MODIFICATION OF VOICE PROMPTING BASED ON PRIOR COMMUNICATION IN A CALL CENTER

• US 20030206622A1
• Filed: 07/30/1999
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: FOSTER, ROBIN H.
• Granted Patent: US 6,760,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/353 where the information comprises non-audio but is provided over voice channels protocols for multimedia information services per se H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

A call center is configured such that voice prompts provided to a given caller are modified based on prior e-mail notifications or other non-telephonic communications between the call center and that caller. In an illustrative embodiment, information regarding at least one previous non-telephonic communication with a given caller is stored in a database or other memory accessible to the call center. When the given caller places a subsequent call to the call center, the call center retrieves the stored information for that caller, and selects voice prompts for the caller based at least in part on the e-mails or other non-telephonic communications previously sent to the caller. The call is then routed to an appropriately-skilled agent based at least in part on a response of the caller to the voice prompt. Additional information relating to the previous non-telephonic communication, e.g., a copy or summary of the communication, may be transmitted to the agent that receives the call.

Claims

1. A method of generating voice prompts for a caller accessing a call center, the method comprising the steps of:

storing information regarding at least one previous non-telephonic communication with the caller; and

selecting at least one voice prompt for delivery to the caller during a subsequent call based at least in part on the stored information regarding the previous non-telephonic communication.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises an e-mail message previously sent by the call center to the caller.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a facsimile communication previously sent by the call center to the caller.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a proactive communication previously sent by the call center to the caller without the caller having previously requested the information in the communication.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a reactive communication previously sent by the call center to the caller in response to an information request previously made by the caller.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting step is based on a maximum designated number of previous non-telephonic communications if the given caller has received more than the maximum number of non-telephonic communications.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the step of routing the call to a particular agent based at least in part on a response of the caller to the voice prompt.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of transmitting information relating to the previous non-telephonic communication to an agent that receives the call.

9. An apparatus for processing communications in a call center, the apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing information regarding at least one previous non-telephonic communication with a given caller; and

a processor coupled to the memory and operative to select at least one voice prompt for delivery to the caller during a subsequent call based at least in part on the stored information regarding the previous non-telephonic communication.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises an email message previously sent by the call center to the caller.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a facsimile communication previously sent by the call center to the caller.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a proactive communication previously sent by the call center to the caller without the caller having previously requested the information in the communication.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the non-telephonic communication comprises a reactive communication previously sent by the call center to the caller in response to an information request previously made by the caller.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the selecting step is based on a maximum designated number of previous non-telephonic communications if the given caller has received more than the maximum number of non-telephonic communications.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 further including the step of routing the call to a particular agent based at least in part on a response of the caller to the voice prompt.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 further including the step of transmitting information relating to the previous non-telephonic communication to an agent that receives the call.

17. An article of manufacture containing one or more software programs which, when executed in a processor, causes the processor to perform the steps of:

storing information regarding at least one previous non-telephonic communication with a given caller; and

selecting at least one voice prompt for delivery to the caller during a subsequent call based at least in part on the stored information regarding the previous non-telephonic communication.