System and Method of Determining Call Treatment of Repeat Calls

• US 20130010947A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• 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: Bushey, Robert R., Knott, Benjamin Anthony, Korth, Sarah
• Granted Patent: US 8,879,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

A method is disclosed that includes retrieving first data associated with a call from an action-object table. The method further includes retrieving second data from a resolution table based on the first data. The second data indicates a treatment type to be provided to the call. The method further includes, in response to determining that the treatment type indicates a particular treatment type, servicing the call with the particular treatment type. The particular treatment type includes routing the call to a destination associated with a call center.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

retrieving first data associated with a call from an action-object table;

retrieving second data from a resolution table based on the first data, wherein the second data indicates a treatment type to be provided to the call; and

in response to determining that the treatment type indicates a particular treatment type, servicing the call with the particular treatment type, wherein the particular treatment type includes routing the call to a destination associated with a call center.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination includes a billing department, a balance information department, a technical support department, an employee directory department, or a new service department.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the treatment type does not indicate the particular treatment type, servicing the call with a second particular treatment type, wherein the second particular treatment type includes providing access to a self-service automated system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the particular treatment type is distinct from the second particular treatment type.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular treatment type includes providing access to a live agent associated with the destination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the resolution table includes a plurality of action-object pair entries, each of the action-object pair entries indicating one of a plurality of treatment types, and wherein none of the plurality of treatment types includes providing access to a self-service automated system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment type indicates the particular treatment type when the call is associated with an unresolved issue of a caller.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the call is a repeat call based on the first data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the call is a repeat call based on a comparison of a first action-object pair of the first data to a second action-object pair of the second data, wherein the first action-object pair is associated with the call and the second action-object pair is associated with a prior call.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising assigning a task to the call based on determining that the call is a repeat call, wherein the task indicates that the call is associated with an unresolved issue of a caller associated with the call.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second data is accessed from the resolution table based on the first data in response to determining that the call is a repeat call.

12. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising;

retrieving first data associated with a call from an action-object table;

retrieving second data from a resolution table based on the first data, wherein the second data indicates a treatment type to be provided to the call; and

in response to determining that the treatment type indicates a particular treatment type, servicing the call with the particular treatment type, wherein the particular treatment type includes routing the call to a destination associated with a call center.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises, in response to determining that the treatment type does not indicate the particular treatment type, servicing the call with a second particular treatment type, and wherein the second particular treatment type includes providing access to a self-service automated system.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein, when the treatment type indicates the particular treatment type, the call is associated with an unresolved issue of a caller associated with the call.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

assigning a particular task to the call based on the first data; and

comparing the particular task to a task of a prior call to determine whether the call is a repeat call.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the second data is retrieved from the resolution table based on the first data in response to determining that the call is a repeat call.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the action-object table includes a plurality of action-object pairs, wherein the first data includes an action-object pair, wherein the second data is retrieved from the resolution table using an index, and wherein the action-object pair is the index.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises receiving task-identification information from a caller that initiated the call.

19. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

retrieving first data associated with a call from an action-object table;

retrieving second data from a resolution table based on the first data, wherein the second data indicates a treatment type to be provided to the call; and

in response to determining that the treatment type indicates a particular treatment type, servicing the call with the particular treatment type, wherein the particular treatment type includes routing the call to a destination associated with a call center.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises, in response to determining that the treatment type does not indicate the particular treatment type, servicing the call with a second particular treatment type, and wherein the second particular treatment type includes providing access to a self-service automated system.