Prioritized service delivery based on presence and availability of interruptible enterprise resources with skills
First Claim
1. In a contact center, the contact center comprising at least one work item queue, at least one agent queue for servicing the at least one work item queue, the at least one agent queue being associated with a plurality of agents, a method for servicing contacts, comprising:
- a processor determining whether an agent is available to service a selected work item;
if an agent is available, the processor assigning the selected work item to the agent;
if the agent is not available, the processor determining that the selected work item is to be serviced by a selected expert, the selected expert being a third party that is different from the plurality of agents;
the processor determining presence information associated with the selected expert, the presence information indicating a current availability of the selected expert for receiving a contact;
the processor determining that the selected expert is currently available to receive a contact;
the processor inviting the selected expert to service the work item; and
the processor determining if the selected expert has accepted the invitation, wherein determining if the selected expert has accepted the invitation comprises;
the processor receiving a conditional acceptance of the invitation from the selected expert, the conditional acceptance indicating that the selected expert will be available to service the contact at a stated period of time and on a specified media type,the processor querying a customer associated with the work item whether or not the customer may wait the stated period of time for the work item to be serviced; and
the processor applying the following rules;
when the customer is willing to wait, the processor directing the work item to the selected expert for servicing; and
when the customer is unwilling to wait, the processor not directing the work item to the selected expert for servicing.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a contact center using presence information to direct work items to experts. More specifically, a system is provided that includes a feature that allows for subject matter experts, which are individuals other than customer service agents, to assist in incoming calls in at least three different modes: an assist mode, an intercept mode and an overflow mode. Thus, customer service efficiency and customer satisfaction are increased. In addition, it is contemplated that subject matter experts may either selectively accept or deny the request for assistance.
470 Citations
22 Claims
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1. In a contact center, the contact center comprising at least one work item queue, at least one agent queue for servicing the at least one work item queue, the at least one agent queue being associated with a plurality of agents, a method for servicing contacts, comprising:
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a processor determining whether an agent is available to service a selected work item; if an agent is available, the processor assigning the selected work item to the agent; if the agent is not available, the processor determining that the selected work item is to be serviced by a selected expert, the selected expert being a third party that is different from the plurality of agents; the processor determining presence information associated with the selected expert, the presence information indicating a current availability of the selected expert for receiving a contact; the processor determining that the selected expert is currently available to receive a contact; the processor inviting the selected expert to service the work item; and the processor determining if the selected expert has accepted the invitation, wherein determining if the selected expert has accepted the invitation comprises; the processor receiving a conditional acceptance of the invitation from the selected expert, the conditional acceptance indicating that the selected expert will be available to service the contact at a stated period of time and on a specified media type, the processor querying a customer associated with the work item whether or not the customer may wait the stated period of time for the work item to be serviced; and the processor applying the following rules; when the customer is willing to wait, the processor directing the work item to the selected expert for servicing; and when the customer is unwilling to wait, the processor not directing the work item to the selected expert for servicing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 21)
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11. A contact center, comprising:
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a memory; at least one work item queue; at least one agent queue for servicing the at least one work item queue, the at least one agent queue being associated with a plurality of agents; a processor operable to; determine that a selected work item is to be serviced by a selected expert, the selected expert being different from the plurality of agents, wherein determining that a the selected work item is to be serviced by a selected expert is performed before the selected work item is queued; access a third party presence server, wherein the third party presence server stores presence information for the selected expert; retrieve presence information from the third party presence server; determine presence information associated with the selected expert, the presence information indicating a current availability of the selected expert for receiving a contact; determine that the selected expert is currently available to receive a contact; in response to determining that the selected expert is currently available, invite the selected expert to service the work item; and determine if the selected expert has accepted the invitation, wherein determining if the selected expert has accepted the invitation comprises; the processor receiving a conditional acceptance of the invitation from the selected expert, the conditional acceptance indicating that the selected expert will be available to service the contact at a stated period of time and on a specified media type, the processor querying a customer associated with the work item whether or not the customer may wait the stated period of time for the work item to be serviced; and the processor applying the following rules; when the customer is willing to wait, the processor directing the work item to the selected expert for servicing; and when the customer is unwilling to wait, the processor not directing the work item to the selected expert for servicing. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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22. In a contact center, the contact center comprising at least one work item queue, at least one agent queue for servicing the at least one work item queue, the at least one agent queue being associated with a plurality of agents, a method for servicing contacts, comprising:
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a processor receiving a selected work item from a customer; the processor assigning the selected work item to the agent, wherein the agent partially services the selected work item; after the selected work item is partially serviced, the processor determining that the selected work item is to be serviced by a selected expert, the selected expert being a third party that is different from the plurality of agents; the processor determining presence information associated with the selected expert, the presence information indicating a current availability of the selected expert for receiving a contact; the processor determining that the selected expert is currently available to receive a contact the processor inviting the selected expert to service the partially serviced work item; and the processor determining if the selected expert has accepted the invitation, wherein determining if the selected expert has accepted the invitation comprises; the processor receiving a conditional acceptance of the invitation from the selected expert, the conditional acceptance indicating that the selected expert will be available to service the contact at a stated period of time and on a specified media type, the processor querying a customer associated with the partially service work item whether or not the customer may wait the stated period of time for the partially service work item to be serviced; and the processor applying the following rules; when the customer is willing to wait, the processor directing the partially service work item to the selected expert for servicing; and when the customer is unwilling to wait, the processor not directing the partially service work item to the selected expert for servicing.
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Specification