Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC INDICATION OF CONTACT CENTER
STATUS USING AN ILLUMINATION DEVICE
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS:
[0001] The present application claims priority to provisional application
serial number
62/747,604, filed on October 18, 2018, entitled "USE USB ¨ RGB LIGHT DISPLAY
CONNECTED TO CONTACT CENTER AGENT COMPUTER TO INDICATE AT-A-
GLANCE A VARIETY OF INFORMATION" with attorney docket number TELP-0005-
00.00US and naming the same inventors as in the present application. The
contents of the above
referenced provisional application are incorporated by reference, the same as
if fully set forth
herein.
FIELD:
[0001] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to computer-
controlled
illumination devices. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention
relate to
computer-implemented systems and methods for automatically controlling an
illumination
device in order to convey information at a glance.
BACKGROUND:
[0002] Customer contact centers or service centers typically employ a
relatively large number of
employees (agents) working in a common area or floor overseen by a floor
manager or
supervisor. The agents select an available workstation to at which to work for
receiving
customer inquiries and for assisting the customers to solve the inquiries by
phone, email, or
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,
,
electronic chat, for example. In some cases it may be difficult for an agent
to determine which
stations are available or which stations are occupied by agents that are
temporarily away from
the station, such as when an employee is taking a short break. Once the agent
is working at a
station, if the agent is having difficulty in assisting the customer to solve
the customer's inquiry,
the agent will stand up and raise their hand to indicate that they need
assistance from the floor
supervisor. The status of an agent that is requesting assistance is often
referred to as a "hand
raised". In the best-case scenario, the floor supervisor quickly responds to
the agent's request for
assistance, but often times several agents require assistance in a short time
frame, and an agent
may have to wait five or more minutes before they begin to receive assistance.
[0003] The requirement for an agent to physically stand up and raise their
hand to receive
assistance is often inefficient because the agent must stop working and cannot
access or
reference a knowledgebase, product manual, customer account, etc., while they
wait to receive
assistance. Moreover, the floor supervisor may have difficulty determining the
order in which
the agents requested assistance, or how long an agent has been waiting for
assistance, etc., and
determining which agent should receive assistance next._Furthermore, a floor
supervisor may
have to access a software program to determine information (e.g., metrics)
related to agent status
or performance, for example, which takes the supervisor's attention away from
observing the
agents on the floor in real-time.
[0004] What is needed is a method and device that enables a supervisor to
easily obtain
information pertaining to the agents working on a contact center floor at-a-
glance so that the
supervisor can efficiently manage the agents of the contact center.
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SUMMARY:
[0005] Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for
automatically
controlling an electronic illumination device to indicate information
pertaining to workstations or
agents of a customer contact center. Embodiments of the present invention are
useful in the
context of employee management because the electronic illumination device is
used to indicate
information about tasks that employees are engaged in, the performance of the
employees, and
the status of the employees. A computer system coupled to the electronic
illumination device
executes control software configured to send control signals over a
communication interface,
such as USB or Bluetooth. The data sent to the illumination device can cause
the illumination
device to turn off or on, change color, blink, strobe, etc., for producing
desired visual effect
representative of a status or event associated with an employee or
workstation. By scanning
across the contact center floor, the supervisor can obtain a rapid visual
inspection of the types of
questions, assistances, or status that are applicable to the agents on the
floor.
[0006] According to one embodiment, an electronic device including an
electrical and physical
interface operable to be coupled to a port of a computer system is disclosed,
where the computer
system includes a processor, a rod-shaped casing housing the interface, a
circuit board including
circuitry housed within the casing, where the circuitry receives control
signals from the computer
system over the interface and controls an illumination element, and the
illumination element
disposed on one end of the rod shaped-casing and operable to produce a color
that corresponds to
a real-time status associated with the computer system, where the real-time
status is determined
by the processor and information read by the processor from the computer
system.
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,
,
[0007] According to some embodiments the computer system receives an
information request
from a remote monitor over a network interface, where the computer system
obtains the real-
time status responsive to the information request, and where further the
circuitry controls the
illumination element responsive to the information request.
[0008] According to some embodiments the computer system receives a light
configuration from
the remote monitor, and where the computer system sends control signals to the
circuitry to
control the illumination element based on the light configuration.
[0009] According to some embodiments the light configuration includes at least
one of a status
threshold and a performance threshold.
