Abstract:
A method for call center schedule compliance management includes an information handling system (IHS) obtaining schedule information. The schedule information is associated with a schedule of an agent. The IHS obtains activity information. The activity information is associated with an activity of the agent. The IHS compares the schedule information with the activity information to determine whether a schedule violation has occurred. The IHS produces schedule violation information in response to determining that the schedule violation has occurred. The IHS analyzes the schedule violation information.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is related to U.S. Utility application Ser. No. ______ attorney docket number 16356.1086 (DC-13556), filed on ______, the disclosure which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to call center schedule compliance management. 
         [0003]    As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems. 
         [0004]    Call centers are often used to provide service to customers. Employees of a call center may be scheduled to answer phone calls during certain time periods. However, it may be common for many employees to not comply with a schedule by, for example, arriving late, leaving early, taking breaks longer than scheduled, or taking breaks otherwise not in accordance with the schedule. Such non-compliances with schedules can have a negative impact on the level of service that the call center can provide to the customers. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide improved call center schedule compliance management to reduce the problems set forth above. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    According to one embodiment, a method for call center schedule compliance management is disclosed. The method includes an information handling system (IHS) obtaining schedule information. The schedule information is associated with a schedule of an agent. The IHS obtains activity information. The activity information is associated with an activity of the agent. The IHS compares the schedule information with the activity information to determine whether a schedule violation has occurred. The IHS produces schedule violation information in response to determining that the schedule violation has occurred. The IHS analyzes the schedule violation information. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1   a  illustrates an embodiment of an information handling system (IHS). 
           [0008]      FIG. 1   b  illustrates an embodiment of a system for managing call center schedule compliance. 
           [0009]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  illustrate an embodiment of a first method to manage call center schedule compliance using the system of  FIG. 1   b.    
           [0010]      FIG. 2   c  illustrates an embodiment of a schedule violation e-mail used in the method of  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b.    
           [0011]      FIG. 2   d  illustrates an embodiment of a group violation status web page used in the method of  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b.    
           [0012]      FIG. 2   e  illustrates an embodiment of an individual violation status web page used in the method of  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b.    
           [0013]      FIG. 2   f  illustrates an embodiment of a schedule violation removal confirmation e-mail used in the method of  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b.    
           [0014]      FIG. 2   g  illustrates an embodiment of an area manager override request e-mail used in the method of  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b.    
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    For purposes of this disclosure, an IHS may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, entertainment, or other purposes. For example, an IHS may be a personal computer, a PDA, a consumer electronic device, a network server or storage device, a switch router or other network communication device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The IHS may include memory, one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic. Additional components of the IHS may include one or more storage devices, one or more communications ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The IHS may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components. 
         [0016]    In one embodiment, IHS  100 ,  FIG. 1 , includes a processor  102 , which is connected to a bus  104 . Bus  104  serves as a connection between processor  102  and other components of computer system  100 . An input device  106  is coupled to processor  102  to provide input to processor  102 . Examples of input devices include keyboards, touchscreens, and pointing devices such as mice, trackballs and trackpads. Programs and data are stored on a mass storage device  108 , which is coupled to processor  102 . Mass storage devices include such devices as hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy drives and the like. IHS  100  further includes a display  110 , which is coupled to processor  102  by a video controller  112 . A system memory  114  is coupled to processor  102  to provide the processor  102  with fast storage to facilitate execution of computer programs by processor  102 . A network interface  116  is coupled to the processor  102  to allow the processor  102  to connect to a network. In an embodiment, a chassis  118  houses some or all of the components of IHS  100 . It should be understood that other buses and intermediate circuits can be deployed between the components described above and processor  102  to facilitate interconnection between the components and the processor  102 . 
         [0017]    Referring now to  FIG. 1   b , an embodiment of a system  120  for managing call center schedule compliance is illustrated. The system  120  includes a network  122  (e.g., a Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network), which is coupled to a call center monitor (CCM)  124  and IHSs  126 ,  128 , and  130 . Each of the CCM  124  and the IHSs  126 , 128 , and  130  may include an IHS similar to the IHS  100 , and accordingly each may communicate with each other over the network  122 . The IHSs  126 ,  128 , and  130  are coupled to and used by an agent  132 , an agent manager  134 , and an area manager  136 , respectively, who may be employees of a call center and/or a provider. The agent  132  be responsible for communicating with customers of the provider through telephone and/or e-mail. The agent manager  134  may be responsible for managing the agent  132 . The area manager  136  may be responsible for managing the agent manager  134  and the agent  132 . The CCM  124 , the agent manager  134 , and/or the area manager  136  may be responsible for monitoring and/or administrating operations of the call center. The CCM  124  may include a variety of software, such as a web site hosted on a web server, which may be accessible by the agent  132 , the agent manager  134 , and the area manager  136  through the IHS  126 , the IHS  128 , and the IHS  130 , respectively. 
         [0018]    For clarity, only one network, one CCM, three IHSs, one agent, one agent manager, and one area manager are illustrated in  FIG. 1   b . However, it should be understood that any plurality of networks, CCMs, IHSs, agents, managers, and call centers may be used in accordance with the present invention. 
         [0019]    The call center may have one or more service level goals for one or more customer segments. For example, one customer segment might include business customers for whom the service level goals may include answering 90% of telephone calls from the customers within two minutes. A second customer segment might include, for example, residential customers for whom the service level goals may include answering 90% of telephone calls within five minutes. In an embodiment, the call center may support only one customer segment. In an alternative embodiment, the call center may support a plurality of customer segments. 
         [0020]    In order for the call center to be able to support the one or more service level goals, the agent  132  may be expected to work in accordance with a schedule. The schedule may include times in which the agent  132  is expected to be available to receive customer calls. The schedule may further include times in which the agent  132  is expected to take breaks such as, for example, lunches and/or any other types of scheduled breaks or planned outages known in the art. 
         [0021]    The CCM  124  may monitor various activities of the agent  132 . Activities of the agent  132  may include starting a work shift, ending a work shift, starting a break, or ending a break. In an embodiment, the agent  132  may be expected to notify the CCM  124  of some or all of the activities of the agent  132 . Notifying the CCM  124  may include logging into or out of the IHS  126 , logging into or out of an application on the IHS  126 , accessing an application on the IHS  126 , logging into or out of a web page provided by the CCM  124 , accessing a web page provided by the CCM  124 , and/or a variety of other types of notifications known in the art. Alternatively, the CCM  124  may monitor the activities of the agent  132  without the agent  132  notifying the CCM  124 , or in a manner transparent to the agent  132 . 
         [0022]    The CCM  124  may compare the activities of the agent  132  with the schedule to determine whether the agent  132  is complying with the schedule. If the agent  132  does not comply with the schedule, the CCM  124  may determine that a schedule violation has occurred. A schedule violation may include a variety of schedule non-compliance situations such as a late login, an early logout, a break push, a break pull, or a break overage. A late login may include an occurrence of the agent  132  reporting to work (e.g., logging in to the call center and/or the CCM  124 ) after a scheduled shift start time. An early logout may include an occurrence of the agent  132  leaving work (e.g., logging out from the call center and/or the CCM  124 ) before a scheduled shift end time. A break push may include an occurrence of the agent  132  not taking advantage of a first opportunity to take a break on or shortly after a scheduled break start time, resulting in the agent  132  starting the break unnecessarily late. A break pull may include an occurrence of the agent  132  starting a break before a scheduled break start time. A break overage may include an occurrence of the agent  132  taking a break that is longer than a scheduled break, resulting in the agent  132  returning from the break later than scheduled. 
         [0023]    In an embodiment, the CCM  124  may calculate a schedule violation count associated with the agent  132 . The schedule violation count may include the total number of schedule violations made by the agent  132  during a recent time period, such as during the previous 90 days. 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b , an embodiment of a method  200  to manage call center schedule compliance is illustrated. The method  200  begins at block  202  where the CCM  124  monitors activities of the agent  132  for schedule violations. The monitoring for scheduling violations may be similar to as described above. 
         [0025]    The method  200  then proceeds to decision block  204  where the CCM  124  determines whether a schedule violation has occurred. In an embodiment, the determination may include comparing the activities of the agent  132  with the schedule of the agent  132 , as described above. In an embodiment, the determination may occur periodically such as, for example, once per day, once per work shift, once per scheduled time interval, or continuously. If at decision block  204  the CCM  124  determines that a schedule violation has not occurred, the method  200  returns to block  202  where the CCM  124  monitors activities of the agent  132  for schedule violations. 
         [0026]    If at decision block  204  the CCM  124  determines that a schedule violation has occurred, the method  200  proceeds to block  206  where the CCM  124  determines whether the schedule violation is greater than a particular threshold. The threshold may include a variable that indicates an amount of time in which the agent  132  is allowed to deviate from the schedule. For example, if the threshold is five minutes, and the agent is four minutes late, the schedule violation may be considered to be less than the threshold. Alternatively, for example, if the threshold is five minutes, and the agent is six minutes late, the schedule violation may be considered to be greater than the threshold. In an alternative embodiment, the CCM  124  may determine whether the schedule violation is greater than the threshold plus a constant value (e.g., 2 minutes). The threshold may be adaptable and/or configurable. 
         [0027]    If at decision block  206  the CCM  124  determines that the schedule violation is not greater than a particular threshold, the method  200  proceeds to block  208  where the CCM  124  stores schedule violation information about the schedule violation in an agent record. The schedule violation information may include that the schedule violation is an acceptable violation (i.e., under the threshold). The agent record may include information about the agent  132 , and may be stored in a database. The method  200  then returns to block  202  where the CCM  124  monitors activities of the agent  132  for schedule violations. 
         [0028]    If at decision block  206  the CCM  124  determines that the schedule violation is greater than a particular threshold, the method  200  proceeds to block  210  where the CCM  124  stores schedule violation information. The schedule violation information may include that the schedule violation is an unacceptable violation (i.e., over the threshold). The schedule violation information may further include a violation ID (i.e., a unique identifier associated with the schedule violation), a time stamp, break details, an amount of time over the threshold, and other details about the schedule violation. In an embodiment, all or part of the schedule violation information may be stored in an agent record, described above with reference to decision block  208 . In an embodiment, all or part of the schedule violation information may be stored in a violation database, which may include information about schedule violations made by numerous agents. 
         [0029]    The method  200  then proceeds to block  212  where the CCM  124  sends a notification e-mail to the agent  132 . The notification e-mail may inform the agent  132  about the schedule violation, and may further provide some or all of the schedule violation information, described above with reference to block  210 . In an embodiment, the CCM  124  may further send a notification e-mail to the agent manager  134 , the area manager  136 , and/or a human resources (HR) representative, based on the schedule violation count, described above, of the agent  132 . For example, if the schedule violation count is three, the CCM  124  may send a notification e-mail to the agent manager  134 . Additionally, for example, if the schedule violation count is six, the CCM  124  may send a notification e-mail to the agent manager  134  and the area manager  136 . Furthermore, for example, if the schedule violation count is nine, the CCM  124  may send a notification e-mail to the agent manager  134 , the area manager  136 , and the HR representative. In an embodiment, after receiving an e-mail notification, each of the agent manager  134 , the area manager  136 , and the HR representative may take corrective actions such as, for example, speaking with the agent  132 , reprimanding the agent  132 , or firing the agent  132 , respectively. In an embodiment, sending the notification e-mail may include adding one or more of the recipients to a carbon-copy list of the notification e-mail to the agent  132 . In an alternative embodiment, each of the agent  132 , the agent manager  134 , the area manager  136 , and the HR representative may be notified using a mechanism other than e-mail such as, for example, a web site or an application. In an embodiment, the notification e-mail may include schedule violation e-mail  260 , illustrated in  FIG. 2   c.    
         [0030]    In an embodiment, the notifications may be configurable in a variety of ways. In an embodiment, some or all employees (e.g., the agent  132 , the agent manager  134 , or the area manager  136 ) may be enabled to configure the CCM  124  to notify some or all employees when one or more schedule violations occur meeting certain criteria. For example, the area manager  136  may be able to configure the CCM  124  to notify the agent manager  134  and the area manager  136  after every 10 schedule violations made by the agent  132 . Additionally, for example, the agent manager  134  may be able to configure the CCM  124  to notify the agent manager  134  of every schedule violation made by the agent  132  that deviates from the schedule more than 60 minutes. In an embodiment, the notification may be sent in real time. For example, the notification may be sent simultaneously with the occurrence, detection, and/or recording of the schedule violation. 
         [0031]    The method  200  then proceeds to block  214  where the agent  132  receives the notification e-mail from the CCM  124 . The method  200  then proceeds to decision block  216  where the agent  132  determines whether to dispute the schedule violation. The agent  132  may desire to dispute the schedule violation if, for example, the agent  132  had a valid business reason for not complying with the schedule. 
         [0032]    If at decision block  216  the agent  132  determines not to dispute the schedule violation, the method  200  proceeds to block  218  where the agent  132  does not dispute the schedule violation. In an embodiment, the agent  132  may take no action in order to not dispute the schedule violation. The method  200  then proceeds to block  220  where the schedule violation count, described above, of the agent  132  is incremented. In an embodiment, the schedule violation count may be included in the schedule violation information, described above with reference to block  210 . The method  200  then ends at block  221 . 
         [0033]    If at decision block  216  the agent  132  determines to dispute the schedule violation, the method  200  proceeds to block  222  where the agent  132  disputes the schedule violation. Disputing the schedule violation may include requesting that the schedule violation be removed from the agent record. In an embodiment, the agent  132  may dispute the schedule violation by clicking a link in the notification e-mail from the CCM  124 , or by accessing a web site provided by the CCM  124 . In an embodiment, the agent  132  may dispute the schedule violation by contacting the agent manager  134  directly. The agent  132  may further provide details about the dispute such as a reason the schedule violation should be removed. 
         [0034]    The method  200  then proceeds to block  224  where the agent manager  134  receives a notification e-mail including that the agent  132  disputes the schedule violation. The method  200  then proceeds to block  226  where the agent manager  134  uses a schedule adherence tool to view details related to the dispute and the schedule violation. The details may include information about the agent  132 , information about the schedule violation, and information about the reason for the dispute. In an embodiment, the schedule adherence tool may be included on a web site provided by the CCM  124 . In an embodiment, in order to view the details, the agent manager  134  may use the schedule adherence tool to browse or search by team or schedule violation ID. In an embodiment, the agent manager  134  may click a link in the notification e-mail from the CCM  124  to access the schedule adherence tool in order to view the details. 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 2   d , in an embodiment, the CCM  124  may provide a group violation status web page  264  to the agent manager  134  to enable the agent manager  134  to view information about schedule violations made by a plurality of agents (e.g., including the agent  132 ). The group violation status web page  264  includes information about the number of schedule violations each agent has made, and the type of schedule violations (e.g., break push, break pull, late login, early logout, etc.). The agent manager  134  may filter the contents of the group violation status web page  264  using a variety of parameters including a date range, one or more site locations, and/or a manager. In an embodiment, the CCM  124  may provide a variety of other status reports relating to agents, schedules, schedule compliance, schedule adherence, and/or schedule violations. In an embodiment, the manager  134  may filter status reports by a variety of other filters known in the art. 
         [0036]    The method  200  then proceeds to decision block  228  where the CCM  124  determines whether the agent manager  134  agrees with the dispute. In an embodiment, the agent manager  134  may indicate agreement or disagreement with the dispute to the CCM  124  using the schedule adherence tool. If at decision block  228  the CCM  124  determines that the agent manager  134  does not agree with the dispute, the method  200  proceeds to block  230  where the agent manager  134  provides feedback to the agent  134 . The feedback may include information about why the manager  134  does not agree with the dispute. The method  200  then proceeds to block  220 , described above, where the schedule violation count of the agent  132  is incremented. 
         [0037]    If at decision block  228  the CCM  124  determines that the agent manager  134  agrees with the dispute, the method  200  proceeds to decision block  232  where the CCM  124  determines whether the schedule violation occurred more than 30 days ago. In an embodiment, an alternate value may be used. If at decision block  232  the CCM  124  determines that the schedule violation did not occur more than 30 days ago, the method  200  proceeds to block  234  where the agent manager  134  requests removal of the schedule violation from the agent record. The agent manager  134  may use the schedule adherence tool to request removal of the schedule violation. In an embodiment, the agent manager  134  may click a link and/or deselect a checkmark in the schedule adherence tool to request removal of the schedule violation. The agent manager  134  may further specify a reason for requesting removal of the schedule violation. In another embodiment, the schedule or agent record may be retroactively adjusted so as to indicate that a schedule violation did not occur due to a valid business reason, such as, for example, a need-you-now meeting, a fire drill, a safety inspection, and/or a variety of other valid business reasons known in the art. The retroactive adjustment may be initiated by the agent  132 , the agent manager  134 , and/or the area manager  136 . The retroactive adjustment may be automatic. 
         [0038]    Referring now to  FIG. 2   e , in an embodiment, the CCM  124  may provide an individual violation status web page  270  to the agent manager  134  to enable the agent manager  134  to view information about schedule violations made by the agent  132 , and to request removal of one or more of the schedule violations. For each schedule violation made by the agent  132 , the individual violation status web page  270  includes information about the type of schedule violation, a time of occurrence, a description, how the schedule violation count of the agent  132  is affected by the schedule violation, and a link to request removal of the schedule violation from the agent record. The individual violation status web page  270  further includes a form that enables the agent manager  134  to request removal of one or more of the schedule violations from the agent record. 
         [0039]    The method  200  then proceeds to block  236  where the CCM  124  removes the schedule violation from the agent record. The method  200  then proceeds to block  238  where the CCM  124  sends a notification e-mail to the agent  132  and the agent manager  134 . The notification e-mail may include that the schedule violation was removed from the agent record. In an embodiment, the notification e-mail may include schedule violation removal confirmation e-mail  280 , illustrated in  FIG. 2   f . The method  200  then ends at block  221 . 
         [0040]    If at decision block  232  the CCM  124  determines that the schedule violation occurred more than 30 days ago, the method  200  proceeds to block  240  where the CCM  124  sends a notification e-mail to the area manager  136 . In an embodiment, the notification e-mail may include area manager override request e-mail  290 , illustrated in  FIG. 2   g . In an embodiment, the agent manager  134  may notify the CCM  124  to send the notification e-mail to the area manager  136 . In another embodiment, the agent manager  134  may notify the area manager  136  directly. 
         [0041]    The method  200  then proceeds to block  242  where the area manager  136  receives the notification e-mail from the CCM  124 . The method  300  then proceeds to decision block  244  where the CCM  124  determines whether the area manager  136  agrees with the dispute. In an embodiment, the area manager  136  may indicate agreement or disagreement with the dispute to the CCM  124  using the schedule adherence tool. If at decision block  244  the CCM  124  determines that the area manager  136  does not agree with the dispute, the method  200  proceeds to block  246  where the area manager  136  provides feedback to the agent manager  134 . The feedback may include information about why the area manager  136  does not agree with the dispute. The method  200  then proceeds to block  220 , described above, where the schedule violation count of the agent  132  is incremented. 
         [0042]    If at decision block  244  the CCM  124  determines that the area manager  136  agrees with the dispute, the method  200  proceeds to block  248  where the area manager  136  requests removal of the schedule violation from the agent record. The area manager  136  may use the schedule adherence tool to request removal of the schedule violation. In an embodiment, the area manager  136  may click a link and/or deselect a checkmark in the schedule adherence tool to request removal of the schedule violation. The area manager  136  may further specify a reason for requesting removal of the schedule violation. The method  200  then proceeds to block  236 , described above, where the CCM  124  removes the schedule violation from the agent record. 
         [0043]    Thus, embodiments are provided for improved call center schedule compliance management. Schedule violations made by agents are detected. Agents, managers, and HR representatives may be notified of the schedule violations, and may view status reports about the agents and their schedule violations and schedule compliances. The schedule violations may be disputed, excused, and/or removed from agent records and/or schedules. 
         [0044]    Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.