SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING MULTI-CHANNEL ENGAGEMENTS

• US 20180084111A1
• Filed: 09/21/2016
• Published: 03/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pirat, Vincent, Choel, Clement, Jacolot, Christian, Ramanujaiaha, Vasudev, Connolly, Christopher, Ristock, Herbert Willi Artur
• Granted Patent: US 10,469,664 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012

Abstract

A contact center system for switching a communication event from one communication medium to another in a contact center, the system includes: a processor; and memory, wherein the memory has stored therein instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive a first interaction request via a first media channel from an endpoint device; identify a second media channel different from the first media channel; transmit a signal for reserving a resource associated with the second media channel; and transmit a unique identifier associated with the reservation request to the endpoint device for establishing a second interaction request via the second media channel.

Claims

1. A contact center system for switching a communication event from one communication medium to another in a contact center, the system comprising:

a processor; and

memory, wherein the memory has stored therein instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a first interaction request via a first media channel from an endpoint device;

identify a second media channel different from the first media channel;

identify a resource associated with the second media channel based on a routing strategy;

transmit a reservation request for reserving the resource associated with the second media channel, wherein the resource is reserved for a preset amount of time; and

transmit a unique identifier associated with the reservation request to the endpoint device for establishing a second interaction request via the second media channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is configured to expire after an expiration time has lapsed.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the reserved resource is released when the second interaction request associated with the unique identifier is not received before lapse of the expiration time.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive the second interaction request associated with the unique identifier via the second media channel; and

in response to identifying that the expiration time has not lapsed, route the second interaction request to the reserved resource.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein a second user interface of the second media channel is synchronized with a first user interface of the first media channel.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second user interface is updated based on events received by the first user interface.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the first and second user interfaces are respectively first and second self-services menus, wherein menu options of the first and second self-service menus differ based on capabilities of the first and second media channels.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine a wait time for interacting with a resource associated with the first media channel, wherein the instructions that cause the processor to identify the second media channel is in response to identifying that the wait time for the resource at the first media channel exceeds a threshold wait time, and identifying that the second media channel has a wait time satisfying the threshold wait time.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second media channel is identified based on a reward predicted to be achieved by handling an interaction via the second media channel.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second media channel is further identified based on at least one of service rules associated with the interaction, customer preference, or capacity of contact center resources.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first interaction request is for a first mode of communication and the second interaction request is for a second mode of communication different from the first mode.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource is a live agent, personnel, computer, software program, or telecommunications equipment.

12. A method for switching a communication event from one communication medium to another in a contact center, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a first interaction request via a first media channel from an endpoint device;

identifying, by the processor, a second media channel different from the first media channel;

identifying, by the processor, a resource associated with the second media channel based on a routing strategy;

transmitting, by the processor, a reservation request for reserving the resource associated with the second media channel, wherein the resource is reserved for a preset amount of time; and

transmitting, by the processor, a unique identifier associated with the reservation request to the endpoint device for establishing a second interaction request via the second media channel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the unique identifier expires after an expiration time has lapsed.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the reserved resource is released when the second interaction request associated with the unique identifier is not received before lapse of the expiration time.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, the second interaction request associated with the unique identifier via the second media channel; and

in response to identifying that the expiration time has not lapsed, routing, by the processor, the second interaction request to the reserved resource.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a second user interface of the second media channel is synchronized with a first user interface of the first media channel.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second user interface is updated based on events received by the first user interface.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second user interfaces are respectively first and second self-services menus, wherein menu options of the first and second self-service menus differ based on capabilities of the first and second media channels.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a wait time for interacting with a resource associated with the first media channel, wherein the identifying of the second media channel is in response to identifying that the wait time for the resource at the first media channel exceeds a threshold wait time, and identifying that the second media channel has a wait time satisfying the threshold wait time.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the second media channel is identified based on a reward predicted to be achieved by handling an interaction via the second media channel.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second media channel is further identified based on at least one of service rules associated with the interaction, customer preference, or capacity of contact center resources.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the first interaction request is for a first mode of communication and the second interaction request is for a second mode of communication different from the first mode.

23. A contact center system for switching a communication event from one communication medium to another in a contact center, the system comprising:

means for receiving a first interaction request via a first media channel from an endpoint device;

means for identifying a second media channel different from the first media channel;

means for identifying a resource associated with the second media channel based on a routing strategy;

means for transmitting a reservation request for reserving the resource associated with the second media channel, wherein the resource is reserved for a preset amount of time; and

means for transmitting a unique identifier associated with the reservation request to the endpoint device for establishing a second interaction request via the second media channel.