[0010] According to some embodiments the real-time status represents a time
duration of an
agent logged into the computer system.
[0011] According to some embodiments the real-time status represents an agent
requesting
assistance.
[0012] According to some embodiments the real-time status represents a working
time of an
agent using the computer system.
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[0013] According to some embodiments the real-time status represents an agent
using the
computer system, and where the agent is logged in to the computer system but
not working on
the computer system.
[0014] According to some embodiments the real-time status represents a
software program
executed by the computer system.
[0015] According to some embodiments the illumination element rapidly changes
the color to
produce a lighting effect corresponding to the real-time status.
[0016] According to another embodiment, a method of monitoring contact center
status among a
plurality of agents of a contact center is disclosed. The method includes a
remote monitor
sending an information request to agent computer systems of the contact
center, where the
contact center includes the plurality of agents, and where the agent computer
systems include a
processor, a communication port, and an electronic illumination device,
responsive to receiving
the information request, the agent computer systems of the plurality of agents
determining real-
time status information, and electronic illumination devices of the agent
computer systems
illuminating respective colors representative of respective real-time status
information
determined by the associated agent computer systems. Each electronic
illumination device
includes an electrical and physical interface operable to be coupled a
communication port of the
associated agent computer system, a rod-shaped casing housing the electrical
and physical
interface, a circuit board including circuitry housed within the casing, where
the circuitry
receives control signals from the associated agent computer system over the
interface and
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controls an illumination element, and the illumination element disposed on one
end of the rod
shaped-casing and operable to produce the respective colors representative of
the real-time status
information, where the real-time status information is determined by the
processor and
information read by the processor from the agent computer systems.
[0017] According to some embodiments the real-time status information includes
tasks currently
performed by each agent.
[0018] According to some embodiments the real-time status information includes
an identity of a
first agent, where the first agent has a highest performance level based on a
prescribed metric.
[0019] According to some embodiments the real-time status information includes
productivity
information for the agents.
[0020] According to a different embodiment, a method of monitoring contact
center status
among a plurality of agents is disclosed. The method includes determining real-
time status of
agent computer systems associated with the plurality of agents, where the
agent computer
systems include a processor and a communication port, and based on the real-
time status read
from a light configuration to determine lighting effects that correspond to
the real-time status,
causing electronic illumination devices associated with the agent computer
systems to produce
the lighting effects reflective of the real-time status, where each electronic
illumination device
includes an electrical and physical interface operable to be coupled to a
communication port of
an agent computer system, a rod-shaped casing housing the interface, a circuit
board including
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circuitry housed within the casing, where the circuitry receives control
signals from the agent
computer system over the interface and controls an illumination element, where
the illumination
element is disposed on one end of the rod shaped-casing and operable to
produce lighting effects
that correspond to the real-time statuses associated with the agent computer
system.
[0021] According to some embodiments the real-time statuses indicate if a
respective agent has
requested assistance.
[0022] According to some embodiments the method includes the electronic
devices illuminating
a new color when a respective agent no longer requires assistance.
[0023] According to some embodiments the agent computer systems further
include a network
interface, and further includes the agent computer systems sending the real-
time statuses to a
remote monitor system using the network interface.
[0024] According to some embodiments the remote monitor selects a first agent
of the plurality
of agents to receive assistance.
[0025] According to some embodiments a respective electronic illumination
device associated
with the first agent changes color responsive to being selected by the
supervisor computer
system.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
[0027] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of
this
specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the
description, serve to
explain the principles of the invention:
[0028] Figure lA depicts an exemplary computer system for automatically
controlling
illumination devices to indicate information associated with agents and/or
workstations of a
contact center according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0029] Figure 1B depicts an exemplary customer contact center including agent
computer
systems in communication with respective illumination devices for conveniently
indicating
information to a floor supervisor according to embodiments of the present
invention.
[0030] Figure 2 depicts an exemplary electrical illumination device for
emitting light to indicate
the status of an agent and/or workstation of a contact center according to
embodiments of the
present invention.
[0031] Figure 3 depicts an exemplary block diagram and data flow diagram
depicting a
computer system for automatically indicating the status of an agent and/or
workstation of a
contact center according to embodiments of the present invention.
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,
[0032] Figure 4 depicts an exemplary light configuration for automatically
controlling an
illumination device to indicate information pertaining to the status of agents
and/or workstations
of a contact center according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0033] Figure 5 depicts an exemplary light configuration for automatically
controlling an
illumination device to indicate information pertaining to the status of agents
working at a contact
center based on customizable conditions or thresholds according to embodiments
of the present
invention.
