Data model of participation in multi-channel and multi-party contacts

• US 8,731,177 B1
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Snyder, Robert W., Taylor, Robin Donald, Zanoni, David, Kiefhaber, Sara Hildebrandt
• Primary Examiner(s): GAY, SONIA L
• Application Number:
  US12/242,916
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 379/266.1, 379/133, 379/265.09, 379/67.1
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a contact center that includes a switching fabric 110, 130 operable to configure a communication session between a first customer and a first resource 138 for servicing of a first contact by the first resource and a contact tracking agent 232 operable, during the servicing of the first contact by the first resource, to (a) monitor the first contact center endpoint for at least one of (i) a change in contact state, (ii) the connection of the first resource and the first customer through a second (new) communication channel, and (iii) the addition of a party to and/or removal of a party from the communication session and (b), when the at least one of (i)-(iii) occurs, terminate a first contact part and create a second contact part. The first and second contact parts are associated with the communication session.

Claims

1. A tangible and non-transient memory in a contact center, the contact center comprising a plurality of resources operable to service a plurality of contacts, the plurality of resources corresponding to a plurality of contact center endpoints and the plurality of contacts corresponding to a plurality of customers and customer endpoints, comprising:

a first collection of data structures corresponding to a contact, the first collection of data structures comprising a contact identifier identifying a corresponding contact, wherein the contact identifier is associated with one of the plurality of customers; and

a second collection of data structures corresponding to a first contact part and a second contact part, the second collection of data structures comprising the contact identifier, a state identifier that identifies a state of a monitored endpoint, and a first contact part identifier and a second contact part identifier that identifies the first contact part and the second contact part respectively, wherein the first contact part represents a first part of the contact, the second contact part represents a second part of the contact, and the contact identifier uniquely identifies the contact of which the first contact part and the second contact part are a subpart, wherein the first contact part is for a text media contact from the monitored endpoint and the second contact part is for a voice media contact from the monitored endpoint and wherein the state identifier identifies a change in state or an overlap between the text media contact and the voice media contact.

2. The memory of claim 1, wherein the first collection of data structures comprises a party identifier associated with a first resource.

3. The memory of claim 1, wherein the first contact part is one of a plurality of contact parts representing the contact.

4. The memory of claim 1, wherein the second collection of data structures comprises a media code identifying a type of media used during the first contact part, and a business role code identifying a role of a party associated with a monitored endpoint.

5. The memory of claim 4, wherein the second collection further comprises a child contact part identifier identifying a second contact part related to the first contact part, wherein the second contact part one of immediately precedes and follows temporally the first contact part and wherein the second contact part represents a part of the contact different from the part represented by the first contact part.

12. The memory of claim 1, wherein at least one of the second collection of data structures is created based on an additional party being conferenced into the contact or the additional party being conferenced out of the contact.

13. The memory of claim 1, wherein the first and second contact parts are maintained throughout the lifetime of the contact regardless of whether the first and second contact parts have been terminated during the contact.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the state identifier identifies the change in state between the text media contact and the voice media contact.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the state identifier identifies the overlap between the text media contact and the voice media contact.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitored endpoint comprises a plurality of monitored endpoints.

6. A method for contact center management, the contact center comprising a plurality of resources operable to service a plurality of contacts, the plurality of resources corresponding to a plurality of contact center endpoints and the plurality of contacts corresponding to a plurality of customers and customer endpoints, comprising:

storing a first collection of data structures corresponding to a contact, the first collection of data structures comprising a contact identifier identifying a corresponding contact, wherein the contact identifier is associated with one of the plurality of customers; and

storing a second collection of data structures corresponding to a first contact part and a second contact part, the second collection of data structures comprising the contact identifier, a state identifier that identifies a state of a monitored endpoint, and a first contact part identifier and a second contact part identifier that identifies the first contact part and the second contact part respectively, wherein the first contact part represents a first part of the contact, the second contact part represents a second part of the contact, and the contact identifier uniquely identifies the contact of which the first contact part and the second contact part are a subpart, wherein the first contact part is for a text media contact from the monitored endpoint and the second contact part is for a voice media contact from the monitored endpoint and wherein the state identifier identifies a change in state or an overlap between the text media contact and the voice media contact.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first collection of data structures comprises a party identifier associated with a first resource.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first contact part is one of a plurality of contact parts representing the contact.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the second collection of data structures comprises a media code identifying a type of media used during the first contact part, and a business role code identifying a role of a party associated with a monitored endpoint.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second collection further comprises a child contact part identifier identifying a second contact part related to the first contact part, wherein the second contact part one of immediately precedes and follows temporally the first contact part and wherein the second contact part represents a part of the contact different from the part represented by the first contact part.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the second collection of data structures is created based on an additional party being conferenced into the contact or the additional party being conferenced out of the contact.