Managing reserve agents in a contact center
View Patent ↗A reserve agent management system (“RAMS”) allows a user, such as a contact center agent or administrator, to access and edit a reserve schedule. In one embodiment, the reserve schedule indicates times, called reserve times, during the agent's off-hours when the agent would be willing to receive a recall invitation and potentially return to work. When, during operation of the contact center, a determination is made that additional agent resources are needed, agents having compatible reserve times are notified and invited to be recalled. Agents responding and agreeing to be recalled are then recalled by being scheduled to work at certain recall times. In another embodiment, agent's break times can be shifted to potentially accommodate unexpected changes in the required agent resources. The RAMS allows administrators and agents a limited amount of flexibility in adapting agent work schedules to accommodate unplanned needs for agent resources.
1. A system for managing a reserve schedule for an agent in a contact center having currently scheduled work shifts during a particular time period, comprising:
a data store storing
a master schedule, wherein the master schedule delineates
a first time period during the particular time period when the agent is unavailable to be recalled,
a second time period during the particular time period comprising a reserve time period indicating when the agent is potentially available to be recalled, and
a third time period during the particular time period when the agent is scheduled to work,
wherein the master schedule further comprises
a primary schedule associated with the agent indicating the currently scheduled work shifts of the agent during the particular time period, and
the reserve schedule associated with the agent, wherein the reserve schedule indicates for the particular time period the reserve time period outside the currently scheduled work shifts of the agent indicating when the agent is potentially available to be recalled to work between the currently scheduled work shifts; and
a processor configured to
receive an agent login from the agent,
authenticate and identify the agent,
retrieve the reserve schedule from the data store,
transmit the reserve schedule to a processing device used by the agent,
receive an update to the reserve schedule from the processing device,
update the reserve schedule thereby creating an updated reserve schedule,
transmit the updated reserve schedule to the processing device used by the agent,
store the updated reserve schedule in the data store,
determine an agent resource deficiency in the contact center comprising
1) a quantity of agent resources required in the contact center, and
2) an agent deficiency time period when the quantity of agent resources are required,
determine the updated reserve schedule of the agent includes a time period coinciding with at least a subset of the agent deficiency time period,
transmit a recall invitation to the processing device used by the agent,
receive a response from the agent confirming acceptance of the recall invitation, and
indicate at least a portion of the reserve time period of the agent is converted to work time.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the updated reserve schedule to the agent further comprises transmitting an updated primary schedule to the agent.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to receive the update from the agent comprising a specific time portion in the primary schedule identified as off-hours being indicated as reserve time, and the updated reserve schedule further indicates the specific time portion in the reserve schedule as reserve time.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive an administrator login of an administrator of the contact center;
authenticate and identify the administrator of the contact center;
present to the administrator a plurality of future reserve times associated with the agent and at least one other agent; and
indicate to the administrator at least one time period during the agent deficiency time period where an insufficient number of agent resources having available reserve times are available.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
provide an acceptance rate indication to the agent along with the reserve schedule, wherein the acceptance rate indication indicates a historical acceptance rate of prior recall invitations transmitted to the agent.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
provide to the agent a graphical image via a web page comprising
a first indication of the one or more work time periods,
a second indication of the reserve time period, and
a third indication of one or more off-hour time periods associated with an indicated day of week.
7. A method of maintaining a reserve schedule for an agent having currently scheduled work shifts during a particular time period, comprising:
providing a portal storing
a master schedule for the agent indicating a first time period when the agent is unavailable to be recalled and a second time period comprising a reserve time period indicating when the agent is potentially available to be recalled,
a primary schedule indicating a third time period comprising the currently scheduled work shifts of the agent for the particular time period, and
the reserve schedule of the agent, wherein the reserve schedule indicates for the particular time period the reserve time period outside the currently scheduled work shifts of the agent indicating when the agent is potentially available to be recalled to work between the currently scheduled work shifts, the portal capable of being accessed by the agent of a contact center;
receiving an agent login at the portal to authenticate and identify the agent at the portal;
retrieving the reserve schedule by the portal for the agent;
transmitting the reserve schedule by the portal to a processing device used by the agent;
receiving an update to the reserve schedule from the processing device used by the agent;
updating the reserve schedule thereby creating an updated reserve schedule;
transmitting the updated reserve schedule to the processing device used by agent;
determining an agent resource deficiency in the contact center comprising
1) a quantity of agent resources that are required in the contact center, and
2) an agent deficiency time period when the quantity of agent resources are required;
determining the updated reserve schedule of the agent includes a time period coinciding with at least a subset of the agent deficiency time period;
transmitting a recall invitation to the processing device used by agent;
receiving a response from the processing device used by the agent confirming acceptance of the recall invitation; and
indicating at least a portion of the reserve time period of the agent is converted to work time.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein transmitting the updated reserve schedule to the agent further comprises transmitting an updated primary schedule to a mobile processing device used by the agent.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the update from the agent comprises a specific time portion in the primary schedule identified as off-hours indicated as reserve time, and the updated reserve schedule further reflects the specific time portion in the reserve schedule as reserve time.
10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the steps of:
receiving an administrator login of an administrator of the contact center at the portal;
authenticating and identifying the administrator of the contact center at the portal;
presenting to the administrator a plurality of future reserve times during the particular time period associated with the agent and at least one other agent; and
indicating to the administrator at least one time period during the agent deficiency time period where an insufficient number of agent resources having available reserve times are available.
11. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:
providing an acceptance rate indication to the agent along with the reserve schedule, wherein the acceptance rate indication indicates a historical acceptance rate of prior recall invitations transmitted to the agent.
12. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of transmitting the updated reserve schedule to the agent further comprises:
providing to the agent a graphical image via a web page comprising
a first indication of one or more work time periods,
a second indication of the reserve time period, and
a third indication of one or more off-hour time periods associated with an indicated day of week.
13. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a computer processor to:
receive an agent login from an agent of a contact center, wherein the agent has currently scheduled work shifts for a particular time period;
authenticate and identify the agent;
retrieve a reserve schedule for the agent stored in a data store;
wherein the reserve schedule is associated with the agent for the particular time period and indicates a reserve time period outside the currently scheduled work shifts of the agent indicating when the agent is potentially available to be recalled to work during times between the currently scheduled work shifts, and
wherein the data store further stores a master schedule indicating a first time period indicating when the agent is unavailable to be recalled and a second time period indicating the reserve time period when the agent is potentially available to be recalled, the data store further storing a primary schedule associated with the agent indicating a third time period comprising the currently scheduled work shifts of the agent during the particular time period;
transmit the reserve schedule to a processing device used by the agent;
receive an update from the agent to the reserve schedule;
update the reserve schedule thereby creating an updated reserve schedule;
transmit the updated reserve schedule to the processing device used by the agent;
determine an agent resource deficiency in the contact center comprising
1) a quantity of agent resources that are required in the contact center, and
2) an agent deficiency time period when the quantity of agent resources are required;
determine the updated reserve schedule of the agent includes a time period coinciding with at least a subset of the agent deficiency time period;
transmit a recall invitation to the processing device used the agent;
receive a response from the processing device used by the agent confirming acceptance of the recall invitation; and
indicate at least a portion of the reserve time period of the agent is converted to work time.
14. The non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13 , further storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
receive an administrator login of an administrator of the contact center;
authenticate and identify the administrator of the contact center at the portal;
present to the administrator a plurality of future reserve times associated with the agent and at least one other agent for the particular time period; and
indicate to the administrator at least one time period during the agent deficiency time period where an insufficient number of agent resources having available reserve times are available.