[0034] Figure 6 depicts an exemplary light configuration for automatically
controlling an
illumination device to indicate information pertaining to customizable
performance metrics for
agents working at a contact center according to embodiments of the present
invention.
[0035] Figure 7 depicts an exemplary sequence of computer-implemented steps
for
automatically controlling an illumination device to indicate real-time
information (e.g., status or
performance) of an agent and/or workstation of a contact center responsive to
an information
request or query according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0036] Figure 8 depicts an exemplary sequence of computer-implemented steps
for
automatically controlling an illumination device to indicate that an agent of
a contact center
requires assistance according to embodiments of the present invention.
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[0037] Figure 9 depicts an exemplary computer platform upon which embodiments
of the
present invention may be implemented.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
[0038] Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments. While the
subject matter
will be described in conjunction with the alternative embodiments, it will be
understood that they
are not intended to limit the claimed subject matter to these embodiments. On
the contrary, the
claimed subject matter is intended to cover alternative, modifications, and
equivalents, which
may be included within the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter as
defined by the
appended claims.
[0039] Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specific
details are set forth
in order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter.
However, it will be
recognized by one skilled in the art that embodiments may be practiced without
these specific
details or with equivalents thereof. In other instances, well-known methods,
procedures,
components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to
unnecessarily obscure
aspects and features of the subject matter.
[0040] Portions of the detailed description that follows are presented and
discussed in terms of a
method. Although steps and sequencing thereof are disclosed in a figure herein
(e.g., Figures 7
and 8) describing the operations of this method, such steps and sequencing are
exemplary.
Embodiments are well suited to performing various other steps or variations of
the steps recited
in the flowchart of the figure herein, and in a sequence other than that
depicted and described
herein.
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[0041] Some portions of the detailed description are presented in terms of
procedures, steps,
logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations of operations on
data bits that can
be performed on computer memory. These descriptions and representations are
the means used
by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the
substance of their work
to others skilled in the art. A procedure, computer-executed step, logic
block, process, etc., is
here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps or
instructions leading to
a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of
physical quantities.
Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical
or magnetic signals
capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise
manipulated in a
computer system. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of
common usage, to
refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms,
numbers, or the like.
[0042] It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar
terms are to be
associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient
labels applied to
these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the
following discussions,
it is appreciated that throughout, discussions utilizing terms such as
"accessing," "writing,"
"including," "storing," "transmitting," "associating," "identifying,"
"encoding," or the like, refer
to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic
computing device, that
manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic)
quantities within the
computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented
as physical
quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such
information storage,
transmission or display devices.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC INDICATION OF AGENT STATUS USING AN
ILLUMINATION
DEVICE
[0043] Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for
automatically
controlling an electronic illumination device to indicate information
pertaining to workstations or
agents of a customer contact center. Some embodiments are useful in the
context of employee
management because the illumination devices are used to indicate information
about tasks that
employees are engaged in, the performance of the employees, and the status of
the employees. A
computer system coupled to the illumination device executes control software
configured to send
control signals over a communication interface, such as USB or Bluetooth. The
data sent to the
electronic illumination device can cause the illumination device to turn off
or on, change color,
blink, strobe, etc., for producing desired lighting effects representative of
a real-time status or
event associated with an employee or workstation. According to some
embodiments, the data
includes an information request sent from a supervisor computer system to
agent computer
system. The information request can be concerning performance or productivity
metrics of an
agent, the current status of the agent, the availability of a workstation,
etc. By scanning across
the contact center floor, the supervisor can obtain a rapid visual inspection
of the types of
questions, assistances, or status that are applicable to the agents on the
floor.
[0044] With regard to Figure 1A, an exemplary computer system 100 for
automatically
controlling electronic illumination (e.g., LED) devices 115, 120, and 125 to
indicate information
associated with agents and/or workstations of a contact center is depicted
according to
embodiments of the present invention. The computer system 100 includes a
supervisor computer
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system 105 connected to one or more agent computer systems 130, 135, and 140
over a computer
network 110. Computer network 110 facilitates communication between the
computer systems
over a wired or wireless connection, and may include a local area network, a
wireless network or
the Internet. According to some embodiments, the electronic illumination
devices 115, 120, and
125 have a rod or stick shape and are disposed in a vertical orientation above
or next to the agent
computer systems 130, 135, and 140 in a fashion that the illumination devices
can be visualized
by a supervisor or manager on the floor of the center.
