Methods and apparatus to handle customer support requests

• US 7,826,597 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2005
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Magnusson, Mark, Rushing, James, Berner, Earl A., Porter, Jason, Robinson, Kristina, Welch, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Asanbayev, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US11/298,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20070133780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/1.01, 379/9, 379 901- 903, 379/10.01, 379/10.03, 379/15.01, 379/22.07, 379/26.02, 379/27.04, 379/29.02, 379/32.04, 370/242, 714/25, 714/26, 714/57
• US Class Current: 379/1.01
• 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 3/10 Providing fault- or trouble-signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to handle support contacts in a call center are disclosed. An example method for handling a first contact to a support center includes receiving the first contact from a first person, receiving a first identifier associated with the first person, analyzing contact details for a second contact associated with a second identifier associated with a second person different from the first person to determine if a problem associated with the first identifier exists, and indicating that a problem associated with the first identifier exists if the contact details for the second contact associated with the second identifier indicate that a problem associated with the first identifier exists.

Claims

1. A method for handling contacts to a support center, the method comprising:

receiving in a telecommunication system, a first contact from a first customer;

receiving in the telecommunication system, a first identifier associated with the first customer;

determining via a processor, a communication device associated with the first customer based on the first contact from the first customer;

initiating, via the processor, transmission of a test query to the communication device to determine a communication issue;

retrieving, via the processor, contact details for a second contact associated with a second identifier associated with a second customer and comparing the contact details to a response to the test query to determine if a communication issue associated with the first identifier exists; and

indicating, via the processor, that the communication issue associated with the first identifier exists if the contact details for the second contact associated with the second identifier indicate that the communication issue associated with the first identifier exists.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining if the communication issue associated with the first identifier is known.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising contacting a device associated with the support center to determine if the communication issue associated with the first identifier exists.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising routing the first contact to a support center agent if the contact details for the contact associated with the second identifier do not indicate that the communication issue associated with the first identifier exists.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising:

determining which of a first agent or a second agent is capable of handling the first contact; and

routing the first contact to the support agent that is capable of handling the first contact.

6. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising generating a script that the support center agent can follow based on at least one of the first identifier or the communication issue.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving information from the first customer; and

modifying the script based on the information.

8. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising retrieving a business rule to generate the script.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising automatically generating a support script associated with the communication issue.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising analyzing a plurality of contact details to determine if the communication issue associated with the first identifier exists.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein analyzing the plurality of contact details comprises determining if the number of contacts having the same reason for contacting the support center as the first reason that the first customer is contacting the support center exceeds a threshold.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising determining if at least one of the plurality of contacts and the first customer require access to a same network device.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

diagnosing, via the processor, a solution to the communication issue based on the response to the test query; and

testing a network component to determine the communication issue if the communication issue is not determined by testing the communication device.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein testing the network component comprises determining if at least one of a digital subscriber line access multiplexer, a plain old telephone service splitter, or a plain old telephone service switch is communicatively coupled to customer premise equipment associated with the customer.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein testing the network component comprises determining if the digital subscriber line access multiplexer provides data service to the customer premise equipment.

16. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising upon diagnosing the solution, routing the contact to a support center agent associated with at least one of the communication issue or the solution.

17. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the test query is to test the communication device by determining if at least one of a residential gateway associated with the customer, a customer premise equipment associated with the customer or a local area network associated with the customer is communicatively coupled to the processor.

18. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the contact is made via at least one of voice communications or data communications.

19. A tangible article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

receive a contact from a customer in a telecommunication system;

determine a residential gateway associated with the customer based on the contact from the customer;

transmit a first test query to the residential gateway;

determine if the residential gateway responds to the first test query;

transmit a second test query to a digital subscriber line access multiplexer when the residential gateway does not respond to the first test query;

determine if the digital subscriber line access multiplexer responds to the second test query; and

route the contact based on at least one of a response to the first test query or a response to the second test query.

20. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to test the digital subscriber line access multiplexer by determining if the digital subscriber line access multiplexer provides data service to the residential gateway.

21. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:

transmit a third test query to at least one of a plain old telephone service splitter or a plain old telephone service switch;

determine if at least one of the plain old telephone service splitter or the plain old telephone service switch responds to the third test query; and

route the contact based on a response to the third test query.

22. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:

transmit a fourth test query at least one of a customer premise equipment associated with the customer or a local area network associated with the customer;

determine if at least one of the customer premise equipment or the local area network responds to the fourth test query; and

route the contact based on a response to the fourth test query.

23. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to route the contact to a support center agent based on at least one of the response to the first test query or the response to the second test query.

24. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 23, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to generate a script that the support center agent can follow based on at least one of the response to the first test query or the response to the second test query.

25. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:

receive information from the customer; and

modify the script based on the information.

26. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to retrieve a business rule to generate the script.

27. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to route the contact to a support center agent if an issue is not determined by at least one of the response to the first test query or the response to the second test query.

28. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to automatically generate a support script associated with at least one of the response to the first test query or the response to the second test query.