METHOD FOR DETERMINING RESPONSE CHANNEL FOR A CONTACT CENTER FROM HISTORIC SOCIAL MEDIA POSTINGS

• US 20110125793A1
• Filed: 02/17/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: SKIBA, David, MATULA, Valentine C., ERHART, George
• Application Number:
  US12/707,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125793A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/776
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking messaging within social networks H04L51/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5141 Details of processing calls and other types of contacts in an unified manner unified messaging in packet-switching networks H04L51/56

Abstract

Some social networks provide message histories that record information about previous posts that users make to the social media network. From this information, a contact center determines trends in the usage of a social media network by a user. The contact center can mine the message history database for times, frequency of posts, location of the user during posts, and other information provided in the message histories. From this information or metadata about the messages, the contact center develops trends about the user'"'"'s postings of messages on social media networks. The contact center can further receive subsequent posts and read metadata related to the subsequent posts. The new metadata can be used to modify the trends over time.

Claims

1. A method for the method comprising:

a processor, in a contact center, determining a social media network having a social media message history;

the processor mining the social media message history to locate metadata related to two or more past social media messages;

the processor reading the located metadata; and

the processor developing a trend for a user of the social media network based on the located metadata.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

the processor determining a second social media network having a second social media message history;

the processor mining the second social media message history for second metadata related to two or more past social media messages;

the processor reading the second metadata; and

the processor developing a second trend for the user of the second social media network based on the second metadata.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the metadata relates to at least one of a group consisting of a time when a past social media message was posted, the social media network where the past social media message was posted, a date when the past social media message was posted, a location for the user when the past social media message was posted, a tenor of the past social media message, a tenor of a response to the past social media message, and a tenor of a social media message to which the past social media message was responding.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

the processor receiving a new social media message from a social media network, wherein the new social media message is posted by the user;

the processor determining if the user is subject to trend analysis;

if the user is subject to trend analysis, the processor reading new metadata from the new social media message; and

the processor storing the new metadata with the metadata from the social media message history.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, further comprising:

the processor determining if the new metadata changes the trend;

if the new metadata changes the trend, the processor changing the trend; and

the processor storing the changed trend.

6. The method as defined in claim 4, further comprising, in response to determining if the user is subject to trend analysis and before reading the new metadata, the processor reading a dialog script from a dialog data structure to direct the reading of the new metadata from the new social media message and the storing of the new metadata.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the processor is directed by a dialog script to determine a social media network having a social media message history, mine the social media message history, read the metadata, and develop the trend.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

the processor receiving an identity for the user subject to a trend analysis;

the processor finding another identity for the user for a social media network;

the processor determining the one or more social media networks used by the user;

the processor receiving a parameter related to a social media message that are to be analyzed in the trend analysis;

the processor receiving a trend analysis parameter; and

the processor storing the received identity, the other found identity, the social media networks, the parameter related to a social media message, and the trend analysis parameter in a dialog data structure.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the dialog data structure includes a dialog script that directs the trend analysis.

10. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that cause a computing system to execute a method for creating a dialog data structure for trend analysis, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive an identity for the user subject to the trend analysis;

instructions to determine the one or more social media networks used by the user;

instructions to receive a parameter related to a social media message that are to be analyzed in the trend analysis; and

instructions to store the identity, the social media network, and the parameter related to a social media message in the dialog data structure.

11. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 10, wherein the dialog data structure includes an input segment, a rules segment, and a dialog script segment.

12. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the identity is stored in the input segment and the parameter and the social media network are stored in the dialog segment.

13. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 11, further comprising:

instructions to receive a trend analysis parameter; and

instructions to store the trend analysis parameter in the rules segment.

14. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 10, further comprising

instructions to retrieve the dialog data structure;

instructions to read two or more instructions from the dialog data structure, the read instructions comprising;

instructions to determine a social media network having a social media message history;

instructions to mine the social media message history for metadata related to two or more past social media messages;

instructions to read the metadata; and

instructions to develop a trend for a user of the social media network based on the metadata.

15. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 14, the read instructions further comprising:

instructions to receive a new social media message from a social media network, wherein the new social media message is posted by the user;

instructions to determine if the user is subject to trend analysis;

if the user is subject to trend analysis, instructions to read new metadata from the new social media message; and

instructions to store the new metadata with the metadata from the social media message history.

16. A communication system comprising:

a dialog system operable to;

receive a request to contact a social media user;

read a dialog script that directs the contacting of the social media user;

accessing a trend associated with the social media user, wherein the trend describes likely usage of a social media network;

determining, from the trend, to which social media network to post a message to the social media user and at what time to post the message on the social media network;

a social media gateway in communication with the dialog system and the social media network, the social media gateway operable to receive the message from the dialog system and operable to post the message to the social media network at the determined time.

17. The communication system as defined in claim 16, wherein the trend is developed from previous postings by the social media user.

18. The communication system as defined in claim 16, wherein the determined time can be a range.

19. The communication system as defined in claim 16, wherein the trend can describe a likelihood the social media user is active on the social media network at the determined time and wherein the social media gateway posts the message at the most likely time for the social media user to be active on the social media network.

20. The communication system as defined in claim 16, wherein the trend provides two or more times or two or more social media networks when the social media user may be active.