Universal queuing for inbound communications

• US 9,001,993 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• 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:
  US14/036,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20140029745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 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, 379/265.13
• US Class Current: 379/265.13
• 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 an inbound communication, comprising:

receiving the inbound communication;

determining availability of one or more agents with respect to at least one of a plurality of communication types;

maintaining an information record associated with the inbound communication, the information record including a business opportunity associated with the inbound communication and identifying at least one of the one or more agents having a preexisting relationship with a customer initiating the inbound communication;

reviewing one or more profiles of the one or more agents to assess applicability of the one or more agents to handle the inbound communication, wherein reviewing the one or more profiles includes reviewing one or more profiles that provide a set of rules determining how many and what types of inbound communications an agent can handle at a given time, as well as preferences of the agent;

selecting, by a processor, an appropriate agent of the one or more agents based on the availability of the appropriate agent to accept the inbound communication, the selecting of the appropriate agent comprising evaluating the business opportunity with respect to the one or more profiles and evaluating the preexisting relationship with respect to the one or more profiles; and

forwarding the inbound communication to the appropriate agent.

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

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

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

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

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

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a login associated with one communication device from the appropriate agent and universally logging in the appropriate agent for all other associated communication devices.

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

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

10. 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.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing an individual profile for the appropriate agent.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more profiles comprise guidelines for one or more combinations of maximum inbound communication types and number of inbound communications the appropriate agent may handle concurrently.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more profiles indicates whether a corresponding one of the one or more agents is allowed to concurrently handle more than one inbound communication.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more profiles of the one or more agents includes emergency override information including at least one of:

a first permission for a first agent of the one more agents to interrupt the inbound communication being handled by another one of the at least one or more agents; and

a second permission for a second agent of the one more agents to handle a plurality of inbound communications not authorized by a profile of the second agent.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting of the appropriate agent further comprises evaluating a master policy providing a routing priority if more than one agent is available to receive the inbound communication, the master policy being based on at least one of:

a time of a last inbound communication handled;

a number and type of inbound communications currently being handled; and

a number of inbound communications handled in a day.

16. A system for queuing an inbound communication, comprising:

a status module configured to maintain communication statuses of a plurality of agents, the statuses including an availability of the plurality of agents;

a profile module configured to maintain profiles associated with the plurality of agents across a plurality of communication types, the profiles providing guidelines for allowing the plurality of agents to concurrently handle one or more inbound communications, wherein one or more profiles provide a set of rules determining how many and what types of inbound communications an agent can handle at a given time, as well as preferences of the agent;

a communications management server configured to maintain an information record associated with the inbound communication, the information record including a business opportunity associated with the inbound communication and identifying at least one of the one or more agents having a preexisting relationship with a customer initiating the inbound communication; and

a match module configured to select an appropriate agent of the plurality of agents to direct the inbound communication based on the statuses, the business opportunity, the preexisting relationship, and the profiles.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising a profile database configured to store the profiles of the one or more agents.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the profiles comprise guidelines for one or more combinations of maximum inbound communication types and number of inbound communications the one or more agents may handle concurrently.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising a universal login module configured to log in the appropriate agent to all associated communication servers or devices of the appropriate agent based on a single login action.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable 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 with respect to at least one of a plurality of communication types;

maintaining an information record associated with the inbound communication, the information record including a business opportunity associated with the inbound communication and identifying at least one of the one or more agents having a preexisting relationship with a customer initiating the inbound communication;

reviewing one or more profiles of the one or more agents to assess applicability of the one or more agents to handle the inbound communication, wherein reviewing the one or more profiles includes reviewing one or more profiles that provide a set of rules determining how many and what types of inbound communications an agent can handle at a given time, as well as preferences of the agent;

selecting an appropriate agent of the one or more agents based on the availability of the appropriate agent to accept the inbound communication, the selecting of the appropriate agent comprising evaluating the business opportunity with respect to the one or more profiles and evaluating the preexisting relationship with respect to the one or more profiles; and

forwarding the inbound communication to the appropriate agent.