Management of agent sessions for omnichannel predictive outbound

• US 10,477,018 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2017
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Connor, Neil, Mishra, Amit, Ezell, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoque, Nafiz E
• Application Number:
  US15/847,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20190191031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/16 Sequence circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/558 Databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5141 Details of processing calls and other types of contacts in an unified manner unified messaging in packet-switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

As “call centers” continue to be replaced with omnichannel contact centers, managing a plurality of simultaneous media channels becomes more important. Contacting a customer on one channel and, at the customer or agent'"'"'s request, initiating a second channel that delays the interaction will having limited acceptance and, in some jurisdictions, may be illegal. By nailing-up an agent half-communication with a number of channels, agents maintain a perpetual connection comprising an agent half-communication to a server, such as one serving as a media anchor point, share point, etc. The customer half-connection is established to a server and the agent, already connected, is joined. As a result, the customer experiences a greatly reduced delay between the time they answer and being greeted by an agent, regardless of the media type or types utilized.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a network interface;

a data storage;

a processor, having access to the data storage and network interface; and

the processor;

accesses a first record maintained in the data storage comprising a connection address for each of a plurality of media type-specific connections for an agent endpoint;

accesses a second record maintained in the data storage comprising a customer address for each of the plurality of media type-specific connections;

establishes, via the network interface, an agent half-connection, the agent half-connection being a connection between the agent endpoint and the processor utilizing each of the plurality of media type-specific connections;

initiate, via the network interface, a customer half-connection via initiating contact with a customer device utilizing the customer address for one of the plurality of media type-specific connections;

upon establishing the customer half-connection for one of the plurality of media-specific connections, joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection comprising the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections; and

upon joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection, joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection comprising another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections different from the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor, receives a signal from at least one of the agent endpoint or the customer device indicating a desire to add the another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections, prior to joining the customer half-connection comprising another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection further comprises joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection comprising another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor disconnects the joined agent half-connection and client half-connection comprises disconnecting the client half-connection while maintaining the connection between the agent endpoint and the processor utilizing each of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein, upon a fault in the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections, reconnecting at least one of agent half-connection or the client half connection for the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor initiates the customer half-connection via initiating contact with the customer device utilizing the customer address for the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections, further comprising simultaneously imitating contact with the customer device utilizing the customer the address for another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein, upon establishing the customer half-connection comprising at least the one or the another of the plurality of media-specific connections, joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection comprising the at least the one or the another of the plurality of media-specific connections.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein, upon establishing the customer half-connection comprising at least the one or the another of the plurality of media-specific connections, establishing the customer half-connection further comprising the other of the one or the another of the plurality of media-specific connections.

9. A method, comprising:

accessing, by a processor with access to a network interface and a data storage, a first record maintained in the data storage comprising a connection address for each of a plurality of media type-specific connections for an agent endpoint;

accessing a second record maintained in the data storage comprising a customer address for each of the plurality of media type-specific connections establishing an agent half-connection, the agent half-connection being a connection between the agent endpoint and the processor utilizing each of the plurality of media type-specific connections;

initiating a customer half-connection via initiating contact with a customer device utilizing the customer address for one of the plurality of media type-specific connections;

upon establishing the customer half-connection for one of the plurality of media-specific connections, joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection comprising the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections; and

upon joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection, joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection comprising another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections different from the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a signal from at least one of the agent endpoint or the customer device indicating a desire to add the another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections; and

in response to the signal, joining the customer half-connection comprising another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection further comprises joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection comprising another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

disconnecting the joined agent half-connection and client half-connection comprising disconnecting the client half-connection while maintaining the connection between the agent endpoint and the processor utilizing each of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a fault in the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections; and

reconnecting at least one of agent half-connection or the client half connection for the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein initiating, by the processor, the customer half-connection via initiating contact with the customer device utilizing the customer address for the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections, further comprising simultaneously imitating contact with the customer device utilizing the customer the address for another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

15. A system, comprising:

a network interface;

a data storage;

a processor, having access to the data storage and network interface; and

the processor;

accesses a first record maintained in the data storage comprising a connection address for each of a plurality of media type-specific connections for an agent endpoint;

accesses a second record maintained in the data storage comprising a customer address for each of the plurality of media type-specific connections

establishes, via the network interface, an agent half-connection, the agent half-connection being a connection between the agent endpoint and the processor utilizing each of the plurality of media type-specific connections;

maintaining, the agent half-connection, via a persistent connection with a media service, between the agent endpoint and the processor for each of the plurality of media type-specific connections;

initiating, via the network interface, a customer half-connection via initiating contact with a customer device utilizing the customer address for one of the plurality of media type-specific connections;

upon establishing the customer half-connection for one of the plurality of media-specific connections, joining the agent half-connection, via the persistent connection, with the customer half-connection comprising the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections; and

upon joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection, joining the agent half-connection with the customer half-connection comprising another one of the plurality of media type-specific connections different from the one of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the media service comprises a first media service, maintaining the persistent connection between the agent endpoint and the processor for one of the plurality of media type-specific connections and a second media service, maintaining the persistent connection between the agent endpoint and the processor for the other of the plurality of media type-specific connections.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor disconnects the joined agent half-connection and client half-connection comprises disconnecting the client half-connection while maintaining the persistent connection.