[0045] The agent computer systems 130, 135, and 140 can be used in a contact
center for
facilitating agent communications with customers and for solving customer
service issues. For
example, a customer can call an agent or chat with an agent to describe a
customer service issue,
and the agent can use their respective computer system to respond to the
customer and access
customer service information such as information regarding the customer's
account,
knowledgebases, manuals, etc. The supervisor computer system or monitor system
105 is in
communication with the agent computers systems 130, 135, and 140 for
interfacing with the
agents and for obtaining data from the agent computer systems such as agent
status, inquiry
status, an agent requesting assistance ("hand raised"), and
performance/productivity metrics. For
example, the supervisor computer system 105 can execute software that displays
a list of all
agents in the contact center, including the status of the agents, such as
which agents have
requested help, which agents are currently being helped, performance metrics
of the agents, how
long an agent has been working, etc.
[0046] In one example, the agent computer system 130 causes illumination
device 115 to turn a
particular color (e.g., red) to indicate that the agent working at computer
system 130 has
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,
,
requested assistance. The agent computer system 130 also sends information to
supervisor
computer system 105 over network 110 to indicate that the agent has requested
assistance, and
the request for assistance can be displayed on a graphical user interface
rendered on a display
device of the supervisor computer system 105. The supervisor can select or
acknowledge the
agent's request for assistance using the graphical user interface, and a
control signal is sent from
the supervisor computer system 105 to the agent computer system 130 over
network 110 to cause
the illumination device 115 to turn yellow, for example, to indicate that help
is on the way.
[0047] Once the agent has received assistance, either the agent computer
system 130 or the agent
computer system 105 can be used to indicate that assistance is no longer
required, and the
illumination device 115 stops emitting light. According to some embodiments,
an information
request is sent from supervisor computer system 105 to agent the computer
systems 130, 135,
and/or 140. The information request can be concerning performance metrics of
an agent, the
current status of the agent, the availability of a workstation, etc. In
response, real-time
information is obtained from agent computer system systems 130, 135, and/or
140 to satisfy the
request, and the illumination devices 115, 120, and/or 125 to turn on or
change colors according
to the real-time information. Based on the color and/or effect produced by the
electronic
illumination devices 115, 120, and/or 125, real-time status information of
agents on the floor is
conveniently and efficiently obtained in response to the manager viewing the
illuminated
electronic devices 145B ¨ 197B without having to access a separate device or
user interface.
[0048] With regard to Figure 1B, an exemplary customer contact center 101
including agent
computer systems 145A ¨ 197A in communication with illumination devices 145B ¨
197B for
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conveniently indicating information to a floor supervisor according to
embodiments of the
present invention. The agent computer systems may be connected to a network or
communication system for communicating with a supervisor system as depicted in
Figure 1A.
The supervisor computer system or monitor system is in communication with the
agent
computers systems 145A ¨ 197A for interfacing with the agents and for
obtaining data from the
agent computer systems such as agent status, inquiry status, an agent
requesting assistance
("hand raised"), and performance metrics. Moreover, an information request can
be sent to agent
the computer systems 145A ¨ 197A, and the illumination devices 145B ¨ 197B
turn on or
change colors in real-time according to the criteria of the information
request.
[0049] As depicted in Figure 1B, the agent computer systems 150A, 170A, and
175A meet the
criteria of an information request and therefore illumination devices 150B,
170B, and 175B
illuminate using a first color or effect. For example, the supervisor
computers system can issue
an information request that includes illuminating the illumination devices of
agent computer
systems that are browsing a social media website, and illumination devices
150B, 170B, and
175B illuminate using the first color or effect to indicate that the agents
using agent computer
systems 150A, 170A, and 175A are browsing social media websites and therefore
meet the
criteria of the information request.
[0050] The agent computer systems 165A and 197A meet the criteria of a second
information
request and therefore illumination devices 165B and 197B illuminate using a
second color or
effect. For example, the supervisor computers system can issue an information
request that
includes illuminating the illumination devices of agent computer systems that
have been idle for
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more than 10 minutes, and illumination devices 165B and 197B illuminate using
the second
color or effect to indicate that agent computer systems 165A and 197A have
been idle for more
than 10 minutes and therefore meet the criteria of the information request.
