Arrangement for automating call-center agent-schedule-notification and schedule-adherence functions

Claim 2

An arrangement for a call center having a plurality of telecommunications terminals staffed by agents, comprising: means responsive to an agent's schedule which includes predetermined events scheduled for predetermined times, for communicating each said event at its scheduled time to the agent via the agent's corresponding terminal; and means cooperative with the communicating means, for monitoring the agent's performance of the communicated event at the scheduled time via the agent's input into the agent's corresponding terminal.

Claim 3

The arrangement of claim 1 implemented in a call-management system of the call center.

Claim 4

The arrangement of claim 1 for a call center having a processor-implemented call management system, wherein: the communicating means and the monitoring means both comprise a program stored for execution on the call management system processor.

Claim 5

The arrangement of claim 1 wherein: the means for communicating each said event comprise means for causing at least one of an audio signal generator and a visual signal generator of the agent's corresponding terminal to generate at least one of an audio signal and a visual signal, respectively, to alert the agent to occurrence of the scheduled time for each said event.

Claim 6

The arrangement of claim 1 wherein: the means for communicating each said event comprise means for sending a display message indicating each said event at its scheduled time to a display of the agent's corresponding terminal.

Claim 7

The arrangement of claim 5 wherein: the means for communicating each said event further comprise means for causing a speaker of the agent's corresponding terminal to produce an auditory signal when the display message is displayed on the display of the terminal.

Claim 8

The arrangement of claim 1 wherein: the means for communicating each said event comprise: means for selectively causing the call center to place the agent in a non-work state substantially at the scheduled time.

Claim 9

The arrangement of claim 1 wherein: the means for monitoring comprise means responsive to detection of the agent's performance of the communicated event for selectively causing the call center to place the agent in a work state.

Claim 10

The arrangement of claim 1 wherein: the means for monitoring comprise means responsive to detection of the agent's failure to perform the communicated event substantially at the scheduled time for causing the call center to register an exception against the agent.

Claim 11

An arrangement for a call center having a plurality of telecommunications terminals staffed by agents, comprising: means for communicating an agent's schedule to the agent via the agent's corresponding terminal; means cooperative with the communicating means, for monitoring the agent's adherence to the communicated schedule via the agent's corresponding terminal; and means responsive to receipt of a message and an identification of at least one agent intended to receive the message, for sending the received message to the identified at least one agent via the identified at least one agent's corresponding terminal.

Claim 12

An arrangement for a call center having a plurality of telecommunications terminals staffed by agents, comprising: means for communicating an agent's schedule to the agent via the agent's corresponding terminal; means cooperative with the communicating means, for monitoring the agent's adherence to the communicated schedule via the agent's corresponding terminal; and means responsive to receipt of a message and an identification of at least one agent intended to receive the message, for sending the received message to the identified at least one agent via the identified at least one agent's corresponding terminal.

Claim 13

An arrangement for a call center having a plurality of telecommunications terminals staffed by agents, comprising: means for communicating an agent's schedule to the agent via the agent's corresponding terminal; means cooperative with the communicating means, for monitoring the agent's adherence to the communicated schedule via the agent's corresponding terminal; means responsive to receipt of criteria for moving an agent from one agent split to another, for monitoring the call center for occurrence of the received criteria; and means responsive to detection of occurrence of the received criteria, for moving an agent from the one split to the other split.

Claim 14

An arrangement for a call center having a plurality of telecommunications terminals staffed by agents, comprising: means for communicating an agent's schedule to the agent via the agent's corresponding terminal; means cooperative with the communicating means, for monitoring the agent's adherence to the communicated schedule via the agent's corresponding terminal; means responsive to receipt of criteria for moving an agent from one agent split to another, for monitoring the call center for occurrence of the received criteria; and means responsive to detection of occurrence of the received criteria, for moving an agent from the one split to the other split.

Claim 15

An arrangement for a call center having a plurality of telecommunications terminals staffed by agents, comprising: means for communicating an agent's schedule to the agent via the agent's corresponding terminal; means cooperative with the communicating means, for monitoring the agent's adherence to the communicated schedule via the agent's corresponding terminal; means responsive to detection of the agent's failure to adhere to the communicated schedule, for causing the call center to register an exception against the agent; means responsive to receipt of information characterizing exceptions meriting disablement of an agent, for monitoring the call center for registration of the characterized exceptions; and means responsive to detection of registration of the characterized exceptions, for causing the call center to place in a non-work state an agent against whom the characterized exceptions were registered.

