CONTACT CENTER SESSION PRESERVATION

• US 20140161249A1
• Filed: 12/11/2012
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tolksdorf, Juergen
• Granted Patent: US 9,485,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/266.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2088 Call or conference reconnect, e.g. resulting from isdn terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/558 Databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5133 Operator terminal details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A system and method for handling a call made to a contact center after a prior call from the same caller was disconnected. In exemplary embodiments, a caller who was connected to an agent during the previous call may be placed in a routing path for the same agent, a caller who had provided information to the system during the previous call may not be required to provide the information again, and a caller who was in a routing path waiting for an agent may be placed ahead of other callers who have spent less time in the routing path.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a call history database comprising a stored customer identifier (CID) and a stored call status for each of one or more stored calls,

the system being configured;

to compare the CID of an incoming call with the stored CIDs in the call history database; and

to put the call in an agent-specific routing path for an agent when at least;

the CID of the incoming call matches the stored CID of a stored call in the call history database, and

the stored call status includes an stored agent identifier identifying the agent.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to put the call in an agent-specific routing path for an agent only when a measure of the agent-specific routing path length is less than a threshold agent-specific routing path length.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the measure of the agent-specific routing path length is the number of calls in the agent-specific routing path.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the measure of the agent-specific routing path length is an expected wait time in the agent-specific routing path.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to put the call in an agent-specific routing path for an agent only when a caller who initiated the call has communicated a desire to return to a previous state.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to purge a stored call from the call history database when a stored call retention time has elapsed after the end of the corresponding call.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the stored call retention time is configurable.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the stored call retention time is two minutes.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a general routing path, wherein the system is configured to place the call in the general routing path when the stored call status does not include a stored agent identifier.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system is configured to place the call in the general routing path at a position corresponding to a time-in-routing-path of the stored call when the CID of the incoming call matches the stored CID of a stored call in the call history database.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the system is configured to place the call in the general routing path at a location depending on the category of the caller.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the system is configured to place the call in the general routing path at a location depending on the category of the call.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to provide a stored call status to an agent receiving an incoming call when the CID of the incoming call matches the stored CID of a stored call in the call history database.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the system is configured to provide a stored call status to an agent receiving an incoming call by providing to the agent the stored call status in a screen pop.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving a first call associated with a first CID;

storing, in a call history database, the first CID;

storing, in the call history database, stored call status for the first call;

receiving a second call associated with a second CID;

comparing the first CID and the second CID; and

placing the second call in an agent-specific routing path for an agent when at least;

the first CID matches the second CID; and

the stored call status for the first call includes a stored agent identifier identifying the agent.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising placing the second call in the agent-specific routing path for the agent only when a measure of the agent-specific routing path length is less than a threshold agent-specific routing path length.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the measure of the agent-specific routing path length is the number of calls in the agent-specific routing path.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the measure of the agent-specific routing path length is an expected wait time in the agent-specific routing path.

19. The method of claim 15, comprising placing the second call in the agent-specific routing path for the agent only when a caller who initiated the call has communicated a desire to return to a previous state.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising purging the first CID and the stored call status for the first call from the call history database when a stored call retention time has elapsed after the end of the first call.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the stored call retention time is configurable.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the stored call retention time is two minutes.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising placing the second call in a general routing path when:

the first CID matches the second CID; and

the stored call status for the first call does not include a stored agent identifier.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the placing of the second call in the general routing path comprises placing the second call in the general routing path at a position corresponding to a time-in-routing-path of the stored call status for the first call.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the placing of the second call in the general routing path comprises placing the second call in the general routing path at a location depending on the category of the caller.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the placing of the second call in the general routing path comprises placing the second call in the general routing path at a location depending on the category of the call.

27. The method of claim 15 comprising providing a stored call status to an agent receiving an incoming call when the CID of the incoming call matches a stored CID of a stored call in the call history database.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the providing of the stored call status to the agent comprises providing the stored call status to the agent in a screen pop.