CONTACT OFFER TIME FOR AGENTS SUPPORTING CONTACT CENTERS

• US 20110191134A1
• Filed: 02/03/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jain, Mukul, Khouri, Joseph F., Bhat, Raghurama
• Application Number:
  US12/699,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20110191134A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales

Abstract

A method for assisting an agent supporting a contact center is provided. The method includes obtaining one or more contact offer factors, determining a contact offer time for the agent supporting the contact center based on the one or more contact offer factors, and providing the contact offer time to the agent. The contact offer time defines when the agent will receive a contact offer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining one or more contact offer factors related to support of a contact center;

determining, using a processor, a contact offer time for an agent supporting a contact center based on the one or more contact offer factors, the contact offer time defining when the agent will receive a contact offer; and

outputting the contact offer time to the agent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more contact offer factors includes information about a contact, a contact queue, an agent queue, the agent, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the contact offer time includes inputting the one or more contact offer factors into a contact offer model to predict when the agent will receive a contact offer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the contact offer time to the agent includes transmitting the contact offer time to an agent device associated with the agent such that a contact offer time representation may be displayed on the agent device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining and transmitting a service wait time to a contact device, the service wait time defining an amount of time before the agent is available to communicate.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the contact offer time includes transmitting a contact offer time message to the agent device and transmitting the service wait time include transmitting a service wait time message to the contact device, the agent device being different than the contact device and the contact offer time message being transmitted before, after, or both before and after the service wait time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent is an expert advisor that does not regularly handle communication received by the contact center.

8. A system comprising:

a processor configured to obtain one or more contact offer factors and determine a contact offer time for the agent supporting the contact center based on the one or more contact offer factors, the contact offer time defining when the agent will receive a contact offer; and

an output device coupled with the processor, the output device being operable to provide the contact offer time to the agent.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising an input device and a memory, wherein the processor is operable to obtain the one or more contact offer factors from the input device, the memory, or both the input device and memory.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to input the one or more contact offer factors into a contact offer model to predict when the agent will receive a contact offer.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the output device is a network interface that is operable to transmit the contact offer time to an agent device associated with the agent, the network interface being coupled with the agent device via a network.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to determine and transmit a service wait time to a contact device, the service wait time defining an amount of time before the agent is available to communicate.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the agent is an expert advisor that does not regularly handle communication received by the contact center.

14. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media, the logic being executable by a processor and operable to:

obtain one or more contact offer factors;

determine a contact offer time for the agent supporting the contact center based on the one or more contact offer factors, the contact offer time defining when the agent will receive a contact offer; and

output the contact offer time to the agent.

15. The logic of claim 14, wherein the one or more contact offer factors includes information about a contact, a contact queue, an agent queue, the agent, or any combination thereof.

16. The logic of claim 15, wherein the logic is operable to input the one or more contact offer factors into a contact offer model to predict when the agent will receive a contact offer.

17. The logic of claim 14, wherein the logic is operable to transmit the contact offer time to an agent device associated with the agent such that a contact offer time representation may be displayed on the agent device.

18. The logic of claim 14, wherein the logic is operable to determine and transmit a service wait time to a contact device, the service wait time defining an amount of time before the agent is available to communicate.

19. The logic of claim 14, wherein the logic is operable to transmit a contact offer time message to the agent device and transmit a service wait time message to the contact device, the agent device being different than the contact device and the contact offer time message being transmitted before, after, or both before and after the service wait time.

20. The logic of claim 14, wherein the agent is an expert advisor that does not regularly handle communication received by the contact center.