Method and apparatus for supporting diverse interaction paths within a multimedia communication center

• US 6,138,139 A
• Filed: 10/29/1998
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Beck, Christopher Clemmett Macleod, Mitchell, Robin Marie, Sidell, Mark Franklin, Powers, James Karl, Johnstone, Joel A, Knuff, Charles Dazler, Berke, Jonathan Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/182,937
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 705/1, 705/26, 705/27, 705/28
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A programmable diverse interaction code module (DIM) in an enterprise-hosted multimedia call center (MMCC) for facilitates and monitors diverse interactions between parties communicating through the MMCC, and includes a database interface for access to an MMCC data repository; and an association facility for associating parties to transactions with agents and projects. The association facility assigns association identifiers to parties according to defined projects and issues, and the database interface stores transactions in the data repository. Parties to transactions include customers and business associates remote from the MMCC and agents and knowledge workers local to the MMCC, and transactions are supported in any combination between any parties. The database interface stores transactions on threaded strings, the threading associated by one or more of project, issue, and chronology, and the DIM is programmable to apply to a single enterprise project. Transactions are displayable in some cases on threaded strings, and lower-order transactions may be hidden on some strings. Methods for practicing the invention re taught as well.

Claims

1. In an enterprise-hosted multimedia call center (MMCC), a programmable diverse interaction code module (DIM) for facilitating and monitoring diverse interactions between parties communicating through the MMCC, comprising:

a database interface for access to an MMCC data repository; and

an association facility for associating parties to transactions with agents and projects;

wherein the association facility assigns association identifiers to parties according to defined projects and issues, and the database interface stores transactions in the data repository.

2. The DIM of claim 1 wherein parties to transactions include customers and business associates remote from the MMCC and agents and knowledge workers local to the MMCC, and wherein transactions are supported in any combination between any parties.

3. The DIM of claim 1 wherein the database interface stores transactions on threaded strings, the threading associated by one or more of project, issue, and chronology.

4. The DIM of claim 1 wherein the DIM is programmable to apply to a single enterprise project.

5. The DIM of claim 1 further comprising collaboration code providing collaboration sessions between multiple parties to a single enterprise project.

6. The DIM of claim 1 wherein commitments are tracked and parties to commitments are notified prior to commitment dates, and for timed-out commitments.

7. The DIM of claim 3 wherein threaded transactions are displayable as icons on strings.

8. The DIM of claim 7 wherein transactions are assigned priority levels, and wherein lower priority transactions are hidden on higher-level displayed strings.

9. The DIM of claim 1 wherein the enterprise sells products, and wherein customers buying a selected product are automatically enrolled in a support group related to the selected product and controlled by a programmable DIM.

10. The DIM of claim 9 wherein the DIM supports transactions between multiple customers, and grants access by enrollees to limited portions of enterprise databases related to the selected product.

11. A method for facilitating and monitoring diverse interactions between parties communicating through an enterprise-hosted multimedia call center (MMCC) facilitated by a programmable diverse interaction module (DIM), comprising the following steps by the DIM:

(a) supporting and monitoring transactions between any combination of local and remote parties;

(b) associating the parties to transactions with agents and projects;

(c) storing transactions in the data repository.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein in step (a) parties to transactions include customers and business associates remote from the MMCC and agents and knowledge workers local to the MMCC.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein in step (c) the database interface stores transactions on threaded strings, the threading associated by one or more of project, issue, and chronology.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the DIM is programmable to apply to a single enterprise project.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising a step for providing collaboration sessions between multiple parties to a single enterprise project.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising a step for tracking commitments and notifying parties to commitments prior to commitment dates, and for timed-out commitments.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein threaded transactions are displayable as icons on strings.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein transactions are assigned priority levels, and wherein lower priority transactions are hidden on higher-level displayed strings.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the enterprise sells products, and further comprising a step for automatically enrolling customers buying a selected product in a support group related to the selected product and controlled by a programmable DIM.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the DIM supports transactions between multiple customers, and further comprising a step for granting access by enrollees to limited portions of enterprise databases related to the selected product.