US 7,127,058 B2 · Managing communications in a call center

Abstract

A communications management tool for a call center maintains a record of threads of communications of diverse media types (e.g. voice calls, emails and faxes) relating to particular issues, and analyses new communications to automatically identify possible matches with existing threads. In this way the efficiency of the agents at the center is increased and the management of the call center can be provided with data recording agent performance and efficiency in dealing with particular issues.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of managing communications in a call centre between an agent at the call centre and a customer of the centre, comprising the steps of:

a) maintaining a database of entries identifying a plurality of communications threads wherein each thread comprises a set of prior communications involving the call centre and related by one or more common parameters;
b) analysing a new communication between the customer and the centre to determine a match between a parameter of the communication and one or more matching threads in the database, said match involving a parameter other than the simple identity of the customer as determined from a property of the new communication;
c) upon determining said match, automatically presenting the agent with specific information relating to said one or more matching threads when said new communication is active at a terminal of the agent;
d) presenting the agent with the option to create a new entry in the database identifying said new communication as a new thread;
and
e) updating the database entry relating to the or each matching thread or creating a database entry for said new thread if selected, with an identification of said new communication.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description5,934 words

Summary2,525 words

#The present invention relates to call centres and in particular to multimedia call centres, i.e. centres having the capability to handle communications involving more than one electronic medium.

#The invention has particular application in call centres which handle telephone calls and emails.

#Traditional call centres allow agents to deal with queries, complaints or other issues raised by remote users (referred to herein as “customers”, irrespective of whether they are actually buying products or services from the call center organisation) who telephone the call centre. Sophisticated call centre software will often filter calls through a series of interactive voice response (IVR) menus to enable certain queries to be dealt with automatically and other queries to be routed to the most appropriate agent or group of agents using “skillset routing”.

Brief description of the drawings7 figures

#The invention will now be illustrated by the following descriptions of embodiments thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a call centre according to the invention;

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the communications management apparatus of FIG. 1;

Detailed description3,271 words

#FIG. 1 shows a call centre management system 10 enabling communication between a plurality of agent terminals 12 and remote customers (not shown) communicating with the call centre by communications networks such as the Internet 14, the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 16 and a wireless cell phone network 18 such as the global system for mobiles (GSM) network. The call centre 10 includes a number of servers for handling incoming and outgoing communications of different media types. Thus, an email server 20 and a web server 22 provide interfaces with the Internet 14. A call server 24 having an interactive voice response (IVR) module and an integrated or connected voicemail server provides an interface with the PSTN network 16, and an SMS server 26 receives and sends text messages via the GSM network 18.

#Whereas conventional call centres will route incoming communications to appropriate agents using a queuing and skillset routing function 28, the agent is not in a position to determine in advance whether the new communication relates to an ongoing issue.

#Furthermore, the routing mechanism 28 in a conventional call centre cannot automatically route an email relating to a matter already discussed with a particular agent by telephone, unless the email is addressed to the agent. The invention provides a thread monitor apparatus 30 which analyses communications between customers and the call centre and attempts to determine matches with existing threads of communications details of which are stored in a thread database 32.

Facts

Application

10/108,686Filed 27 Mar 2002

Published

US 2003/0185379 A12 Oct 2003

Granted

24 Oct 2006

Term ended

26 Mar 2023

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 364 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification5 codes

H04L 51/214
Monitoring or handling of messages: using selective forwarding
H04L 51/56
User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail: unified…
H04M 3/51
Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers ; Centralised…:…
H04L
Digital communication

Timeline

27 Mar 2002Application filedUS 10/108,686
1 Jul 2002Assigned to Nortel Networks Limitedassignment of assignor's interest
2 Oct 2003PublishedUS 2003/0185379 A1
24 Oct 2006GrantedUS 7,127,058 B2
4 Feb 2010Assigned to Citibank, N.A., AS Administrative Agentsecurity agreement
5 Feb 2010Assigned to Citicorp USA, Inc., AS Administrative Agentsecurity agreement
26 Feb 2010Assigned to Avaya Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
22 Feb 2011Assigned to Bank of New York Mellon Trust, Na, AS Notes Collateral Agent, thesecurity agreement
13 Mar 2013Assigned to Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., thesecurity agreement
27 Jan 2017Assigned to Citibank, N.A., AS Administrative Agentsecurity interest
15 Dec 2017Assigned to Avaya Inc.bankruptcy court order releasing all liens including the security interest recorded at reel/frame 023892/0500
15 Dec 2017Assigned to Avaya Inc.bankruptcy court order releasing all liens including the security interest recorded at reel/frame 025863/0535
15 Dec 2017Assigned to Avaya Inc., Avaya Integrated Cabinet Solutions Inc., Octel Communications LLC (Formerly Known AS Octel Communications Corporation), Vpnet Technologies, Inc.bankruptcy court order releasing all liens including the security interest recorded at reel/frame 041576/0001
15 Dec 2017Assigned to Avaya Inc.bankruptcy court order releasing all liens including the security interest recorded at reel/frame 030083/0639
10 Jan 2018Assigned to Goldman Sachs Bank USA, AS Collateral Agentsecurity interest
11 Jan 2018Assigned to Avaya, Inc., Sierra Holdings Corp.release of security interest
23 Jan 2018Assigned to Citibank, N.A., AS Collateral Agentsecurity interest
25 Sep 2020Assigned to Wilmington Trust, National Associationsecurity interest
5 Aug 2022Assigned to Wilmington Trust, National Association, AS Collateral Agentintellectual property security agreement
26 Mar 2023Term endedEstimated, includes 364 days of adjustment
26 Apr 2023Assigned to Avaya Holdings Corp., Avaya Inc., Avaya Management L.P., Avaya Integrated Cabinet Solutions LLCrelease of security interest in patents at reel 45124/frame 0026
3 May 2023Assigned to Wilmington Savings Fund Society, Fsb [Collateral Agent]intellectual property security agreement
4 May 2023Assigned to Citibank, N.A., AS Collateral Agentintellectual property security agreement
18 May 2023Assigned to Avaya Management L.P., Avaya Inc., Intellisist, Inc., Avaya Integrated Cabinet Solutions LLCrelease of security interest in patents (reel/frame 61087/0386)
18 May 2023Assigned to Avaya Management L.P., Avaya Inc., Intellisist, Inc., Avaya Integrated Cabinet Solutions LLCrelease of security interest in patents (reel/frame 53955/0436)
18 May 2023Assigned to Avaya Inc., Intellisist, Inc., Avaya Integrated Cabinet Solutions LLC, Octel Communications LLC, Vpnet Technologies, Inc., Zang, Inc. (Former Name of Avaya Cloud Inc.), Hyperquality, Inc., Hyperquality II, LLC, Caas Technologies, LLC, Avaya Management L.P.release of security interest in patents (reel/frame 045034/0001)
21 Sep 2023Assigned to Avaya LLC(security interest) grantor's name change

Managing communications in a call center

Life of this patent

Managing communications in a call center

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims18

Description5,934 words

Drawings

Description5,934 words

Classification5 codes

Life of this patent