System and method for exposing customer availability to contact center agents

• US 8,995,644 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ristock, Herbert Willi Artur, Mezhibovsky, Vladimir, Korolev, Nikolay
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoque, Nafiz E
• Application Number:
  US13/668,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20140126713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/265.05, 379/265.09, 379/265.13
• US Class Current: 379/265.05
• 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 3/5231 with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms

Abstract

A system and method for establishing contact between a customer contact center agent and a customer based on customer availability information. A plurality of communication channels that may be used to communicate with the customer is monitored by the contact center. The availability of the customer is identified for each of the plurality of communication channels and user availability data is dynamically adjusted for each of the plurality of communication channels. The user availability data is provided to a contact center agent handling, for example, an offline task involving the customer. The contact center agent may use the availability data to establish contact with the customer to better handle the offline task.

Claims

1. A method for establishing contact between a customer contact center agent and an end user, the method comprising:

monitoring by one or more processors a plurality of communication channels, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is with a mobile phone of the end user device, and the monitoring includes monitoring an application installed on the mobile phone, the application being configured to provide different status settings for indicating different availability states of the end user;

identifying by the one or more processors availability of the end user on each of the plurality of communication channels, wherein the identifying includes receiving by the one or more processors availability data transmitted by the mobile phone based on a current status setting provided by the application, wherein the current status setting is indicative of unavailability of the end user on the mobile phone despite the end user actively interacting with the application via the mobile phone;

dynamically adjusting by the one or more processors user availability data for each of the plurality of communication channels;

identifying, by the one or more processors, first and second tasks associated with the end user;

providing for display, by the one or more processors, the user availability data with respect to the first and second tasks, wherein the user availability data is configured to be displayed on first and second agent devices associated with respectively first and second contact center agents, wherein the first task is for being assigned to the first contact center agent and the second task is for being assigned to the second contact center agent;

in response to providing the availability data, receiving, by the one or more processors, from the first agent device, a first request to contact the end user on a particular communication channel of the plurality of communication channels for which the end user is identified as being available, wherein the first request identifies the first task;

receiving, by the one or more processors, from the second agent device, a second request to contact the end user on the particular communication channel, wherein the second request identifies the second task;

determining, by the one or more processors, that the first task has a higher priority than the second task;

granting, by the one or more processors, the first request based on the determination; and

in response to granting the first request, establishing by the one or more processors contact between the first contact center agent and the end user via the particular communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is configured to monitor user actions via the mobile phone and provide the user availability data based on the monitored user actions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is a telephony channel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is with a web browser, and the monitoring includes monitoring a website for interactions with the end user.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is with a social media website.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is a chat channel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user availability data indicates that the end user is unavailable for being contacted via the corresponding communication channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user availability data indicates that the end user is passively available for being contacted via the corresponding communication channel.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting a request to the end user over the one of the plurality of communication channels, wherein the establishing the contact between the first contact center agent device and the end user is based on acceptance of the request by the end user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to establishing the contact between the first contact center agent and the end user, modifying the user availability data for the communication channel used to establish the contact.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the application transitions from the current status setting indicative of unavailability of the end user to a second status setting indicative of a busy state of the end user in response to detecting that the end user is engaged in a voice call via the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the application automatically transitions from the current status setting indicative of unavailability of the end user to a second status setting, the method further comprising:

receiving by the one or more processors second availability data transmitted by the mobile phone based on the second status setting;

transmitting by the one or more processors a request for initiating contact with the mobile device in response to receipt of the second availability data; and

in response to receipt of a response to the request from the mobile device, initiating by the one or more processors contact with the mobile phone.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the application automatically transitions from the current status setting indicative of unavailability of the end user to a second status setting, the method further comprising:

receiving by the one or more processors second availability data transmitted by the mobile phone based on the second status setting;

transmitting by the one or more processors a request for initiating contact with the mobile device in response to receipt of the second availability data; and

receiving by the one or more processors a response to the request from the mobile device indicative of unwillingness of the end user to be contacted by the first contact center agent, wherein the application is configured to automatically transition from the second status setting to the current status setting indicative of unavailability of the end user on the mobile phone.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the application transitions from the current status setting indicative of unavailability of the end user on the mobile phone to a second status setting, the method comprising:

in response to granting the first request, assigning the second task to the first contact center agent for handling in conjunction with the first task.

15. A system for establishing contact between a customer contact center agent and an end user, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices coupled to the one or more processors and storing computer instructions therein, the one or more processors being configured to execute at least a portion of the program instructions, the program instructions comprising;

monitoring a plurality of communication channels, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is with a mobile phone of the end user device, and the monitoring includes monitoring an application installed on the mobile phone, the application being configured to provide different status settings for indicating different availability states of the end user;

identifying availability of the end user on each of the plurality of communication channels, wherein the identifying includes receiving data transmitted by the mobile phone based on a current status setting provided by the application, wherein the status setting is indicative of unavailability of the end user on the mobile phone despite the end user actively interacting with the application via the mobile phone;

dynamically adjusting user availability data for each of the plurality of communication channels;

identifying, by the one or more processors, first and second tasks associated with the end user;

providing, for display, the user availability data with respect to the first and second tasks, wherein the user availability data is configured to be displayed on first and second agent devices associated with respectively first and second contact center agents, wherein the first task is for being assigned to the first contact center agent and the second task is for being assigned to the second contact center agent;

in response to providing the availability data, receiving from the first agent device, a first request to contact the end user on a particular communication channel of the plurality of communication channels for which the end user is identified as being available, wherein the first request identifies the first task;

receiving from the second agent device, a second request to contact the end user on the particular communication channel, wherein the second request identifies the second task;

determining that the first task has a higher priority than the second task;

granting the first request based on the determination; and

in response to granting the first request, establishing contact between the first contact center agent and the end user via the particular communication channel.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the application is configured to monitor user actions via the mobile phone and provide the user availability data based on the monitored user actions.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is a telephony channel.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is with a web browser, and the monitoring includes monitoring a website for interactions with the end user.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is with a social media website.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is a chat channel.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the program instructions further include:

in response to establishing the contact between the first contact center agent and the end user, modifying the user availability data for the communication channel used to establish the contact.