Abstract:
In a call center having agent stations including personal computers having video display units (PC/VDUs), connected on a LAN with a server tracking status for call center entities, a system for agent information includes a software application executing on individual PC/VDUs at agent stations. The software application draws on status information from the server and renders the information to the agent using the PC/VDU through output apparatus of the PC/VDU. Rendering may be by text, graphics, or audio, depending on such as conditions and user selection.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED DOCUMENTS  
   The present application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 09/527,905, filed Mar. 17, 2000 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,072 on Jun. 8, 2004, entitled “Personal Communication Center Performance Display and Status Alert System,” which is incorporated in its entirety by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
   The present invention is in the field of telecommunications systems encompassing computer telephony integration (CTI) and data network telephony (DNT)-enabled communication centers, and pertains more particularly to methods and apparatus for displaying communication center performance status and alerting communication center employees to transpiring events and states within the communication center. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
   The field of telecommunications has grown significantly with the advent of computer-integrated-telephony (CTI) and more recently, data-network-telephony (DNT). Contributions to both of these technologies have led to the advent of multimedia communications centers capable of handling a wide variety of communication types and mediums. 
   A large customer-care center serves as a good example of a telecommunications center that may be dedicated to serving a very large customer base through constant communication using state-of the-art techniques aided by intelligent software applications running on processors connected to the centers telecommunication system. 
   A communication center of the type described in this specification typically employs a plurality of agents whom have been trained to operate communication equipment and applications for the dedicated purpose of serving customers who call into the center. 
   A multimedia communication center enhanced with DNT capability as known to the inventor will include, along with a connection-oriented-switched-telephony (COST) system, an Internet protocol (IP) telephony system for handling communication events sourced from a data-packet-network (DPN), which, in many cases, is the well-known Internet network. It will be appreciated by one with skill in the art that agent responsibilities in such a system are expanded over those of a traditional or conventional call-in center to include working with e-mails, video mails, IP voice calls, computer-aided chat sessions, and other computer/network aided communication mediums. 
   In such a multimedia center agents are typically located at workstations adapted with equipment and network connections that are suitable for communication in both a COST and DNT environment. For example, each agent station typically comprises a telephone connected to a central COST routing system and a personal computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU), which is connected to a local-area-network LAN. The LAN is further connected to an IP routing system and agents receive IP calls routed to them over the LAN to their PC/VDU&#39;s. In some cases, DNT capable telephones are also incorporated such that they may be switched from COST mode to DNT mode and back again. 
   In addition to enhanced equipment utilized at agent level, other equipment is provided for the purpose of automated interface with customers calling into the system at network level. Such equipment includes interactive voice response (IVR) systems, which may be adapted for both COST and DNT communication. In systems known to the inventor, intelligent routing is available at levels above the agent level (internal routing system). 
   CTI software known to the inventor as T-Server software is provided to run on processors implemented at switches and terminals existing in COST, and in some instances, DPN network levels for the purpose of providing intelligent routing routines to be executed at network level. These CTI processors are interconnected with a separate DPN such that routing commands may be communicated between instances of T-Servers. Moreover, additional data may be obtained about a caller at network level and passed to agent level over the separate data network, often ahead of a routed communication event. 
   Extending intelligent routing capability into networks allows performance of agent level routing from within a network. These routing rules are, of course, adapted to communication center capability. For example, statistical call routing, predictive call routing, skill-based routing, priority routing and other routines known to the inventor may be utilized at network level. 
   With all of the advanced routing and communication capabilities available in the art, communication center managers and supervisors must continually motivate agents working in the center along with managing agent function in accordance with the agent&#39;s designated duties. One of the traditional tools used for this purpose is known in the art as a communication center display board sometimes referred to as a signboard. 
   A communication-center display board is a computerized display system that is hung or mounted in a centrally visible location within a communication center for the purpose of providing call-load status, call event alerts, motivational messages, and any other information that managers deem pertinent to agent function and performance. A good example of a communication-center display board existing in prior art is the NetBrite™ display system provided by SYMONT™. 
   The NetBrite™ system comprises a network-connected, full matrix, light-emitting-diode (LED) display board that may be configured for the type of data that is to be displayed to agents. The system has an internal sound card and speaker system including software for playing WAV, MIDI and other audio files as well as steaming audio. The system may be configured to a number of differing modes such as flashing data, scrolling data, page-through data, and audible alerting. Moreover, the physical display interface may be configured to display a plurality of separate addressable sections for individualizing portions of the display for an agent or group of agents. 
