Social messaging hold and wait treatment systems

• US 10,425,363 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2016
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Skiba, David, Klemm, Reinhard, Tendick, Patrick, Erhart, George W., Ju, Wen-Hua
• Primary Examiner(s): Addy, Thjuan K
• Application Number:
  US15/289,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20180103149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 37926509, 3792661, 37926505, 37926501, 37926511
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/558 Databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking messaging within social networks H04L51/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention

Abstract

Systems are provided to manage pauses, including on-hold, conditions in communications, such as text-based communications. Users may be provided with messages at a pace that, among other things, allows a particular cadence of messages to be maintained, even if a reply has been created. Accordingly, resources of a contact center may be better allocated to other matters requiring attention without causing undue customer dissatisfaction or the burden of handling additional messages. While voice-based “hold” conditions may be managed with messages or music on hold, text-based communications may be managed with social messaging content and/or comfort messages.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor to;

access a communication between a customer of a contact center and a first agent of the contact center, wherein the communication is associated with a work item of the contact center, and wherein the communication comprises a plurality of messages;

identify at least one of the plurality of message as a comfort message devoid of content related to the work item, the comfort message having been inserted into the communication by a component of the contact center, and wherein the comfort message is provided to the customer; and

cause the data storage device to maintain a transcription of the communication absent the comfort message.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display device associated with a second agent; and

wherein the work item is transferred to the second agent, the display device presents the transcription of the communication absent the comfort message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor causes the data storage device to maintain the transcription of the communication absent the comfort message, further comprising:

the processor causes the data storage device to store the transcription of the communication including the comfort message; and

the processor, upon determining the comfort message is older than a previously determined age, causes the data storage device to remove the comfort message.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor causes the storage device to maintain indicia of the comfort message.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor causes the storage device to maintain indicia of the comfort message separately from the transcription.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first agent is an automated agent.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor, upon determining the first agent has been silent on the communication for longer than a previously determined threshold, causes the comfort message to be automatically inserted into the communication.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor, upon determining the first agent has been silent on the communication for longer than a previously determined threshold, prompts the first agent to insert the comfort message into the communication.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor identifies the at least one of the plurality of messages as the comfort message, upon determining the first agent set an indicator of a comfort message associated with the at least one of the plurality of messages.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor identifies the at least one of the plurality of messages as the comfort message, upon determining content of the at least one of the plurality of messages is devoid of content within a domain associated with the work item.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of messages comprises textual messages.

12. A method comprising:

accessing, by a processor, a communication between a customer of a contact center and a first agent of the contact center, wherein the communication is associated with a work item of the contact center, and wherein the communication comprises a plurality of messages;

identifying, by the processor, at least one of the plurality of messages as a comfort message devoid of content related to the work item, the comfort message having been inserted into the communication by a component of the contact center, and wherein the comfort message is provided to the customer; and

causing, by the processor, the data storage device to maintain a transcription of the communication absent the comfort message.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transferring the work time from the first agent to a second agent; and

presenting, on a display device associated with the second agent, the transcription of the communication absent the comfort message.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein causing the data storage device to maintain the transcription of the communication absent the comfort message, further comprising:

causing, by the processor, the data storage device to store the transcription of the communication including the comfort message; and

upon determining the comfort message is older than a previously determined age, causing, by the processor, the data storage device to remove the comfort message.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising causing, by the processor, the storage device to maintain indicia of the comfort message.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising, upon determining the first agent has been silent on the communication for longer than a previously determined threshold, causing, by the processor, the comfort message to be automatically inserted into the communication.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the at least one of the plurality of messages as the comfort message, further comprises, identifying, by the processor, the at least one of the plurality of messages is devoid of content within a domain associated with the work item.

20. The system of claim 12, the means to cause the data storage device to maintain the transcription of the communication absent the comfort message, further comprise:

means to cause the data storage device to store the transcription of the communication including the comfort message; and

upon determining the comfort message is older than a previously determined age, causing, by the processor, means to cause the data storage device to remove the comfort message.

18. A system, comprising:

means to access, by a processor, a communication between a customer of a contact center and a first agent of the contact center, wherein the communication is associated with a work item of the contact center, and wherein the communication comprises a plurality of messages;

means to identify, by a processor, at least one of the plurality of messages as a comfort message devoid of content related to the work item, the comfort message having been inserted into the communication by a component of the contact center, and wherein the comfort message is provided to the customer; and

means to cause, by the processor, the data storage device to maintain a transcription of the communication absent the comfort message.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

upon determining the first agent has been silent on the communication for longer than a previously determined threshold, means to causes the comfort message to be automatically inserted into the communication.