Method and system for providing adaptive and proactive interaction management for multiple types of business interactions occurring in a multimedia communications environment

• US 20040081183A1
• Filed: 05/15/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: McCord, Alan Wayne, Anderson, David Hoyer, Monza, Joseph Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 7,373,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/412
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms

Abstract

An object-oriented system for managing multiple media types in a communication center environment has a multimedia queuing system, a processor for processing events in the queue, an interaction server for selecting media type or event types, a resource manager for reporting availability of a resource access point, and a data store for storing client information about media types available to the client and historical information about success of past use of those media types. In a preferred application, the system processes and routes incoming events of known media type to access points defined as systems or agents based in part on media channel availability of the access point, and wherein the system selects a media channel or channels for certain events in queue that are not pre-dedicated as specific media type events but are generated outbound or internal proactive contact events. For proactive contact events, the system automatically selects a media channel for each event based on a combination of set preferences and predictions based on historical channel information relating to success channel connections to that client.

Claims

1. An object-oriented system for managing interactions of multimedia types in a communication center environment comprising:

a multimedia queuing system for queuing inbound, outbound, and internal communication events;

a processor for processing events in the queue;

an interaction server for selecting media type or types for a pending interaction or notification event;

a resource manager for reporting agent availability in terms of media types available to the agent; and

a data store for storing client information about media types available to the client and historical information about success of past use of those media types;

characterized in that the system processes and routes incoming events of known media type to access points defined as systems or agents based in part on media channel availability of the access point, the availability states reported to the system by the resource manager and wherein the system selects the media channel for certain events in queue that are not pre-dedicated as specific media type events.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the communications environment includes one or more of a communications center, a telephony network, a wide-area-network, and a wireless access network.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the wide-area-network is the Internet network.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the interactions comprise interactive sessions of more than one media type between an access point and one or more clients.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the interactions comprise interactive sessions of more than one media type between one or more access points and a single client.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the interaction server triggers automatic outbound proactive events queued for delivery to clients at predefined steps of a modeled business process to which the clients are party.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the events are triggered according to detection by the system of occurrence of a business related event or intercept or receipt of knowledge of a business related event that may affect outcome of a business process.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the access point adds a media type or media types to a current interaction, the addition thereof processed in queue as an outbound event or events of the media type or types.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the system overrides a media preference of a client in routing an event to an access point or in delivery of an outbound proactive event to the client.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein a modeled business process defines a generic series of required events for completing a transaction the modeled process becoming a personalized transaction through dynamic application of contact parameter objects, media type objects for defined events, and assigned access point objects, the contact objects and access objects defining parties to the transaction.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein media channel selection includes selecting more than one media type for an interaction or notification event.

12. The system of claim 3 wherein clients include business partners and third party applications and interaction is undertaken through a set of Web services hosted in a Web server.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein all of the events queued are virtual events of unassigned media and all event processing including media assignment is performed while events wait in queue.

14. A multimedia-capable queue for queuing virtual events incoming to, outbound from, or internal to a communications center comprising;

I/O port circuitry adapted for bi-directional communication with a queue processor;

I/O port circuitry adapted for bi-directional communication with a CTI processor;

I/O port circuitry adapted for bi-directional communication with an intelligent data router; and

I/O port circuitry adapted for communication with an interaction server;

characterized in that events queued therein are processed from a generic-event state to a routable-event state based on application of destination parameters, and media type or types for presentation of the event to an event destination to each event while in queue and wherein certain events are triggered events based on proactive and adaptive criteria.

15. The queue of claim 14 wherein I/O port circuitry defines more than one functioning I/O port for each port dedication.

16. The queue of claim 14 wherein generic events are components of an interaction the interaction or a series thereof components of a process model defining a business process that has a starting point and an end point.

17. The queue of claim 16 wherein optional components of the process model include contact objects, access objects, and media objects, applicable as attributes to events.

18. The queue of claim 14 wherein the interaction server triggers automatic outbound proactive events queued for delivery to clients at predefined steps of a modeled business process to which the clients are party.

19. The queue of claim 18 wherein the proactive events are triggered according to detection by the system of occurrence of a business related event or intercept or receipt of knowledge of a business related event that may affect outcome of the related process.

20. The queue of claim 14 wherein the generic-event state identifies one initiating party of the event and intent or purpose of the event.

21. The queue of claim 14 wherein the generic-event state identifies the initiating party of the event, the receiving party of the event, and the intent or purpose of the event.

22. The queue of claim 14 wherein processed events include those of both synchronous and asynchronous media types.

23. A method for initiating a proactive event deliverable to a client, the event automatically assigned a preferred media type comprising steps of,

(a) recognition of a need for contacting the client during transaction of a business process that the client is party to;

(b) generating a generic event object having client identification data and intent or purpose data for the event;

(c) queuing the event for further processing and delivery to the client;

(d) determining which supported media type or types the event will be presented in;

(e) attaching the media type or types parameters to the event; and

(f) executing the event for delivery.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein in step (a) a specific point in the process for contacting a client or clients is pre-set and a generic step in the process.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein in step (a) a step for contacting a client or clients is inserted into the business process as a result of system intercept or knowledge of an event related to the outcome of the process.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein in step (b) the generated event also included source data.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the source data is agent or system identification data.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein in step (b) the event is generated by an interaction server on behalf of a specific access point, the access point being an agent or automated system.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein in step (c) the queued event is one of an outbound event or an internal event.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein in step (d) determination of media type or types is based on historical data related to success or failure of event delivery using various media types.

31. The method of claim 23 wherein in step (d) determination of media type or types includes consideration of client itinerary and alternate media type or types available according to real-time itinerary state of the client.

32. The method of claim 23 wherein in step (e) an interaction server attaches the media parameters to the event.

33. The method of claim 23 wherein in step (e) event execution is automatic when all required contact parameters and media parameters are attached.

34. The method of claim 23 further comprising a step (f) for automated execution of applications related to an attached media type or types owned by one or more access points associated with event delivery, the application or applications opened enabling immediate interaction with the recipient.