Aural communication status indications provided to an agent in a contact center

• US 10,021,245 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2017
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Noble Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Koster, Karl H., Villarinho, Guilherme
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US15/583,152
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 37926509
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/256 comprising a service specific user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/258 Service state indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/403 Agent or workforce training
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5133 Operator terminal details

Abstract

A communications handler determines an appropriate contact center agent to receive an incoming communication session. Communication session indicators provide status information to the agent, both aurally and visually, for the various communication sessions. The communication sessions include voice and non-voice channel types, wherein the non-voice channel types comprise chat sessions, text sessions, and email sessions. The agent may receive an aural notification indication related to the status of a non-voice communication sessions, as well as a voice communication session. The aural notifications are provided using a whisper bridge, which ensures only the agent hears the aural notification and any remote party connected to a current voice communication session will not hear the aural notification. Provision of an aural notification to the agent allows the agent to focus on other portions of the screen display, and provides flexibility in informing the agent of communication session status changes.

Claims

1. A method for providing communication session status indications comprising visual status information and audible status information to an agent in a contact center, comprising:

allocating a voice communication session to the agent by a communications handler, wherein the agent is in voice communication with a remote party using a workstation comprising a computer display and a phone device;

displaying on the computer display used by the agent the visual status information of the voice communication session;

displaying on the computer display used by the agent non-voice communication session status information about a change in status of a non-voice communication session allocated to the agent involving a second remote party while the agent is in voice communication with the remote party; and

providing the audible status information to the agent using the phone device about the change in the status to the non-voice communication session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audible status information is provided to the agent to hear on the phone device used for the voice communication session, but wherein the audible status information is not provided to the remote party of the voice communication session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audible status information is non-linguistic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the status of the non-voice communication session is the allocation of the non-voice communication session to the agent.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the status of the non-voice communication session is the termination of the non-voice communication session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the status of the non-voice communication session is an indication of a response required by the agent on the non-voice communication session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the status of the non-voice communication session is the provision of a response by the second remote party associated with the non-voice communication session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the audible status information is linguistic information provided by a text-to-speech generator.

9. A system for providing communication session status indications comprising visual status information and audible status information to an agent in a contact center, comprising:

a communications handler comprising a processor configured to;

allocate a voice communication session to the agent, wherein the agent is in voice communication with a remote party using a workstation comprising a computer display and a phone device;

cause to be displayed on the computer display used by the agent the visual status information of the voice communication session;

cause to be displayed on the computer display used by the agent non-voice communication session status information about a change in status of a non-voice communication session allocated to the agent involving a second remote party while the agent is in voice communication with the remote party; and

cause to be provided the audible status information to the agent using the phone device about the change in the status to the non-voice communication session.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor in the communications handler is further configured to:

cause the audible status information to be provided to the agent on the phone device used for the voice communication session, but wherein the audible status information is not provided to the remote party of the voice communication session.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the audible status information is non-linguistic.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the change in the status of the non-voice communication session is the allocation of the non-voice communication session to the agent.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the change in the status of the non-voice communication session is the termination of the non-voice communication session.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the change in the status of the non-voice communication session is an indication of a response required by the agent on the non-voice communication session.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the change in the status of the non-voice communication session is the provision of a response by the second remote party associated with the non-voice communication session.

16. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a speech-to-text generator configured to provide the audible status information is linguistic information.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a computer processor cause the computer processor to:

allocate a first voice communication session to an agent in a contact center, wherein the agent is in voice communication with a remote party using a workstation comprising a computer display and a phone device;

cause to be displayed on the computer display used by the agent communication session status indication comprising visual status information of the first voice communication session;

cause to be displayed on the computer display used by the agent non-voice communication session status information about a change in status of a non-voice communication session allocated to the agent involving a second remote party while the agent is in voice communication with the remote party; and

cause to be provided to the agent using the phone device audible status information about the change in the status of the non-voice communication session.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to:

cause the audible status information to be provided to the agent on the phone device used for the voice communication session, but wherein the audible status information is not provided to the remote party of the voice communication session.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to:

cause an initial audible status information to be provided to the agent using the phone device indicating allocation of a second voice communication session to the agent after the first voice communication session has ended.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the change in the status of the non-voice communication session is an indication of a response required by the agent on the non-voice communication session.