Predictive dialing by monitoring progress of agent script
AssigneeNoetica Ltd.
InventorDanny Singer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A call center includes a plurality of agent workstations, each agent workstation comprising means for entering information obtained from a telephone respondent in response to questions prompted by a script displayed on the display of the workstation, and means for producing status signals indicative of the progression of the agent through the script. A predictive dialling system receives status signals from each agent station and predicts from the status signals and statistical information regarding the number of calls previously made, how many new calls should be dialled to enable agents who have finished their previous call by the time the calls are answered to take the new calls.
Claims18
A system for use in a call center which includes a plurality of agent workstations, each agent workstation comprising:
- an agent scripting module for providing a script for guiding a conversation between an agent and a telephone respondent, a display for displaying screens of the script for use by the agent in the telephone conversation with the telephone respondent, and an information entering apparatus for entering on the screens information obtained from the telephone respondent;
- the system comprising:
- a status signal production system for producing a series of status signals indicative of the progression of the agent through the script;
- and
- a predictive dialing system comprising:
- a storage system for storing statistical data regarding the connection of previous telephone calls,
- a reception system for progressively receiving the series of status signals produced by each agent station,
- a prediction system for predicting, from the statistical data and those of the series of status signals received at any time, how many new calls should be dialed to enable agents, who have finished their previous call by the time each new call is answered by a respective telephone respondent, to take all the new calls, and
- a generation system for generating signals effective to cause said new calls to be dialed,
- wherein said prediction system is arranged to predict the number, Ndial, calls from the number I of available agents currently not engaged on a call, the number R, A, G of agents who have currently reached predefined points within a script, the percentage Sr of successful connections out of the total number of calls made in a predetermined time period, the percentage Nr of calls answered by a respondent but with no agent available to take the call measured over a predetermined time period, and the target percentage Nt of calls answered by a respondent but with no agent available to take the call.
A method for use in a call center which includes a plurality of agent workstations, each agent workstation providing a script for guiding a conversation between an agent and a telephone respondent, displaying, on a display, screens of the script for use by the agent in the telephone conversation with the telephone respondent, and entering on the screens information obtained from the telephone respondent;
- the method comprising:
- producing a series of status signals indicative of the progression of the agent through the script by a status signal producing unit,
- storing statistical data regarding the connection of previous telephone calls by a storing unit;
- progressively receiving the status signals produced by each agent station by a receiving unit;
- predicting, from the statistical data and those of the series of status signals which have been received at any time, how many new calls should be dialed to enable agents who have finished their previous call by the time each new call is answered by a telephone respondent to take all the new calls by a predicting unit;
- and
- generating signals effective to cause said new calls to be dialed by a generating unit,
- wherein said predicting step predicts the number, Ndial, of calls from the number of available agents currently not engaged on a call, the number of R, A, G agents who have currently reached predefined points within a script, the percentage Sr of successful connections out of the total number of calls made in a predetermined time period, the percentage of calls answered by a respondent but with no agent available to take the call measured over a predetermined time period, and the target percentage Nt of calls answered by a respondent with no agent available to take the call.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.