MANAGEMENT OF CONTACT LISTS

• US 20100091967A1
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Walker, Martin, McGuire, Frank, Costello, John, Murray, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,232,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• 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 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80

Abstract

During communications sessions between an agent in a call center and a customer, it is often desirable that a secondary agent is consulted, the secondary agent perhaps more suited to the particular needs of the customer. It is preferred that the original agent is presented with a list of the best-suited agents with which to consult, if needs be. Accordingly, a system and method for managing a list of contacts for presentation to a user of a computer system (e.g. a call center agent) is disclosed. The system provides for the monitoring of live communications between an agent and a customer, and further provides for the detecting of a pattern of data in the monitored live communications interaction (e.g. utilising speech recognition to recognise use of a particular keyword). The system is then operable to present a list of suggested contacts to the agent, the suggested contacts chosen based on a match between selection criteria for that contact and on the particular data pattern detected.

Claims

1. A method of managing a list of contacts for presentation to a user of a computer system, comprising the steps of:

a) monitoring a live communications interaction between said user and a remote party, said live communications interaction being conducted via a communications interface associated with said computer system;

b) detecting a pattern of data in said monitored live communications interaction;

c) while said live communications interaction is in progress, accessing a record containing details of a plurality of contacts each having one or more selection criteria associated therewith;

d) selecting at least one contact from said record, based on a match between one or more of said selection criteria and said pattern of data detected in said monitored live communications interaction; and

e) modifying a list of contacts for presentation on said computer system by the addition or removal of said at least one contact to or from said list of contacts.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communications interface is a telephony interface and said step of monitoring a live communications interaction comprises conducting speech recognition on a stream of voice data passing through said interface.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communications interface is an interface employed by a human agent of a contact center, and wherein said computer system is a workstation provided for use by said human agent, said workstation also providing a contact center agent interface enabling the agent to control an interaction between said contact center and a remote party also involved in said communications interaction.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pattern of data comprises a keyword, and wherein said keyword is a selection criterion for a contact stored in said record.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the initial steps of:

f) receiving a subject code associated with said remote party;

g) selecting at least one contact from said record, based on a match between one or more of said selection criteria and said subject code associated with said remote party; and

(h) generating said list of contacts for presentation on said computer system, said list of contacts comprising at least said selected contacts.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

i) presenting to said user said list of contacts;

j) presenting to said user a selection control which is operable to select at least one filter option; and

k) modifying said list of contacts based on said at least one filter option.

7. An apparatus for managing a list of contacts for presentation to a user of a computer system, the apparatus comprising:

a) a monitoring component operable to monitor a live communications interaction between said user and a remote party, said live communications interaction being conducted via a communications interface associated with said computer system;

b) a detector for detecting a pattern of data in said monitored live communications interaction;

c) a memory access device operable during said live communications interaction to access a record containing details of a plurality of contacts each having one or more selection criteria associated therewith;

d) a selector operable to select at least one contact from said record, based on a match between one or more of said selection criteria and said pattern of data detected in said monitored live communications interaction; and

e) a modifying component operable to modify a list of contacts for presentation on said computer system by the addition or removal of said at least one contact to or from said list of contacts.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium encoded with instructions which, when executed in a computerised system, cause the computerised system to perform the steps of a method of managing a list of contacts for presentation to a user of a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

a) monitoring a live communications interaction between said user and a remote party, said live communications interaction being conducted via a communications interface associated with said computer system;

b) detecting a pattern of data in said monitored live communications interaction;

c) while said live communications interaction is in progress, accessing a record containing details of a plurality of contacts each having one or more selection criteria associated therewith;

d) selecting at least one contact from said record, based on a match between one or more of said selection criteria and said pattern of data detected in said monitored live communications interaction; and

e) modifying a list of contacts for presentation on said computer system by the addition or removal of said at least one contact to or from said list of contacts.