontal axis is a reference time period corresponding, in the call center example, to how long the call center is open. This reference time is typically the work day but can include any other reference time period that can enhance the call center manager's ability to evaluate the call center's performance. The vertical axis on the display represents response time, which in an embodiment applicable to the call centers is the time required for each call to be answered by an agent. For each call received by the call center during the reference time period a symbol is placed on the display according to values represented by these two axes.
The display aggregates the calls that a call center receives during the reference period and provides historical data for trend analysis. In another embodiment, different call centers' performance levels are overlaid onto a particular display using different symbols to illustrate relative performance levels. Superimposed on the display, in one embodiment, is a horizontal line depicting the service level metric. This metric represents the goal established by the organization to answer a certain percentage of calls within a certain time period. Similarly, calls that are abandoned by the caller are differentiated from calls answered by the call center to provide the call center manager an indication of caller patience as it varies during the time period.
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Bui Bing
Shemwell Gregory & Courtney LLP
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