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Claims  |
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I claim:
1. A method for contacting a customer, comprising the steps of:
obtaining a customer sensitivity profile for said customer, said customer
sensitivity profile comprising the following factors: a preferred address
for contacting said customer, a preferred telephone number for contacting
said customer by voice, and a preferred manner of contacting said
customer, said preferred manner comprising the following: by voice, and by
means other than voice;
extracting said preferred manner from said customer sensitivity profile;
if said preferred manner is by voice then extracting said preferred
telephone number from said customer sensitivity profile and automatically
calling said customer at said preferred telephone number for voice; and
if said preferred manner is by other than voice then automatically sending
a document to said customer at said preferred address.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said preferred manner further comprises at
least one of the following: by conventional mail, by facsimile, and by
electronic mail;
and wherein said customer sensitivity profile further comprises at least
one of the following: a conventional mail address for contacting said
customer by conventional mail, a preferred telephone number for contacting
said customer by facsimile, and an electronic mail address for contacting
said customer by electronic mail;
and wherein said method further comprises the steps of:
if said preferred manner is by conventional mail then extracting said
conventional mail address from said customer sensitivity profile and
automatically sending a document to said customer at said conventional
mail address;
if said preferred manner is by facsimile then extracting said preferred
telephone number for facsimile from said customer sensitivity profile and
automatically sending a document to said customer at said preferred
telephone number for facsimile; and
if said preferred manner is by electronic mail then extracting said
electronic mail address from said customer sensitivity profile and
automatically sending a document to said customer at said electronic mail
address.
3. The method of claim 2 and wherein said customer sensitivity profile
further comprises a preferred time or date, or both, for contacting said
customer by at least one of electronic mail and facsimile and, if said
preferred manner is by electronic mail or by facsimile, then extracting
said preferred time or date, or both, for said preferred manner from said
customer sensitivity profile, and wherein said steps of sending a document
to said customer comprise automatically sending said document at least in
accordance with one of said preferred time and said preferred date.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said customer sensitivity profile further
comprises a preferred time or date, or both, for contacting said customer
by voice, and wherein said step of calling said customer comprises
automatically calling said customer at said preferred telephone number for
voice at least in accordance with one of said preferred time and said
preferred date.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said customer sensitivity profile further
comprises a date when said customer sensitivity profile was last updated,
and further comprising the steps of:
determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed since said customer
sensitivity profile was last updated; and
if said predetermined time has elapsed then automatically contacting said
customer to update said customer sensitivity profile.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein said step of contacting said customer
comprises extracting said preferred manner from said customer sensitivity
profile and automatically contacting said customer in accordance with said
preferred manner.
7. The method of claim 5 wherein said step of contacting said customer
comprises calling said customer at said preferred telephone number and
automatically playing a message to said customer indicating that said
customer sensitivity profile should be updated.
8. The method of claim 5 wherein said step of contacting said customer
comprises calling said customer at said preferred telephone number and
automatically playing a message to said customer asking when said customer
would like to update said customer sensitivity profile.
9. The method of claim 8 and further comprising the steps of:
monitoring for a response from said customer to said message; and
if said response is that said customer sensitivity profile should be
updated at a later time, then playing a message prompting said customer to
specify a time, a date, or both, for a repeat call to update said customer
sensitivity profile, and automatically calling said customer to update
said customer sensitivity profile on said time and date specified by said
customer.
10. The method of claim 9 and further comprising the steps of:
if said response is that said customer sensitivity profile should be
updated now, then automatically presenting a factor from said customer
sensitivity factors to said customer.
11. The method of claim 10 and further comprising the steps of:
monitoring for a response from said customer to said factor; and
if said response is that said factor is satisfactory, then automatically
presenting a next factor to said customer.
12. The method of claim 10 and further comprising the steps of:
monitoring for a response from said customer to said factor;
if said response is that said factor is to be updated, then determining
whether an update to said factor requires the assistance of an agent; and
if said assistance is not required, then updating said factor.
13. The method of claim 12 and further comprising the steps of:
if said assistance is required, then automatically connecting said customer
to an agent and displaying said factor to said agent.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein said customer sensitivity profile further
comprises a date when said customer sensitivity profile was last updated,
and further comprising the steps of:
determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed since said customer
sensitivity profile was last updated;
if said predetermined time has elapsed then, when said customer places a
telephone call to a predetermined number, automatically playing a message
asking said customer to indicate whether said customer sensitivity profile
should be updated.