   Display systems like the one described in the example above are network-connected and receive data directly from a data server or servers providing the status and performance information for communication center activity. The system uses standard network data wiring and connection means for interface and integration to a communication center LAN system enhanced typically with transfer control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) capability. 
   One obvious problem associated with a display system of this type is that it is shared by many communication center agents who must devote a significant amount of attention to the system throughout their workday. Diverting attention to the common or shared system may take away from or delay other agent duties. Another drawback with a common or shared system is that the volume level must be loud enough for all agents to hear. In some cases, this fact may distract some agents engaged in audible communication with customers. Still another problem is that the display characteristic is limited to a compact set of abstractly metered data, which an agent must read to understand and act upon. 
   What is clearly needed is a communication center status reporting and warning system that may be distributed to and executed from individual agent stations such that an agent need not devote primary attention to a shared system. Such a system could be configured to use graphical images as well as audible conventions for data provision and would allow a system-trained agent to quickly grasp communication center status and alert states without diverting the agent from other duties. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
   In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in a call center having agent stations each having a personal computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU), a system for informing agents of call center-related status is provided, comprising a server tracking call center activities and calculating status for individual call center entities, the server connected on a network in the call center; and an agent-informing application executing on individual ones of the PC/VDUs at agent stations, the PC/VDUs at the agent stations also connected on the network. The system is characterized in that the application draws on status data from the server and provides status information to an agent using an individual PC/VDU through output apparatus of the individual PC/VDU. 
   In some embodiments status includes status and warnings related to transaction queues to which the agent using a PC/VDU is related. The software may provide graphic displays indicating call center status information, audio renditions through a speaker associated with the PC/VDU used by the agent, or combinations thereof. Audio may be played over call conversations at a level not interrupting the conversations. 
   In another aspect of the invention a software application for use with a personal computer having a video display unit (PC/VDU) at an agent station in a call center is provided, comprising an access module for drawing status information from a server connected on a common network with the PC/VDU; and a rendition module for rendering the status information through output apparatus of the PC/VU for an agent using the PC/VDU. 
   In a preferred embodiment rendition is by graphic and text display on the video display monitor of the PC/VDU. Rendition may also be by audio rendition through a speaker associated with the PC/VDU used by the agent, and audio may be provided over telephone conversations engaged in by the agent. The status information includes status and warnings related to transaction queues to which the agent using a PC/VDU is related. 
   In another aspect of the invention, in a call center having agent stations each having a personal computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU), a method for informing agents of call center-related status is provided, comprising steps of (a) drawing status information by a software application executing on an individual (PC/VDU) from a server commonly connected on a communication network with the PC/VDU at the agent station; and (b) rendering the information to an agent using the PC/VDU through output apparatus of the PC/VDU. 
   In preferred embodiments of the method, in step (a), status includes status and warnings related to transaction queues to which the agent using a PC/VDU is related. Also in preferred call center status information may be provided to an agent by audio rendition through a speaker associated with the PC/VDU used by the agent, or by text and graphic displays, or in combination. The audio-rendered information may be rendered over telephony call audio as an agent converses with a caller, at a whisper lever. 
   In embodiments of the present invention, taught in enabling detail below, for the first time a system is provided for informing agents of status information in a call center, wherein information and its presentation may be tailored to individual agents, and provided in a manner to avoid disturbing other agents, or distracting the receiving agents attention from other tasks. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       FIG. 1  is an overview of a dual-capable communication center utilizing a communication-center performance display and warning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an agent workstation adapted with the communication center performance display and warning system of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
   According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a personalized communication-center performance and warning system is provided as a distributed software application adapted to run at each agent workstation within the center. 
     FIG. 1  is an overview of a dually-capable communication center  25  utilizing a communication-center performance display and warning system (SW) according to an embodiment of the present invention. A communication network  9  is illustrated as a preferred network embodiment for practicing the present invention. Network  9  comprises a connection oriented switched telephony (COST) network  11  (conventional telephone network), a data packet network (DPN)  13  (such as the Internet), and communication center  25 . 
   COST network  11  may be any type of switched telephony network public or private in nature. In a preferred embodiment, COST  11  is a well-known public switched telephony network (PSTN). The inventor chooses the PSTN network as a preferred COST network because of its high public-access characteristic. 
