ENHANCED CONTACT CENTER ARCHITECTURE TO SUPPORT AGENT RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION

• US 20110116617A1
• Filed: 11/16/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: SHARMA, Deva-Datta, LAM, Jennifer K., FAN, James, TOWELL, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,842,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.11
• 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 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms

Abstract

Routing communications at a communications center includes servicing a first communication concurrently with receiving a second communication, at the communications center. It is determined, using a tangible first processor, whether a sender of the first communication and a sender of the second communication are associated with a common account. The second communication is routed to an agent based on the determining.

Claims

1. A method for routing communications at a communications center, comprising:

servicing a first communication concurrently with receiving a second communication, at the communications center;

determining, using a tangible first processor, whether a sender of the first communication and a sender of the second communication are associated with a common account; and

routing the second communication to an agent based on the determining.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the first communication is received via a first type of service channel, and

wherein the second communication is received via a second type of service channel.

3. The method according to claim 2,

wherein the agent services the first communication.

4. The method according to claim 3,

wherein the second communication is routed to the agent servicing the first communication when the agent services the first type of service channel and the second type of service channel.

5. The method according to claim 2,

wherein the first type of service channel comprises at least one of:

an interactive voice response service channel and a web-enabled service channel, and

wherein the second type of service channel comprises at least one of;

an interactive voice response service channel and a web-enabled service channel.

6. The method according to claim 2,

wherein the first communication is routed to the agent and the second communication is routed to a second agent when the agent does not service the second type of service channel.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first request, from the sender of the first communication, for agent-enabled communication; and

receiving a second request, from the sender of the second communication, for the agent-enabled communication.

8. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the sender of the first communication and the sender of the second communication is a common individual associated with the common account.

9. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the sender of the first communication and the sender of the second communication are members of a common entity for the common account, and

wherein the common entity comprises at least one of:

an organization, a business, a family and a school.

10. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the agent is distinct from a first agent servicing the first communication.

11. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the second communication is routed to the agent when the first agent servicing the first communication is not enabled to service a type of service channel via which the second communication was received.

12. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the second communication is routed to the agent when the first agent servicing the first communication is not available to service further communication.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

querying a resource optimizer, implemented on at least one processor, to determine whether a first communication, associated with the common account, is being serviced.

14. A system for routing communications at a communications center, comprising:

a receiver that receives a first communication, at the communications center, concurrently with receiving a second communication, at the communications center;

a resource optimizer, implemented on a first tangible processor, that determines whether a sender of the first communication and a sender of the second communication are associated with a common account; and

a route determiner, implemented on a second tangible processor, that routes the second communication based on the determination,

wherein the first communication is serviced at the communications center.

15. The system according to claim 14,

wherein the resource optimizer maintains a mapping for a subscriber account to contact session associated with the first communication being serviced.

16. The system according to claim 15,

wherein the resource optimizer sends an alert to the route determiner when a second connect session associated with the second communication is initiated and the mapping exists.

17. The system according to claim 14,

wherein the resource optimizer stores agent state information for agents, and

wherein at least one of the agents services the first communication.

18. The system according to claim 17,

wherein the route determiner utilizes the agent state information to route the second communication.

19. The system according to claim 14,

wherein the sender of the second communication is informed that communication is not permitted when the sender of the first communication and the sender of the second communication are associated with the common account.

20. A tangible computer readable medium storing a computer program, recorded on the tangible computer readable medium, for routing communications at a communications center, comprising:

a servicing code segment, recorded on the tangible computer readable medium, that services a first communication, at the communications center, concurrently with receiving a second communication, at the communications center;

a determining code segment, recorded on the tangible computer readable medium, that determines whether a sender of the first communication and a sender of the second communication are associated with a common account; and

a routing code segment, recorded on the tangible computer readable medium, that routes the second communication to an agent based on the determination.