Abstract:
A system and method to enable the remote supervision and operation of a call center over wireless network links. The invention pipes supervisory information from call centers, such as call waiting time, number of available of agents, oldest call waiting and other information and statistics to a remote transceiver which presents a supervisor with a user interface such as a graphical, textual or audible presentation depicting the state of the call center. The transceiver enables supervisors to remotely monitor the call center/network status, reconfigure and react to changes and exceptions on a real time basis no matter where they are located. A supervisor using the remote transceiver may transmit on the uplink to the call center a request for data, or commands for adjustment of the operation, such as rerouting of calls or direction to increase agents. The call center supervisor may therefore not just observe but supervise and adjust the operation of a call center, from within the site, across the country or internationally using network-enabled cellular or other wireless technology.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to the remote management of call center facilities using mobile transceivers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Call center facilities and services represent a multibillion dollar industry in the United States. Call centers are deployed by companies, government agencies and other organizations to field random incoming telephone calls for customer care, sales, emergency medical or other services, and to generate outbound calls. Call centers are equipped with telephone hardware similar to a private branch exchange (PBX) or a central office (CO)-based Centrex facility. Call centers receive calls through (800) numbers, network-enabled telephony ports and other channels, and may distribute automatically dialed outbound calls to customers or other recipients. These centers are staffed with teams of individual agents sitting at telephone-equipped workstations, often with computer displays, to service that traffic. Commercial call center architectures include the Nortel Networks Meridian™ 1 system, DMS-100 Centrex™ and others. 
     In many installations, call centers are managed according to real-time statistics and other information generated by the call center hardware. That data indicates the flow of telephone traffic through the facility and the status of the call center&#39;s resources in several categories. The families of information generally relate to statistics for queue operation, agent deployment by skill set, agent performance, and system operations. That information may include data such as the number and categories of agents, the average call wait time, the oldest call currently waiting, queue depth, skillset availability, service level, service quality, the average speed of answer, the number of calls abandoned before servicing by agents, the number of calls abandoned after servicing by agents, agent work schedule adherence, the total number of pending calls, calls by skill group, and other information. 
     This suite of frequently updated information indicates to one or more call center supervisors how promptly, accurately and efficiently services are being delivered. This information is typically presented on computer displays at the supervisor&#39;s desk or in the form of printed reports. In many large call center operations, these statistics may be flashed on an LED or other display, sometimes called a wallboard, in full view of the operation room. 
     However, the use of electronic wallboard displays to track and manage call center operations has drawbacks. One is that the call center supervisor must be located in the same room as the agent workstations to see the runtime information. Further, the information displayed may be of a general nature for the entire call center, not specific to the supervisor&#39;s needs. 
     Some commercial systems have been developed, such as the Symon 2000™ system, which flash call center operations statistics on a computer display to computer-equipped supervisors and agents. This approach, however, has the disadvantage that the call center supervisor must be seated at a computer workstation, logged in and authorized to view the instantaneous updates as they occur. Moreover the categories of data to be displayed must be programmed beforehand in conventional computer as well as wallboard designs, so that timely adjustment of the types of information presented to the supervisor is not possible. 
     Other commercial call center equipment includes some type of wireless paging service, capable of transmitting call center statistics to the call center supervisor on an alphanumeric pager or other device. While this gives the call center supervisor the benefit of mobility, this method provides only periodic updates of information, typically associated with exception conditions rather than steady real-time or near real-time reports. No existing implementations allow the call center supervisor to continuously view the operation and then upload changes to the call center system, such as commands for reassignment of agents, setting up overflow queues and other management controls. More flexible and powerful call center technology is desirable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention overcoming these and other problems in the art relates to a system and method for remote management of call center operations which employs a full duplex link from a mobile transceiver to the call center server or other hardware. According to the invention a call center supervisor may roam freely within a facility, surrounding building, campus, city or across the country or internationally depending on the type of transceiver employed, but with the ability to monitor the status of and communicate commands back to the call center system using the transceiver. 
