System and method for escalating a call with a client

• US 10,165,120 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASD Limited (Klöckner & Co SE)
• Original Assignee: ASD Limited (Klöckner & Co SE)
• Inventors: Czachor, Jr., Martin, Czachor, Kevin, Franke, Norman, Foster, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S
• Application Number:
  US14/853,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20170078485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 37921201, 37926501, 37926514
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80

Abstract

To respond to a call from a client to an organization, the call is directed to a lower-level agent associated with the organization for answering thereby. The lower-level agent employs a computing system of the organization, where the computing system includes an actuation device for initiating contact with a higher-level agent of the organization if it is determined that the calling client is calling regarding a matter worthy of escalation from the lower-level agent to the higher-level agent. A selection from the lower-level agent is received during the call of the actuation device to escalate the call from the lower-level agent to the higher-level agent, and in response to the received selection of the actuation device the call is escalated from the lower-level agent to the higher level agent.

Claims

1. A method of responding to a call from a client to an organization, the method comprising:

directing the call to a lower-level agent associated with the organization for answering thereby, the lower-level agent employing a computing system of the organization, the computing system including a processor, a memory, an inputting device, and a display, the computing system further including an actuation device for initiating contact with a upper-level agent of the organization if it is determined that the calling client is calling regarding a matter worthy of escalation from the lower-level agent to the upper-level agent, the actuation device being instantiated in the memory of the computing system by the processor thereof and displayed to the lower-level agent at the display of the computing system;

receiving at the computing system by way of the inputting device thereof a selection from the lower-level agent, during the call, of the actuation device to escalate the call from the lower-level agent to the upper-level agent; and

escalating by way of the computing system the call from the lower-level agent to the upper-level agent in response to the received selection of the actuation device, the escalating comprising the computing system communicatively coupling the upper-level agent with the calling client, the communicatively coupling including;

initially placing the upper-level agent in a mute mode so that the upper-level agent can hear the calling client and the lower-level agent but cannot be heard thereby;

notifying the lower-level agent that the upper-level agent is listening by way of the display of the computing system and allowing the lower-level agent to notify the calling client that the upper-level agent may be currently available to speak with the calling client;

receiving by way of the inputting device a selection from the lower-level agent to remove the mute mode from the upper-level agent to allow the calling client and upper-level agent to speak directly, and in response thereto removing the mute mode,

the method further comprising, upon the computing system receiving the selection of the actuation device from the lower-level agent to escalate to call from the lower-level agent to the upper-level agent;

showing to the lower-level agent in the display a list of upper-level agents;

allowing the lower-level agent to select one of the upper-level agents in the shown list; and

receiving from the lower-level agent the selected one of the upper-level agents in the shown list,

the method comprising escalating the call from the lower-level agent to the selected one of the upper-level agents.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the lower-level agent has a lesser perceived status within the organization as compared with the upper-level agent.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent answering the call from the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent answering the call from the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script for collecting and storing information regarding the call from the client according to a branching arrangement where different answers to a previous question branch to different next questions.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent answering the call from the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script for ascertaining a purpose of the call from the client and servicing a need of the client at least as much as the lower-level agent is capable of doing so.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent answering the call from the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script having therein at least one trigger point, each trigger point if encountered directing the agent to escalate the call to be further handled by a upper-level agent, the trigger point representing a determination that the call from the client requires the attention of the upper-level agent.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent answering the call from the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script having therein at least one trigger point, each trigger point if encountered directing the agent to escalate the call to be further handled by a upper-level agent, the trigger point representing a determination that the call from the client requires the attention of the upper-level agent, the method further comprising encountering the trigger point and in response thereto displaying a command to the lower-level agent that the call should be escalated.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent answering the call from the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script having therein at least one trigger point, each trigger point if encountered directing the agent to escalate the call to be further handled by a upper-level agent, the trigger point representing a determination that the call from the client requires the attention of the upper-level agent, the method further comprising encountering the trigger point and in response thereto displaying a command to the lower-level agent that the call should be escalated, the displayed command including indicia of the upper-level agent to which the call is to be escalated, where the lower-level agent can inform the client regarding same.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent answering the call from the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script having therein at least one trigger point, each trigger point if encountered directing the agent to escalate the call to be further handled by a upper-level agent, the trigger point representing a determination that the call from the client requires the attention of the upper-level agent, the method comprising receiving the selection from the lower-level agent of the actuation device independently of any trigger point in the script.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein escalating the call comprises:

allowing the lower-level agent to inform the client regarding the escalation of the call;

contacting the upper-level agent while the call with the client is in progress;

transmitting to the upper-level agent information relating to the call with the client;

connecting the contacted upper-level agent with the client and allowing the connected upper-level agent to speak with the client; and

allowing the lower-level agent to withdraw from the call after the upper-level agent has been connected to the client.