15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising the steps of:
monitoring for a response from said customer to said message; and
if said response is that said customer sensitivity profile should be
updated, then automatically presenting a factor from said customer
sensitivity factors to said customer.
16. The method of claim 15 and further comprising the steps of:
monitoring for a response from said customer to said factor; and
if said response is that said factor is satisfactory, then automatically
presenting a next factor to said customer.
17. The method of claim 15 and further comprising the steps of:
monitoring for a response from said customer to said factor;
if said response is that said factor is to be updated, then determining
whether an update to said factor requires the assistance of an agent; and
if said assistance is not required, then updating said factor.
18. The method of claim 17 and further comprising the steps of:
if said assistance is required, then automatically connecting said customer
to an agent and displaying said factor to said agent.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein said customer sensitivity profile further
comprises a date when said customer sensitivity profile was last updated,
and further comprising the steps of:
determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed since said customer
sensitivity profile was last updated;
if said predetermined time has elapsed then, when said customer is
connected to an agent, automatically presenting a display to said agent to
prompt said agent to inquire of said customer as to whether said customer
sensitivity profile should be updated.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein said customer sensitivity profile further
comprises a preferred contact requirement, and further comprising the
steps of:
inspecting said customer sensitivity profile to determine said preferred
contact requirement;
inspecting an agent qualification profile to determine if any agent on duty
satisfies said preferred contact requirement; and
if any agent on duty satisfies said preferred contact requirement, then
automatically placing a call to said customer.
21. The method of claim 1 and wherein said customer sensitivity profile
further comprises a preferred date for contacting said customer by mail
and, if said preferred manner is by mail, then extracting said preferred
date for mail from said customer sensitivity profile, and wherein said
step of mailing said document comprises mailing said document on said
date.
22. The method of claim 1 and wherein said customer sensitivity profile
further comprises a preferred date for contacting said customer by
conventional mail and, if said preferred manner is by conventional mail,
then extracting said preferred date for mail from said customer
sensitivity profile, and wherein said step of mailing said document
comprises mailing said document by conventional mail to arrive by said
date.
23. A method for contacting a customer, comprising the steps of:
establishing and storing a customer sensitivity profile having at least the
following factors: a preferred manner of contacting said customer, a
preferred time or date, or both, for contacting said customer, and
information on how to contact said customer in accordance with said
preferred manner, wherein said preferred manner comprises a preselected
one of the following manners of contact: by facsimile, by electronic mail,
and by voice;
automatically retrieving said customer sensitivity profile;
automatically extracting said factors from said customer sensitivity
profile;
automatically initiating contact with said customer in accordance with said
factors; and
after conclusion of said contact with said customer, maintaining said
customer sensitivity profile for use in initiating a next contact with
said customer.
24. The method of claim 23 and, after said step of initiating said contact
with said customer, further comprising the steps of:
presenting at least one of said factors from said customer sensitivity
profile to said customer for approval or update;
monitoring for a response from said customer;
if said response is approval, then proceeding to said step of maintaining;
and
if said response is update, then updating said customer sensitivity
profile.
25. The method of claim 24 and, if said preferred manner is by voice, then
said information comprises a preferred telephone number for calling said
party, said step of presenting comprises playing a message to said party,
and said step of monitoring comprises detecting DTMF tones, and said
method, after said step of monitoring for said response, further comprises
the step of:
if said response indicates that the attention of an agent is required, then
automatically connecting said customer to an agent and presenting at least
said one factor of said customer sensitivity profile to said agent. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to automated customer service systems and, more
particularly, is an automated customer service system, which accommodates
both inbound and outbound communications, which uses a variety of media,
and which has a user-programmable strategy, so as to provide
result-oriented customer service.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Telemarketing systems, also known as automated dialing systems, have
evolved substantially in the past two decades. Some early telemarketing
systems consisted of no more than a display terminal connected to a
memory, and a telephone. These early systems required the agent to enter a
command which recalled from the memory and displayed at the agent's
terminal the name and telephone number of the customer to be called. The
agent then manually dialed the telephone number and, if the customer
answered, the agent discussed the reason for the call or initiated an
automated voice message. The script of the reason for the call was
originally written on a piece of paper. In later systems, the script was
presented on the display screen of the agent terminal.