     In one embodiment, the call center supervisor may use a wireless network-enabled personal digital assistant (PDA) device as a transceiver to view data on the wireless link and deliver input on the uplink to a call center server. The turnaround time for making adjustments to the call center operation is therefore reduced, and the call center supervisor can oversee the facility in a more responsive and flexible manner. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are referenced by like numerals. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates an overall architecture of a call center network according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of call center operations according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a remote transceiver device according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of processing by a remote supervisor server and associated elements according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a flowchart of processing by a remote control transceiver according to one embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An overall architecture of a call center  102  according to one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG.  1 . In this embodiment, one or more remote callers  104  dial into the call center  102  over a communications trunk  106  to receive sales, customer care or other service or support. Communications trunk  106  may be or include a telephone line provisioned as an (800) number to receive incoming service calls via the public switched telephone network (PSTN)  128 . 
     Communications trunk  106  may also be or include as a segment any one or more of, for instance, the Internet, a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) connection, an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) line, a dial-up port such as a V.90, V.34 or V.34bis analog modem connection, or a cable modem connection. Communications trunk  106  for further example may be or include as a segment any one or more of wireless interfaces such as a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) cellular link, a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) or TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) or other wired or wireless, digital or analog interfaces or connections. 
     Communications trunk  106  is in turn connected to an automatic call distributor (ACD)  112 . The ACD  112  manages the intake and distribution of telephone calls within the call center  102 . The call center server  108  is responsible for generating management information system (MIS)-type information about the call center operation, in the form of displays and printed reports. While illustrated as a unitary platform, it will be understood that the functions performed by the call center server  108  may be hosted in separate platforms to service these sets of responsibilities. For example, the call management function may be embedded in the telephone switching apparatus of the call center  102 , while the MIS function may be assigned to a stand-alone information system within the facility, such as the Nortel Meridian™ Max, Symposium Call Center Server CCMIS, RT-1000, Lucent CMS, BCMS or other known hardware. 
     The call center server  108  may also be or include, for instance, a workstation running the Microsoft Windows™ NT™, Unix, Linux, Xenix, Solaris™, OS/2™, BeOS™, Mach, Apache, OpenStep™ or other operating system or platform software, or programmable hardware embedded within the telephone switching apparatus (PBX, CO, etc.) or switching network depending on implementation. 
     The call center server  108  is connected to call center data network  110 , such as an internal corporate intranet, Ethernet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network) or a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) or other network configuration using a network communication protocol, such as TCP/IP. 
     Call center network  110  in turn may be connected to a number of network resources and ports. Those resources include supervisor or agent workstations  130  and an automatic call distributor  112 , such as a PBX/CENTREX™ installation interfaced to the public switched telephone network  128 . Those resources also include a remote supervisor server  114 , which communicates with the call center server  108  as well as with communications facilities, such as a wireless network server  136  and a wireless data server  138 , to manage the wireless delivery of call center information. 
     The wireless network server  136  may for instance be or include a radio frequency-enabled LAN platform, such as the commercially available BayStack™ 650 wireless LAN hardware for the delivery of duplex data services within the corporate site. The wireless data server  138  may be similarly provisioned to provide data conversion and other services for over-the-air operation. 
     Similarly, the automatic call distributor  112  may be connected via a data connection  140  to a mobile switching center  116  for transmission and reception of wireless communication signals, including digital or analog cellular telephone formats such as CDPD (cellular digital packet data) enabled devices. 
     In the practice of the invention, a call center supervisor monitors and manages the call center  102  by operating a remote control transceiver  118  in communication with one or more data interfaces to the call center network  110  via wireless link  126 . The wireless link  126  may be or include radio frequency channels in communication with wireless network server  136 , mobile switching center  116  or other wireless ports. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the remote control transceiver  118  may be or include, for example, a personal digital assistant (PDA) such as a 3COM Palm™ Series equipped either internally or externally with a wireless interface, including RF radiating element  134 . 
     The remote control transceiver  118  may likewise be or include a notebook computer equipped with a wireless network interface such as a PC Slot wireless card or AirPort™ interface, a Web browser-enabled digital cellular telephone such as the Qualcomm Smart Phone™, or other wireless mobile devices. Encryption of the over-the-air data may be provided by the wireless network server  136  or one or more native applications running on the remote control transceiver  118 . 
     The remote control transceiver  118  includes a user interface  120  which displays a collection of call center operations information to the supervisor. The user interface  120  may be or include a graphical interface, a text interface, an audible interface or others. 
     The information presented via user interface  120  permits the supervisor to fully monitor and manage the call center  102  wherever that person may roam. The information may include for example the number of agents, the current categories of agents, the average call wait time, the oldest call waiting, queue depth, skillset availability, service level, service quality, the average speed of answer, queue delay, skillset availability, expected time and longest time, the number of calls abandoned before servicing by agents (sent to recorded announcement or RAN), the number of calls abandoned after servicing by agents, and the total number of pending calls. A variety of additional statistics and other information can be displayed. 
