Method and apparatus to promote adoption of an automated communication channel

• US 10,182,149 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2015
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nandi, Prabir, Devarapalli, Sanjeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US14/933,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20170134570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention

Abstract

A method, non-transitory computer-readable storage device, and apparatus for promoting adoption of an automated communication channel. For example, the method collects data from a plurality of communication channels related to a plurality of touchpoints, determines at least one journey from the plurality of touchpoints, determines a current state of a user for the at least one journey, determines that a next touchpoint for the at least one journey leads to a human interaction from the current state, and interacts with an endpoint device of the user via an automated communication channel.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

collecting, by a processor, data from a plurality of communication channels related to a plurality of touchpoints of user interactions with a network service provider;

determining, by the processor, at least one journey from the plurality of touchpoints, the at least one journey comprising a subset of the plurality of the touchpoints and a destination;

determining, by the processor, a current state of a user for the at least one journey, the current state being a touchpoint of the at least one journey that the user has just reached or has completed;

determining, by the processor, that a next touchpoint from the current state for the at least one journey leads to a human interaction, wherein the human interaction is an interaction between the user and a live agent of the network service provider; and

interacting, by the processor, solely in response to the determining that the next touchpoint leads to the human interaction, with an endpoint device of the user via an automated communication channel as an alternative to the next touchpoint for the at least one journey that leads to the human interaction, wherein the interacting with the endpoint device of the user via the automated communication channel comprises a different touchpoint leading to the destination, wherein the automated communication channel does not require a real time interaction with the live agent, wherein the automated communication channel comprises;

using a mobile application, using a website to perform a transaction, using an interactive voice response system, or using a messaging service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is employed by the network service provider.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the network service provider provides at least one of:

a communication service, a data service, or a multimedia service.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a modification is to be applied to one of the plurality of touchpoints.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

applying the modification to a parameter of the one of the plurality of touchpoints when the modification is determined to be applied.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the modification comprises at least one of:

a prohibition operation, a training operation or a forwarding operation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one journey comprise at least one of:

a billing journey, an order journey, or a service journey.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

collecting data from a plurality of communication channels related to a plurality of touchpoints of user interactions with a network service provider;

determining at least one journey from the plurality of touchpoints, the at least one journey comprising a subset of the plurality of the touchpoints and a destination;

determining a current state of a user for the at least one journey, the current state being a touchpoint of the at least one journey that the user has just reached or has completed;

determining that a next touchpoint from the current state for the at least one journey leads to a human interaction, wherein the human interaction is an interaction between the user and a live agent of the network service provider; and

interacting, in response solely to the determining that the next touchpoint leads to the human interaction, with an endpoint device of the user via an automated communication channel as an alternative to the next touchpoint for the at least one journey that leads to the human interaction, wherein the interacting with the endpoint device of the user via the automated communication channel comprises a different touchpoint leading to the destination, wherein the automated communication channel does not require a real time interaction with the live agent, wherein the automated communication channel comprises;

using a mobile application, using a website to perform a transaction, using an interactive voice response system, or using a messaging service.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the processor is employed by the network service provider.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the network service provider provides at least one of:

a communication service, a data service, or a multimedia service.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

determining whether a modification is to be applied to one of the plurality of touchpoints.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

applying the modification to a parameter of the one of the plurality of touchpoints when the modification is determined to be applied.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the modification comprises at least one of:

a prohibition operation, a training operation or a forwarding operation.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the at least one journey comprises at least one of:

a billing journey, an order journey, or a service journey.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage device storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

collecting data from a plurality of communication channels related to a plurality of touchpoints of user interactions with a network service provider;

determining at least one journey from the plurality of touchpoints, the at least one journey comprising a subset of the plurality of the touchpoints and a destination;

determining a current state of a user for the at least one journey, the current state being a touchpoint of the at least one journey that the user has just reached or has completed;

determining that a next touchpoint from the current state for the at least one journey leads to a human interaction, wherein the human interaction is an interaction between the user and a live agent of the network service provider; and

interacting, in response solely to the determining that the next touchpoint leads to the human interaction, with an endpoint device of the user via an automated communication channel as an alternative to the next touchpoint for the at least one journey that leads to the human interaction, wherein the interacting with the endpoint device of the user via the automated communication channel comprises a different touchpoint leading to the destination, wherein the automated communication channel does not require a real time interaction with the live agent, wherein the automated communication channel comprises;

using a mobile application, using a website to perform a transaction, using an interactive voice response system, or using a messaging service.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is employed by the network service provider.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the network service provider provides at least one of:

a communication service, a data service, or a multimedia service.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

determining whether a modification is to be applied to one of the plurality of touchpoints.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

applying the modification to a parameter of the one of the plurality of touchpoints when the modification is determined to be applied.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the modification comprises at least one of:

a prohibition operation, a training operation or a forwarding operation.