Message center system

• US 6,442,592 B1
• Filed: 12/11/1998
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation of America (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Micro Computer Systems, Inc. (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Kingston, Mark Allen, Alumbaugh, Wendell, Esters, Dennis Eugene, Munson, Carmela Gay, Braginsky, Yelena, Newsom, Patti Jo
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Application Number:
  US09/209,878
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/200, 709/201, 709/204, 709/205, 709/207, 709/227, 709/238, 709/232, 709/246, 709/248, 709/249
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms

Abstract

A message center server retrieves e-mail messages from one or more e-mail accounts and intelligently distributes them among a plurality of agents handling the messages. Messages received from the same originator regarding the same subject matter are treated as transactions and assigned a unique transaction identifier. When a message initiating a new transaction is forwarded to an agent, the agent'"'"'s login is associated with the transaction identifier for that message. Thereafter, messages retrieved from the e-mail account(s) are scanned for a transaction identifier. If found, the message—a continuance of the transaction—is placed in the appropriate agent queue. The same agent thus handles all messages from the originator regarding a specific transaction, avoiding the need to relearn a transaction history. If no transaction identifier is found, the message is forwarded to an appropriate pool of new messages.

Agents retrieve messages from a pool by a fetch request, which includes a fetch count or minimum number of messages desired. Agents may thus retrieve a number of messages, prepare responses, and send the prepared responses back to the message center server. Messages from an agent'"'"'s queue—transaction continuances—are forwarded first in response to a fetch request, followed by the oldest new messages from a designated pool. Performance indicators such as the number of agents available, the number of messages being handled by an agent, and the number of new messages in a pool may be monitored by supervisors.

Claims

1. A method of routing electronic messages, comprising:

retrieving at least one electronic message;

scanning the at least one electronic message for information uniquely identifying a transaction thread to which the electronic message relates;

responsive to detecting information uniquely identifying a transaction thread within the at least one electronic message, routing the at least one electronic message to a specific agent associated with the transaction thread;

wherein

the information uniquely identifying a transaction thread comprises a transaction identifier, the method further comprising;

responsive to detecting no transaction identifier within the at least one electronic message;

assigning a unique transaction identifier to the at least one electronic message;

automatically transmitting a response to an originator of the at least one electronic message acknowledging receipt of the at least one electronic message; and

routing the at least one electronic message to a selected department within a plurality of specific departments associated with a general account from which the at least one electronic message was retrieved.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving at least one electronic message further comprises:

retrieving the at least one electronic message from a general account, the general account having a plurality of associated specific accounts for agents preparing responses to messages received at the general account.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of scanning the at least one electronic message for information uniquely identifying a transaction thread to which the electronic message relates further comprises:

scanning the at least one electronic message for an embedded transaction identifier uniquely identifying a transaction history associated with the transaction thread.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to an agent associated with the transaction identifier connecting to a system routing the at least one electronic message, forwarding the at least one electronic message to the agent.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of routing the at least one electronic message to a selected department within a plurality of specific departments associated with a general account from which the at least one electronic message was retrieved further comprises:

routing the at least one message on a first in, first out basis relative to other messages received at the general account without a transaction identifier to an agent preparing responses to messages received at the general account and requesting messages requiring responses.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

routing a plurality of messages without a transaction identifier received at the general account to an agent requesting messages requiring responses.

7. A system for routing electronic messages, comprising:

a message server retrieving at least one electronic message for a general account having a plurality of associated specific accounts for agents preparing responses to messages received at the general account;

a distribution facility within the message server scanning the at least one electronic message for a transaction identifier uniquely identifying a transaction thread to which the electronic message relates;

a router within the message server routing the at least one electronic message to a specific account within the plurality of specific accounts which is associated with the transaction thread upon detecting the transaction identifier within the at least one electronic message;

wherein

the router, upon detecting no transaction identifier within the at least one electronic message;

assigns a unique transaction identifier to the at least one electronic message;

automatically transmits a response to a sender of the at least one electronic message acknowledging receipt of the at least one electronic message; and

routes the at least one electronic message to a selected account within a plurality of specific accounts associated with a general account from which the at least one electronic message was retrieved.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the router routes all messages received at the general account which contain a transaction identifier associated with the specific account to the specific account.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a database coupled to the distribution facility containing a transaction history associated with the transaction thread and selectively providing the transaction history to an agent.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the distribution facility forwards the electronic message to an agent assigned to the specific account together with all other electronic messages including a transaction identifier associated with the specific account in response to the agent requesting messages requiring responses.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the distribution facility routes messages without a transaction identifier received at the general account to the specific account on a first in, first out basis.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a workstation connecting an agent assigned to the specific account to the message server.

13. A computer program product within a computer usable medium for routing electronic messages, comprising:

instructions for retrieving at least one electronic message from a general account having a plurality of associated specific accounts for agents preparing responses to messages received at the general account;

instructions for scanning the at least one electronic message for a transaction identifier uniquely identifying a transaction thread to which the electronic message relates;

instructions, responsive to detecting the transaction identifier within the at least one electronic message, for routing the at least one electronic message to a specific account associated with the transaction thread;

instructions, responsive to detecting no transaction identifier within the at least one electronic message, for;

assigning a unique transaction identifier to the at least one electronic message;

automatically transmitting a response to a sender of the at least one electronic message acknowledging receipt of the at least one electronic message; and

routing the at least one electronic message to a selected account within a plurality of specific accounts associated with a general account from which the at least one electronic message was retrieved.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for retrieving at least one electronic message further comprise:

instructions for retrieving the at least one electronic message from a general account having a plurality of associated specific accounts for agents preparing responses to messages received at the general account.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for scanning the at least one electronic message for a transaction identifier uniquely identifying a transaction thread to which the electronic message relates further comprise:

instructions for scanning the at least one electronic message for an embedded transaction identifier uniquely identifying a transaction history associated with the transaction thread.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

instructions, responsive to an agent assigned to the specific account connecting to a system routing the at least one electronic message, for forwarding the electronic message to the agent together with all other electronic messages including a transaction identifier associated with the specific account.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for routing the at least one electronic message to a selected account within a plurality of specific accounts associated with a general account from which the at least one electronic message was retrieved further comprise:

instructions for routing the at least one message on a first in, first out basis relative to other messages without a transaction identifier received at the general account to an agent preparing responses to messages received at the general account and requesting messages requiring responses.