Bartering system and method for controlling position in a wait queue in a contact center

• US 8,340,277 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Kradjel, Howard G., Michaelis, Paul Roller
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US12/474,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20100303226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 379/266.01, 379/266.06, 379/266.03, 379/265.01, 379/265.05, 379/265.09, 379/265.1, 705/1, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/266.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/405 Competitive bidding for work items
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A contact center establishes a communication with a user. The communication is placed into a position in a wait queue that has other position(s) with other communication(s) that are waiting to be serviced by contact center agents. An offer is made to the user to change an amount of time to wait in the wait queue before being connected to a contact center agent. The offer can be based on a commodity such as money, frequent flyer miles, willingness to listen to an advertisement while holding, completing a survey, and the like. In response to the user accepting the offer, the position of the communication in the wait queue is changed to a different position. This allows the user to interactively adjust their wait time.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a contact center configured to establish a communication with a user, place the communication into a position in a wait queue, wherein the wait queue has a plurality of positions comprising at least one additional communication, make or receive a first offer to change an amount of time to wait in the wait queue before being connected to a contact center agent, in response to the user accepting the first offer, changing the position of the communication in the wait queue to a different position in the plurality of positions, and make a second offer to the user waiting in the wait queue to change position in the wait queue based on the amount of a commodity, a different amount of the commodity, or the different amount of a different commodity, wherein the second offer is made after the user accepted the first offer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the contact center is further configured to receive a request to establish the communication from the user or to send a request to establish the communication with the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first offer may vary based on at least one of the following:

a projected wait time to service the communication, the number of positions in the wait queue, the communication being serviced in a specific time period, and the number of positions in the wait queue that are ahead of the communication.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a designated telephone number or Universal Resource Locator (URL) is used to establish the communication.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication is one of the following:

a voice communication, a video communication, an Instant Message (IM), a chat, and an email.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first offer is based on a commodity of value that can be at least one of the following:

money, frequent flyer miles, a discount, a coupon a willingness to listen to an advertisement while on hold, completing a survey, a shorter/longer wait period in a future call.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first offer is from the contact center, and wherein the contact center receives a counter offer from the user in response to the first offer from the contact center.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first offer is from the user, and wherein the contact center makes a counter offer in response to the first offer from the user.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the first offer is an offer to move the user backward in the wait queue.

9. A system comprising:

a contact center configured to place one or more communications into one or more positions in a wait queue, notify a first service agent contact center and a second service agent contact center of the one or more communications in the one or more positions in the wait queue, receive a first offer from the first service agent contact center to service the at least one of the one or more communications based on a commodity of value, receive a second offer from the second service agent contact center to service the at least one of the one or more communications based on the commodity of value, accept the first offer or part of the first offer from the first service agent contact center, and direct the at least one of the one or more communications to the first service agent contact center.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the commodity of value is at least one of the following:

a service time, a type of service, a specific agent of the first service agent contact center, a group of agents of the first service agent contact center, or money.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the contact center is further configured to decline the second offer, accept the second offer, or accept part of the second offer.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the contact center is further configured acknowledge acceptance of the first offer or part of the first offer to the first service agent contact center.

13. A method comprising:

establishing a communication with a user;

placing the communication into a position in a wait queue, wherein the wait queue has a plurality of positions comprising at least one additional communication;

making a first offer to or receiving the first offer from the user waiting in the wait queue to change an amount of time to wait in the wait queue before being connected to a contact center agent;

responsive to the user accepting the first offer, changing in the contact center the position of the communication in the wait queue to a different position in the plurality of positions; and

making a second offer to the user waiting in the wait queue to change position in the wait queue based on the amount of the commodity, a different amount of the commodity, or the different amount of a different commodity, wherein the second offer is made after the user accepted the first offer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (a) is accomplished by receiving a request to establish the communication from the user or by the contact center sending a request to establish the communication with the user.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first offer may vary based on at least one of the following:

a projected wait time to service the communication, the number of positions in the wait queue, the communication being serviced in a specific time period, and the number of positions in the wait queue that are ahead of the communication.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein a designated telephone number or Universal Resource Locator (URL) is used to establish the communication.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication is one of the following:

a voice communication, a video communication, an Instant Message (IM), a chat, and an email.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the first offer is based on a commodity of value that can be at least one of the following:

money, frequent flyer miles, a discount, a coupon, a willingness to listen to an advertisement while on hold, completing a survey, or a shorter/longer wait period in a future call.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the first offer is from the contact center, and further comprising the step of receiving a counter offer from the user in response to the first offer from the contact center.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the first offer is from the user, and further comprising the step of the contact center making a counter offer in response to the first offer from the user.

28. The method of claim 13, wherein the first offer is an offer to move the user backward in the wait queue.

21. A method comprising:

placing one or more communications into one or more positions in a wait queue;

notifying a first service agent contact center and a second service agent contact center of the one or more communications in the one or more positions in the wait queue;

receiving a first offer from the first service agent contact center to service the at least one of the one or more communications based on a commodity of value;

receiving a second offer from the second service agent contact center to service at least one of the one or more communications based on the commodity of value;

accepting the first offer or part of the first offer from the first service agent contact center; and

directing the at least one of the one or more communications to the first service agent contact center.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the commodity of value is at least one of the following:

a service time, a type of service, a specific agent of the first service agent contact center, a group of agents of the first service agent contact center, or money.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising at least one of the following steps:

declining the second offer, accepting the second offer, or accepting part of the second offer.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of acknowledging acceptance of the first offer or part of the first offer to the first service agent contact center.

25. An apparatus comprising:

means for establishing a communication with a user;

means for placing the communication into a position in a wait queue, wherein the wait queue has a plurality of positions comprising at least one additional communication;

means for making a first offer to or receiving the first offer from the user waiting in the wait queue to change an amount of time to wait in the wait queue before being connected to a contact center agent;

responsive to the user accepting the first offer, means for changing in the contact center the position of the communication in the wait queue to a different position in the plurality of positions; and

means for making a second offer to the user waiting in the wait queue to change position in the wait queue based on the amount of the commodity, a different amount of the commodity, or the different amount of a different commodity, wherein the second offer is made after the user accepted the first offer.

26. An apparatus comprising:

means for placing one or more communications into one or more positions in a wait queue;

means for notifying a first service agent contact center and a second service agent contact center of the one or more communications in the one or more positions in the wait queue;

means for receiving a first offer from the first service agent contact center to service the at least one of the one or more communications based on a commodity of value;

means for receiving a second offer from the second service agent contact center to service the at least one of the one or more communications based on the commodity of value;

means for accepting the first offer or part of the first offer from the first service agent contact center; and

means for directing the at least one of the one or more communications to the first service agent contact center.