Abstract:
A call flow staffing estimation tool that includes: generating a staffing impact chart that indicates, in a visually indicated display, an expected difference between call volume and available agents for a plurality of time intervals in a future period of time based on a plurality of inputs, the plurality of inputs including: historical call volume data to a call center, a prospective schedule of agents servicing the call center, and an average handing time of calls to the call center by the agents, wherein historical call volume data which is skewed data is ignored and predetermined representative data is substituted for the skewed data; providing a variable table having a plurality of variables, each variable including a scaling value that modifies at least one of the plurality of inputs used in generating the staffing impact chart; selectively changing, by a user, at least one of the variables in the variable table; and immediately updating the staffing impact chart to reflect modified expected differences for each of the plurality of time intervals based on application of the change to the plurality of inputs.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to staffing requirements, and more specifically relates to a call flow staffing estimation tool. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Scheduling and call volume tracking are historically some of the biggest problems in a call center environment. Having too many agents staffed, or too few, can have large-scale impacts on a business. The inability to respond to changes instantaneously can lead to the loss of business. Although there are call monitoring tools that show current call volume and can be searched for historical call volume, such tools only provides raw data that must be interpreted by a user. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In general, the present invention provides a call flow staffing estimation tool which allows a user to predict call volume based on previous call arrival patterns and to make instant changes to account for unexpected variables. To this extent, the call flow staffing estimation tool of the present invention allows a user to make staffing decisions proactively based on both historical and real-time data. 
     A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for predicting call volume, comprising: generating a staffing impact chart that indicates, in a visually indicated display, an expected difference between call volume and available agents for a plurality of time intervals in a future period of time based on a plurality of inputs, the plurality of inputs including: historical call volume data to a call center, a prospective schedule of agents servicing the call center, and an average handing time of calls to the call center by the agents, wherein historical call volume data which is skewed data is ignored and predetermined representative data is substituted for the skewed data; providing a variable table having a plurality of variables, each variable including a scaling value that modifies at least one of the plurality of inputs used in generating the staffing impact chart; selectively changing, by a user, at least one of the variables in the variable table; and immediately updating the staffing impact chart to reflect modified expected differences for each of the plurality of time intervals based on application of the change to the plurality of inputs. 
     A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a system for predicting call volume, comprising: a system for generating a staffing impact chart that indicates, in a visually indicated display, an expected difference between call volume and available agents for a future period of time based on a plurality of inputs, the plurality of inputs including: historical call volume data to a call center, a schedule of agents servicing the call center, and an average handing time of calls to the call center by the agents, wherein historical call volume data which is skewed data is ignored and predetermined representative data is substituted for the skewed data; a system for providing a variable table having a plurality of variables, each variable including a scaling value that modifies at least one of the plurality of inputs used in generating the staffing impact chart; a system for selectively changing, by a user, at least one of the variables in the variable table; and a system for immediately updating the staffing impact chart to reflect modified expected differences for each of the plurality of time intervals based on application of the change to the plurality of inputs. 
     A third aspect of the present invention is directed to program product stored on a computer readable storage medium for predicting call volume, the computer readable storage medium comprising program code for: generating a staffing impact chart that indicates, in a visually indicated display, an expected difference between call volume and available agents for a plurality of time intervals in a future period of time based on a plurality of inputs, the plurality of inputs including: historical call volume data to a call center, a prospective schedule of agents servicing the call center, and an average handing time of calls to the call center by the agents, wherein historical call volume data which is skewed data is ignored and predetermined representative data is substituted for the skewed data; providing a variable table having a plurality of variables, each variable including a scaling value that modifies at least one of the plurality of inputs used in generating the staffing impact chart; selectively changing, by a user, at least one of the variables in the variable table to the generating step; and immediately updating the staffing impact chart to reflect modified expected differences for each of the plurality of time intervals based on application of the change to the plurality of inputs. 
     A fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for deploying an application for predicting call volume, comprising: providing a computer infrastructure being operable to: generate a staffing impact chart for a future period of time based on historical call volume data to a call center, a schedule of agents servicing the call center, and an average handing time of calls to the call center by the agents; selectively change an input to the generating step; and immediately update the staffing impact chart to reflect the change. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features of this invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts an illustrative call flow staffing estimation tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  depicts an illustrative weekly average historical call volume chart based on seven daily historical call volume charts, such as the daily historical call volume chart shown in  FIG. 3 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  depicts an illustrative daily historical call volume chart in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  depicts an illustrative estimated staffing chart generated by a call flow staffing estimation tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  depicts an illustrative graph of estimated call volume and call volume capability generated by a call flow staffing estimation tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  depicts an illustrative absence table in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  depicts the absence table of  FIG. 6  with several agents marked as absent. 
         FIG. 8  depicts the estimated staffing chart of  FIG. 4  updated in view of the absences marked in the absence table of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  depicts the call volume graph of  FIG. 5  updated in view of the absences marked in the absence table of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 10  depicts an illustrative overtime chart in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  depicts an illustrative variable table in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  depicts the estimated staffing chart of  FIG. 4  updated in view of an increase in the average handling time of calls entered using the variable table of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 13  depicts the illustrative variable table of  FIG. 11  with additional call volume entered by a user in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  depicts the estimated staffing chart of  FIG. 4  updated in view of the variable table of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 15  depicts an illustrative computer system for implementing embodiment(s) of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A call flow staffing estimation tool  10  (hereafter referred to as an “estimation tool  10 ”) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is depicted in  FIG. 1 . The estimation tool  10  pulls in, or is otherwise provided with, historical call volume data  12  associated with a call center  14 . The historical call volume data  12  can be provided by a telephone switch monitoring tool  16  or using any other suitable system. The estimation tool  10  uses the historical call volume data  12  to predict future call volume. 
     The estimation tool  10  filters the historical call volume data  12  and generates weekly (e.g., 24 hours by 7 days) historical call volume charts  18  and daily (e.g., 24 hours) historical call volume charts  20 . An illustrative weekly historical call volume chart  18  is depicted in  FIG. 2 . An illustrative daily historical call volume chart  20  is depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
     The weekly historical call volume chart  18  displays average call volume data  22  for a given week, split into a plurality of time intervals  24  (e.g., 30 minute increments). Each daily historical call volume chart  20  displays the average call volume data  22  for a given day of the week, split into a plurality of time intervals  24  (e.g., 30 minute increments). The weekly historical call volume chart  18  is populated with data from corresponding daily historical call volume charts  20 . In the example shown in  FIG. 3 , the average call volume data  22  for a given time interval on a Monday, displayed in column B, is calculated by determining the average of the historical call volume data  26  for that time interval, displayed in columns C through I, over the previous seven weeks. The number of weeks of historical call volume data  26  used to determine the average call volume data  22  can vary, and is not limited to seven as in the example above. 
     The estimation tool  10  can be configured to ignore skewed data and to instead use a more representative value when determining the average call volume data  22 . For instance, if the historical call volume data  26  for a given time interval on one of the previous seven Mondays was 300% more than the historical call volume data  26  for that time interval on any of the other six previous Mondays, the estimation tool  10  can be configured using a chosen variable  63  (see  FIG. 11 ) to calculate the average call volume data  22  using only the historical call volume  26  for the other six previous Mondays, substituting that data for the skewed data. 
     A schedule  28  of the agents  30  servicing the call center  14  is also provided to the estimation tool  10 . Also provided to the estimation tool  10  is the average handling time  32  of calls to the call center by the agents  30 . The schedule  28  can be provided in any suitable manner. The average handling time  32  can be computed by examining the number of calls handled by the agents  30  in a given period of time (e.g., calls handled/8-hour shift) or in any other suitable manner. 
     Based on the historical call volume data as provided in the weekly and/or daily historical call volume charts  16 ,  18 , the schedule  28  of the agents  30  servicing the call center  14 , and the average handling time  32  of calls to the call center  14  by the agents  30 , the estimation tool  10  generates a staffing impact chart  34  for a future period of time. For example, the estimation tool  10  can generate a staffing impact chart  34  for a given week based on the previous week&#39;s data, based on data for that week from last year, etc. An illustrative staffing impact chart  34  generated by an estimation tool  10  of the present invention is depicted in  FIG. 4 . The staffing impact chart  34  provides, for each time interval  24 , a positive/negative number  36  representative of the estimated staffing need during that time interval  24 . In this example, a positive number  36  represents a staffing surplus, while a negative number  36  represents a staffing deficit. Color coding can also be used to indicate the estimated staffing need during each time interval  24  in the staffing impact chart  34 . For example, in the staffing impact chart  34  depicted in  FIG. 4 , “white” is used to indicate adequate staffing, “gray” is used to indicate an overstaffing condition, while “red” is used to indicate an understaffing condition. Other indicia, colors, etc., can also be used to indicate estimated staffing need in the staffing impact chart  34 . Thus, from the staffing impact chart  34 , a user can easily determine for the time interval  24  from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM:
     Sunday—Overstaffed by 1 agent;   Monday—Ideal staffing;   Tuesday—Understaffed by 4 agents;   Wednesday—Understaffed by 1 agent;   Thursday—Ideal staffing;   Friday—Understaffed by 1 agent; and   Saturday—Ideal staffing.   

     As depicted in  FIG. 1 , and in greater detail in  FIG. 5 , the estimation tool  10  of the present invention can also be configured to provide a call volume graph  38  that shows, for a given period of time (e.g., a full week), the estimated call volume  40  and the call volume capability  42  provided by the planned staffing coverage. In the upper portion  44  of the call volume graph  38 , the estimated call volume  40  is displayed over the call volume capability  42 . This allows a user to quickly and easily determine when overstaffing conditions are likely to occur. In the lower portion  46  of the call volume graph  38 , the call volume capability  42  is displayed over the estimated call volume  40 . This allows a user to quickly and easily determine when understaffing conditions are likely to occur. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , an absence table  50  can also be provided to the estimation tool  10 . The absence table  50  is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 6 . The absence table  50  allows a user to dynamically adjust the schedule of one or more agents  30  in the call center  14 . The impact of removing agents  30  via changes to the absence table  50  is immediately reflected on the corresponding staffing impact chart  34  and call volume graph  38 . For Example, if Agent  1  calls in sick, a user can quickly and easily determine from the corresponding staffing impact chart  34  what type of impact the agent&#39;s absence will have today, for the entire week, etc. 
     In  FIG. 7 , the absence chart  50  of  FIG. 6  has changed to reflect that four agents  30  will not be available during an upcoming week. In this example, an “X” has been inserted into the absence chart  50  to indicate an absence. That is, any day marked with an “X” in the absence chart  50  removes that agent  30  as if the agent  30  were sick or on vacation. The consequences of the absences is instantaneously reflected in the staffing impact chart  34  as shown in  FIG. 8  and in the call volume graph  38  as shown in  FIG. 9 . The updated staffing impact chart  34  of  FIG. 8  now shows for the time interval  24  from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM:
     Sunday—Ideal staffing;   Monday—Understaffed by 1 agent;   Tuesday—Understaffed by 4 agents;   Wednesday—Understaffed by 2 agents;   Thursday—Understaffed by 1 agent;   Friday—Understaffed by 2 agents; and   Saturday—Ideal staffing.
 
Comparing the staffing impact charts  34  of  FIGS. 4 and 8 , it is readily apparent (e.g., from the color coding) that the absence of the four agents  30  will greatly impact the estimated staffing need for that week.
   

     The absence table  50  can be manipulated to correct staffing problems. For example, if there is a staffing surplus on a Friday and a staffing deficit on a Monday, the schedules of one or more agents  30  can be changed to fix Friday&#39;s surplus and Monday&#39;s deficit. Thus, the estimation tool  10  can be used to adjust the schedules of agent(s)  30  for proper call coverage in the call center  14 . Agents  30  can also be selectively added for additional call coverage using an overtime chart  52 , such as that depicted in  FIG. 10 . The consequences of the addition of agents  30  via the overtime chart  52  are also instantaneously reflected in the staffing impact chart  34  and the call volume graph  38 . 
     As further depicted in  FIG. 1 , a variable table  56  can also be provided to the estimation tool  10 . The variable table  56  is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 11 . The variable table  56  provides a user with the ability to change a plurality of different variables and to immediately view the impact of such changes in the staffing impact chart  34  and the call volume graph  38 . For example, a user can adjust the average handling time of calls  32  by inserting a value into box  58  of the variable table  56 . In response, the staffing impact chart  34  is immediately updated to reflect the change in the average handling time of calls  32 . As an example, when the average handling time of calls  32  is increased by 1 minute from 6.5 minutes to 7.5 minutes via the variable table  56 , the state of the staffing impact chart  34  changes from that shown in  FIG. 4  to that shown in  FIG. 12 . Although not shown, the call volume graph  38  is also updated. 
     The updated staffing impact chart  34  of  FIG. 12  now shows for the time interval  24  from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM:
     Sunday—Overstaffed by 1 agent;   Monday—Understaffed by 2 agents;   Tuesday—Understaffed by 7 agents;   Wednesday—Understaffed by 3 agents;   Thursday—Understaffed by 1 agent;   Friday—Understaffed by 3 agents; and   Saturday—Understaffed by 1 agent.
 
Comparing the staffing impact charts  34  of  FIGS. 4 , and  12 , it is readily apparent that the increase of 1 minute in the average handling time of calls will greatly impact the estimated staffing need for that week. Further, comparing the staffing impact charts  34  of  FIGS. 4 ,  8 , and  12 , it is readily apparent that, at least for the time interval from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM, an increase of 1 minute in the average handling of calls has a greater understaffing impact than the absence of 4 agents.
   

     Referring now to  FIG. 13 , a user can adjust the call volume for one or more days by inserting a number of calls or percent (%) increase in calls in boxes  60 ,  62 , respectively, of the variable table  56 . In response, the staffing impact chart  34  is immediately updated to reflect the change in the call volume. The estimation tool  10  divides the increase in calls based on existing volume percentages and graphically shows the effects of the increase. As an example, when a value of 20% is inserted into the boxes  62  for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, the state of the staffing impact chart  34  changes from that shown in  FIG. 4  to that shown in  FIG. 14 . Although not shown, the call volume graph  38  is also updated. 
     The updated staffing impact chart  34  of  FIG. 14  now shows for the time interval  24  from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM:
     Sunday—Overstaffed by 1 agent;   Monday—Understaffed by 2 agents;   Tuesday—Understaffed by 7 agents;   Wednesday—Understaffed by 1 agent;   Thursday—Understaffed by 2 agents;   Friday—Understaffed by 1 agent; and   Saturday—Ideal staffing.   

     The variable table  56  can also be used to provide staffing results. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 13 , the variable table  56  provides information such as “% Demand Covered,” “SLA Requirements,” “Staffing Efficiency,” etc. These values can change based on information provided to the estimation tool  10 . 
       FIG. 15  shows an illustrative system  100  in accordance with embodiment(s) of the present invention. The system  100  includes a computer infrastructure  102  that can perform the various process steps described herein. In particular, the computer infrastructure  102  is shown as including a computer system  104  that comprises a call flow staffing estimation tool  10  in accordance with the present invention. 
     The computer system  104  is shown as including a processing unit  108 , a memory  110 , at least one input/output (I/O) interface  114 , and a bus  112 . Further, the computer system  104  is shown in communication with at least one external device  116  and a storage system  118 . In general, the processing unit  108  executes computer program code, such as the call flow staffing estimation tool  10 , that is stored in memory  110  and/or storage system  118 . While executing computer program code, the processing unit  108  can read and/or write data from/to the memory  110 , storage system  118 , and/or I/O interface(s)  114 . Bus  112  provides a communication link between each of the components in the computer system  104 . The external device  116  can comprise any device (e.g., display  120 ) that enables a user (not shown) to interact with the computer system  104  or any device that enables the computer system  104  to communicate with one or more other computer systems. 
     The computer system  104  can comprise any general purpose computing article of manufacture capable of executing computer program code installed by a user (e.g., a personal computer, server, handheld device, etc.). However, it is understood that the computer system  104  and the call flow staffing estimation tool  10  are only representative of various possible computer systems that may perform the various process steps of the invention. To this extent, in other embodiments, the computer system  104  can comprise any specific purpose computing article of manufacture comprising hardware and/or computer program code for performing specific functions, any computing article of manufacture that comprises a combination of specific purpose and general purpose hardware/software, or the like. In each case, the program code and hardware can be created using standard programming and engineering techniques, respectively. 
     Similarly, the computer infrastructure  102  is only illustrative of various types of computer infrastructures that can be used to implement the present invention. For example, in one embodiment, the computer infrastructure  102  comprises two or more computer systems (e.g., a server cluster) that communicate over any type of wired and/or wireless communications link, such as a network, a shared memory, or the like, to perform the various process steps of the invention. When the communications link comprises a network, the network can comprise any combination of one or more types of networks (e.g., the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, a virtual private network, etc.). Regardless, communications between the computer systems may utilize any combination of various types of transmission techniques. 
     The call flow staffing estimation tool  10  enables the computer system  104  to predict call volume based on previous call arrival patterns and to make instant changes to account for unexpected variables. A user  130  can provide input to the call flow staffing estimation tool  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , via an absence table  50 , an overtime chart  52 , an absence table  50 , and a variable table  56 . These components are discussed above in greater detail. It is understood that some of the various systems shown in  FIG. 15  can be implemented independently, combined, and/or stored in memory for one or more separate computer systems  104  that communicate over a network. Further, it is understood that some of the systems and/or functionality may not be implemented, or additional systems and/or functionality may be included as part of the system  100 . 
     The call flow staffing estimation tool  10  can be provided as computer program code on a computer-readable medium. To this extent, the computer-readable medium includes program code, such as the call flow staffing estimation tool  10 , which implements each of the various process steps of the invention. It is understood that the term “computer-readable medium” comprises one or more of any type of physical embodiment of the program code. In particular, the computer-readable medium can comprise program code embodied on one or more portable storage articles of manufacture (e.g., a compact disc, a magnetic disk, a tape, etc.), on one or more data storage portions of a computer system, such as the memory  110  and/or storage system  118  (e.g., a fixed disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a cache memory, etc.), and/or as a data signal traveling over a network (e.g., during a wired/wireless electronic distribution of the program code). 
     In another embodiment, the invention provides a business method that performs the process steps of the invention on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis. That is, a service provider could offer to provide a call flow staffing estimation tool  10  in accordance with the present invention. In this case, the service provider can create, maintain, support, etc., a computer infrastructure, such as the computer infrastructure  102 , that performs the process steps of the invention for one or more customers. In return, the service provider can receive payment from the customer(s) under a subscription and/or fee agreement and/or the service provider can receive payment from the sale of advertising space to one or more third parties. 
     A computer infrastructure, such as the computer infrastructure  102 , can be obtained (e.g., created, maintained, having made available to, etc.) and one or more systems for performing the process steps of the invention can be obtained (e.g., created, purchased, used, modified, etc.) and deployed to the computer infrastructure. To this extent, the deployment of each system can comprise one or more of (1) installing program code on a computer system, such as the computer system  104 , from a computer-readable medium; (2) adding one or more computer systems to the computer infrastructure; and (3) incorporating and/or modifying one or more existing systems of the computer infrastructure, to enable the computer infrastructure to perform the process steps of the invention. 
     As used herein, it is understood that the terms “program code” and “computer program code” are synonymous and mean any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a computer system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: (a) conversion to another language, code or notation; and (b) reproduction in a different material form. To this extent, program code can be embodied as one or more types of program products, such as an application/software program, component software/a library of functions, an operating system, a basic I/O system/driver for a particular computing and/or I/O device, and the like. 
     The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of this invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously, many modifications and variations are possible.