System and method for providing caller activities while in queue

• US 7,418,095 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pasquale, Theodore B., Bushey, Robert R., Knott, Benjamin A., Martin, John M., Joseph, Kurt M., Mills, Scott H., Miller, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US10/383,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20040174980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: 379/266.01, 379/201.02, 379/93.12, 379/76, 379/266.03, 379/265.02, 379/265.11, 379/266.06, 379/265.1, 379/265.01, 379/265.05, 370/217, 704/232, 701/207
• US Class Current: 379/266.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1066 Game playing
• 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 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• 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 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A system and method for providing customer activities while in queue allows for one or more customers to interact with one or more customer activities while waiting to speak with a live agent. The customers engage the customer activities while holding in a queue where the customer activities reduce the boredom, frustration, and perceived hold duration associated with holding to speak to a live agent. The customers are offered one or more options of the customer activities to interact with and the system and method monitors the customers'"'"' selections and interaction with the customer activities. As agents become available, each customer is transferred to an agent along with information regarding the customer'"'"'s interaction with a selected customer activity. Upon completion of the interaction between the agent and the customer, the customer has the option to return to the selected customer activity and continue interacting with the selected customer activity.

Claims

1. A method for providing caller activities to a caller holding in a queue, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a caller via a phone system;

determining if an agent is available to interact with the caller;

determining an estimated hold time to interact with the agent;

providing the estimated hold time to the caller;

placing the caller in a queue;

offering the caller one or more caller activities for the caller to interact with via the phone system while remaining in the queue, including determining the caller activities to offer based at least on the estimated hold time;

receiving a selection of one of the particular caller activities from the caller;

connecting the caller to the selected caller activity while the caller remains in the queue;

creating a caller activity history indicative of the caller'"'"'s selection of the caller activity and the caller'"'"'s interaction while connected to the selected caller activity while holding in the queue;

connecting the caller with the agent when the agent is available to interact with the caller; and

communicating the caller activity history to the agent in real time.

20. A method according to claim 1, further comprising upon completion of the caller and the agent interaction, providing the caller an option of returning to the selected caller activity based on the caller activity history.

22. A method according to claim 20 further comprising upon completion of the interaction between the caller and the agent, providing the caller an option of returning to the selected self-service caller activity based on the caller activity history.

2. A method for providing caller activities while in a queue, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a caller having an account;

placing the customer on-hold in a queue to interact with an agent;

providing the caller with an option of one or more customer activities to perform while remaining in the queue, the caller activities including at least one self-service activity related to managing the caller'"'"'s account;

transferring the caller from being on-hold to interacting with a selected self-service customer activity while the caller remains in the queue; and

creating a caller activity history indicative of the caller'"'"'s selection of the customer activity and said interacting while on-hold in said queue; and

after a period of caller interaction with the selected self-service caller activity, transferring the caller from the selected self-service caller activity to the agent; and

communicating the caller activity history to the agent.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising communicating the caller activity history to the agent when the agent becomes available to interact with the customer.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising notifying the caller when the agent is available to interact with the caller.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein notifying the caller when the agent is available comprises providing the caller an option of interacting with the agent or continuing to interact with the selected self-service caller activity.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein providing the caller with an option of one or more caller activities comprises modifying which of the caller activities are provided as the options to the caller based at least on a estimated hold time and one or more caller demographics including at least one of the caller'"'"'s age, gender and location.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

tracking a frequency for which a plurality of callers select the caller activities;

determining a frequency of selection by the plurality of callers for each of to caller activities; and

based on the determined frequency of selection by the plurality of callers, modifying at least one of the caller activities that are provided to one or more subsequent callers as the options or modifying the order in which the caller activities are presented to the one or more subsequent callers as options.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising transferring the caller back to the selected self-service caller activity upon the completion of the interaction between the agent and the caller.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

determining an estimated hold time to interact with the agent; and

providing the estimated hold time to the caller before providing the options of caller activities to the caller.

10. The method of claim 2 further comprising waiting until the caller completes an action within the selected self-service caller activity before transferring the caller to the agent.

11. The method of claim 2 further comprising not providing the caller an option of one or more caller activities when an estimated hold time is greater than zero but below a threshold value.

21. A method according to claim 2, further comprising monitoring one or more actions taken by the caller during said interacting with the selected self-service caller activity to create a caller activity history indicative of the caller'"'"'s interaction with the selected self-service caller activity.

12. A system for providing caller activities while in a queue, the system comprising:

one or more receiving devices operable to receive an inbound inquiry, place a caller on-hold in a queue, and calculate an estimated hold time;

an activity engine associated with the one or more receiving devices, the activity engine operable to;

provide the caller with an option of a set of caller activities to perform while in the queue, the set of caller activities being determined based at least in part on the estimated hold time and including at least one self-service activity related to managing the caller'"'"'s account;

transfer the caller from being on-hold to interacting with a selected self-service caller activity;

create a caller activity history indicative of the caller'"'"'s selection of the caller activity and said interacting while in the queue; and

communicate the caller activity history to the agent; and

a connection engine associated with the activity engine and the track engine, the connection engine operable, after a period of caller interaction with the selected self-service caller activity, to transfer the caller from the selected self-service to an available agent.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising one or more databases operable to store information regarding the selection of the caller activities and one or more caller actions taken within the selected caller activities.

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising a track engine operable to communicate a plurality of information regarding the caller'"'"'s interaction with the selected self-service caller activity to the agent when the agent becomes available to interact with the caller.

15. The system of claim 12 further comprising the activity engine operable to modify which of the caller activities are provided as the options to the caller based at least on an estimated hold time and one or more caller demographics including at least one of the caller'"'"'s age, gender and location.

16. The system of claim 12 further comprising the track engine operable to:

monitor a frequency for which a plurality of customers select the caller activities;

determine a frequency of selection by the plurality of customers for each of the caller activities; and

based on the determined frequency of selection by the plurality of customers, modify at least one of the caller activities that are provided to one or more subsequent customers as the options or modify the order in which the caller activities are presented to the one or more subsequent customers as options.

17. The system of claim 12 further comprising the connection engine operable to transfer the caller back to the selected self-service caller activity upon the completion of the interaction between the agent and the caller.

18. The system of claim 12 further comprising the activity engine operable to not provide the caller an option of one or more caller activities when an estimated hold time is greater than zero but below a threshold value.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the selected self-service caller activity comprises a voice portal.

23. A system according to claim 12, further comprising a track engine associated with the activity engine, the track engine operable to monitor one or more actions taken by the caller during said interacting with the selected self-service caller activity to create a caller activity history regarding the caller'"'"'s interaction with the selected self-service caller activity.

24. A system according to claim 23, further comprising the connection engine operable, upon completion of the interaction between the caller and the agent, to offer to return the caller to the selected self-service caller activity based on the caller activity history.