     The set of operations information presented on the remote control transceiver  118  can be collected, calculated and presented to the supervisor in a real-time or near real-time streaming mode, a periodic mode, in event-triggered modes or others. The set of working metrics on the call center operation is extensible, as will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art. The refresh cycle on the overall set of call center operations information may be on the order of 2 to 10 seconds or less, which is generally considered real-time for such facilities. The invention thus enables real-time or near real-time reporting on the state of call center  102 . 
     The remote control transceiver  118  may also employ an audible device  142  such as a speaker to alert the supervisor to unusual conditions such as significant statistics exceeding preset thresholds, an equipment or network failure, emergency notification (e.g., bomb threats, fire) or other conditions requiring the supervisor&#39;s attention. 
     On the input side, the user interface  120  includes input modules  122  which permit the person carrying the remote control transceiver  118  to upload wireless instructions, adjustments or other commands using keypad  132  or other means to the call center  102  over wireless link  126 . Other applications and utilities may be resident in the remote control transceiver  118 , such as scheduling software or spreadsheet packages. 
     As implemented in the system illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireless link  126  may be or include an RF interface operating according to the IEEE 802.11 protocol and derivatives, for example. The IEEE 802.11 protocol in general implements a multichannel, duplex radio frequency link on the 2.4 GHz band operating on a single media access control (MAC) layer. When wireless link  126  is implemented on a site basis using an IEEE 802.11 protocol, data rates of 1 to 2 megabits per second or higher can be established for each of multiple channels. 
     It will be understood that other current and future wireless standards may be implemented in or as part of wireless link  126  in wide area network (WAN) or other configurations as part of call center network  110 , including, for example, Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) service devices, the Research In Motion (RIM) wireless duplex paging-type device, MOBITEX, ARDIX, RICHOCHET, TETRA or any future wireless ATM standard, European ETSI RES 10 protocol (operating on a 5 GHz band), the proposed Lucent Technologies SUPERNet (also on 5 GHz), local infrared ports and others. 
     During the operation of the call center  102 , a supervisor who sees a large number of waiting calls or an increasing call waiting time by viewing the information on the remote control transceiver  118  may direct the call center  102  to assign more agents to given tasks during a certain interval of time. Inputs provided through the user interface  120  and input modules  122  may allow the supervisor to directly or indirectly effect updates or changes to the operation of call center  102 . Those changes or adjustments may include the rerouting of some calls, scheduling maintenance, or performing other tasks, as for instance shown in FIG.  3 . The remote control transceiver  118  may generate audible alerts via audible device  134  for significant operational states, such as excessive call waiting times or network faults, or other annunciation functions. 
     Unlike conventional call center management technology, in the practice of the invention the call center supervisor is able to implement real time adjustments and inputs to the call center  102  remotely via wireless link  126 . The call center supervisor can therefore manage and direct operations without having to be physically located at the facility. If the remote control transceiver  118  is a wireless network-enabled cellular telephone, the supervisor may be at a location as remote as desired, within a metropolitan area, nationally or internationally and still view data and execute inputs and commands to the call center  102 . 
     A general process of call center management according to the invention will be described with respect to FIG.  2 . In step  200 , processing begins. In step  202 , the supervisor is authenticated and logs in. In step  204 , the call center server  108  generates call center operations information including data such as number of operators, operator categories, average wait time, oldest call waiting, queue depth and other statistics and other information. In step  206 , the call center operations information is transmitted to the remote supervisor server  114  on the internal call center network  110  for over-the-air delivery to the remote control transceiver  118 . 
     In step  208 , the call center operations information is transmitted over the wireless link  126 , for instance, illustratively using the IEEE 802.11 protocol. In step  210 , the call center operations information is received in remote control transceiver  118 . In step  212 , the call center operations information is presented on the user interface  120  of the remote control transceiver  118 . In step  214 , control commands are input by the call center supervisor using the input modules  122 , for instance by keyboard, touch pad, voice input, pointing device input or otherwise. 
     In step  216 , the control commands are transmitted on the uplink through the wireless link  126  to wireless network server  136 , remote supervisor server  114  and call center server  108 . In step  218 , the call center  102  is configured according to the control commands received from the remote control transceiver  118 . In step  220 , the call center server  108  updates the call center operations information. 
