# US 8,571,195 B2 · Customer shared control in customer service scenarios > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,571,195 B2 - Document ID: US8571195B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/193,717 - Filed: 2011-07-29 - Published: 2013-01-31 - Granted: 2013-10-29 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-29 - Assignees: Avaya Inc. - Applicants: Alberto Pasi; Mark Schmidt; Andrew D. Flockhart - Inventors: Alberto Pasi; Mark Schmidt; Andrew D. Flockhart - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8571195B2 ## CPC - H04M 3/523: with call distribution or queueing - H04M 2203/404: Collaboration among agents - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract Provided herein is a system and method for sharing control of a customer service provided by a contact center. The method may include: receiving, from a customer, a customer contact to request the customer service; communicating by use of a communication channel between the customer and the contact center in order to provide the customer service; receiving a join request, from the customer, to join an outside party to the customer service; and joining the outside party to the customer service. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method to share control of a customer service provided by a contact center, comprising: receiving, from a customer, a customer contact to request the customer service; communicating by use of a communication channel between the customer and the contact center in order to establish the customer service; conducting, by control of an agent of the contact center, the established customer service in an ongoing manner; receiving a join request, from the customer, to join an outside party to the customer service, wherein the outside party is selected by the customer; joining the outside party to the established and ongoing customer service, by customer control of the contact center; receiving, from the customer, a command to temporarily exclude the agent of the contact center from access to the established and ongoing customer service; and after the agent of the contact center has been excluded, receiving from the customer a command to add the agent of the contact center to the established and ongoing customer service. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the outside party joins the customer service by use of a communication channel controlled by the contact center. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the outside party joins the customer service by use of a communication channel controlled by the customer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: permitting access by the customer to a presence status of the outside party, wherein the presence status comprises a status indicator that conveys ability and willingness of the outside party unaffiliated with the contact center to communicate, and wherein the join request is received if the presence status indicates that the outside party is available. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: limiting control of the customer service allowed to the customer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: approving the outside party before the outside party is joined to the customer service. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an on-call status of an outside party. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: creating a recording of the customer service in response to an activate-recording command received from the customer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: providing the recording in response to a recording request from the customer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing a feedback survey in response to a feedback survey request received from the customer. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the feedback survey is provided before the completion of the customer contact. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the communication channel configured to receive the customer contact, and the communication channel configured to provide the customer service, are in communication with an application web server. ### Claim 13 A system to share control of a customer service, comprising: a communication channel receiver configured to receive a customer contact to request service; a communication channel transmitter configured to establish the customer service over a communication channel; a processor configured to conduct, by control of an agent of the contact center, the established customer service in an ongoing manner; a communication module configured to receive a join request, from the customer, to join an outside party to the established and ongoing customer service, wherein the outside party is selected by the customer; a joining module configured to join the outside party to the customer service, wherein the joining module is controlled by the customer a receiver configured to receive, from the customer: a command to temporarily exclude the agent of the contact center from access to the established and ongoing customer service; and after the agent of the contact center has been excluded, a command to add the agent of the contact center to the established and ongoing customer service. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the joining module joins the outside party by use of a communication channel controlled by the system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the joining module joins the outside party by use of a communication channel controlled by a customer. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, further comprising: a presence determination module configured to determine a presence status of the outside party, wherein the presence status comprises a status indicator that conveys ability and willingness of the outside party unaffiliated with the contact center to communicate, and wherein the joining module joins the outside party if the presence status indicates that the outside party is available. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, further comprising: a limiting module configured to limit control of the system allowed to a customer. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, further comprising an approval module configured: to analyze the outside party; and to permit joining the outside party by the joining module only if approved by the approval module. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the system is configured to receive an on-call status of an outside party. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, further comprising a recording module configured to record the customer service in response to an activate-recording command received from a customer. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The system of claim 20, wherein the recording is provided in response to a recording request from the customer. ### Claim 22 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, further comprising a survey module configured to provide a feedback survey in response to a feedback survey request received from a customer. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22, wherein the feedback survey is provided before the completion of the customer contact. ### Claim 24 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, further comprising an application web server in communication with: the communication channel configured to receive the customer contact; and with the communication channel configured to transmit the customer service. ### Claim 25 A system, comprising a computer server, the computer server comprising a tangible computer readable medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement: receiving, from a customer, a customer contact to request the customer service; communicating by use of a communication channel between the customer and the contact center in order to establish the customer service; conducting, by control of an agent of the contact center, the established customer service in an ongoing manner; receiving a join request, from the customer, to join an outside party to the customer service, wherein the outside party is selected by the customer; joining the outside party to the established and ongoing customer service, by customer control of the contact center; receiving, from the customer, a command to temporarily exclude the agent of the contact center from access to the established and ongoing customer service; and after the agent of the contact center has been excluded, receiving from the customer a command to add the agent of the contact center to the established and ongoing customer service. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The system of claim 25, further comprising: an application web server configured to communicate with the customer.