11. A method of initiating a call from an organization to a client, the method comprising:

directing the call to a lower-level agent associated with the organization for initially speaking with the client, the lower-level agent employing a computing system of the organization, the computing system including a processor, a memory, an inputting device, and a display, the computing system further including an actuation device for initiating contact with a upper-level agent of the organization if it is determined that the call to the client is worthy of escalation from the lower-level agent to the upper-level agent, the actuation device being instantiated in the memory of the computing system by the processor thereof and displayed to the lower-level agent at the display of the computing system;

receiving at the computing system by way of the inputting device thereof a selection from the lower-level agent, during the call, of the actuation device to escalate the call from the lower-level agent to the upper-level agent; and

escalating by way of the computing system the call from the lower-level agent to the upper-level agent in response to the received selection of the actuation device, the escalating comprising the computing system communicatively coupling the upper-level agent with the client, the communicatively coupling including;

initially placing the upper-level agent in a mute mode so that the upper-level agent can hear the client and the lower-level agent but cannot be heard thereby;

notifying the lower-level agent that the upper-level agent is listening by way of the display of the computing system and allowing the lower-level agent to notify the client that the upper-level agent may be currently available to speak with the client;

receiving by way of the inputting device a selection from the lower-level agent to remove the mute mode from the upper-level agent to allow the client and upper-level agent to speak directly, and in response thereto removing the mute mode,

the method further comprising, upon the computing system receiving the selection of the actuation device from the lower-level agent to escalate to call from the lower-level agent to the upper-level agent;

showing to the lower-level agent in the display a list of upper-level agents;

allowing the lower-level agent to select one of the upper-level agents in the shown list; and

receiving from the lower-level agent the selected one of the upper-level agents in the shown list,

the method comprising escalating the call from the lower-level agent to the selected one of the upper-level agents.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the lower-level agent has a lesser perceived status within the organization as compared with the upper-level agent.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent speaking to the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent speaking to the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script for collecting and storing information regarding the call from the client according to a branching arrangement where different answers to a previous question branch to different next questions.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent speaking to the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script for handling the call with the client at least as much as the lower-level agent is capable of doing so.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent speaking to the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script having therein at least one trigger point, each trigger point if encountered directing the agent to escalate the call to be further handled by a upper-level agent, the trigger point representing a determination that the call with the client requires the attention of the upper-level agent.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent speaking to the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script having therein at least one trigger point, each trigger point if encountered directing the agent to escalate the call to be further handled by a upper-level agent, the trigger point representing a determination that the call with the client requires the attention of the upper-level agent, the method further comprising encountering the trigger point and in response thereto displaying a command to the lower-level agent that the call should be escalated.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent speaking to the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script having therein at least one trigger point, each trigger point if encountered directing the agent to escalate the call to be further handled by a upper-level agent, the trigger point representing a determination that the call with the client requires the attention of the upper-level agent, the method further comprising encountering the trigger point and in response thereto displaying a command to the lower-level agent that the call should be escalated, the displayed command including indicia of the upper-level agent to which the call is to be escalated, where the lower-level agent can inform the client regarding same.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying to the lower-level agent speaking to the client a predetermined script selected for at least one of the call, the client, and the lower-level agent, the script having therein at least one trigger point, each trigger point if encountered directing the agent to escalate the call to be further handled by a upper-level agent, the trigger point representing a determination that the call with the client requires the attention of the upper-level agent, the method comprising receiving the selection from the lower-level agent of the actuation device independently of any trigger point in the script.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein escalating the call comprises:

allowing the lower-level agent to inform the client regarding the escalation of the call;

contacting the upper-level agent while the call with the client is in progress;

transmitting to the upper-level agent information relating to the call with the client;

connecting the contacted upper-level agent with the client and allowing the connected upper-level agent to speak with the client; and

allowing the lower-level agent to withdraw from the call after the upper-level agent has been connected to the client.