Management of contact lists

• US 9,232,060 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Costello, John, Murray, David, McGuire, Frank, Walker, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Asanbayev, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US12/250,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20100091967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,640 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26503, 379/0.06, 379 011- 014, 379/265.06, 37926511-26514
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• 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 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80

Abstract

During communications sessions between an agent in a call center and a customer, it is often desirable that a secondary agent is consulted, the secondary agent perhaps more suited to the particular needs of the customer. It is preferred that the original agent is presented with a list of the best-suited agents with which to consult, if needs be. Accordingly, a system and method for managing a list of contacts for presentation to a user of a computer system (e.g. a call center agent) is disclosed. The system provides for the monitoring of live communications between an agent and a customer, and further provides for the detecting of a pattern of data in the monitored live communications interaction (e.g. utilising speech recognition to recognise use of a particular keyword). The system is then operable to present a list of suggested contacts to the agent, the suggested contacts chosen based on a match between selection criteria for that contact and on the particular data pattern detected.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing a list of contacts for presentation to a user of a computer system during a live communications interaction, comprising the steps carried out by said computer system of:

a) receiving a subject code associated with a remote party;

b) selecting at least one contact from a record containing details of a plurality of contacts each having one or more selection criteria associated therewith, based on a match between one or more of said selection criteria and said subject code associated with said remote party;

c) generating a list of contacts for presentation on said computer system, said list of contacts comprising at least said selected contacts;

d) presenting said list of contacts on said computer system;

e) monitoring a live communications interaction between said user and said remote party, said live communications interaction being conducted via a communications interface associated with said computer system;

f) detecting a pattern of data in said monitored live communications interaction wherein said pattern of data comprises a keyword;

g) while said live communications interaction is in progress, accessing said record;

h) selecting at least one contact from said record, said selecting being based on said computer system determining a match between one or more of said selection criteria and said pattern of data detected in said monitored live communications interaction, wherein said keyword is a selection criterion for a contact stored in said record; and

i) modifying said list of contacts by the promotion of said at least one contact upwards in the list of contacts when said at least one contact is already on said list of contacts, said modification occurring without input from the user.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communications interface is a telephony interface and said step of monitoring a live communications interaction comprises conducting speech recognition on a stream of voice data passing through said interface.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communications interface is an interface employed by a human agent of a contact center, and wherein said computer system is a workstation provided for use by said human agent, said workstation also providing a contact center agent interface enabling the agent to control an interaction between said contact center and a remote party also involved in said communications interaction.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

j) presenting to said user said list of contacts;

k) presenting to said user a selection control which is operable to select at least one filter option; and

l) modifying said list of contacts based on said at least one filter option.

5. An apparatus for managing a list of contacts for presentation to a user of a computer system, the apparatus comprising:

a) a communications interface for receiving a subject code associated with a remote party;

b) a selection function operable to selecting at least one contact from a record containing details of a plurality of contacts each having one or more selection criteria associated therewith, based on a match between one or more of said selection criteria and said subject code associated with said remote party;

c) a list generator generating a list of contacts for presentation on said computer system, said list of contacts comprising at least said selected contacts;

d) a presentation component operable to present said list of contacts on said computer system;

e) a monitoring component operable to monitor a live communications interaction between said user and said remote party, said live communications interaction being conducted via a communications interface associated with said computer system;

f) a detector for detecting a pattern of data in said monitored live communications interaction wherein said pattern of data comprises a keyword;

g) a memory access device operable during said live communications interaction to access said record;

h) a selector operable to select at least one contact from said record, based on said selector determining a match between one or more of said selection criteria and said pattern of data detected in said monitored live communications interaction, wherein said keyword is a selection criterion for a contact stored in said record; and

i) a modifying component operable to modify said list of contacts by the promotion of said at least one contact upwards in the list of contacts when said at least one contact is already on said list of contact, said modification occurring without input from the user.

6. A non-transitory computer readable a storage medium comprising computer-readable program code, when executed in a computerised system, cause the computerised system to perform the steps of a method of managing a list of contacts for presentation to a user of a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a subject code associated with a remote party;

b) selecting at least one contact from a record containing details of a plurality of contacts each having one or more selection criteria associated therewith, based on a match between one or more of said selection criteria and said subject code associated with said remote party;

c) generating a list of contacts for presentation on said computer system, said list of contacts comprising at least said selected contacts;

d) presenting said list of contacts on said computer system;

e) monitoring a live communications interaction between said user and said remote party, said live communications interaction being conducted via a communications interface associated with said computer system;

f) detecting a pattern of data in said monitored live communications interaction wherein said pattern of data comprises a keyword;

g) while said live communications interaction is in progress, accessing said record;

h) selecting at least one contact from said record, said selecting being based on said computer system determining a match between one or more of said selection criteria and said pattern of data detected in said monitored live communications interaction, wherein said keyword is a selection criterion for a contact stored in said record; and

i) modifying said list of contacts by the promotion of said at least one contact upwards in the list of contacts when said at least one contact is already on said list of contacts, said modification occurring without input from the user.