The next generation of telemarketing systems provided for automated
dialing. That is, the agent would enter a command to recall the name and
telephone number of the customer from the memory and the telemarketing
system would then automatically dial the telephone number. This increased
the agent efficiency because the automated dialing process was faster and
there were fewer, if any, misdialed numbers. However, the agent was on the
telephone line for the entire dialing and ringing process and had to wait
until the called party answered. If the called number was busy or did not
answer then the agent's time was wasted. Therefore, agent efficiency was
still less than desirable.
Other improvements introduced later were call pacing and predictive
dialing. With call pacing the telemarketing system would pace the
placement of the calls at a rate set by a system administrator. More calls
would be placed than there were agents available because some of the calls
would be busy or not answered. This provided a higher agent efficiency
because the agent did not have to dial a call or wait on a call to be
answered by the called party. Instead, the agent simply logged on to the
telemarketing system and the system dialed the calls. The system would
automatically determine the status of the call, such as no dial tone, no
ring, busy, no answer, three-tone intercept, and answered. When a call was
answered by the called party, the telemarketing system automatically
connected the agent to the called party and displayed the information for
the called party on the agent's terminal. As soon as the agent indicated
that a particular transaction had been completed the system would connect
another called party to the agent. The system administrator could, in some
systems, adjust the rate "on the fly" so that if the original call pacing
rate was incorrect the call pacing rate could be adjusted to match the
campaign "hit rate", that is, the percent of the calls dialed that were
actually answered by a human.
However, conditions would often change faster than the system administrator
could detect and compensate for. Also, the system administrator frequently
had other duties, such as training agents, handling problem calls or
customers, typing, sending and reviewing facsimile messages, etc.
Therefore, the selected call pacing rate would generally lag the rate
required by the current conditions. If the selected call pacing rate was
too slow then some agents would be idle; if the selected call pacing rate
was too fast then the agents would all be busy but some called parties
would have to be placed on hold because all the agents were busy. The
first condition was inefficient; the second condition caused irritated
and/or lost customers, and complaints to the local public service
commission.
With automatic call pacing the telemarketing system would monitor the hit
rate, the time that it took for a called party to answer, the time that an
agent spent on each call, etc., and adjusted the call pacing rate
accordingly. This improvement increased the agent efficiency and also had
the benefit of reducing the number of answered calls which were placed on
hold.
Early automated dialing systems could only handle one campaign or "split"
at a time. Later systems were improved but were still limited to one
campaign at a time per agent or group of agents. When a first campaign
ended, the system administrator would specify the calling list for a
second campaign, and the second campaign would be started. However, during
the period between the end of the first campaign and the start of the
second campaign the agents would be idle. Some systems now provide for two
or more campaigns to be conducted simultaneously. Some agents are
designated for the first campaign, and other agents are designated for the
second campaign. Other automated dialing systems, such as the system
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,518, can be programmed to link campaigns
so that, as a first campaign ends, the agents are automatically switched
to a second campaign, which may already be in progress.
Further, outbound dialing campaigns have historically performed by
extracting information from host files. The host files have information
about the customers to be contacted. These files, commonly referred to as
calling lists, are collections of records made up of information fields,
including the telephone number of the customer to be contacted. The
selection and order of the records to be included in a calling list are
based on business strategy designed to reach a select type of customer,
such as, customers with accounts over 30 days past due. These calling
lists, once created, are fixed, or "static", and typically cannot be
readily altered. If changes are necessary, then the list is discarded and
a new list is created from the host files.
The typical automated dialing system generates a single list for each
campaign, and methodically works down through the list, dialing one number
after another, until all of the numbers in the list have been dialed. When
a list has been completed the system administrator can instruct the system
to return to the list, search a field in the list to determine if a call
was not successful, that is, the number was busy, not answered, or
answered by a machine, etc., and make another attempt at the calls which
were previously not successful. Each time that a pass through the list has
been completed the system administrator can instruct the system to make
another pass through the list or to begin another campaign. Again, this
procedure requires the attention of the system administrator, and the
system administrator must make a judgment call as to whether there are
enough unsuccessful calls remaining in the list to warrant another pass
through the list. Further, if another pass through the list is warranted,
the system administrator has to decide how many agents to allocate for
that pass and how many agents may be moved to service another campaign.
