DELIVERING IN-HOME CUSTOMER SERVICE VIA MULTIPLE CHANNELS

• US 20160227284A1
• Filed: 02/02/2016
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Ordille, Joann J., Skiba, David
• Granted Patent: US 10,257,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A contact center, communication system, and method are disclosed. An illustrative contact center is disclosed as enabling customer interactions via a television. As the customer interacts with the contact center, context information regarding an environment surrounding the television can be obtained by the contact center and further used to enhance the customer'"'"'s interaction with the contact center, for example, by establishing additional communication channels with the customer.

Claims

1. A contact center, comprising:

a processor; and

computer memory coupled with the processor and comprising instructions that enable the processor to execute functions in connection with administering the contact center, the instructions comprising;

a work assignment engine that enables the processor to receive contacts from customer communication devices, generate a corresponding work item for the contacts received from the customer communication devices, and select one or more resources in the contact center to connect with the customer communication devices such that a customer can receive service from the contact center;

a channel manager that enables the processor to connect a selected resource'"'"'s communication device with a first customer communication device over a first communication channel and receive context information regarding an environment surrounding the first customer communication device; and

a context engine that enables the processor to parse the context information received over the first communication channel and identify a second customer communication device that is within communication proximity of the first customer communication device.

2. The contact center of claim 1, wherein the context engine and channel manager further enable the processor to identify a communication capability of the second customer communication device and generate a request for the customer to further interact with the contact center using the second customer communication device.

3. The contact center of claim 2, wherein the identified communication capability of the second customer communication device comprises a media capability, wherein the first customer communication device comprises a television, wherein the first communication channel carries video content, and wherein a second communication channel is established between the second customer communication device and the selected resource'"'"'s communication device to carry non-video content.

4. The contact center of claim 2, wherein the identified communication capability of the second customer communication device comprises a codec capability and wherein the second customer communication device provides a different codec capability from the first customer communication device.

5. The contact center of claim 2, wherein the identified communication capability of the second customer communication device comprises a user input/output capability, wherein the first customer communication device comprises a television, and wherein the second customer communication device comprises a touch-sensitive user input or a keyboard.

6. The contact center of claim 1, wherein the first customer communication device comprises a television and wherein the context information includes a viewing history for the first customer communication device.

7. The contact center of claim 1, wherein the context information received over the first communication channel identifies a third customer communication device that is in communication proximity with both the first customer communication device and the second customer communication device.

8. The contact center of claim 7, wherein the context information received over the first communication channel further identifies a communication protocol being used between the first customer communication device and third customer communication device as well as the second customer communication device and third customer communication device.

9. The contact center of claim 1, wherein the channel manager further enables the processor to update an agent script for delivery to the selected resource'"'"'s communication device, wherein the updated agent script identifies the second customer communication device and provides a script for suggesting that a second communication channel be established between the contact center and the second customer communication device.

10. The contact center of claim 1, wherein the context engine enables the processor to deliver a code to the first customer communication device that is usable by the second customer communication device to establish a second communication session with the contact center and wherein the code delivered to the first customer communication device further enables the second communication session to be bound with the first communication session at the contact center.

11. A communication system that enables communications between a customer communication device and one or more resources of a contact center, the communication system comprising:

a microprocessor; and

a computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that enable the processor to perform the following;

connect a selected resource'"'"'s communication device with a first customer communication device over a first communication channel;

receive context information regarding an environment surrounding the first customer communication device; and

parse the context information received over the first communication channel; and

identify a second customer communication device that is within communication proximity of the first customer communication device.

12. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the instructions further enable the processor to identify a communication capability of the second customer communication device and generate a request for the customer to further interact with the contact center using the second customer communication device.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the identified communication capability of the second customer communication device comprises a media capability, wherein the first customer communication device comprises a television, wherein the first communication channel carries video content, and wherein a second communication channel is established between the second customer communication device and the selected resource'"'"'s communication device to carry non-video content.

14. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the identified communication capability of the second customer communication device comprises a codec capability and wherein the second customer communication device provides a different codec capability from the first customer communication device.

15. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the identified communication capability of the second customer communication device comprises a user input/output capability, wherein the first customer communication device comprises a television, and wherein the second customer communication device comprises a touch-sensitive user input or a keyboard.

16. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the context information received over the first communication channel identifies a third customer communication device that is connected with both the first customer communication device and the second customer communication device, wherein the context information received over the first communication channel further identifies a communication protocol being used between the first customer communication device and third customer communication device as well as the second customer communication device and third customer communication device.

17. A method of enabling a contact center to interact with customers, the method comprising:

connecting, by a processor, a selected resource'"'"'s communication device with a first customer communication device over a first communication channel;

receiving, by the processor, context information regarding an environment surrounding the first customer communication device; and

parsing, by the processor, the context information received over the first communication channel; and

identifying, by the processor, a second customer communication device that is within communication proximity of the first customer communication device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

identifying, by the processor, a communication capability of the second customer communication device; and

generating, by the processor, a request for the customer to further interact with the contact center using the second customer communication device over a second communication channel.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first communication channel employs a different protocol from the second communication channel, the method further comprising:

binding, by the processor, the first communication channel with the second communication channel such that the content exchanged over both the first communication channel and second communication channel are treated as belonging to a single customer interaction at the contact center.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

providing, by the processor, the first customer communication device with a code that, when used by the second customer communication device over the second communication channel enables the first communication channel to be bound with the second communication channel.