Based on the color
and/or effect produced by the electronic illumination devices 145B ¨ 197B,
real-time status
information across the contact center 101 is conveniently and efficiently
obtained in response to
the supervisor viewing the illuminated electronic devices 145B ¨ 197B without
having to access
a separate device or user interface. Other information requests can be based
on
performance/productivity metrics or thresholds, workstation status, what
application is being
executed by the workstation, etc.
[0051] With regard to Figure 2, an exemplary electrical illumination (e.g.,
LED) device 200 for
emitting light to indicate the status of an agent and/or workstation of a
contact center is depicted
according to embodiments of the present invention. The illumination device 200
includes a
circuit board including circuitry 205 for controlling an illumination element
(e.g., LED) 215.
The circuitry can control the LED 215 to selectively turn the LED 215 on and
off and control the
color of light emitted by the LED 215. For example, according to some
embodiments the
circuitry 205 can cause LED 215 to blink, strobe, display a pattern of light,
emit light for a
predetermined period of time, change color, change intensity, emit a color
gradient (e.g., fade
from red to green), etc. The circuitry 205 is disposed in a casing 210 to
house and protect the
circuitry 205, and includes a transparent or semi-transparent LED cover or
lens 220 that can be
illuminated by the LED 215 and/or diffuse the light produced by LED 215. Of
course, LED is
only one example of a light source and many other well-known suitable light
sources can also be
employed.
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[0052] The circuitry 205 is connected to a computer system 230 using a
communication
interface or port 225 such as USB, although any interface well-known in the
art can be included,
and the illumination device 200 receives power over the communication
interface 225. Using
communication port 225, the LED device 200 receives control signals from a
computer system
that causes circuitry 205 to control (e.g., activate, modify, adjust) the
behavior of illumination
element 215 by causing the circuit 205 to enter different operational modes.
The control signals
received over communication port 225 can cause the LED 215 to produce lighting
effects
responsive to an event or status associated with an agent or workstation of a
contact center.
According to some embodiments, circuitry 205 controls the behavior of
illumination element 215
responsive to control signals received over communication port 225 based on
predetermined
thresholds, performance metrics, or more code numbers. The thresholds and
metrics can be
defined and customized using a monitor or supervisor computer system, for
example. Based on
the color and/or effect produced by the electronic illumination device 200,
real-time status
information of the computer system 230 is conveniently and efficiently
obtained in response to
viewing the illuminated electronic devices 200 without having to access a
separate device or user
interface.
[0053] With regard to Figure 3, an exemplary block diagram and data flow
diagram 300 of a
computer system for automatically indicating the status of an agent and/or
workstation of a
contact center is depicted according to embodiments of the present invention.
A supervisor
computer system receives data 305 from agent computer system 320 over a
communication
interface 310 such as a local area network or the Internet. The data received
can include
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performance metrics of an agent, the current status of the agent, the status
or availability of a
workstation, etc. The supervisor system 305 can also send data and control
signals 315 to agent
computer system 320 to cause the illumination device 335 to controllably emit
light 340 based
on prescribed events and situations. The agent computer system 320 executes
control software
345 to send control signals to illumination device 335 over a communication
interface 330, such
as USB or Bluetooth. The data 315 sent by the supervisor system 305 and the
data 330 sent by
the agent computer system 320 can cause the illumination device 335 to turn
off or on, change
color, change modes, blink, strobe, change brightness, etc., for producing
light output 340. For
example, supervisor system 305 can send data to the agent computer system 320,
and the control
software 345 executing on the agent computer system 320 sends corresponding
control signals to
the illumination device 335 for producing a desired lighting effect 340. Based
on the lighting
effect 340, real-time status information associated with agent computer system
320 is
conveniently and efficiently obtained in response to viewing the illuminated
electronic the
lighting effect 340 without having to access a separate device or user
interface.
[0054] According to some embodiments, data 315 includes an information request
sent from
supervisor computer system 305 to agent computer system 320. The information
request can
relate to performance metrics of an agent, the current status of the agent,
the availability or status
of a workstation, etc. In response to the information request, real-time
information is obtained
from agent computer system 320 to satisfy the request. The information may
include an
indication of how long an agent has been logged into a computer system, what
software the
computer system is executing, how long the agent has been on hold, if the
agent has not recently
taken a break, the availability of a workstation, etc. The real-time
information can displayed on
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a display device connected to supervisor computer 305 and/or can be used to
control illumination
device 335 for causing illumination device 335 to turn off or on, change
color, change
brightness, change modes, blink, strobe, etc., for producing light output 340.