Therefore, there is a need for a system which allows the system
administrator to program a "calling strategy" into the system so that the
system automatically follows the strategy without the further intervention
of the system administrator.
Further, there is a need for a system which will place calls to selected
numbers, some of which may have been previously called, and which will
place the calls at the time, date, day of week, and/or to the area
specified by the customer to be called, the system administrator, and/or
the provider of the products/services involved.
Some campaigns are doomed to be ineffective from the very beginning. A
state holiday in a first area may not be a holiday in a second area.
Therefore, a campaign directed to the second area may have a very low hit
rate because most of the customers are at work. Conversely, a campaign
directed to the first area may have a high hit rate because it is a
holiday there. Also, some campaigns may be successful due to factors which
are not controllable, such as weather. A campaign directed to customers in
an area which is having good weather on a weekday during working hours may
have a low hit rate, whereas another campaign directed to customers in an
area which is experiencing adverse weather, such as a snowstorm or
blizzard, on the same day during the same hours may have a high hit rate
because more customers will be at home. A system administrator would
therefore want to terminate the ineffective campaign at an early point, or
move some of the agents to a second campaign, or begin a third campaign.
However, this requires the system administrator to continually monitor the
success of a campaign. The system administrator must then take the
appropriate action if the campaign success rate is low.
Therefore, there is a need for an automated customer service system which
is easily user programmable to be result-oriented so that ineffective
campaigns can be automatically terminated, or some of the agents may be
moved to other campaigns, or other campaigns may be started and staffed.
Although most campaigns should be terminated if unsuccessful, some
campaigns should be terminated if successful. For example, a calling list
may have the names of 100,000 registered voters, but a surveying
(poll-taking) organization will only need to contact a small fraction of
these voters to obtain meaningful results. If the organization only needs
to contact 2,000 voters then the campaign may be terminated once this goal
is achieved. Conventional systems require the system administrator to
periodically evaluate the results and manually terminate the campaign, or
require that the calling list be broken into numerous smaller calling
lists and, each time that a smaller calling list is completed, the system
administrator can evaluate the results and decide whether to initiate
another of the smaller calling lists. This results in extra work and/or
delays.
Therefore, there is a need for an automated customer service system which
is easily user programmable to be result-oriented so that successful
campaigns can be automatically terminated, or some of the agents may be
moved to other campaigns, or other campaigns may be started and staffed.
In addition, calls should be placed so as to maximize the responsiveness of
the customer to the call. In the world of today, people are constantly
bombarded with information, desired and undesired, when desired and when
untimely, and where desired and where inconvenient. A person is generally
more receptive to information, including advertisements, bills, and
requests when that information is presented at the time, at the location,
and in the manner desired by that person. A seller, telemarketing
organization, debt collection organization, customer service organization,
credit-extending organization, investigator, surveying organization, or
other such entity, herein collectively referred to as product/service
providers or, more simply, providers, should therefore, before contacting
a person by telephone or even by mail, consider the preferences of that
person as much as possible so as to enhance the likelihood of a successful
contact. Currently, many systems allow only a single telephone number for
a customer. Systems that allow more than one telephone number for a
customer generally start at the first number and call each of the other
telephone numbers in sequence until the customer is reached or all of the
numbers have been called. Further, if a call is made to a customer at,
say, 2 p.m. and the customer or the person who answers indicates that the
call should be placed again at a later time, say 4 p.m., then some systems
will provide for the call to be placed again at that time. However, this
information is generally not kept and, on a subsequent campaign, the call
to that customer may again be placed at 2 p.m., even if the customer is
never home at 2 p.m. or the customer does not want to be disturbed at 2
p.m. because the customer is always doing something important at that
time, such as checking stock prices or taking a nap. Therefore, there is a
need for a system which is responsive to the preferences of the customer
so that, when a call is placed, the customer will most likely be in a
frame of mind to give a positive response to the call.
Also, not all customers want to be interrupted by a telephone call. Some
may prefer to be contacted by mail, and others may wish to be contacted by
facsimile, or by electronic mail. However, current telemarketing systems
only provide for one method of communication: voice. Further, most billing
systems only provide for one method of communication: mail. Therefore,
there is a need for a customer service system which can accommodate a
plurality of different communications media and contact the customer in
the manner deemed most desirable by the customer.
