Universal queuing for inbound communications

• US 8,571,202 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2013
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sangoma US, Inc. (Sangoma Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fonality Incorporated (NetFortris, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lyman, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, ANTIM G
• Application Number:
  US13/738,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20130148800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 292 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.09, 379/265.03, 379/265.04, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/266.01, 379/266.02
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5141 Details of processing calls and other types of contacts in an unified manner unified messaging in packet-switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

Exemplary systems and methods for queuing an inbound communication are provided. In exemplary embodiments, the inbound communication is received by a communication server associated with a communication type of the inbound communication. Communication statuses of one or more agents over a plurality of communication types are reviewed to determine available agents. One or more profiles are reviewed to assess applicability of one or more agents to receive the inbound communication, whereby an agent may be applicable to handle more than one inbound communication concurrently as determined by their profile. An appropriate agent is then selected based on the availability and applicability of the one or more agents to which the inbound communication is forwarded.

Claims

1. A method for queuing a type of inbound communication, the method comprising:

receiving the type of inbound communication at a communication server associated with the type of inbound communication;

determining availability of one or more agents associated with the type of inbound communication;

reviewing one or more profiles of the one or more agents to assess applicability of each of the one or more agents to handle the type of inbound communication, at least one of the profiles comprising a guideline for one or more combinations of maximum inbound communication types and number of inbound communications that at least one of the agents may handle concurrently;

selecting an appropriate agent of the one or more agents based on the availability of the appropriate agent to accept the type of inbound communication and applicability of the appropriate agent to concurrently handle one or more inbound communications;

forwarding the type of inbound communication to the appropriate agent; and

suggesting to a customer to use another type of inbound communication when the customer is attempting the type of inbound communication and no appropriate agent is available for the type of inbound communication.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising placing the type of inbound communication in a hold queue if no appropriate agent is available.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining availability comprises reviewing communication statuses of the one or more agents.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein reviewing one or more profiles comprises determining a priority list of the one or more agents.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining an information record associated with the type of inbound communication.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising utilizing the information record to determine a set of one or more agents to direct the type of inbound communication.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the appropriate agent occurs at a central status device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the appropriate agent occurs at a communication server.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a login associated with one communication device from the agent and universally logging in the agent for all other associated communication devices, a success flag being associated with each associated communication device that is successfully logged in.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a presence indication from an agent and notifying all associated communication servers of the presence of the agent.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising changing a status of the appropriate agent after the inbound communication is routed to the appropriate agent.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing a group profile for a group of agents, the group profile providing a routing priority if more than one agent is available.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing an individual profile for an agent.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the one or more profiles indicates whether an agent is allowed to concurrently handle more than one inbound communication.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the profiles comprises guidelines indicating the associated agent is capable of handling a plurality of types of inbound communications.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the appropriate agent further comprises evaluating at least one of:

a productivity of at least one of the one or more agents;

a time elapsed since a last forwarding of the type of inbound communication to at least one of the one or more agents; and

a preexisting customer relationship between a customer initiating the type of inbound communication and at least one of the agents.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the appropriate agent further comprises evaluating the time elapsed since a last forwarding of the type of inbound communication to at least one of the one or more agents.

18. A system for queuing a type of inbound communication, the system comprising:

a status module configured to maintain communication statuses of a plurality of agents;

a profile module configured to maintain profiles of the plurality of agents across a plurality of communication types, each profile providing guidelines for allowing the agent to concurrently handle one or more types of inbound communications;

a match module configured to select an appropriate agent associated with the type of inbound communication to direct the type of inbound communication based on the availability of the agent to concurrently handle multiple communications of the same type, the match module further configured to suggest to a customer to use another type of inbound communication when the customer is attempting the type of inbound communication and no appropriate agent is available for the type of inbound communication; and

a profile database configured to store the profiles of the one or more agents, at least one of the profiles comprising a guideline for one or more combinations of maximum inbound communication types and number of inbound communications that at least one of the agents may handle concurrently.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a communications management server configured to maintain an information record associated with the type of inbound communication.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising a universal login module configured to log in the agent to all associated communication servers or devices of the agent based on a single login action.

21. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program comprising instructions for a method for queuing an inbound communication, the method comprising:

determining availability of one or more agents associated with a type of inbound communication;

reviewing one or more profiles of the one or more agents to assess applicability of each of the one or more agents to handle the type of inbound communication, at least one of the profiles comprising a guideline for one or more combinations of maximum inbound communication types and number of inbound communications that at least one of the agents may handle concurrently;

selecting an appropriate agent of the one or more agents based on the availability of the appropriate agent to accept the type of inbound communication and applicability of the appropriate agent to concurrently handle one or more inbound communications;

forwarding the type of inbound communication to the appropriate agent; and

suggesting to a customer to use another type of inbound communication when the customer is attempting the type of inbound communication and no appropriate agent is available for the type of inbound communication.