Claim 16

An arrangement for a call center having a plurality of telecommunications terminals staffed by agents, comprising: means for communicating an agent's schedule to the agent via the agent's corresponding terminal; means cooperative with the communicating means, for monitoring the agent's adherence to the communicated schedule via the agent's corresponding terminal; means responsive to detection of the agent's failure to adhere to the communicated schedule, for causing the call center to register an exception against the agent; means responsive to receipt of information characterizing exceptions meriting disablement of an agent, for monitoring the call center for registration of the characterized exceptions; and means responsive to detection of registration of the characterized exceptions, for causing the call center to place in a non-work state an agent against whom the characterized exceptions were registered.

Claim 17

An arrangement for a call center having a plurality of telecommunications terminals staffed by agents, comprising: means responsive to an agent's schedule which includes predetermined breaks scheduled for predetermined times, for determining at each scheduled break time whether an agent split to which the agent belongs is overloaded with work; means responsive to a first determination at an individual predetermined time that the agent split is overloaded, for rescheduling the corresponding break to another time; means responsive to said first determination for sending a message to the agent via a display of the agent's corresponding terminal that the break has been rescheduled; means responsive to a second determination at an individual predetermined time that the agent split is not overloaded, for causing the call center to place the agent in a non-work state; means responsive to the second determination for sending a message to the agent via the display informing the agent to go on break; means responsive to the second determination and to expiration of a predetermined break period following the individual predetermined time, for sending a message to the agent via the display informing the agent to go off break; means responsive to detection, from the agent's input on the agent's corresponding terminal, that the agent has gone off break within a predetermined time period following expiration of the predetermined break period, for causing the call center to place the agent in a work state; and means responsive to detection, from lack of the agent's said input on the agent's corresponding terminal, that the agent has not gone off break within the predetermined time period following expiration of the predetermined break period, for causing the call center to register an exception against the agent.

Claim 18

An arrangement for a call center having a plurality of telecommunications terminals staffed by agents, comprising: means responsive to an agent's schedule which includes predetermined breaks scheduled for predetermined times, for determining at each scheduled break time whether an agent split to which the agent belongs is overloaded with work; means responsive to a first determination at an individual predetermined time that the agent split is overloaded, for rescheduling the corresponding break to another time; means responsive to said first determination for sending a message to the agent via a display of the agent's corresponding terminal that the break has been rescheduled; means responsive to a second determination at an individual predetermined time that the agent split is not overloaded, for causing the call center to place the agent in a non-work state; means responsive to the second determination for sending a message to the agent via the display informing the agent to go on break; means responsive to the second determination and to expiration of a predetermined break period following the individual predetermined time, for sending a message to the agent via the display informing the agent to go off break; means responsive to detection, from the agent's input on the agent's corresponding terminal, that the agent has gone off break within a predetermined time period following expiration of the predetermined break period, for causing the call center to place the agent in a work state; and means responsive to detection, from lack of the agent's said input on the agent's corresponding terminal, that the agent has not gone off break within the predetermined time period following expiration of the predetermined break period, for causing the call center to register an exception against the agent.

Claim 21

The method of claim 14 wherein: the step of communicating comprises the step of communicating the agent's schedule to the agent from a call-management system of the call center; and the step of monitoring comprises the step of monitoring the agent's adherence to the communicated schedule at the call-management system.

Claim 22

The method of claim 14 in a call center having a processor-implemented call management system, wherein: the step of communicating comprises the step of executing a stored program on the call-management system processor to communicate each said event at its scheduled time to the agent; and the step of monitoring comprises the step of executing a stored program on the call management system processor to monitor the agent's performance of the communicated event at the scheduled time.

Claim 23

The method of claim 14 wherein: the step of communicating each said event comprises the step of causing at least one of an audio signal generator and a visual signal generator of the agent's corresponding terminal to generate at least one of an audio signal and a visual signal, respectively, to alert the agent to occurrence of the scheduled time for each said event.

Claim 24

The method of claim 14 wherein: the step of communicating each said event comprises the step of sending a display message indicating each said event at its scheduled time to a display of the agent's corresponding terminal.

Claim 25

The method of claim 18 wherein: the step of communicating each said event further comprises the step of causing a speaker of the agent's corresponding terminal to produce an auditory signal when the display message is displayed on the display of the terminal.

Claim 26

The method of claim 14 wherein: the step of communicating each said event comprises the step of selectively causing the call center to place the agent in a non-work state substantially at the scheduled time.

Claim 27

The method of claim 14 wherein: the step of monitoring comprises the step of in response to detection of the agent's performance of the communicated event, selectively causing the call center to place the agent in a work state.

Claim 28

The method of claim 14 wherein: the step of monitoring comprises the step of in response to detection of the agent's failure to perform the communicated event substantially at the scheduled time, causing the call center to register an exception against the agent.