   DPN  13  may be any type of wide-area-network (WAN) public or private in nature, operating as a shared bandwidth, data-packet network. In a preferred embodiment, DPN  13  is the well-known Internet network and will hereinafter be referred to as Internet  13 . The inventor chooses the Internet network because of its high public-access characteristic. The invention, however, is not limited to the Internet. 
   Communication center  25  is a dually-capable center meaning that it is capable of handling both COST and DNT communication. Communication center  25  may be a small or large corporate center serving as a central location for customer service. In typical application, center  25  communicates with customers calling in from COST network  11  or initiating communication events from Internet  13 . It is important to note here that the method of practicing the present invention is not limited to a dually-capable center as illustrated in the example, but may be practiced in either a COST only center or a DNT only center separately. 
   Communication network  9  demonstrates the state of the art in network communication and communication-center service. All of the communication capability and routing functionality mentioned in the background section may be assumed to be present in this example. 
   COST network  11  comprises a telephony switch  15  enhanced by a CTI processor  17  running an instance of T-Server  17 . T-Server  17  is a CTI application known to the inventor that is adapted to provide intelligent control over switch  15  for such as call routing purposes. Switch  15  may be any type of telephony switch known in the art and capable of processing calls. Processor  17  is connected to switch  15  by a CTI link. Other functional equipment known in the art such as a service control point (SCP) in the network, network access points, network bridges, as well as other telephony switches may be assumed to be present within COST network  11 . 
   Switch  15  is connected to a telephony switch  39  within communication center  25  by a telephony trunk  23 . Switch  39  functions as a central switch adapted for routing incoming calls within communication center  25 . Switch  39  is enhanced by a processor  41  running an instance of T-Server. Processor  41  is connected to processor  17 , within network  11 , by a digital data network (DDN)  21  separate from trunk lines over which telephone calls are established. DDN  21  and connected processors  17  and  41  provide an effective means for enabling communication-center control over switch  15  in network  11 . T-Server provides intelligent routing determination for incoming calls and DDN  21  allows added data about callers to be forwarded to center  25 , often ahead of an arriving COST call. 
   A COST call, represented herein by a vector labeled  19 , may arrive at switch  15  from anywhere in network  11 , or from another network through a network bridge. At switch  15 , interaction may be initiated with the caller and additional data about the caller may be obtained. An ultimate agent-level destination may be determined for call  19  while it is stationed in switch  15 . It is assumed in this example, that call  19  is destined for center  25  and therefore, will be routed to switch  39  over trunk  23 . Additional data about call  19  is passed over DDN  21 . The data and call routing determination is matched such that the data and call  19  are routed to the appropriate agent within center  25 . 
   Center  25  has a plurality of manned agent-workstations provided therein for the purpose of enabling optimum service to customers. These are represented by workstations  59 ,  61 , and  63 . It will be appreciated that there will be many more workstations provided in a very large communication center, however, the illustration of three stations in this example is deemed adequate for explanation of the present invention. 
   Agent station  59  comprises an agent telephone  65  and a personal computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU)  71 . Agent telephone  65  is connected to central switch  39  by COST wiring  47 . PC/VDU  71  is connected to a local area network (LAN)  51 , which is adapted, in this embodiment, for transfer control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP). 
   Although it is not required to practice the present invention, agent workstations  61  and  63  are illustrated as having identical equipment and connections as station  59 . For example, agent telephones  67  (workstation  61 ) and  69  (workstation  63 ) are connected to switch  39  by internal wiring  47 . Agent PC/VDU&#39;s  73  (station  61 ) and  75  (station  63 ) are connected to LAN  51 . The inventor illustrates identical capabilities for simplicity in illustration only. It is not to be construed as a limitation. 
   Agent telephones  65 – 69  are chiefly adapted for COST communication as exemplified by COST wiring  47 , which connects them to switch  39  as previously described. However, telephones  65 – 69  may also be used as DNT-capable telephones as illustrated by data connections to respective PC/VDU&#39;s in each station  59 – 63 . In some cases, telephones  65 – 69  may be adapted for either COST only or DNT only communication. 
   PC/VDU&#39;s  71 – 75  are adapted for DNT communication by virtue of their connections to LAN  51  and installed IP-telephony software. Because LAN  51  is Internet enabled, agents operating PC/VDU&#39;s  71 – 75  may deal with all manner of IP communication arriving at center  25  from Internet  13 . 
