Modification of voice prompting based on prior communication in a call center

• US 6,760,428 B2
• Filed: 07/30/1999
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Foster, Robin H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deane, Jr., William J.
• Application Number:
  US09/364,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20030206622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.03, 379/265.05, 379/265.09, 379/265.1, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/265.13, 379/265.14, 379/266.01, 379/266.02, 379/266.03, 379/266.05, 379/88.13, 379/88.19, 379/142.01, 379/142.06, 379/305
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/353 where the information comprises non-audio but is provided over voice channels protocols for multimedia information services per se H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• 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 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

A call center is configured such that voice prompts provided to a given caller are modified based on prior e-mail notifications or other non-telephonic communications between the call center and that caller. In an illustrative embodiment, information regarding at least one previous non-telephonic communication with a given caller is stored in a database or other memory accessible to the call center. When the given caller places a subsequent call to the call center, the call center retrieves the stored information for that caller, and selects voice prompts for the caller based at least in part on the e-mails or other non-telephonic communications previously sent to the caller. The call is then routed to an appropriately-skilled agent based at least in part on a response of the caller to the voice prompt. Additional information relating to the previous non-telephonic communication, e.g., a copy or summary of the communication, may be transmitted to the agent that receives the call.

Claims

1. A method of generating voice prompts for a caller accessing a call center, the method comprising the steps of:

storing information regarding at least one previous non-telephonic electronic communication initiated by the call center and directed from the call center to the caller, the stored information comprising;

(i) previous communication identification information suitable for identifying the previous non-telephonic communication initiated by the call center and directed from the call center to the caller, and (ii) voice call identification information suitable for identifying a subsequent voice call from the caller as being associated with that particular caller; and

selecting at least one voice prompt for delivery to the caller during a subsequent voice call initiated by the caller and directed from the caller to the call center based at least in part on the stored information regarding the previous non-telephonic communication;

the stored information being utilized to identify at least an initial voice prompt without requiring the caller to enter any information relating to the previous non-telephonic electronic communication;

wherein the call center automatically determines the initial voice prompt by deriving voice call identification information from the subsequent voice call, matching the derived voice call identification information to the stored voice call identification information, retrieving the previous communication identification information associated with the stored voice call identification information, and determining the initial voice prompt as a prompt appropriate for a recipient of the previous non-telephonic electronic communication identified by the previous communication identification information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises an e-mail message previously sent by the call center to the caller.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a facsimile communication previously sent by the call center to the caller.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a proactive communication previously sent by the call center to the caller without the caller having previously requested the information in the communication.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a reactive communication previously sent by the call center to the caller in response to an information request previously made by the caller.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting step is based on a maximum designated number of previous non-telephonic communications if the given caller has received more than the maximum number of non-telephonic communications.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the step of routing the call to a particular agent based at least in part on a response of the caller to the voice prompt.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of transmitting information relating to the previous non-telephonic communication to an agent that receives the call.

9. An apparatus for processing communications in a call center, the apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing information regarding at least one previous non-telephonic electronic communication initiated by the call center and directed from the call center to a given caller, the stored information comprising;

(i) previous communication identification information suitable for identifying the previous non-telephonic communication initiated by the call center and directed from the call center to the caller, and (ii) voice call identification information suitable for identifying a subsequent voice call from the caller as being associated with that particular caller; and

a processor coupled to the memory and operative to select at least one voice prompt for delivery to the caller during a subsequent voice call initiated by the caller and directed from the caller to the call center based at least in part on the stored information regarding the previous non-telephonic communication;

the stored information being utilized to identify at least an initial voice prompt without requiring the caller to enter any information relating to the previous non-telephonic electronic communication;

wherein the call center automatically determines the initial voice prompt by deriving voice call identification information from the subsequent voice call, matching the derived voice call identification information to the stored voice call identification information, retrieving the previous communication identification information associated with the stored voice call identification information, and determining the initial voice prompt as a prompt appropriate for a recipient of the previous non-telephonic electronic communication identified by the previous communication identification information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises an e-mail message previously sent by the call center to the caller.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a facsimile communication previously sent by the call center to the caller.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a proactive communication previously sent by the call center to the caller without the caller having previously requested the information in the communication.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a reactive communication previously sent by the call center to the caller in response to an information request previously made by the caller.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the selecting step is based on a maximum designated number of previous non-telephonic communications if the given caller has received more than the maximum number of non-telephonic communications.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 further including the step of routing the call to a particular agent based at least in part on a response of the caller to the voice prompt.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 further including the step of transmitting information relating to the previous non-telephonic communication to an agent that receives the call.

17. An article of manufacture containing one or more software programs which, when executed in a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:

storing information regarding at least one previous non-telephonic electronic communication initiated by a call center and directed from the call center to a given caller, the stored information comprising;

(i) previous communication identification information suitable for identifying the previous non-telephonic communication initiated by the call center and directed from the call center to the caller, and (ii) voice call identification information suitable for identifying a subsequent voice call from the caller as being associated with that particular caller; and

selecting at least one voice prompt for delivery to the caller during a subsequent voice call initiated by the caller and directed from the caller to the call center based at least in part on the stored information regarding the previous non-telephonic communication;

the stored information being utilized to identify at least an initial voice prompt without requiring the caller to enter any information relating to the previous non-telephonic electronic communication;

wherein the call center automatically determines the initial voice prompt by deriving voice call identification information from the subsequent voice call, matching the derived voice call identification information to the stored voice call identification information, retrieving the previous communication identification information associated with the stored voice call identification information, and determining the initial voice prompt as a prompt appropriate for a recipient of the previous non-telephonic electronic communication identified by the previous communication identification information.