[0055] According to some embodiments, supervisor computer system 305 generates
a memory
resident light configuration file, table, or data structure 325 stored as a
data structure in memory
and for defining conditions which cause the illumination device 335 to emit
light with pre-
defined effects as depicted in table 400 (Figure 4). Moreover, according to
some embodiments,
the light configuration file or table 325 can cause the illumination device
335 to emit light based
on customizable conditions and customizable effects as depicted in table 500
(Figure 5) and table
600 (Figure 6). In one example, the light configuration file 325 is defined by
the supervisor
computer system 305 and causes software executed by the agent computer system
320 to control
the illumination device 335 to turn blue for 10 minutes when the agent working
at a station has
worked for more than 4 hours without taking a break. In another example, the
light
configuration 325 defined by the supervisor computer system 305 causes
software executed by
the agent computer system 320 to instruct the illumination device 335 to blink
orange for
example for 2 minutes when the agent working at a station has been logged in
for more than 8
hours.
[0056] According to some embodiments, the light configuration 325 includes a
list of required
software that agents are expected to run when working at a workstation. For
example, the light
configuration 325 can include criteria that indicates that the electronic
illumination device 335
will emit a solid purple light for instance when all of the required software
is currently being
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executed by an agent computer system 320. When not all of the required
software is being
executed by the agent computer system 320, the criteria of the light
configuration 325 can
indicate that the electronic illumination device 335 should produce a certain
lighting effect 340.
For example, the electronic illumination device 335 can blink or strobe at a
speed relative to the
number of required software applications that are not currently being
executed. Moreover,
according to some embodiments, the light configuration 325 can further include
undesired
software applications that will cause the electronic illumination device to
blink or strobe more
rapidly. For example, if the agent computer system 320 is running all of the
required software
application and is also running a game of solitaire, the electronic
illumination device 335 will
blink or strobe to indicate that an undesired application is being executed.
According to some
embodiments, the electronic illumination device 335 will blink or strobe more
rapidly based on
the number of undesired software applications currently being executed by the
agent computer
system 320.
[0057] With regard to Figure 4, an exemplary light configuration data
structure 400 for
automatically controlling an illumination device to indicate information
pertaining to the real-
time status of agents and/or workstations of a contact center is depicted
according to
embodiments of the present invention. The light configuration data structure
400 is stored in
memory and can include a series of entries for controlling the illumination
device based on a
status 405, a color 410, and/or an effect 415. The status 405 describes an
event or status that
triggers the illumination device to display light using color 410 and/or
effect 415. Each agent
computer can display the corresponding visual effect in response to a query
sent by the
supervisor computer for a current status of the agent.
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[0058] In one example, a "hand raised" status indicates that an employee has
requested
assistance with a task such as satisfying a customer inquiry. When an agent
requests assistance
for example by selecting a "request assistance" button on a graphical user
interface displayed on
their workstation, the illumination device connected to their workstation will
emit a solid red
light for instance. When a floor supervisor acknowledges the request for
assistance, for example,
by selecting the agent's request for assistance on a graphical user interface,
the illumination
device coupled to the agent's workstation will emit a solid yellow light for
instance. Thereafter,
when the agent is assisted by the supervisor or assistance is no longer
needed, the illumination
device connected to the agent's workstation stops emitting light. In another
example, when a
workstation is available to be used by an agent, the illumination device
connected to the
workstation emits a solid green light. When the workstation becomes occupied,
the illumination
device stops emitting light. A blinking green light indicates that the
workstation is occupied but
locked by a user (e.g., during a break).
[0059] With regard to Figure 5, an exemplary light configuration 500 data
structure for
automatically controlling an illumination device to indicate information
pertaining to the status
of agents working at a contact center based on customizable conditions is
depicted according to
embodiments of the present invention. The status 505 describes an event or
status that triggers
the illumination device to display light when customizable condition 510 is
met using
customizable color/effect 515. The customizable condition 510 and customizable
color/effect
515 can be defined by a supervisor of the contact center and provided to
workstations of the
contact center for controlling illumination devices according to the light
configuration 500. The
condition 510 and color/effect 515 are customizable so that any threshold
(e.g., time threshold,
quantity threshold, performance threshold) and color or colors can be used.
