# US 8,571,203 B2 · System and method for providing customer activities while in queue

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- Number: US 8,571,203 B2
- Document ID: US8571203B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/542,823
- Filed: 2012-07-06
- Published: 2012-10-25
- Granted: 2013-10-29
- Earliest claimed: 2003-03-06
- Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Applicants: Benjamin A. Knott; Theodore B. Pasquale; Kurt M. Joseph; Scott H. Mills; James T. Miller; Robert R. Bushey; John M. Martin
- Inventors: Benjamin A. Knott; Theodore B. Pasquale; Kurt M. Joseph; Scott H. Mills; James T. Miller; Robert R. Bushey; John M. Martin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8571203B2

## CPC

- H04M 3/42348: {Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target}
- H04M 3/5166: {in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends}
- H04M 3/2218: {Call detail recording}
- H04M 3/4285: {Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold}
- H04M 3/493: Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries {; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals}
- H04M 3/5238: {with waiting time or load prediction arrangements}
- H04M 2203/1066: Game playing
- H04M 2203/2011: Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)

## Abstract

A system and method for providing customer activities while in queue allows for one or more customers to interact with one or more customer activities while waiting to speak with a live agent. The customers engage the customer activities while holding in a queue where the customer activities reduce the boredom, frustration, and perceived hold duration associated with holding to speak to a live agent. The customers are offered one or more options of the customer activities to interact with and the system and method monitors the customers' selections and interaction with the customer activities. As agents become available, each customer is transferred to an agent along with information regarding the customer's interaction with a selected customer activity. Upon completion of the interaction between the agent and the customer, the customer has the option to return to the selected customer activity and continue interacting with the selected customer activity.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for providing activities to a caller associated with a call holding in a queue, the method comprising:
receiving the call from the caller at a first time;
estimating a hold time associated with the call;
adding the call to the queue;
prompting the caller to select a caller activity to perform while the call remains in the queue, wherein caller activities available for selection are provided based on the hold time estimated and caller demographics;
detecting a caller selection of a caller activity available for selection;
connecting the call to the caller activity selected while maintaining the call in the queue;
generating a caller activity history by recording caller input during the call, the caller input including the caller selection of the caller activity and caller interaction with the caller activity selected;
communicating the caller activity history to the agent;
enabling agent interaction between the agent and the caller; and
upon completion of the agent interaction and depending on the caller activity history, providing the caller an option of resuming the selected caller activity.

### Claim 2

A method for providing caller activities while a call is holding in a queue, the method comprising:
receiving a call from a caller;
placing the call in a queue to interact with an agent;
prompting the caller to select, from available caller activities, a caller activity to perform while maintaining the call in the queue;
responsive to the caller selecting the caller activity, connecting the call to the caller activity selected while maintaining the call in the queue;
generating a caller activity history by acquiring indications of caller inputs during the caller activity;
connecting the call with the agent; and
upon completion of caller interaction with the agent, prompting the caller to return to the caller activity.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein connecting the call with the agent includes:
communicating the caller activity history to the agent.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising:
notifying the caller when the agent is available to interact with the caller.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein connecting the call with the agent further comprises:
enabling the caller to choose to connect the call with the agent or to continue with the caller activity.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein prompting the caller includes:
selecting the caller activities available for selection by the caller based on an estimated hold time and caller demographics.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining frequencies at which respective individual caller activities are selected by callers; and
modifying the selectable caller activities based on the frequencies determined.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising:
transferring the call back to the caller activity selected upon completion of the interaction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising:
estimating a hold time given by the difference in time between when the call was received and when the agent is estimated to be available to interact with the caller; and
communicating the estimated hold time to the caller before prompting the caller.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
when the hold time estimate is below a threshold value, maintaining the call in the queue without prompting the caller to select a caller activity.

### Claim 11 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising:
when the call is connected to the caller activity selected, connecting the call with the agent after caller input is received.

### Claim 12

A system for providing caller activities to calls in a queue, the system comprising:
a call receiver receiving a plurality of calls from a respective plurality of callers and directing the plurality of calls to a queue, wherein the queue stores the plurality of calls in order;
a selection module coupled to the call receiver, wherein the selection module selects caller activities available to the caller while the call is held in the queue and transfers the call to a selected caller activity;
a recording module coupled to the selection module, wherein the recording module records input received from the caller during the selected caller activity; and
a connection module coupled to the selection module and the recording module, wherein the connection module connects the call to an agent and enables the caller to return the call to the selected caller activity upon completion of an interaction between the caller and the agent.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, further comprising:
a logging module coupled to the selection module and the recording module, wherein the logging module stores information describing selection of the caller activities and caller input received during the selected caller activities.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the recording module communicates information describing the caller input during the selected caller activity to the agent when the agent becomes available to interact with the caller.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the selection module modifies which of the caller activities are selectable by the caller based on an estimated hold time for the caller's call in the queue and caller demographics.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the recording module:
determines frequencies at which caller activities available to callers are selected; and
modifies the caller activities available to the caller based on the frequencies determined.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the connection module:
transfers the call back to the selected caller activity upon completion of the interaction between the agent and the caller.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein when the estimated hold time is below a threshold value, the selection module is further configured to:
maintain the call in the queue without enabling the caller to select the caller activities.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the caller activity comprises a voice portal.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the caller activity comprises a self-service application.