Contact center queue priority management method and system

• US 9,055,140 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2012
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Strandberg, Malcom
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US13/550,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20140016766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26502, 379/265.09, 379/266.01, 379/265.14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/16 Sequence circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2005 Temporarily overriding a service configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2088 Call or conference reconnect, e.g. resulting from isdn terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/00 Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms

Abstract

A system and method for providing hold queue prioritizing for a contact center includes an automated system and a contact receiver/director for connecting contacts to the automated system. A contact identifier obtains identifying information from each of the contacts connected to the system. A hold queue is coupled to the contact receiver/director for storing contact records associated with contacts connected to the automated system. A contact status identifier determines a connection status of each of the contacts in the hold queue and stores the connection status in the respective contact record for each contact. A contact-back identifier identifies a received contact-back by matching the contact identifying information associated with a contact to a contact record in the hold queue. The contact receiver/director selects a contact record with a “connected” connection status and connects the caller in the hold queue associated with the selected contact record to an available agent.

Claims

1. A hold queue prioritizing system for a contact center comprising:

an automated contact center system;

a contact receiver/director, responsive to at least one incoming contact request via a first contact method, for connecting said at least one contact to the automated contact center system;

a contact identifier, for obtaining unique contact identifying information from each of the at least one contacts connected to the automated contact center system;

a hold queue, coupled to the contact receiver/director, for storing a contact record associated with each of the at least one contacts;

a disconnected contact record queue, coupled to at least the contact receiver/director, the disconnected contact record queue configured for storing contact records associated with a disconnected contact status identifier;

a contact status identifier, stored in the respective contact record of the at least one contact, wherein the contact status identifier indicates a connection status of each at least one contact associated with each contact record in the hold queue and the disconnected contact record queue; and

a contact-back identifier, responsive to said contact receiver/director which in turn is responsive to least one incoming re-contact request received from said at least one contact by means of a second contact method different from said first contact method, for identifying a received contact-back based on matching the received re-contact request from said at least one contact identifying information with a contact record in one of the hold queue and the disconnected contact record queue, wherein a match between the received contact and the contact record in one of the hold queue and the disconnected contact record queue changes the connection status of the contact record in the hold queue from a previous connection status to a connected status, and wherein the contact receiver/director is configured for re-prioritizing the contact record associated with the re-contacting user in the disconnected contact record queue by prioritizing the received contact-back associated with the contact record with a higher priority level over any contact records not associated with the received contact-back record such that the received contact-back associated with the contact record is advanced in turn in said disconnected contact record queue.

2. The hold queue prioritizing system of claim 1, further comprising a contact record display accessible to each contacting user of the one or more contacts, for displaying contact user identifying information and contact prioritizing information for at least the contact user record of the contacting user'"'"'s contact in the hold queue.

3. The hold queue prioritizing system of claim 2, wherein a contact can monitor the contact record display via the Internet.

4. The hold queue prioritizing system of claim 1, wherein a user with a disconnected contact record may contact-back, causing re-connection of the contact record, and wherein the user regains priority in the hold queue.

5. A hold queue prioritizing method for use in a contact center, said method comprising the acts of:

receiving a plurality of contacts by an automated system;

obtaining identifying information from the plurality of contacts connected to the automated system, wherein said identifying information includes a media type used by any given user to contact the contact center;

placing each of the plurality of contacts in one of a hold queue or a disconnected contact record queue coupled to the automated system;

identifying a connection status of each of the plurality of contacts in the hold queue;

storing a contact record with the identified information and the connection status for each of the plurality of contacts; and

identifying a received contact-back communication from a user, wherein a match between the received contact and the contact record in one of the hold queue and the disconnected contact record queue changes the connection status of the contact record in the hold queue from a previous connection status to a connected status, and wherein the method next re-prioritizes the contact record associated with the re-contacting user in the disconnected contact record queue by prioritizing the received contact-back associated with the contact record with a higher priority level over any contact records not associated with the received contact-back record such that the received contact-back associated with the contact record is advanced in turn in said disconnected contact record queue.