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[0060] In one example, the light configuration 500 causes an illumination
device connected to a
workstation to turn orange for instance when the agent working at the
workstation is engaged in
a call or chat that is currently on hold. When the agent has been on hold for
more than a
predetermined period of time (e.g., 5 minutes), the illumination device blinks
orange for
instance. As another example, the illumination device connected to a
workstation will turn blue
for instance for 10 minutes when the agent working at the workstation has been
working for
more than 4 hours without taking a break. As another example, the illumination
device
connected to a workstation will blink red for 2 minutes for instance when the
agent working at
the workstation has been logged in for more than 4 hours without taking a
break. As another
example, the illumination device connected to a workstation will blink red
twice and then blink
blue twice for instance when the agent working at the workstation has logged
in to the
workstation but is not yet ready to begin working. Responsive to a supervisor
query sent to all
agents, the agent computers will automatically display their respective visual
effects to reflect
their real-time status.
[0061] With regard to Figure 6, an exemplary light configuration data
structure 600 for
automatically controlling an illumination device to indicate information
pertaining to
customizable performance metrics or thresholds for agents working at a contact
center is
depicted according to embodiments of the present invention. The customizable
condition 610
and customizable color/effect 615 can be defined by a supervisor of the
contact center and
provided to workstations of the contact center for controlling illumination
devices according to
the light configuration 600 depending on the real-time status of the
workstations. The condition
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610 and color/effect 615 are customizable so that any threshold (e.g., time
threshold, quantity
threshold, performance threshold) and color can be used.
[0062] In one example, software executed by a computer system of the contact
center such as a
server or supervisor computer system determines certain performance metrics
related to the
agents of the contact center, such as which agent has satisfied or completed
the highest number
of customer calls, chats, or inquiries. The software then sends a control
signal to the workstation
of the agent what has handled the highest number of calls to cause the
illumination device
connected to the agent's workstation to emit an orange strobe light, for
example. As another
example, the software can send a control signal to the workstation of the
first agent to resolve a
call at the contact center for a given day or time period to cause the
illumination device
connected to the agent's workstation to produce a multi-colored pattern or
gradient. As another
example, the software can send a control signal to the workstation of the
agent with the highest
customer satisfaction rating (e.g., based on customer satisfaction surveys) to
cause the LED
device connected to the agent's workstation to emit a blue strobe light. Based
on the color
and/or effect produced by the electronic illumination device, real-time status
information across
the contact center floor can be quickly obtained in response to viewing the
illuminated electronic
devices of the floor.
[0063] With regard to Figure 7, an exemplary sequence of computer-implemented
steps 700 for
automatically controlling an electronic illumination device to indicate real-
time information
(e.g., status or performance) of agents and/or workstations of a contact
center responsive to an
information request or query is depicted according to embodiments of the
present invention. At
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step 705, an information request is sent to the agent computer systems. The
information request
can include, for example, a request for how long an agent has been logged into
a computer
system, what software the computer system is executing, how long the agent has
been on hold, if
the agent has recently taken a break, the availability of a workstation,
performance metrics, etc.
At step 710, real-time status information is determined by the agent computer
systems responsive
to the information request. This may include all agents of the floor or just a
single agent. At step
715, a respective color and/or effect representative of the real-time status
information is
produced by electronic illumination devices coupled to an agent computer
system or from all
agent computers on the floor. Based on the color and/or effect produced by the
electronic
illumination devices, real-time status information across the contact center
can be readily
obtained by a floor manager or supervisor in response to viewing the
illuminated electronic
devices.
[0064] With regard to Figure 8, an exemplary sequence of computer-implemented
steps 800 for
automatically controlling an illumination device to indicate the status of an
agent of a contact
center is depicted according to embodiments of the present invention. At step
805, real-time
status information is determined by an agent computer system. The real-time
status can indicate
real-time performance or activity information associated with the agent, or
indicate that a
respective agent of a contact center requires assistance (e.g., hand raised).
