System and method for optimizing timing of responses to customer communications

• US 7,222,189 B1
• Filed: 07/24/2000
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nelken, Yoram
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson; Marc D.
• Application Number:
  US09/624,361
• Time in Patent Office: 2,493 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/210.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.09, 379/265.1, 379/266.01, 379/266.03, 379/142.07, 379/265.01, 379/266.02, 709/206, 709/219, 709/203, 709/238, 709/239, 709/240, 709/217, 709/244, 374/477, 705/9, 707/10, 707/3
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A system and method for optimizing timing of responses to customer communications comprises a contact center and an operations center. The operations center includes a decision module that receives each communication and determines whether a partial response, such as an acknowledgement that the communication was received, is required. If a partial response is required, a response module sends a partial response to the sender that indicates the communication was received and preferably includes an estimate of the time required for a full response to the communication. All received communications are forwarded to a queue to await processing by an agent. The decision module determines whether a partial response is required based on an estimate of the amount of time required for a full response. If the time estimate is less than a predetermined threshold, a partial response is not sent and the communication is forwarded to a queue for processing.

Claims

1. A system for optimizing timing of responses to communications, comprising:

a contact center configured to receive a text-based communication from a sender;

a decision module configured to determine whether a partial response to the communication is required, wherein the determination comprises the decision module analyzing content of the communication by identifying at least a keyword; and

a response module configured to send the partial response to the sender, if required.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the decision module further determines a response time estimate for the communication, and if the response time estimate is less than a threshold value, then no partial response is required and the communication is forwarded to a queue for processing by an agent.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the partial response is required if the response time estimate is greater than or equal to the threshold value.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein if the partial response is required, the decision module further forwards the communication to a queue for processing by an agent.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the response module sends another partial response if a full response to the communication is not sent before the response time estimate expires.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the decision module further analyzes content of the communication to determine the response time estimate.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the decision module determines the response time estimate according to a set of rules predetermined by a system user.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the decision module is a learning system configured to determine the response time estimate utilizing feedback.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the decision module includes an agent configured to analyze the communication and determine the response time estimate.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the response time estimate is based on a number of prior communications in the queue.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the response time estimate is based on whether a full response to the communication is an automatic reply.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein the partial response includes the response time estimate.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the partial response comprises an acknowledgement that the communication was received.

14. A method for optimizing timing of responses to communications, comprising:

receiving a text-based communication from a sender;

determining whether the communication requires a partial response, whereby a decision module analyzes content of the communication by identifying at least a keyword; and

sending the partial response to the sender, if required.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining whether the communication requires a partial response further comprises determining a response time estimate for the communication, and if the response time estimate is less than a threshold value, then no partial response is required and the communication is forwarded to a queue for processing by an agent.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the partial response is required if the response time estimate is greater than or equal to the threshold value.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein if the partial response is required, the communication is forwarded to a queue for processing by an agent.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising sending another partial response if a full response to the communication is not sent before the response time estimate expires.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein a decision module further analyzes content of the communication to determine the response time estimate.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the decision module determines the response time estimate according to a set of rules predetermined by a system user.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the decision module is a learning system configured to determine the response time estimate utilizing feedback.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the decision module comprises an agent configured to analyze the communication and determine the response time estimate.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the response time estimate is based on a number of prior communications in the queue.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the response time estimate is based on whether a full response to the communication is an automatic reply.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the partial response comprises the response time estimate.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the partial response comprises an acknowledgement that the communication was received.

27. A system for optimizing timing of responses to communications, comprising:

means for receiving a text-based communication from a sender;

means for determining whether the communication requires a partial response, wherein the determining means analyze content of the communication by identifying at least a keyword; and

means for sending the partial response to the sender if required.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein if the partial response is required, the communication is forwarded for processing by agent means.