   Internet  13  has an Internet backbone  35  illustrated therein and intended to represent the many lines, connection points, and equipment types making up the Internet network as a whole. In this example, two WEB-servers (WS)  33  and  29  are illustrated as connected to backbone  35 . WEB-servers  33  and  29  represent well-known file servers adapted to serve electronic WEB pages to those accessing the servers from remote appliances through Internet connection. Servers  33  and  29  are, in this example, hosted by the enterprise hosting communication center  25 . Servers  33  and  29  contain WEB pages that provide contact means and information to Internet visitors who desire contact with an agent working in center  25 . 
   Communication center  25  has an IP router  55  provided therein and adapted to receive IP calls from Internet  13 . IP calls are represented as a vector  31  entering WEB server  33 , and as a vector  27  entering WEB server  29 . Calls  31  and  27  may represent any of the DNT communication means mentioned in the background section. IP telephone calls, e-mail, video calls, represent but a few of the possibilities. IP calls  31  and  27  are initiated at servers  33  and  29  respectively by customer initiation of appropriate interactive means provided in a given WEB page accessed by the customer. 
   IP calls are routed over backbone  35  to a network-connection line  37  that ultimately connects to IP router  55  held within center  25 . Connection line  37  is, in this example, an Internet capable data line. IP router  55  is connected to LAN  51 . IP calls  31  and  29  are routed over LAN  51  to appropriate LAN connected terminals. 
   A customer information system (CIS) server  57  is provided within center  25  and is connected to LAN  51 . CIS server  57  is adapted to store and server any data about known customers that may be useful to agents communicating with them. Data held in CIS  57  may include but is not limited to customer account information, personal transaction histories, address and contact information, and so on. 
   Other systems adapted to aid agents in interacting with customers are also available within communication center  25 , and in some cases, within networks  11  and  13 . For example, switch  39  is illustrated as having an interactive voice response (IVR) system  44 . IVR  44  is adapted to interact with COST callers on an agent&#39;s behalf when required by enterprise rules. A queue (Q) system  43  is also available at switch  39  as is generally known in the art. Queue system  43  may be a first-in-first-out (FIFO) queue, or it may be an enhanced queue with enhancement provided by CTI processor  41 . DNT equivalents are provided at IP router  55  and represented by an IP queue  53  and an IVR system  43 . Such conventions are used to aid in handling call flow within communication center  25 . A data link  45  connecting queue  53  to processor  41  provides T-Server enhancement to queue  53  as well as IVR  43  and IP router  55 . In this way, all call events may be handled by one integrated set of communication center rules. 
   As described in the background section, traditional communication signboards adapted to notify agents of certain communication-center call states and other information are prone to divert agent&#39;s responsibilities from tasks at hand by virtue of their centralized location within a center. Therefore, the inventor provides a distributed software application illustrated herein as (SW) to run in the background at each agent workstation  71 ,  73 , and  75 . 
   Distributed instances of SW are adapted to function as personalized information systems for the agents and are capable of visual as well as audible modes of information processing. Each distributed instance of information SW is configured to periodically check communication-center data sources for applicable information based on that particular station&#39;s configuration. 
   To further illustrate, consider an example wherein all three illustrated instances of information SW (one at each of stations  71 – 77 ) are identically configured to retrieve the same information as it becomes available from data sources. In this case, an applicable data source is, for example, processor  41 , which is adapted (among other functions) to serve T-Server data to requesting nodes. T-Server data may include communication-center call-load status, agent call performance data, percentages of required out-bound calls per agent, total number of calls in queue, average call handling time statistics, and any other applicable information that may be deemed by the enterprise hosting center  25  to be applicable for agent dissemination. 
   SW distributed at each of stations  71 – 75  periodically checks data sources, such as processor  41 , over LAN  51  for the most current data available. In some cases, each distributed SW instance is time-configured to request data simultaneously such that all agents are privy to the same data at the same time. In other cases, the data is picked up at different times by different stations if required. Similarly, the distributed applications may be somewhat personalized to a particular agent&#39;s station and a current agent&#39;s duties. 
   If for example, an agent at station  63  is only answering DNT communication, then SW at station  75  might be configured to communicate the number of calls in queue  53 , but not the number of calls in queue  43  and so on. If the agent switches to answering only COST calls, then SW at station  75  may detect the switch and change request protocol accordingly such that now only data about COST queue  43  is available. 