Also, in conventional systems, the system administrator must manually
select which agents are to be assigned to different campaigns. This often
involves considering the conflicting requirements of several simultaneous
campaigns. This task is frequently so burdensome that it cannot be
accomplished in a timely manner and the assignment of agents is less than
optimum. In addition, some campaigns may be improperly staffed because
agents which are best suited for those campaigns have been assigned to
other campaigns which do not require the special skills or qualifications
that these agents have. Therefore, there is a need for a customer service
system which automatically inspects the campaign requirements, inspects
the agent qualifications, and assigns agents to campaigns which need the
special skills of those agents.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention is a result-oriented customer service
center. This service center also provides for automated dialing. The
present invention provides for commands which allow a user, such as the
system administrator, to specify the criteria by which the success of a
campaign will be evaluated and, therefore, to specify when and if a
campaign will be terminated, agents moved to another campaign, or another
campaign started and run concurrently with the first and/or other
campaigns. The present invention automatically and continuously evaluates
the success of a campaign and stops a campaign, suspends a campaign, or
takes other action, depending upon the success of a campaign. Therefore,
it is not necessary to wait until all the numbers in a campaign have been
called before the campaign is terminated and the agents become available
to work on other campaigns.
In addition, the present invention allows the system administrator to
specify whether all aspects of the campaign will be terminated, or whether
only certain aspects of the campaign will be terminated and other aspects
of the campaign allowed to continue. The present invention provides for
processing a campaign into a plurality of queues. Each queue contains
numbers which are related in some predetermined manner. This allows the
system administrator to specify that some queues, such as queues which
contain numbers which have not yet been called, should not be called, and
to specify that other queues should be called, and may specify the time,
date, day of week, area, and/or order of calling. The queues to be called
may contain, for examples, numbers which were busy, or numbers where the
user requested a callback at a later time, or numbers where an answering
machine was detected.
Further, the present invention allows the system administrator to specify
in advance what action should be taken once a campaign is deemed
unsuccessful. For example, the agents of the unsuccessful campaign may be
shifted to an ongoing campaign, assigned to a new campaign, or used to
service multiple campaigns.
Further, the present invention allows the system administrator to specify
in advance what action should be taken once a campaign is deemed
successful. For example, once the goal of the campaign has been achieved
then the campaign is automatically terminated, and some or all of the
agents may be moved to other campaigns, or other campaigns may be started
and staffed.
The present invention transforms the traditional, static calling list into
a plurality of dynamic call record queues. Each of these queues is under
the control of the system administrator. Calling records begin in a
"to-be-called" queue and, as call attempts are made, each record is moved
to another queue depending upon the disposition of the attempted call. The
call record may be moved to a completed call queue if contact was made
with the customer and the transaction successfully completed, or one of
several incomplete call queues if contact was not made, the desired
customer was not available, or another call (a "call back") is required
for any reason. A callback might be necessary if, for example, the
customer had to terminate the call to leave for a meeting. The incomplete
call queues can then be used to attempt callbacks to the customer. The
system administrator can enable or disable calling from the incomplete
queues at will or as part of a preselected calling strategy, that is, a
"strategy script".
Strategy scripts are created and saved as files that can be opened,
executed, modified, and saved under different file names. Strategy scripts
operate on events such as time, date, day of week, area, or hit rate or
other criteria that the system administrator selects when creating the
strategy. Actions are automatically taken when preselected threshold
conditions are met. The action taken can be a simple as notifying the
system administrator or a designated agent of the condition or as
intensive as terminating the current campaign, enabling or disabling
callback from the incomplete queues of the current campaign, reassigning
agents, and starting a next campaign.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an automated
customer service system, and methods for the operation of same, which
allow a user to specify the conditions under which a campaign will be
terminated or modified.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automated
customer service system, and methods for the operation of same, which
allow a user to specify whether all aspects of a campaign will be
terminated, or whether only certain aspects of the campaign will be
terminated and other aspects of the campaign allowed to continue.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an automated
customer service system, and methods for the operation of same, which
allow the system administrator to specify what action should be taken
after a campaign is terminated.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an automated
customer service system which the system administrator can provide with a
calling strategy, prior to beginning a campaign, so that the system
automatically makes calls to one or more of the following: numbers which
were previously busy; numbers which were previously not answered; numbers
which were previously answered by an answering machine; numbers which are
to be recalled; numbers to which correspondence is to be sent by fax or by
electronic mail; numbers that were previously detected as being answered
by a facsimile machine or a modem; and numbers which resulted in intercept
tones. The present invention allows the system administrator to specify
which, if any, of the incomplete call queues will be used for another
dialing attempt, a time for starting dialing for each of the incomplete
call queues, and an order in which the incomplete call queues are to be
used or different priorities or weighting factors for the different
incomplete call queues. For example, the system administrator may specify
that only the callback queue and the answering machine queue are to be
used for further dialing and that the no answer queue and the busy queue
are not to be used for further dialing. The system administrator can
further specify whether calling from the callback queue and the answering
machine queue is to start when the to-be-called queue has been completed,
or whether calling is to start at a specified time, which may be before
completion of the to-be-called queue. Further, the system administrator
can specify that the callback queue has twice the priority, or weight, of
the answering machine queue so that two calls will be placed from the
callback queue for every call placed from the answering machine queue.
