US5946375A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and system for monitoring call center service representatives
Assignee: eTalk Corp
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Filing: 1997-05-12
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Granted: 1999-08-31
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Expires: 2017-05-12
Abstract
Abstract A method and system permit monitoring of a call center agent or similar service representative in servicing calls in a call center by logging sessions. The logged sessions may be selectively played back based on a number of scheduling criteria, including time interval, a scheduling rule, a number of calls, a monitoring length, a random indicator, call type information, agent performance level information, call traffic information, and others. The method and system plays back those portions of the logged sessions that meet the scheduling criteria.
Inventors
- 👤 Jon A. Pattison
- 👤 Paul A. Vizard
- 👤 Michael J. Maloney
- 👤 David T. McCalmont
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 23:39
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07C; G07C1/00; G07C1/10; H; H04; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/22; H04M3/36; H04M3/42; H04M3/50; H04M3/51; H04M2203/00; H04M2203/40; H04M2203/402; H04M2203/60; H04M2203/6018; H04M3/2281; H04M3/42221; H04M3/5175
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
96 words
A system for monitoring a plurality of service representatives in handling customer calls, comprising: a switching device operable to receive customer calls; a plurality of agent workstations coupled to the switching device, the agent workstations operable to receive customer calls from the switching device; and a platform coupled to the switching device, the platform operable to record customer calls as a plurality of logged sessions, the platform operable to determine service representative monitoring periods having scheduling criteria, the platform operable to select portions of the logged sessions that meet the scheduling criteria of the monitoring periods.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
96 words
A system for monitoring a plurality of service representatives in handling customer calls, comprising: a switching device operable to receive customer calls; a plurality of agent workstations coupled to the switching device, the agent workstations operable to receive customer calls from the switching device; and a platform coupled to the switching device, the platform operable to record customer calls as a plurality of logged sessions, the platform operable to determine service representative monitoring periods having scheduling criteria, the platform operable to select portions of the logged sessions that meet the scheduling criteria of the monitoring periods.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the platform records customer calls irrespective of the scheduling criteria.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the logged sessions comprise recordings of all customer calls received at the agent workstations.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
71 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the platform comprises: a first memory operable to stored logged sessions; a second memory operable to store scheduling criteria; and a third memory operable to store play back information associated with the logged sessions, wherein the platform selects portions of the logged sessions stored in the first memory using scheduling criteria stored in the second memory and play back information stored in the third memory.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the platform selects portions of the logged sessions while generating the logged sessions, the platform further operable to insert play back indicators into the logged sessions at the time of recording to specify the selected portions of the logged sessions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of voice/data channels coupled to the platform and the switching device, the voice/data channels operable to communicate voice/data associated with the customer calls to the platform for recording.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the platform is further operable to play back selected portions of the logged sessions.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the scheduling criteria comprises a monitoring interval, a number of calls, and a monitoring length.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the scheduling criteria comprises a random indicator.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
52 words
A method for monitoring a plurality of service representatives in handling customer calls, comprising: recording customer calls as a plurality of logged sessions; determining monitoring periods for the service representatives, the monitoring periods having scheduling criteria; and selecting portions of the logged sessions that meet the scheduling criteria of the monitoring periods.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
52 words
A method for monitoring a plurality of service representatives in handling customer calls, comprising: recording customer calls as a plurality of logged sessions; determining monitoring periods for the service representatives, the monitoring periods having scheduling criteria; and selecting portions of the logged sessions that meet the scheduling criteria of the monitoring periods.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the step of recording customer calls comprises recording customer calls irrespective of the scheduling criteria.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 10, further comprising: storing play back information associated with the logged sessions; and selecting portions of the logged sessions using play back information and scheduling criteria.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the step of selecting is performed while generating the logged sessions, and further comprising the step of inserting play back indicators into the logged sessions at the time of recording to specify the selected portions of the logged sessions.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of playing back selected portions of the logged sessions.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the scheduling criteria comprises a monitoring interval, a number of calls, and a monitoring length.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the scheduling criteria comprises a random indicator.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the step of determining monitoring periods for the service representatives comprises: selecting a service representative; selecting a day of the week; and associating a monitoring period with the selected service representative on the selected day of the week.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the step of determining monitoring periods for the service representatives comprises: selecting a service representative; selecting a day of the week; and associating a plurality of monitoring periods with the selected service representative on the selected day of the week.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the step of recording customer calls comprises: detecting the connection of a customer call; opening a voice/data file associated with a service representative handling the customer call; and storing voice/data associated with the customer call in the voice/data file.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
88 words
A platform for monitoring a plurality of service representatives in handling customer calls, comprising: a plurality of voice/data channels operable to receive voice/data associated with customer calls; a first memory operable to store voice/data associated with customer calls as logged sessions; a second memory operable to store monitoring schedules for the service representatives, the monitoring schedules based on monitoring periods having scheduling criteria; and a processor coupled to the memory and operable to select portions of the logged sessions that meet the scheduling criteria of the monitoring periods.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
88 words
A platform for monitoring a plurality of service representatives in handling customer calls, comprising: a plurality of voice/data channels operable to receive voice/data associated with customer calls; a first memory operable to store voice/data associated with customer calls as logged sessions; a second memory operable to store monitoring schedules for the service representatives, the monitoring schedules based on monitoring periods having scheduling criteria; and a processor coupled to the memory and operable to select portions of the logged sessions that meet the scheduling criteria of the monitoring periods.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
19 words
The platform of claim 20, wherein the logged sessions comprise recordings of all customer calls received at the platform.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
59 words
The platform of claim 20, further comprising a third memory coupled to the processor, the third memory operable to store play back information associated with the logged sessions, wherein the processor selects portions of the logged sessions stored in the first memory using scheduling criteria stored in the second memory and play back information stored in the third memory.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
51 words
The platform of claim 20, wherein the processor selects portions of the logged sessions while generating the logged sessions, the processor further operable to cause the first memory to store play back indicators into the logged sessions at the time of recording to specify the selected portions of the logged sessions.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
26 words
The platform of claim 20, further comprising a plurality of voice/data channels operable to communicate voice/data associated with the customer calls to the platform for recording.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
21 words
The platform of claim 20, wherein the scheduling criteria comprises a monitoring interval, a number of calls, and a monitoring length.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
13 words
The platform of claim 20, wherein the scheduling criteria comprises a random indicator.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-08-30 | 2003-03-01 | 2003-08-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-08-30 | 2007-03-01 | 2007-08-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-08-30 | 2011-03-01 | 2011-08-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |