Enabling caller controlled hold queue position adjustment

• US 7,095,842 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2001
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Winters, Scott Lee, Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, Cheng, David R., Okunseinde, Folu, Sheth-Voss, Seema, Leung, Wing-Ying Stephanie
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US10/004,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20030103619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,723 Days
• Field of Search: 379/266.01, 379/265.02, 379/266.03, 379/93.13, 379/92.01, 379/266.02
• US Class Current: 379/266.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A method, system, and program for allowing callers to adjust in position within a call hold queue are provided. An advancement token earned by a caller is detected at a calling queue. The position of the caller within the calling queue is adjusted, in response to redemption of the advancement token, such that the caller is allowed control over the position within the calling queue by earning advancement tokens. In particular, a caller may earn advancement tokens by participation in competitions or surveys or by redemption of membership points.

Claims

1. A method for caller position adjustment within a calling queue comprising:

receiving a call from a caller at a call center;

placing said call on hold in a calling queue of said call center, wherein said calling queue maintains an order in which calls are answered by representatives;

responsive to a selection of a position adjustment option by said caller while waiting on hold, transferring said call to a token advancement system while maintaining a record of said call that advances in said calling queue, wherein said token advancement system is accessible to a plurality of separate call centers via a network, wherein said token advancement system specifies for each of said plurality of separate call centers a separate selection of options from among a plurality of options for enabling said caller to earn an advancement token;

responsive to detecting, at said calling queue, said advancement token earned by a caller from said token advancement system, calculating a separate redemption value of said advancement token specifically for adjustment of position within said calling queue; and

responsive to calculating said redemption value of said advancement token, adjusting a position of said caller according to said redemption value within said calling queue, such that said caller is allowed control over said position within said calling queue.

2. The method for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 1, wherein detecting said advancement token further comprises:

detecting said advancement token earned by a caller by participating in at least one from among a competition, a survey, and a redemption of membership points during a prior call made before a current call by said caller positioned in said calling queue.

3. The method for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 1, wherein detecting said advancement token further comprises:

detecting said advancement token from said token advancement system communicatively connected to said calling queue.

4. The method for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 1, wherein adjusting said position further comprises:

adjusting said position of a call within said calling queue while said call is located at said token advancement system.

5. The method for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting when said caller is next in line to be answered within said calling queue; and

transferring a next in line notification to said caller at said token advancement system.

6. The method for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 1, further comprising:

returning an unused portion of said advancement token to a promotion system for storage in association with said caller.

7. The method for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 1, wherein adjusting said position further comprises:

advancing said call a particular number of positions within said calling queue.

8. The method for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 1, wherein adjusting said position further comprises:

advancing said call a particular amount of wait time within said calling queue.

9. A system for caller position adjustment within a calling queue comprising:

a calling queue for holding a call from a caller received at a call center;

means for placing said call on hold in a calling queue of said call center, wherein said calling queue maintains an order in which calls are answered by representatives;

means, responsive to a selection of a position adjustment option by said caller while waiting on hold, for transferring said call from said calling queue to a token advancement system while maintaining a record of said call that advances in said calling queue, wherein said token advancement system is accessible to a plurality of separate call centers via a network, wherein said token advancement system specifies for each of said plurality of separate call centers a separate selection of options from among a plurality of options for enabling said caller to earn an advancement token;

means, responsive to detecting said advancement token at said calling queue, wherein said advancement token is earned by a caller from said token advancement system, for calculating a separate redemption value of said advancement token specifically for adjustment of position within said calling queue; and

means, responsive to calculating said redemption value of said advancement token, for adjusting a position of said caller according to said redemption value within said calling queue.

10. The system for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 9, wherein said means for detecting an advancement token further comprises:

means for detecting said advancement token earned by a caller by participating in at least one from among a competition, a survey, and a redemption of membership points during a prior call made before a current call by said caller position in said calling queue.

11. The system for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 9, wherein said means for detecting said advancement token further comprises:

means for detecting said advancement token from said token advancement system communicatively connected to said calling queue.

12. The system for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 9, wherein said means for adjusting said position further comprises:

means for adjusting said position of a call within said calling queue while said call is located at said token advancement system.

13. The system for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for detecting when said caller is next in line to be answered within said calling queue; and

means for transferring a next in line notification to said caller at said token advancement system.

14. The system for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for returning an unused portion of said advancement token to a promotion system for storage in association with said caller.

15. The system for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 9, wherein said means for adjusting said position further comprises:

means for advancing said call a particular number of positions within said calling queue.

16. The system for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 9, wherein said means for adjusting said position further comprises:

means for advancing said call a particular amount of wait time within said calling queue.

17. A computer program product for caller position adjustment within a calling queue comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for placing a call received at a call center on hold in a calling queue of said call center, wherein said calling queue maintains an order in which calls are answered by representatives;

means, recorded on said recording medium, responsive to a selection of a position adjustment option by said caller while waiting on hold, for transferring said call from said calling queue to a token advancement system while maintaining a record of said call that advances in said calling queue, wherein said token advancement system is accessible to a plurality of separate call centers via a network, wherein said token advancement system specifies for each of said plurality of separate call centers a separate selection of options from among a plurality of options for enabling said caller to earn an advancement token;

means, recorded on said recording medium, responsive to detecting said advancement token at said calling queue, wherein said advancement token is earned by a caller from said token advancement system, for calculating a separate redemption value of said advancement token specifically for adjustment of position within said calling queue; and

means, recorded on said recording medium, for adjusting a position of said caller according to said redemption value of said advancement token within said calling queue.

18. The computer program product for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 17, wherein said means for detecting an advancement token further comprises:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for detecting said advancement token earned by a caller by participating in at least one from among a competition, a survey, and a redemption of membership points during a prior call made before a current call by said caller position in said calling queue.

19. The computer program product for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 17, wherein said means for detecting said advancement token further comprises:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for detecting said advancement token from said token advancement system communicatively connected to said calling queue.

20. The computer program product for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 17, wherein said means for adjusting said position further comprises:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for adjusting said position of a call within said calling queue while said call is located at said token advancement system.

21. The computer program product for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 17, further comprising:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for detecting when said caller is next in line to be answered within said calling queue; and

means, recorded on said recording medium, for enabling transfer of a next in line notification to said caller at said token advancement system.

22. The computer program product for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 17, further comprising:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for returning an unused portion of said advancement token to a promotion system for storage in association with said caller.

23. The computer program product for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 17, wherein said means for adjusting said position further comprises:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for advancing said call a particular number of positions within said calling queue.

24. The computer program product for caller position adjustment within a calling queue according to claim 17, wherein said means for adjusting said position further comprises:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for advancing said call a particular amount of wait time within said calling queue.

25. A method for earning an adjustment in a position within a call hold queue, comprising:

receiving, at a token advancement system, at least one call transferred from a particular call hold queue from among a plurality of separate call hold queues, wherein said token advancement system specifies a separate selection of position adjustment service options for calls received from each of said separate call hold queues;

enabling a caller of said at least one call to participate in at least one position adjustment service selected by said caller from among a particular selection of position adjustment service options specified for calls received from said particular call hold queue; and

responsive to a result of said caller participation in said at least one position adjustment service, transferring a token for directing adjustment of a position of one from among said at least one call and a future call within said call hold queue.

26. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 25, wherein receiving at least one call further comprises:

receiving said at least one call transferred from said particular call hold queue from among said plurality of separate call hold queues each representative of a separate one from among a plurality of vendors.

27. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 25, wherein enabling a caller further comprises:

enabling said caller to participate in a competition for adjustment of a position within said call hold queue;

monitoring said result of said competition, wherein said result comprises whether said caller wins or loses said competition; and

creating said token indicating said win or lose for directing adjustment of said position.

28. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 27, wherein enabling said caller further comprises:

enabling said caller to participate in said competition, wherein options for competitors of said competition comprise at least one from among a general audience of callers, a selected set of callers, a single other caller, and a computer system.

29. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 27, wherein enabling said caller further comprises:

enabling said caller to participate in said competition, wherein options for types of said competition comprise at least one from among a trivia game, a card game, logic game, and a word game.

30. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 25, wherein enabling a caller further comprises:

enabling said caller to participate in a survey for earning said token for adjustment of a position within said call hold queue;

monitoring said result of said survey, wherein said result comprises whether said caller completes said survey; and

creating said token indicating a position adjustment promised for participation in said survey.

31. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 30, wherein enabling said caller further comprises:

transferring said call to a survey interaction system, wherein said call is answered by a survey representative at said survey interaction system.

32. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 30, wherein enabling said caller further comprises:

transferring said survey to said caller via an output interface accessible to said caller.

33. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 25, wherein enabling a caller further comprises:

enabling said caller to designate a portion of a membership account value to be applied to an adjustment of said position of said call;

monitoring said result of said designation, wherein said result comprises an adjustment redemption for said portion of said membership account value.

34. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 33, further comprising:

enabling said caller to add to said membership account value by participating in promotional activities at a time at least one from among before said call is placed and after said call is placed.

35. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 25, wherein transferring a token further comprises:

transferring said token to said call hold queue while maintaining said call at said token advancement system.

36. The method for earning an adjustment according to claim 25, further comprising:

receiving an indicator that said call is next to be answered; and

alerting said caller of said indicator.

37. A system for earning an adjustment in a position within a call hold queue, comprising:

a token advancement system for receiving a call transferred from a particular call hold queue from among a plurality of separate call hold queues, wherein said token advancement system specifies a separate selection of position adjustment service options for calls received from each of said separate call hold queues;

means for enabling a caller of said call to participate in at least one position adjustment service selected by said caller from among a particular selection of position adjustment service options specified for calls received from said particular call hold queue; and

means responsive to a result of said caller participation in said at least one position adjustment service, for transferring a token for directing adjustment of a position of one from among said call and a future call by said caller within said call hold queue.

38. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 37, wherein said token advancement system receives said at least one call from said particular call hold queue from among said plurality of separate call hold queues each representative of a separate one from among a plurality of vendors.

39. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 37, wherein said means for enabling a caller further comprises:

means for enabling said caller to participate in a competition for adjustment of a position within said call hold queue;

means for monitoring said result of said competition, wherein said result comprises whether said caller wins or loses said competition; and

means for creating said token indicating said win or lose for directing adjustment of said position.

40. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 39, wherein said means for enabling said caller further comprises:

means for enabling said caller to participate in said competition, wherein options for competitors of said competition comprise at least one from among a general audience of callers, a selected set of callers, a single other caller, and a computer system.

41. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 39, wherein said means for enabling said caller further comprises:

means for enabling said caller to participate in said competition, wherein options for types of said competition comprise at least one from among a trivia game, a card game, logic game, and a word game.

42. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 37, wherein said means for enabling a caller further comprises:

means for enabling said caller to participate in a survey for earning said token for adjustment of a position within said call hold queue;

means for monitoring said result of said survey, wherein said result comprises whether said caller completes said survey; and

means for creating said token indicating a position adjustment promised for participation in said survey.

43. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 42, wherein said means for enabling said caller further comprises:

means for transferring said call to a survey interaction system, wherein said call is answered by a survey representative at said survey interaction system.

44. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 42, wherein said means for enabling said caller further comprises:

means for transferring said survey to said caller via an output interface accessible to said caller.

45. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 37, wherein said means for enabling a caller further comprises:

means for enabling said caller to designate a portion of a membership account value to be applied to an adjustment of said position of said call;

means for monitoring said result of said designation, wherein said result comprises an adjustment redemption for said portion of said membership account value.

46. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 45, further comprising:

means for enabling said caller to add to said membership account value by participating in promotional activities at a time at least one from among before said call is placed and after said call is placed.

47. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 37, wherein said means for transferring a token further comprises:

means for transferring said token to said call hold queue while maintaining said call at said token advancement system.

48. The system for earning an adjustment according to claim 37, further comprising:

means for receiving an indicator that said call is next to be answered; and

means for alerting said caller of said indicator, wherein said caller is provided with an option to return to said call hold queue.

49. A computer program product for earning an adjustment in a position within a call hold queue, said computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for receiving at least one call transferred from a particular call hold queue from among a plurality of separate call hold queues;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for enabling a caller of said at least one call to participate in at least one position adjustment service selected by said caller from among a particular selection of position adjustment service options specified for calls received from said particular call hold queue, wherein a separate selection of position adjustment service options are specified for calls received from each of said separate call hold queues; and

means, recorded on said recording medium, for enabling transfer of a token reflective of said caller participation for directing adjustment of a position of one from among said at least one call and a future call by said caller within a call hold queue.

50. The computer program product for earning an adjustment according to claim 49, wherein said means for enabling a caller further comprises:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for enabling said caller to participate in a competition for adjustment of a position within said call hold queue;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for monitoring said result of said competition, wherein said result comprises whether said caller wins or loses said competition; and

means, recorded on said recording medium, for creating said token indicating said win or lose for directing adjustment of said position.

51. The computer program product for earning an adjustment according to claim 49, wherein said means for enabling a caller further comprises:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for enabling said caller to participate in a survey for earning said token for adjustment of a position within said call hold queue;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for monitoring said result of said survey, wherein said result comprises whether said caller completes said survey; and

means, recorded on said recording medium, for creating said token indicating a position adjustment promised for participation in said survey.

52. The computer program product for earning an adjustment according to claim 49, wherein said means for enabling a caller further comprises:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for enabling said caller to designate a portion of a membership account value to be applied to an adjustment of said position of said call;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for monitoring said result of said designation, wherein said result comprises an adjustment redemption for said portion of said membership account value.

53. The computer program product for earning an adjustment according to claim 49, wherein said means for enabling transfer of a token further comprises:

means, recorded on said recording medium, for enabling transfer of said token to said call hold queue while maintaining said call at a token advancement system.