The present invention therefore allows the system administrator to specify
which queues will be used for further calling, the time, date, day of
week, area, and/or order, or priority, of the calling. This allows the
system administrator great flexibility in devising a strategy up front to
achieve a high campaign success rate and a high agent efficiency.
Another aspect of the present invention is a customer service system which
contacts the customer in the manner preferred by the customer. The
preferences of the customer are herein referred to as a Customer
Sensitivity.TM. profile. "Customer Sensitivity" is a trademark of Melita
International Corporation, Norcross, Ga., U.S.A. Some of the factors that
are included in the customer sensitivity profile are: the language that
the customer prefers; the time of day and the telephone number at which
the customer prefers to be called; the address at which the customer
prefers to receive mail, which address may vary from time-to-time on a
regular or irregular basis; whether the customer prefers to receive
correspondence by mail, by facsimile, or by electronic mail; and whether
the customer prefers most or all contacts to be by voice or
correspondence. Other factors may also be developed for the customer
sensitivity profile. These customer sensitivity profile factors are
different from the sales profile factors normally kept for a customer,
such as income, marital status, number of children, income bracket, etc.
Typical sales profiles factors are directed toward determining what
items/services should be presented to the customer, and not toward
determining the contact preferences of the customer: where, when, or how
the customer wants to be contacted. Therefore, it is an object of the
present invention to contact the customer in accordance with a customer
sensitivity profile. Some possible factors for the customer sensitivity
profile are listed above.
To be useful, a customer sensitivity profile must be current. Therefore,
the present invention automatically checks the date of the last update of
the customer sensitivity profile each time that the customer is contacted
or calls in. If the last update is recent then the desired transaction is
conducted. If the last update is not recent then the customer is asked
whether now is a convenient time to update the profile. If so then the
profile is updated. If not then the desired transaction is conducted.
Therefore, the present invention provides for the creation and automatic
maintenance of the customer sensitivity profile.
Another aspect of the present invention is the automatic and proper
assignment of agents to campaigns. The present invention provides for an
agent qualification profile which identifies any special skills or
qualifications that an agent may possess, such as language skills, type of
voice, efficiency, type of call processing skills (e.g., sales,
collections, customer service), etc. This allows the system administrator
to devise a strategy script based upon the customer sensitivity
requirements and, the agent qualifications. The strategy script determines
which agents meet which requirements, and whether there are adequate
agents to handle the requirements of concurrent campaigns. The strategy
script also provides for assignment of the agents in accordance with a
preplanned priority or procedure in the event that there are not adequate
qualified agents available. Therefore, the present invention provides for
the automatic identification of the requirements of each campaign and the
agents which meet these requirements, and assigns the agents to the
campaigns based on a predetermined strategy.
Another aspect of the present invention is the automatic and proper
assignment of resources to campaigns. The present invention provides for
identification of the system resources, such as the number of modems
available, the number of facsimile machines available, the number of
telephone lines available, the number of toll-free inbound telephone lines
available, the number, type and cost of telephone lines available for
local and long-distance outbound calling, etc. This allows the system
administrator to devise a strategy script based upon the customer
sensitivity requirements and other campaign requirements. The strategy
script determines these requirements, and whether there are adequate
resources to meet the requirements of concurrent campaigns. The strategy
script also provides for assignment of the resources in accordance with a
preplanned priority or procedure in the event that there are not adequate
resources available. Therefore, the present invention provides for the
automatic identification of the requirements of each campaign and the
resources needed to meet these requirements, and assigns the resources to
the campaigns based on a predetermined strategy.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent upon reading the following description of the preferred
embodiment, when taken in conjunction with the drawings and the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is an abbreviated flow chart illustrating the result-oriented
process of the present invention.
