Servicing calls in call centers based on caller geo-location

• US 8,416,944 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Erhart, George William, Matula, Valentine C., Skiba, David Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US12/490,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20100322407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26502, 379/266.01
• US Class Current: 379/266.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms

Abstract

Methods are disclosed for servicing incoming calls at a call center based on one or more of the following: the geo-locations of the calling telecommunications terminals; the direction of movement of the calling telecommunications terminals (e.g., north, south, toward a particular geo-location or area, away from a particular geo-location or area, etc.); the speed of movement of the calling telecommunications terminals; and the local time at the calling telecommunications terminal. For example, in accordance with the illustrative embodiments, a person who calls the Home Depot® call center from his or her cell phone while in a Home Depot® store might be given priority over another call that was received earlier but was not placed from a Home Depot® store.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting one call C from among a plurality of calls to be services at a call center, wherein C has a priority, and said priority is based on;

a geo-location L of telecommunications terminal that placed the call C;

a direction of movement D of telecommunications terminal; and

a speed of movement S of the telecommunications terminal, and

wherein selecting one call C from among the plurality of calls to be services is based on;

the geo-location L of the telecommunications terminal relative to a geo-location of the call center, the geo-location L of the telecommunications terminal relative to a geo-location associated with the call center, and the geo-location L of the telecommunications terminal relative to a geo-location that lacks an association with the call center.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein L is the geo-location from which said telecommunications terminal placed C.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one call C from among the plurality of calls to be serviced is further based on the calendrical time at the telecommunications terminal.

4. A method for handling a call at a call center, comprising:

receiving a call at a call center, the call center including a call queue that corresponds to a plurality of calls to be serviced at the call center;

generating a call queue entry that is based at least in part upon the call;

inserting the call queue entry into the call queue;

receiving call handling information about the telecommunications terminal that placed the call, the call handling information including a geo-location L of the telecommunications terminal and at least one of a direction of movement D of the telecommunications terminal and a speed of movement S of the telecommunications terminal;

adding the call handling information to the call queue entry;

selecting the call from the call queue when an agent is available;

removing the call queue entry from the call queue; and

routing the call to the available agent;

wherein selecting the call from the call queue is based at least in part upon the call handling information and a calendrical time at the telecommunications terminal, and

wherein selecting of the call is further based upon a distance selected from a group of distances consisting of;

a distance between L and the geo-location of the call center;

a distance between L and a geo-location associated with the call center; and

a distance between L and a geo-location that lacks an association with the call center.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein inserting the call queue entry into the call queue is based at least in part upon a priority of the call queue entry determined at the time at which the telecommunications terminal called the call center.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein criteria for selecting the call define a priority for the call queue entry, and further comprising:

at a time after the telecommunications terminal called the call center, receiving updated information about the telecommunications terminal including an updated geo-location L and at least one of an updated direction of movement D, and an updated speed of movement S;

updating the priority of the call queue entry based at least in part upon the updated information; and

reorganizing the call queue before routing the call.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the criteria for selecting the call define a priority for the call queue entry, and further comprising:

at approximately a time of selecting, receiving updated information about the telecommunications terminal including an updated geo-location L and at least one of an updated direction of movement D, and an updated speed of movement S;

updating a priority of the call queue entry based at least in part upon the updated information; and

reorganizing the call queue before routing the call.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein selecting of the call is further based upon a distance selected from a group of distances consisting of

a distance between L and the geo-location of the call center;

a distance between L and a geo-location associated with the call center; and

a distance between L and a geo-location that lacks an association with the call center.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the geo-location L is one of a latitude/longitude, latitude/longitude/altitude, 2-dimensional (x,y) Cartesian, and 3-dimensional (x,y,z) Cartesian coordinates of the telecommunications terminal.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein said geo-location L is the geo-location at which said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein said geo-location L is the geo-location of said telecommunications terminal at a time after said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein said geo-location L is the geo-location of said telecommunications terminal at approximately the time of the selection.

13. The method of claim 4 wherein the selection is also based on a direction of movement D of said telecommunications terminal.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said direction of movement D is the direction of said telecommunications terminal when said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said direction of movement D is the direction of said telecommunications terminal at a time after said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said direction of movement D is the direction of said telecommunications terminal at approximately the time of the selection.

17. The method of claim 4 wherein the selection is also based on a speed S of said telecommunications terminal.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said speed of movement S is the speed of said telecommunications terminal when said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said speed of movement S is the speed of said

telecommunications terminal at a time after said telecommunications terminal called said call center.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said speed of movement S is the speed of said telecommunications terminal at approximately the time of the selection.

21. A method for handling a call at a call center, comprising:

receiving a call at a call center, the call center including a call queue that corresponds to a plurality of calls to be serviced at the call center;

generating a call queue entry that is based at least in part upon the call;

inserting the call queue entry into the call queue;

receiving call handling information about the telecommunications terminal that placed the call, the call handling information including a geo-location L of the telecommunications terminal and at least one of a direction of movement D of the telecommunications terminal and a speed of movement S of the telecommunications terminal;

adding the call handling information to the call queue entry;

selecting the call from the call queue when an agent is available;

removing the call queue entry from the call queue; and

routing the call to the available agent;

wherein selecting the call from the call queue is based at least in part upon the call handling information and a calendrical time at the telecommunications terminal;

wherein selecting the call is further based upon a position of L relative to a first geo-location associated with the call center and a second geo-location that lacks an association with the call center.