Agent behaviour isn’t always perfectly aligned with the needs of the call center. An example of this is agent logout from the call center software. This is something that comes up from time to time. How do we make sure that agents who are logged in are actually available and working, and that agents who have gone for the day are logged out?
There are a few reasons we want to have agent sessions end appropriately. The obvious one is agent time tracking. If we are tracking agent time from login to logout, it’s a meaningless metric if agents just get up from their seats and leave at the end of their shift. In that case we can usually look at the agent states and determine when the actual time of effective work ended within a reasonable time range.
Sometimes incorrect logout causes other issues. In the case of call center software where there is monthly usage licensing in place, or a licensing capacity constraint, it’s important to make sure that those who are not working get logged out in favour of those who are actually present.
Unfortunately there’s not a magic bullet for this issue. I once had to explain to a potential client that the software had no way to tell if an agent was actually in their seat. Short of a sensor in the chair (which could be confounded by a backpack full of books, undoubtedly), the system can only tell that the phone is ready, the agent has indicated their current status, and that a call may come in. Testing with automatic timeouts turned out not to work in slower inbound workflows. Having automatic pingbacks to make sure the agent screen was still open encountered timing issues with browsers executing javascript differently in browser tabs that did not have focus.
Ultimately, there are three methods that have stood the test of time for making sure that agents who are logged out are logged out correctly:
- Ensuring the agent logs out correctly. In any reasonable call center software, a successful logout should be no more than a couple of clicks away after successful wrapup of a call (or from an idle or wait state). We have found that newer agents haven’t always gotten the same level of training as previous agents, and don’t know the correct procedure. Agent training can help with this.
- Floor supervisors can help by looking around and logging out any agents who are not present and who are not expected to be working. Obviously this one can be very call center dependent. It’s then incumbent on the software to make sure that agent names, current state, length of time in said state, etc., are all available to allow the supervisor to make the correct decision.
- Making sure that the previous session is closed the next time an agent logs in. If the agent has just logged in, we can presume they are done with their previous session. While this may seem a bit obvious to point out, in cases where agents are expected to log out between calling sessions during the same shift, sessions can begin to pile up if automatic logout did not occur.
It’s also often the case that a simple set of business rules can be determined for a call center, allowing for an automated solution that matches the needs of the call center to be quickly constructed using existing APIs.
Agents can help. If they are aware of the proper procedures and the importance of following them, adherence to correct login and logout practices can rise dramatically. This helps reporting, licensing, and the overall management of your call center.