FIGS. 3A-3C are an abbreviated flow chart illustrating the operation of the
present invention.
FIGS. 4A-4D are a flow chart illustrating the result-oriented campaign
management operation of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the creation and maintenance of the
customer sensitivity profile.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are a flow chart of the process of using and of updating a
customer sensitivity profile.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the agent assignment strategy process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present
invention. A host or mainframe 10 contains the customer account records
for the different campaigns which are to be conducted. A controller 11
controls the overall operation of the system as described below. The
controller 11 obtains customer records from the host 10, controls the
placement of outbound calls and the answering of inbound calls, monitors
and controls the switching or movement of agents between different
campaigns and different types of calls (inbound or outbound), controls the
call pacing rate, monitors and controls work assignments; monitors and
controls the call flow; and monitors the results of each call. A plurality
of agent workstations 12A-12N allow the agents (not shown) to communicate
with the customer (called or calling party), and enter the results of the
communication with the customer, such as enter an order, change an order,
cancel an order, obtain information, send a fax or a letter, etc. A switch
13, which is controlled by the controller 11, selectively connects the
calls (inbound and outbound) to the agent workstations 12A-12N via lines
16. Switch 13 may be, for example, a PBX, a PABX, an ACD, a dialer, a
crosspoint switch, or a combination of the above, as desired or as
necessary to meet the requirements of a particular installation. In the
preferred embodiment, controller 11 causes switch 13 to dial outbound
calls, answer and manage inbound calls, and decode dual tone multiple
frequency (DTMF) tones, and decode automatic number identification (ANI),
dialed number information service (DNIS), and other telephony signals. The
agent workstations 12A-12N, switch 13, the controller 11, and the host 10
are all connected via a network 14. The network 14 is not critical and
need only be fast enough to accommodate the transfer of information, such
as customer account records, at a speed which prevents delays at the agent
workstations. Controller 11 and switch 13 may instead be directly
connected via a separate signal path (not shown) if desired. Except for
the improvements to the operation of the host 10 and/or the controller 11
described herein, the details of operation of the system are generally as
described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,797,911; 4,894,857; and
5,214,688. The present invention further provides for a facsimile server
18, a modem server 17 for electronic mail transmissions, and one or more
printers 19 for printing out correspondence which is to be mailed to the
customer. The facsimile server 18, the modem server 17, and the printers
19 are preferably connected to the telephone lines 15 via the switch 13.
The facsimile machine 18 and the modem 17 are preferably connected through
the network 14 to the system controller 11 but may be directly connected
to the host 10 if desired. The present invention provides for a system
administrator to specify the campaign strategy and control the operation
of the campaign where manual intervention is desired. The workstation for
the system administrator is preferably one of the agent workstations 12.
System administrator workstation status may be conferred upon a particular
workstation by logging in under a system administrator password, or by
designating, in the software or firmware of controller 11, that a
particular workstation(s) is(are) a system administrator workstation(s).
The system administrator workstation may also be a separate, different
terminal (not shown). The term system administrator is used herein to
describe a person who has authority and decision-making authority beyond
that of an ordinary agent. A system administrator may be, for example, a
senior agent, an officer of the company which owns the customer service
system, etc.
Although the embodiment of FIG. 1 is preferred, it should be appreciated
that controller 11 may be part of or included within host 10, so that host
10 performs the control functions and the separate controller 11 is
eliminated.
In the preferred embodiment, the controller 11 obtains one or more calling
lists from the host 10, with each calling list preferably being for a
different campaign. Also, controller 11 obtains the calling strategy for
the campaigns to be initiated. In the preferred embodiment the calling
strategy is contained in controller 11 but, if desired, the calling
strategy may be in host 10, and may be directly linked to a particular
campaign.
The controller 11 establishes several queues for each campaign: a
to-be-called queue, which initially will contain a list of all of the
records i | | |