     In step  222 , the updated call center operations information is transmitted to the wireless network server  136  for formatting and transmission to the remote control transceiver  118 . In step  224 , the updated operations information is transmitted to the remote control transceiver  118 , which displays the updated call center operations information on the user interface  120  to the supervisor. 
     In step  226 , the supervisor&#39;s account is checked for logout, before iterating the process. If the supervisor is still logged in, control returns to step  204  for further generation of call center operations information and detection of command control inputs from the remote control transceiver  118 . If the supervisor account has logged out, control proceeds to step  228  where processing ends. 
     General processing by the remote supervisor server  114  will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.  4 . In step  300 , processing begins. In step  302 , a network connection is established to the call center server  108 . This connection may be in the form of a TCP/IP or other network protocol. In step  304 , a network connection to the remote control transceiver  118  (illustratively a personal digital assistant or PDA) is established upon request by that device, such as at powerup of the unit. This connection may be in the form of the Point-to-Point Network Protocol (PPP) or other format over wireless link  126 . 
     In step  306 , a login request is received from the remote control transceiver  118  over wireless link  126 . In step  308 , the supervisor or other user using the remote control transceiver  118  is authenticated and/or logged into the call center server  108  by the remote supervisor server  114 , for instance using password and other information. 
     In step  310 , the login response from the call center server  108  is transmitted to the remote control transceiver  118 . In step  312 , receipt of a request from the remote control transceiver  118  is awaited. In step  314 , a determination is made whether an arriving request from the remote control transceiver  118  is for operations data or to transmit a system configuration or management command on the uplink to call center server  108 . If the request is for data, control proceeds to step  316  and the data request is received from the remote control transceiver  118 , by way of wireless network server  136 , mobile switching center  116  or other wireless interfaces. 
     In step  318 , a determination is made whether the request is for a real-time update on operations information. If the request from the remote control transceiver  118  is for a real-time update, in step  320  the remote control transceiver  118  is registered with call center server  108  for automatic data updates. In step  322 , operations information is received from the call center server  108 . In step  324 , the operations information is formatted and transmitted to the remote control transceiver  118  via wireless link  126 . 
     In step  326 , a wait state is entered awaiting further data for transmission to the remote control transceiver  118  or for a new data request to be received from the remote control transceiver  118 . If a new request for data is received from the remote control transceiver  118 , control returns to step  314  for a determination of the type of request. If no new request is received from the remote control transceiver  118 , control returns to step  322  to receive any updated data from the call center server  108 . 
     If the determination is made in step  318  that there is no request for a real-time update, control proceeds to step  332 , in which operations information is retrieved from the call center server  108 . In step  334 , the operations information is formatted and transmitted to the remote control transceiver  118  via wireless link  126 . After that non-real-time update, control returns to step  312  to await receipt of a request from the remote control transceiver  118 . 
     In the determination of step  314 , if the request received from the remote control transceiver  118  is to transmit system management commands, control proceeds to step  328  in which the call center server  108  receives and executes a command. In step  330 , the response to the command is transmitted to the remote control transceiver  118 , after which control returns to step  312  to await a further request from the remote control transceiver  118 . 
     In this manner, call center server  108  monitors the remote control transceiver  118  for requests and commands and responds with operations data and reconfigurations according to input from the supervisor operating the remote control transceiver  118 . 
     Processing in the remote control transceiver  118  will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6. In step  400 , processing begins. In step  402 , a local interface program running on the remote control transceiver  118  (again illustratively a PDA) is initiated. In step  404 , a login screen is presented to the user of the remote control transceiver  118  on the user interface  120  or otherwise. In step  406 , the supervisor user enters a login ID, password or other information. 
     In step  408 , a determination is made whether the remote control transceiver  118  is connected to the call center network  110 . If the remote control transceiver  118  is connected to the call center network  110 , control proceeds to step  410  in which the login ID, password and other information is transmitted to the remote supervisor server  114  to await an authorization response. 
     In step  412 , the remote supervisor server  114  generates a response to the login request sent to the call center server  108 . The response is sent to the remote control transceiver  118 . In step  414 , a determination is made whether the login sequence of remote control transceiver  118  was successful. If login was successful, control proceeds to step  416  in which a request is transmitted for an initial data screen. If the login was not successful, control proceeds to step  418  in which an appropriate error message is displayed and control is passed to step  404  for repeat presentation of a login screen. 