At step 810, the real-
time status information determined in step 805 is compared to the criteria of
a light configuration
that may be stored in memory as a file or data structure. At step 815, a
respective color (e.g.,
red) representative of the real-time status information determined by the
associated agent
computer system is illuminated using an electronic illumination device
according to the criteria
CA 3058956 2019-10-16
of the light configuration file. The real-time status information (e.g., hand
raised) is
conveniently and efficiently obtained across the contact center in response to
viewing the
illuminated electronic devices without requiring access to a separate device
or user interface.
[0065] According to some embodiments, a function is performed includes
providing assistance
to agents requesting assistance based on the status information viewed. The
function can further
include selecting an agent to assist and clearing the hand raised status of
the agent requesting
assistance. Moreover, steps 800 can include changing the respective color
(e.g., yellow) of the
electronic illumination device responsive to the agent receiving assistance,
or turning the
electronic illumination device off
EXEMPLARY COMPUTER SYSTEM
[0066] Embodiments of the present invention are drawn to electronic systems
for automatically
controlling an illumination device to indicate information pertaining to
workstations or agents of
a customer contact center. Some embodiments are useful in the context of
employee
management to indicate information about tasks that employees are engaged in,
the performance
of the employees, and the status of an employee or workstation, using an
illumination device.
The following discussion describes one such exemplary electronic system or
computer system
can be used as a platform for implementing embodiments of the present
invention.
[0067] In the example of Figure 9, the exemplary computer system 912 (e.g., an
agent system or
supervisor system) includes a central processing unit (CPU) 901 for running
software
applications and optionally an operating system. Random access memory 902 and
read-only
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memory 903 store applications and data for use by the CPU 901. Data storage
device 904
provides non-volatile storage for applications and data and may include fixed
disk drives,
removable disk drives, flash memory devices, and CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other
optical
storage devices. The optional user inputs 906 and 907 comprise devices that
communicate
inputs from one or more users to the computer system 912 (e.g., mice,
joysticks, cameras, touch
screens, and/or microphones).
[0068] A communication or network interface 908 allows the computer system 912
to
communicate with other computer systems, networks, or devices via an
electronic
communications network, including wired and/or wireless communication such as
USB or
Bluetooth, and including an Intranet or the Internet (e.g., 802.11 wireless
standard). The optional
display device 910 may be any device capable of displaying visual information
in response to a
signal from the computer system 912 and may include a flat panel touch
sensitive display, for
example. The components of the computer system 912, including the CPU 901,
memory
902/903, data storage 904, user input devices 906, and graphics subsystem 905
may be coupled
via one or more data buses 900.
[0069] In the embodiment of Figure 9, an optional graphics sub-system 905 may
be coupled with
the data bus and the components of the computer system 912. The graphics
system may
comprise a physical graphics processing unit (GPU) 905 and graphics/video
memory. GPU 905
may include one or more rasterizers, transformation engines, and geometry
engines, and
generates pixel data from rendering commands to create output images. The
physical GPU 905
can be configured as multiple virtual GPUs that may be used in parallel (e.g.,
concurrently) by a
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number of applications or processes executing in parallel, or multiple
physical GPUs may be
used simultaneously. Graphics sub-system 905 outputs display data to optional
display device
910. The display device 910 may be communicatively coupled to the graphics
subsystem 905
using HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, VGA, etc.
[0070] The communication or network interface 908 can be used to power and/or
control an
electronic illumination device 914 using the computer system 912 and to
communicate with
other computer systems, networks, or devices via an electronic communications
network,
including wired and/or wireless communication such as USB or Bluetooth, and
including an
Intranet or the Internet (e.g., 802.11 wireless standard). The communication
or network
interface 908 can also be used to receive and respond to information requests
sent from a
supervisor or monitor system, and the computer system 912 can control the
electronic
illumination device 914 responsive to the information request. Moreover, the
computer system
912 can store light configuration files or data structures in memory (e.g.,
RAM 902) for defining
conditions and effects used to control electronic illumination device 914. In
this way, the
electronic illumination device 914 can be advantageously used to indicate
information (e.g., real-
time status or activity) to a floor supervisor at a glance while the floor
supervisor is monitoring
the floor without having to access a separate device to view the content of
graphical user
interface.
[0071] Some embodiments may be described in the general context of computer-
executable
instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or
other devices.
Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components,
data structures,
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etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data
types. Typically the
functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired
in various
embodiments.
[0072] Embodiments of the present invention are thus described. While the
present invention
has been described in particular embodiments, it should be appreciated that
the present invention
should not be construed as limited by such embodiments, but rather construed
according to the
following claims.
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