   In most instances, much of the same data will be applicable to all active agents and may help to direct an agent&#39;s responsibilities in some respects. SW of the present invention utilizes pre-recorded WAV or other audible files for conveying informative states to agents. The system utilizes the internal PC speaker at each workstation  71 – 75  to play audible files as is illustrated by speaker icons  81 – 77 , or alternatively may utilize additional speaker or speakers installed and operable at the agent station. In this way, an agent may control the volume to a low level (or whisper) so that other individual agents are not distracted. Audible files played to agents may indicate many of the types of available data that would otherwise be displayed on a signboard perhaps in numeric format. 
   In addition to an ability to play audio files, SW of the present invention also enables visual display of communication-center data through the use of animated figures or graphics that flash or move across a PC monitor screen. Each different figure or icon may represent a different set of data. Moreover, SW of the present invention may also be configured to provide a standard signboard display having all of the metered data displayed thereon in numeric, text, and/or symbol form. There are many possibilities in alternative embodiments. 
     FIG. 2  is a block diagram of agent workstation  61  adapted with the communication center performance display and warning system of  FIG. 1 . The SW of the present invention of which an instance is represented on each of stations  71 – 75  of  FIG. 1  is represented in this example as elements  83  and  85 . Element  83  represents a graphics icon or animated figure moving in the display screen of PC  73 . Movement of element  83  is represented by the directional arrows showing movement from right to left in this example. 
   It is important to note here, that element  83  may represent any conceivable graphic illustration that may be used to equate to a “state” existing in communication center  25 . For example, a man pushing a full wheel barrel and laboring across the screen may indicate a full call-waiting queue. A superman figure with an agent&#39;s name emblazoned across his jersey may indicate the center&#39;s current top-performing agent. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination. 
   Element  85  represents a legible signboard that is minimized to the available task bar area of the screen. Element  85  may be maximized to occupy a full screen and may serve as a real time interface for communication center data. The data may appear in any conventional form such as text data, symbols representing data, numeric data, or a combination thereof When the displayed board is minimized, the data that would normally be viewable may be expressed audibly with generated WAV files. For example, a WAV file may be used to express the number of calls currently waiting in queue. There could be a pre-recorded version of the file such as “the number of calls in queue for department  10  is now” and a parsing technique and synthesized voice addition could fill in the current number as indicated at the data source to complete the sentence. Call-load thresholds and other real-time data may be expressed in similar fashion. 
   Other data such as statistical information, averages, number of disconnects, and the like may also be expressed audibly. Speaker  79 , which in actual implementation is an internal PC speaker in this example, may be controlled in volume by the application such that audible alerts do not interfere with other audible communication engaged in by an agent. In some embodiments, all of the agent&#39;s internal speakers may be set to a specific volume decided upon by a supervisor or manager. 
   In still another embodiment, the “whisper capability” of the internal speaker may be extended to an agent&#39;s headset, represented herein as element number  87 , such that the agent may still hear audible system information while engaged with a customer on a telephone call. 
   The SW of the present invention is, in a preferred embodiment, configurable to individual agents and or groups of agents. This is preferred because of a fact that in a large communication center it is common to have separate groups of agents that are responsible for different types of communication and levels of customer service. There may be separate queues set up for these agents. Statistics regarding the performance of different groups of agents as well as call-load statistics about calls directed to the separate groups may vary widely. Therefore, individually configurable instances of SW provide a means for getting the right information to the right group of agents. 
   In yet other embodiments, managers and supervisors may have instances of SW on their stations that are configured to obtain certain parts of data from a number of different groups for monitoring purposes. Such an instance of SW would report, for example, the numbers of completed calls per hour from sales, finance, service, and technical support. There are many possibilities. Moreover, distributed instances of SW may be upgraded to new versions and new capabilities over the network from a remote location or by a knowledge worker within center  25 . 
   It will be apparent to one with skill in the art that the method and apparatus of the present invention is not limited to practice in a conventional customer care center wherein all agents are LAN-connected and operating in a centralized location. The method and apparatus of the present invention may also be practiced on a WAN wherein agents occupy stations that are remote from each other as long as there is a central data source such as a server connected to the WAN to supply the desired data to remotely distributed applications. 
   It will also be apparent to one with skill in the art that the software of the present invention may make full use of media capabilities and display options supported by current platforms and display systems without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, instead of distributed applications residing at independent and fully functional workstations, the SW may be centrally executed and extended to such as “dumb” display terminals having only enough memory to support distributed display interfaces. 
   The method and apparatus of the present invention should be afforded the broadest scope under examination. The method and apparatus of the present invention should be limited only by the claims that follow.