     If in step  408  the determination is made that remote control transceiver  118  is not connected to the call center network  110 , control proceeds to step  420  in which remote control transceiver  118  establishes a connection to the call center network  110  via wireless link  126  using embedded TCP/IP, PPP, or other network protocols. This connection may include integrated network security, for instance commercially available firewall, encryption, authentication packages, public/private key plug-ins or others. 
     In step  422 , a determination is made whether the new connection has been successfully established. If it has, control proceeds to step  410  to transmit login ID, password or other information to the remote supervisor server  114 . If the new connection has not been successfully established, control returns to step  418  for the display of an appropriate error message and return to step  404  for repeat presentation of a login screen. 
     After login processing is complete, control proceeds to step  424  as illustrated in FIG. 6, in which data is received from the remote supervisor server  114 . Remote supervisor server  114  is in communication with call center server  108  to receive and transmit call center operations information. In step  426 , operations information transmitted from the call center server  108  via the remote supervisor server  114  and wireless network server  136  are displayed on the remote control transceiver  118 . 
     In step  428  a determination is made whether an alarm or alert condition exists. If no alarm or alert condition exists, control proceeds to step  430  in which a determination is made whether the information is to be displayed in a real-time update. If the update is not a real-time update, control proceeds to step  432  to await further user input via user interface  120  or otherwise. 
     In step  434 , a determination is made whether an alarm condition exists or user input is present. If user input is present, control proceeds to step  438  in which a determination is made whether the user chose a data display type or system configuration or management input, or an exit command. If the user chose a system configuration or management command, control proceeds to step  440  in which the user is presented with system configuration/management options. 
     In step  444 , the user inputs configuration or management data or options to adjust one or more aspects of the operation of call center  102 . In step  446 , the configuration or management data or options are transmitted to the remote supervisor server  114 . In step  448 , the response of the call center  102  to the user&#39;s input is received from the remote supervisor server  114  on the remote control transceiver  118 . 
     In step  450 , the response of the call center  102  is presented to the user on graphical user interface  120  or otherwise, as required. After that presentation, in step  452  a wait state is entered to await further user input or an alarm condition. 
     In step  454 , a determination whether an alarm condition or user input is present. If user input is present, control proceeds to step  438  for processing of the input received from the user. 
     If in either of the determinations of step  434  or  454  it is determined that an alarm condition exists, control proceeds to step  436  in which an alarm sound is generated on audible device  142  and an alarm or an alert message is displayed on the remote control transceiver  118 . After that annunciation, control proceeds to step  458  in which further user input, alarm indications or data refresh from the remote supervisor server is awaited. 
     If in that state a data refresh arrives from the remote supervisor server  114 , control returns to step  424  to receive the data from the remote supervisor server. If further alarm indications are present, control returns to step  436  to communicate that condition audible or visually. If in the wait state of step  458  further user input is received, control proceeds to step  438  to analyze the type of input received. 
     In step  438 , if the determination is made that the user has made a command to exit the system, control proceeds to step  460  in which a log off command is sent to the remote supervisor server  114 , and in step  462  processing ends. 
     The foregoing description of the system and method for remote management of call center operations is illustrative, and variations in configuration and implementation will occur to persons skilled in the art. For instance, while the remote control transceiver is illustrated as being a wireless network-enabled PDA, wireless network enabled cellular telephone or wireless network-enabled notebook computer, a variety of other devices maybe employed, as long as those devices are network compliant and capable of operating over a wireless link, such as a radio frequency, infrared or other link. 
     Similarly, while the remote control transceiver has been described as accepting input from a keypad or other tactile device, audible voice prompts and input using voice digitizing technology, as well as other types of input such as biometric security, may be accepted. 
     Likewise, while the call center architecture of the invention has been described in terms of functionality being distributed between a call center server, a remote supervisor server and other elements, it will be understood that the call center server, remote supervisor server and other elements may be combined in one computing or other resource, or be distributed amongst several other computing or other resources. 
     Moreover, while the invention has been generally described in terms of a single call center supervisor operating one selected remote control transceiver to control the call center facility, more than one remote transceiver may be distributed to more than one individual of the same or different capacities, so that different aspects of the call center operation maybe managed by different individuals at the same time. Multiple remote control transceivers can operate over different wireless networks at the same time, as well. The scope of the invention is accordingly intended to be limited only by the following claims.