6. The hold queue prioritizing method of claim 5, further comprising the acts of:

connecting one or more contact center agent terminals to said automated system for handling said connected contacts;

selecting a contact record for connection to one of the one or more contact center agent terminals; and

connecting the contact in one of the hold queue or the disconnected contact record queue associated with the selected contact record to one of the one or more contact center agent terminals.

7. The hold queue prioritizing method of claim 5, further comprising the act of:

storing the contact record with a disconnected contact status in said disconnected contact record queue.

8. The hold queue prioritizing method of claim 5, further comprising the acts of:

identifying at least one of the plurality of contacts as being in an incorrect hold queue;

removing the contact from the incorrect hold queue;

placing the contact in a second hold queue; and

prioritizing the contact in the second hold queue based on the identified information of the stored contact record and a predetermined priority method.

9. The hold queue prioritizing method of claim 8, further comprising the acts of:

moving re-connected contacts in the disconnected queue into the hold queue; and

prioritizing contact records in the hold queue based on the earliest connected contact.

10. The hold queue prioritizing method of claim 5, wherein the received contact-back is from a different telephone number than a telephone number used in the originally stored contact record.

17. The hold queue prioritizing method of claim 5, wherein said identified contact-back communication is based on at least one incoming re-contact request received from at least one contact by means of a second contact method different from a first contact method, for identifying a received contact-back based on matching the received re-contact request from said at least one contact identifying information with a contact record in one of the hold queue and the disconnected contact record queue.

18. The hold queue prioritizing method of claim 5, wherein said identified contact-back communication is based on identifying a received contact-back communication from a user based on a match between the user'"'"'s received callback communication identified information and the identified information in a stored contact record for said user, and wherein a determination of a contact-back from a given user is effected by a different media type used by any given user in said contact-back communication to said automated system than the media type used by the user in the stored contact record to initially contact said automated system.

11. A computer program product for prioritizing a hold queue in a contact center, said computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for assigning a process to a processor for execution, the computer program product being operable to cause an automated, computer controlled contact center system responsive to at least one incoming contact request via a first contact method, for connecting said at least one incoming contact request to the automated contact center system to:

receive a plurality of contacts by said automated, computer controlled contact center system;

identify information from each of the plurality of contacts connected to the automated, computer controlled contact center system;

place each of the plurality of contacts in at least one of a first hold queue and a disconnected contact record queue coupled to the automated, computer controlled contact center system;

identify a connection status of each of the plurality of contacts in the at least a first hold queue;

store a contact record with the identified information and the connection status for each of the plurality of contacts;

receive a re-contact from a previous contact placed in at least said first hold queue by the automated, computer controlled contact center system;

compare the re-contact with the plurality of contacts in the hold queue;

match the re-contact with the identified information of a stored contact record; and

identify a received contact-back communication from a user, wherein a match between the received contact and the contact record in one of the hold queue and the disconnected contact record queue changes the connection status of the contact record in the hold queue from a previous connection status to a connected status, and wherein the method next re-prioritizes the contact record associated with the re-contacting user in the disconnected contact record queue by prioritizing the received contact-back associated with the contact record with a higher priority level over any contact records not associated with the received contact-back record such that the received contact-back associated with the contact record is advanced in turn in said disconnected contact record queue.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising the computer program product being operable to cause the automated, computer controlled contact center system to:

display and prioritize the plurality of contact records located in the hold queue using a predetermined priority method.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising the computer program product being operable to cause the automated, computer controlled contact center system to:

connect one or more contact center agent terminals to the automated system for handling the connected contacts;

select a contact record using the predetermined priority method for connection to one of the one or more contact center agent terminals; and

connect the contact in the hold queue associated with the selected contact record to one of the one or more contact center agent terminals.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising the computer program product being operable to cause the automated, computer controlled contact center system to:

store a contact record in a disconnected queue when the selected contact record is associated with a contact record that has a disconnected connection status.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising the computer program product being operable to cause the automated, computer controlled contact center system to:

identify the connection status of each of the plurality of contacts as having a status of either connected or disconnected;

regularly review the status of each of the plurality of contacts;

maintain connected contacts in the hold queue and disconnected contacts in the disconnected queue; and

prioritize the contact records in the hold queue and the disconnected queue based on the predetermined priority method.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the re-contact is from a second telephone number than the stored contact, which is from a first telephone number.