Servicing Calls in Call Centers Based on Caller Geo-Location

• US 20100322407A1
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Skiba, David Joseph, Erhart, George William, Matula, Valentine C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,416,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/266.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms

Abstract

Methods are disclosed for servicing incoming calls at a call center based on one or more of the following: the geo-locations of the calling telecommunications terminals; the direction of movement of the calling telecommunications terminals (e.g., north, south, toward a particular geo-location or area, away from a particular geo-location or area, etc.); the speed of movement of the calling telecommunications terminals; and the local time at the calling telecommunications terminal. For example, in accordance with the illustrative embodiments, a person who calls the Home Depot® call center from his or her cell phone while in a Home Depot® store might be given priority over another call that was received earlier but was not placed from a Home Depot® store.

Claims

1. A method comprising selecting one of a plurality of calls to be serviced at a call center based, at least in part, on a geo-location L of a telecommunications terminal that placed one of said calls.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said geo-location L is the geo-location at which said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said geo-location L is the geo-location of said telecommunications terminal at a time after said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said geo-location L is the geo-location of said telecommunications terminal at approximately the time of the selection.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection is also based on a direction D of said telecommunications terminal.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said direction D is the direction of said telecommunications terminal when said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said direction D is the direction of said telecommunications terminal at a time after said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said direction D is the direction of said telecommunications terminal at approximately the time of the selection.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection is also based on a speed S of said telecommunications terminal.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said speed S is the speed of said telecommunications terminal when said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said speed S is the speed of said telecommunications terminal at a time after said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said speed S is the speed of said telecommunications terminal at approximately the time of the selection.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection is also based on the calendrical time at said telecommunications terminal.

14. A method comprising inserting into a data structure at a data-processing system an entry that comprises:

(i) an indicium of a call to a call center, and

(ii) a geo-location L of a telecommunications terminal that placed said call;

wherein the particular position of said entry in said data structure is based on said geo-location L.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said data structure is a priority queue.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

removing said entry from said data structure at said data-processing system when said entry is at the first position of said data structure; and

routing said call to an agent of said call center.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said entry also comprises a direction D of said telecommunications terminal;

and wherein the particular position of said entry in said data structure is also based on said direction D.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said entry also comprises a speed S of said telecommunications terminal;

and wherein the particular position of said entry in said data structure is also based on said speed S.

19. A method comprising selecting one of a plurality of calls to be serviced at a call center, wherein at least one call C of said plurality of calls has a priority, and wherein said priority is based on at least one of:

(i) a geo-location L of the telecommunications terminal that placed said call C; and

(ii) a direction D of said telecommunications terminal; and

(iii) a speed S of said telecommunications terminal.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said geo-location L is the geo-location at which said telecommunications terminal placed said call C.