INSTANT MESSAGE CONTACT MANAGEMENT IN A CONTACT CENTER

• US 20100296646A1
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Hemm, Thomas L., Thomson, Rodney A., Kohler, Joylee E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method for servicing a transaction in a contact center. When an instant message communication associated with a transaction is suspended prematurely, special treatment may be provided to the transaction initiator. The special treatment includes: (a) maintaining the assigned service priority for the transaction for assignment to a subsequent communication; (b) scheduling a subsequent outbound instant message to an external endpoint associated with the transaction initiator; (c) assigning to the transaction initiator a favored service priority when the subsequent inbound instant message is received by the contact center; and (d) maintaining previously selected item(s) in memory and providing the item(s) to the transaction initiator in a subsequent communication.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving, by a gateway, a first transaction for servicing by a contact center resource, the first transaction corresponding to a first communication with a first external endpoint associated with the transaction initiator, the first communication being packet-switched;

(b) assigning, by a processor executable contact manager, a service priority to the first transaction, wherein the first communication is disconnected after the service priority is assigned to the first transaction and before servicing of the first communication is completed;

(c) determining, by the processor executable contact manager, a Quality of Service (QoS) metric connected directly or indirectly with the first communication;

(d) determining, by the processor executable contact manager and based on the QoS metric, whether to provide special treatment to the transaction initiator, wherein special treatment includes at least one of;

(i) maintaining, relative to other later transactions, the assigned service priority for the first transaction while the first communication is disconnected and assigning the assigned service priority to a second inbound communication from the transaction initiator;

(ii) scheduling a second outbound communication to at least one external endpoint associated with the transaction initiator, wherein the second outbound communication is to be initiated before the assigned service priority is eligible for delivery to an agent;

(iii) assigning to the transaction initiator a favored service priority when the second inbound communication is received by the contact center, wherein the favored service priority is entitled to receive service in less time than a default service priority that would have been provided to the second inbound communication in the absence of special treatment being provided to the transaction initiator; and

(iv) when, during the first communication, the transaction initiator selected at least one item as part of an electronic order and the first communication was terminated before the electronic order was completed, maintaining the at least one item in memory and providing the at least one item to the transaction initiator when the transaction initiator makes a further communication with the contact center.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication is an instant messaging session and wherein the disconnection is identified by at least one of the transaction initiator going offline during the instant messaging session, the transaction initiator refusing, during the instant messaging session, to accept an incoming instant message from the contact center, and the contact center, during the instant messaging session, failing to receive, within a predetermined time, a response to a sent instant message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication is a voice-over-Internet Protocol call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the special treatment is item (i) and wherein the special treatment is provided to the transaction initiator.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the assigned service priority corresponds to a queue position and wherein, in the maintaining step (i), the assigned queue position is advanced towards the head of the queue after the disconnection of the first communication and before receipt of the second inbound communication.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the assigned service priority is at least one of an expected and predicted wait time for servicing and wherein the at least one of an expected and predicted wait time is decreased after the disconnection of the first communication and before receipt of the second inbound communication.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the assigned service priority is an actual wait time, wherein a second wait time is assigned to the second inbound communication upon receipt of the second inbound communication, and wherein the actual wait time of the first communication is no more than the second wait time.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the assigned service priority is a time associated with the first communication and wherein the second inbound communication is on a channel different from the channel of the first communication and further comprising:

when the assigned queue position reaches the head of the queue, holding the first transaction ready for immediate delivery to the agent for a selected period of time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the special treatment is item (ii) and wherein the special treatment is provided to the transaction initiator.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the special treatment is item (iii) and wherein the special treatment is provided to the transaction initiator.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the favored service priority is a first queue position, wherein the default service priority is a second queue position, and wherein the second queue position is farther from the head of the queue than the first queue position.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the favored service priority is a first expected wait time, wherein the default service priority is a second expected wait time, and wherein the first expected wait time is less than the second expected wait time.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the favored service priority is a first actual wait time, wherein a second actual wait time is assigned to the second inbound communication upon receipt of the second inbound communication, and wherein the first actual wait time is no more than the second actual wait time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the favored service priority is different from the assigned service priority adjusted for the time between the time of termination of the first communication and receipt of the second inbound communication.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the special treatment is item (iv) and wherein the special treatment is provided to the transaction initiator, wherein the electronic order is a shopping cart on a Web site, and further comprising:

sending the transaction initiator a message requesting the transaction initiator to completing of the electronic order.

16. A computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions, that, when executed, perform the steps of claim 1.

17. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving, by a gateway, a real-time packet switched communication from a first transaction initiator;

(b) determining, by a processor executable contact manager, that the real-time packet switched communication has disconnected prematurely;

(c) determining, by the contact manager, at least one Quality of Service (“

QoS”

) metric indicative of a QoS of the real-time packet switched communication; and

(d) determining, by the contact manager and based on the QoS metric, a probable reason for the premature disconnection.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and subsequent communications are part of a common first transaction and further comprising:

(e) based on the QoS metric, determining, by the contact manager, that the premature disconnection was involuntary and that a subsequent communication by the first transaction initiator is entitled to special treatment and wherein the special treatment is at least one of the following;

(E1) providing, by the contact manager, the subsequent communication by the first transaction initiator with a higher service priority for the subsequent communication than the subsequent communication would otherwise be entitled to at the time of receiving the subsequent communication in the absence of special treatment;

(E2) providing, by the contact manager, the first transaction initiator, upon receipt of the subsequent communication, with a wait time allowance; and

(E3) scheduling, by the contact manager, an outbound communication to the first transaction initiator to service the first transaction.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the special treatment is (E1).

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the special treatment is (E2).

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the special treatment is (E3).

22. A computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions, that, when executed, perform the steps of claim 17.

23. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving, by a contact center, a first communication from a first transaction initiator.

(b) determining, by a processor executable contact manager, that the first communication is a long distance cellular call; and

(c) providing, by the contact manager, the first communication with special treatment relative to a second communication received from a different second transaction initiator, the second communication being received substantially at the same time as the first communication and being a local cellular call and wherein the first and second transaction initiators are otherwise entitled to a common service priority.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the special treatment is at least one of the following:

(E1) providing, by the contact manager and compared to the second communication, the first communication with a higher service priority; and

(E2) providing, by the contact manager, the first communication, when compared to the second communication, with a wait time allowance.

25. A computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions, that, when executed, perform the steps of claim 23.