Stranded asset management in customer service call centers

• US 10,535,072 B1
• Filed: 11/05/2018
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Le Chevalier, Vincent, Rao, Abhijit
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N.
• Application Number:
  US16/180,668
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 37921001, 37926501, 37926502, 37926503, 37926504, 37926505, 37926506, 379 26, 379 507, 37926508, 37926509, 3792651, 37926511, 37926512, 37926513, 37926514, 37926601, 37926602, 37926603, 37926604, 37926605, 37926606, 37926607, 379 608, 37926609, 3792661
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2077 Call queuing apart from automatic call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A method, system and computer-readable storage medium provide for managing stranded assets of a customer service call center. The system includes an interface component that identifies an opportunity event of an established customer service session initiated by a user that is in a waiting queue for a customer service representative. The system includes an ingestion component that ingests one or more characteristics of the opportunity event that characterize at least one of: (i) the identity of the user; (ii) subject of the established customer service session; and (iii) situational context of the user. The system includes a correlation component that correlates the one or more ingested characteristics and an estimated duration of the waiting queue with at least one transaction-related content item. The system includes a publishing component that publishes a selected transaction-related content item via the established customer service session to the user while in the waiting queue.

Claims

1. A method for managing stranded assets of a customer service call center, the method comprising:

identifying an opportunity event of an established customer service session initiated by a user that is in a waiting queue for a customer service representative;

ingesting one or more characteristics of the opportunity event;

correlating the one or more ingested characteristics with at least one transaction-related content item;

publishing a selected transaction-related content item via the established customer service session to the user while in the waiting queue;

ingesting the one or more characteristics of the opportunity event that characterize the identity of the user;

locating a profile associated with the identity of the user;

selecting at least one or more characteristics from the profile based on demographic categories of the user and historical transactions performed by the user; and

correlating the at least one or more characteristics from the profile to the one or more transaction-related content items,

wherein artificial intelligence schemes are utilized to complete one or more of the above actions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the artificial intelligence schemes employ probabilistic or statistical analysis to prognose or infer action that a user desires to be automatically performed.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the established customer service session comprises an audiovisual session; and

in response to determining that the session is an audiovisual session, correlating the one or more ingested characteristics with at least one audiovisual transaction-related content item.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the established customer service session comprises a voice session; and

in response to determining that the session is an audiovisual session, correlating the one or more ingested characteristics with at least one audio transaction-related content item.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the established customer service session comprises a textual chat session; and

in response to determining that the session is an audiovisual session, correlating the one or more ingested characteristics with at least one transaction-related content item that is browser streamable.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising ingesting the one or more characteristics of the opportunity event that characterize the subject of the established customer service session by one of:

(i) receiving a user-input reason for the customer service session; and

(ii) associating an identity of the customer service call center with a particular type of good and service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising ingesting the one or more characteristics of the opportunity event that characterize the situational context of the user by:

determining one or more of;

(i) a location of the user;

(ii) a time of day at the location of the user; and

correlating the one or more transaction-related content items that are currently available at the location of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a control affordance to the user via the customer service session to indicate interest in the transaction-related content item; and

in response to receiving an affirmative response to the control affordance by the user;

identifying a communication address of the user; and

transmitting a transaction inquiry to the communication address of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an estimated duration of the waiting queue; and

filtering a selection of one or more transaction-related content items to fit within the waiting queue.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the waiting queue is ending; and

communicating instructions pertaining to the published transaction-related content item to a customer service user interface associated with a customer service representative assigned to the customer service session.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that an advertising fee is associated with a selected transaction-related content item;

requesting the advertising fee in response to completion of the publishing of the selected transaction-related content item.

12. A system of managing stranded assets of a customer service call center, the system comprising:

an interface component that identifies an opportunity event of an established customer service session initiated by a user that is in a waiting queue for a customer service representative;

an ingestion component that ingests one or more characteristics of the opportunity event that characterize at least one of;

(i) the identity of the user;

(ii) a subject of the established customer service session; and

(iii) a situational context of the user;

a correlation component that correlates the one or more ingested characteristics and an estimated duration of the waiting queue with at least one transaction-related content item; and

a publishing component that publishes a selected transaction-related content item via the established customer service session to the user while in the waiting queue, wherein the correlation component processes properties of the opportunity event related to the communication session and correlates the processed properties to rules that correspond to a particular call center, product information, or service information,

wherein the interface component composes higher level events from a set of events or data

a location component that locates a profile associated with the identity of the user; and

a selection component that selects at least one or more characteristics from the profile based on demographic categories of the user and historical transactions performed by the user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the profile includes calling number, known calendar events, and local weather.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein if the estimated duration of the waiting queue is longer than the length of the transaction-related content item, the correlation module decides, based on applicable rules, to create a playlist of transaction-related content items that match the estimated duration of the waiting queue.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein applicable rules may require:

repetition of a particular content asset, non-repetition of a particular content asset, selection of opportunistic content assets outside the original domain of a call, use of particular types of music files, and delivery of text messages to a detected caller identification number.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the rules are based on incentives for the incoming caller to receive specific content assets in addition to or as a replacement for correlated content.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein a banking institution offers an incoming caller reduction or cancellation of a particular account fee in exchange for listening to a particular content asset.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein a service provider provides particular time-sensitive discounts to the caller in exchange for the caller accessing selected service provider content.

19. The system of claim 12, further including a chat component operative to provide automated support for interactive text-based communication.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed via a processing unit on a computer performs acts, comprising:

identifying an opportunity event of an established customer service session initiated by a user that is in a waiting queue for a customer service representative;

ingesting one or more characteristics of the opportunity event;

locating a profile associated with the identity of the user;

selecting at least one or more characteristics from the profile based on demographic categories of the user and historical transactions performed by the user;

correlating the one or more ingested characteristics with at least one transaction-related content item; and

publishing a selected transaction-related content item via the established customer service session to the user while in the waiting queue.