Mobile device applications for computer-telephony systems

• US 8,838,081 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2014
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Spence, Adam, Dunbar, Michael, Cowls, Adam, Steinmann, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US14/171,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20140146959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 225 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141-417, 455/428, 455/445, 37914201-14218, 37921001-21802, 379/221.14, 37926601-26609
• US Class Current: 455/415
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/006 Call diverting means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• 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 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements

Abstract

On a mobile telecommunications device, computer-executable code executes to facilitate interactions between the user of the mobile telecommunications device and a call center or other computer-telephony integration equipment. The computer-executable code includes instructions that request at least one operation to be performed at a call center, where the call center includes a call center controller, an interactive voice response system component, and at least one agent. At least in part, a wireless network transmits the request from the mobile telecommunications device to the call center controller.

Claims

1. A computer-telephony system comprising:

at least one processor;

data storage coupled to the at least one processor;

an integrated voice response (IVR) component, at least partially executed by the at least one processor, and configured to receive a call from a mobile device associated with a user,

wherein the call is associated with;

a question or request of the user, and

information identifying one or more mobile device context datums; and

a call intercept component, at least partially executed by the at least one processor, configured to;

determine, based at least in part on the one or more context datums, data stored in the data storage likely to assist in providing a response to the user'"'"'s question or request, and

provide the data, over a data connection, to the user'"'"'s mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a queue management component, at least partially executed by the at least one processor, configured to provide information to the user'"'"'s mobile device regarding a status with respect to a queue of voice calls received by the IVR component.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a queue management component, at least partially executed by the at least one processor, configured to provide information to the user'"'"'s mobile device regarding a status with respect to a queue of voice calls received by the IVR component;

wherein the queue management component provides wait time data to the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a queue management component, at least partially executed by the at least one processor, configured to;

provide information to the user'"'"'s mobile device regarding a status with respect to a queue of voice calls received by the IVR component;

designate the user a place in the queue without requiring the user to maintain a voice call connection with the IVR; and

establish a callback for the user when the user is near the front of the queue.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data stored in the data storage likely to assist in providing a response to the user'"'"'s question or request is provided to a call center terminal before connecting the voice call to a call center agent.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-telephony system receives the one or more context datums prior to the mobile device establishing a voice connection with the computer-telephony system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage stores at least one of:

an answer to a frequently asked question,

a wizard, and

the user'"'"'s cell phone account data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more context datums comprises one or more of:

an indication that the user has dialed a particular number;

an indication that the user has opened a particular application;

an indication that the user is interested in changing a wireless subscription plan;

user identification information;

user authentication information;

a recently used menu item;

purchase information; and

device failure information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more context datums are provided to the computer-telephony system from the mobile device via a data channel connection.

10. A computer-readable medium, excluding a transitory propagating signal, storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for determining the context of a caller, the operations comprising:

receiving, via a data channel, one or more context datum associated with a mobile device;

generating or modifying, based at least in part on the one or more context datums, an entry associated with a caller in a call center storage;

receiving, after generating or modifying the entry, an incoming voice call from the caller;

determining an identification of the caller;

matching the identification of the caller to the entry in the call center storage; and

providing the one or more context datums associated with the entry to an interactive voice response system or an agent at the call center who answers the voice call.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein:

the one or more context datums provide an indication that the user of the mobile phone has entered account authentication information into the mobile device; and

as a result of the authentication information being associated with the call from the caller, the interactive voice response system or the agent at the call center refrains from, during the voice call with the caller, prompting the caller to enter the account authentication information.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more context datums comprise one or more of:

an indication that the user has dialed a particular number;

an indication that the user has opened a particular application;

an indication that the user is interested in changing a wireless subscription plan;

a recently used menu item;

purchase information; and

device failure information.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more context datums are an indication of a failed product purchase attempt.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10,

wherein the one or more context datums provide indication that a failed product purchase attempt was due to a billing problem;

and

wherein the interactive voice response system or an agent to which the voice call is routed is selected to respond to the product purchase attempt failure due to the billing problem.

15. A method for scheduling a call from a mobile device to a call center, the method comprising:

sending, via a data communication channel, to a server associated with the call center, a request for availability of one or more agents or groups of agents;

receiving, prior to establishing a voice call with the call center, an indication of availability of the one or more agents or groups of agents;

displaying an interface,

wherein the interface is configured to display one or more call center options relating to the received availability of the one or more agents or groups of agents; and

receiving a user selection, via the interface, of whether to contact the call center.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein the user selection indicates not to contact the call center;

wherein the method further comprises receiving a further user input indicating a desired callback and transmitting a callback request to the call center; and

wherein the call center schedules a callback to the mobile device based on the transmitted callback request.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein if none of the one or more agents or groups of agents at the call center is available, the indication of availability of the one or more agents or groups of agents comprises either:

an estimated duration after which an agent, among agents at the call center, is anticipated to become available, or

the length of a queue of callers already waiting to speak to the agent.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more agents or group of agents at the call center comprises all the agents who are currently on duty at the call center.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the request for availability of one or more agents or groups of agents includes an identification of the user of the mobile device, and

wherein the one or more agents or groups of agents comprises a specific agent assigned to work with the user, wherein the indication of availability of one or more agents or groups of agents includes an indication of the availability of the specific agent, determined based on the identification of the user.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the request for availability of one or more agents or groups of agents includes an identification of the user of the mobile device;

wherein the agents or group of agents comprises a specific agent assigned to work with the user, wherein the indication of availability of one or more agents or groups of agents includes an indication of the availability of the specific agent, determined based on the identification of the user; and

wherein the user is a customer of a bank, wherein the call center includes agents working for the bank who are personal bankers, wherein the specific agent is a personal banker assigned to work with the customer, and wherein the user uses the input device to navigate to an application for the bank before seeing the availability of the user'"'"'s personal banker.