System for managing wait queues in a high volume system

• US 9,635,180 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2008
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Ying, Duquene, Joel, Eberwein, James P., Lieu, Dong K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Joseph J
• Application Number:
  US12/120,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20090285380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,268 Days
• Field of Search: 37921001, 37926502, 37926509
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to call center wait queue management and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for call-back reservation services in a remote call center computing environment. In an embodiment of the invention, a call-back reservation method can be provided. The method can include receiving a telephone call to a remote call center from a caller, informing the caller of a reservation options menu, calculating multiple reservation time-slots to accommodate the caller'"'"'s schedule, such that the reservation time is based on caller'"'"'s personal preference, assigning a call-back reservation token to the caller, disconnecting the caller from the remote call center, and providing the caller with access to a remote call center agent at the reservation time when the caller reconnects to the remote call center.

Claims

1. A call-back reservation method comprising:

receiving a reservation request from a caller to an interactive voice response (IVR) system of a call center comprising a private call switching network in which a multiplicity of different call center agents receive telephone calls in a single location from multiple different callers in multiple different locations;

uploading to the call center from the caller a calendar for the caller;

determining by a call-back reservation service coupled to the IVR system of the call center a set of available reservation time-slots based both upon a capacity of the call center to place telephone calls by an available one of the agents in the call center at a particular time and also the uploaded calendar of the caller;

prompting the caller by the IVR system to select a reservation time-slot from the determined set of reservation time-slots;

assigning by the IVR system the selected reservation time-slot to the caller;

assigning by the IVR system a reservation token including one of a pin, a password, and a telephone number to the caller upon assigning the selected reservation time-slot to the caller; and

,

establishing a call between the caller and a call center agent at a time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot;

wherein establishing the call between the caller and the call center agent at the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot, comprising;

receiving, at the call center, the call from the caller;

determining whether the caller has called at the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot; and

,

upon determining that the caller has called before the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot, having the caller wait until the assigned selected reservation time-slot.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising audibly playing back to the caller a reservation options menu and allowing the caller to input caller'"'"'s personal preference for the reservation time-slot.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the reservation options menu further comprises a re-scheduling reservation option, wherein the caller replaces the assigned selected reservation time-slot with a new reservation-time slot.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising extracting the caller'"'"'s calendar from a reservations database and calculating a set of reservation time-slots that do not conflict with the caller'"'"'s existing appointments in the caller'"'"'s calendar extracted from the reservations database.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising disconnecting the caller from the remote call center and providing the caller with access to a remote call center agent at the reservation time when the caller reconnects to the remote call center.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a requested specific time period from the caller and calculating multiple reservation time-slots based on the requested specific time period.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting into the caller'"'"'s calendar the assigned selected reservation time-slot.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the call between the caller and the call center agent at the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot, comprising:

receiving, at the call center, the call from the caller;

determining whether the caller has called at the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot;

upon determining that the caller has called at the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot, receiving the reservation token; and

,

establishing the call between the caller and the call center agent.

9. A data processing system for call-back reservation services of a remote call center, the data processing system comprising:

a remote call center comprising a private call switching network in which a multiplicity of different call center agents receive telephone calls in a single location from multiple different callers in multiple different locations;

a reservation subscriber database containing caller calendar information and assigned caller reservation time-slots;

a processor of a computer of the remote call center in which an interactive voice response (IVR) system executes and in which a callback reservation service coupled to the IVR system uploads a calendar for a caller from the caller into the database and calculates a set of available reservation time-slots based both upon a capacity of the call center to place telephone calls by an available agent in the call center at a particular time and also the uploaded calendar of the caller; and

,

a call-back reservation service logic executing in the computer of the remote call center, the call-back reservation service logic, which when executed causes the computer of the remote call center to receive a reservation request from a caller, prompt the caller to select from a reservation time-slot from the set of available reservation time-slots, assign selected reservation time-slot to the caller, assign a reservation token including one of a pin, a password, and a telephone number to the caller upon assigning the selected reservation time-slot to the caller, and establish a call between the caller and the call center agent at a time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot;

wherein the call-back reservation service logic, which when executed causes the computer of the remote call center to establish the call between the caller and the call center agent at the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot comprises call-back reservation service logic, which when executed causes the computer of the remote call center to;

receive, at the remote call center, the call from the caller;

determine whether the caller has called at the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot; and

,

upon determining that the caller has called before the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot, have the caller wait until the assigned selected reservation time-slot.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the call-back reservation service logic, which when executed causes the computer of the remote call center to receive the reservation request from the caller comprises call-back reservation service logic, which when executed causes the computer of the remote call center to:

receive a telephone call through an interactive voice response (IVR) system, and;

identify the caller through the IVR system.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the caller'"'"'s calendar is sent to the remote call center through a data communications network linkage coupled to the reservation subscriber database disposed in a switch in a public switched telephone network (PSTN), wherein the caller'"'"'s calendar is identified by a username associated with the caller.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the call-back reservation service logic further comprises all-back reservation service logic, which when executed causes the computer of the remote call center to insert into the caller'"'"'s calendar the assigned selected reservation time-slot.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the call-back reservation service logic, which when executed causes the computer of the remote call center to establish the call between the caller and the call center agent at the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot comprises call-back reservation service logic, which when executed causes the computer of the remote call center to:

receive, at the remote call center, the call from the caller;

determine whether the caller has called at the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot;

upon determining that the caller has called at the time of the assigned selected reservation time-slot, receive the reservation token; and

,

establish the call between the caller and the call center agent.