System and method for exposing customer availability to contact center agents

• US 9,979,825 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• 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:
  US14/633,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 37926502, 37926505, 37926509, 37926513
• 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 a processor, a plurality of communication channels;

identifying, by the processor, availability of the end user on each of the plurality of communication channels and dynamically adjusting user availability data for each of the plurality of communication channels;

identifying, by the processor, first and second tasks associated with the end user;

receiving, by the processor, from a first contact center agent device, a first request to contact the end user on a 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;

determining that granting the first request is appropriate based on one or more criteria;

in response to determining that granting the first request is appropriate, identifying, by the processor, a second request from a second contact center agent device to contact the end user on the communication channel, wherein the second request identifies the second task;

identifying, by the processor, as a higher priority task, one of the first and second tasks;

granting, by the processor, one of the first and second requests associated with the identified higher priority task; and

in response to granting one of the first and second requests, establishing, by the processor, contact between a corresponding one of the first and second contact center agent devices and the end user via the communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is with a mobile phone, and the monitoring includes monitoring an application installed on the mobile phone.

3. The method of claim 2, 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.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication channel is a telephony channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication channel is an Internet channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the end user is indicated as being unavailable on one of the plurality of communication channels despite the end user being present on the one of the plurality of communication channels.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the processor, the user availability data for each of the plurality of communication channels on a display device accessible to a first contact center agent associated with the first contact center agent device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a user command to initiate an interaction with the end user in response to the displaying of the user availability data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the processor, the user availability data for each of the plurality of communications channels in association with the first task related to the end user, wherein the first task is set to be handled by a first contact center agent associated with the first contact center agent device;

in response to the first request, identifying, by the processor, a third task related to the end user; and

assigning, by the processor, the third task to the first contact center agent.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria comprises at least one of an indication of preference of the end user, an amount of time elapsed from a last contact with the end user, or scheduled/planned future contacts with the end user.

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

processor; and

memory coupled to the processor and storing computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

monitor a plurality of communication channels;

identify availability of the end user on each of the plurality of communication channels and dynamically adjust user availability data for each of the plurality of communication channels

identify first and second tasks associated with the end user;

receive, from a first contact center agent device, a first request to contact the end user on a 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;

determine that granting the first request is appropriate based on one or more criteria;

in response to determining that granting the first request is appropriate, identify a second request from a second contact center agent device to contact the end user on the communication channel, wherein the second request identifies the second task;

identify, as a higher priority task, one of the first and second tasks;

grant one of the first and second request associated with the identified higher priority task; and

in response to granting one of the first and second requests, establishing, by the processor, contact between a corresponding one of the first and second contact center agent devices and the end user via the communication channel.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein one of the plurality of communication channels is with a mobile phone, and the monitoring includes monitoring an application installed on the mobile phone.

12. The system of claim 11, 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.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the communication channel is a telephony channel.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the communication channel is an Internet channel.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the end user is indicated as being unavailable on one of the plurality of communication channels despite the end user being present on the one of the plurality of communication channels.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

display the user availability data for each of the plurality of communication channels on a display device accessible to a first contact center agent associated with the first contact center agent device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive a user command to initiate an interaction with the end user in response to the displaying of the user availability data.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

display the user availability data for each of the plurality of communications channels in association with the first task related to the end user, wherein the first task is set to be handled by a first contact center agent associated with the first contact center agent device;

in response to the first request, identify a third task related to the end user; and

assign the third task to the first contact center agent.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more criteria comprises at least one of an indication of preference of the end user, an amount of time elapsed from a last contact with the end user, or scheduled/planned future contacts with the end user.