System and Method for Optimizing Agent Time

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016295018-A1
Application number	US-201514672409-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 30, 2015
Priority date	Mar 30, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and system automatically optimizes agent time. The method performed by a transferring device includes monitoring a communication session between an agent device used by an agent of the contact center and a user device used by a user. The communication session including first communications generated by the agent and second communications generated by the user. The method includes determining when the communication session is to be transferred from the agent device to an automated system of the contact center. The automated system is configured to perform the communication session by generating third communications for the second communications. The method includes generating a control signal upon determining the communication session is to be transferred that is configured to automatically transfer the communications session from the agent device to the automated system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
monitoring, by a transferring device of a contact center, a communication session between an agent device used by an agent of the contact center and a user device used by a user, the communication session including first communications generated by the agent and second communications generated by the user; determining, by the transferring device, when the communication session is to be transferred from the agent device to an automated system of the contact center, the automated system configured to perform the communication session by generating third communications for the second communications; and upon determining the communication session is to be transferred, generating, by the transferring device, a control signal configured to automatically transfer the communications session from the agent device to the automated system.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication session is determined to be transferred based upon a workload of the contact center and wherein the automatic transfer is performed when the workload is determined to be above a predetermined workload threshold.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication session is determined to be transferred based upon a load factor of the agent and wherein the automatic transfer is performed when the load factor of the first agent is above a predetermined load factor threshold.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication session is determined to be transferred based upon a response time of providing the first communications by the agent and wherein the automatic transfer is performed when the response time is above a predetermined time threshold.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the automated system is configured to generate suggested communications and provide the suggested communications to the agent device.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the communication session is determined to be transferred based upon a confidence value associated with the suggested communications and wherein the automatic transfer is performed when the suggested communications are determined to have a corresponding confidence value above a predetermined confidence threshold.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the communication session is determined to be transferred based upon an analysis of the first communications and wherein the automatic transfer is performed when the analysis is indicative of the suggested communications substantially corresponding to the first communications.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication session is initiated by the automated system and the method further comprises:
determining, by the transferring device, that the communication session is to be transferred from the automated system to the agent device when at least one criteria is satisfied.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the at least one criteria includes the third communications having a corresponding confidence value that drops below a predetermined confidence threshold, a response time to provide the third communications falls above a predetermined time threshold, and a communication session has a complexity outside a capability of the automated system.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the control signal is transmitted from the transferring device to the agent device.

11 . A transferring device, comprising:
a transceiver configured to establish a connection to a contact center network of a contact center, the contact center network establishing a further connection for a user device used by a user and an agent device used by an agent of the contact center; and a processor configured to monitor a communication session between the agent device and the user device, the communication session including first communications generated by the agent and second communications generated by the user, the processor configured to determine when the communication session is to be transferred from the agent device to an automated system of the contact center, the automated system configured to perform the communication session by generating third communications for the second communications, the processor configured to generate a control signal configured to automatically transfer the session from the agent device to the automated system.

12 . The transferring device of claim 11 , wherein the processor determines the communication session is to be transferred based upon a workload of the contact center and wherein the automatic transfer is performed when the workload is determined to be above a predetermined workload threshold.

13 . The transferring device of claim 11 , wherein the processor determines the communication session is to be transferred based upon a load factor of the agent and wherein the automatic transfer is performed when the load factor of the first agent is above a predetermined load factor threshold.

14 . The transferring device of claim 11 , wherein the processor determines the communication session is to be transferred based upon a response time of providing the first responses by the agent and wherein the automatic transfer is performed when the response time is above a predetermined time threshold.

15 . The transferring device of claim 11 , wherein the automated system is configured to generate suggested communications and provide the suggested communications to the agent device.

16 . The transferring device of claim 15 , wherein the processor determines the communication session is to be transferred based upon a confidence value associated with the suggested communications and wherein the automatic transfer is performed when the suggested communications are determined to have a corresponding confidence value above a predetermined confidence threshold.

17 . The transferring device of claim 15 , wherein the processor determines the communication session is to be transferred based upon an analysis of the first communications and wherein the automatic transfer is performed when the analysis is indicative of the suggested communications substantially corresponding to the first communications.

18 . The transferring device of claim 11 , wherein the communication session is initiated by the automated system and the processor is further configured to determine that the communication session is to be transferred from the automated system to the agent device when at least one criteria is satisfied.

19 . The transferring device of claim 18 , wherein the at least one criteria includes the third communications having a corresponding confidence value that drops below a predetermined confidence threshold, a response time to provide the third communications falls above a predetermined time threshold, and a communication session has a complexity outside a capability of the automated system.

20 . A system, comprising:
a user device used by a user; an agent device used by an agent of a contact center; a transferring device of the contact center, the transferring device configured to determine when a communication session between the user device and the agent device is to be transferred to an automated system of the contact center, the communication session including first communications generated by the agent and second communications generated by the user, the automated system configured to perform the session by generating third communications for the second communications, the transferring device configured to generate a control signal configured to automatically transfer

Assignees

• Avaya Inc

Inventors

• Loftus Liam
• O'Connor Neil
• Moran Tommy
• Hayes Seamus
• D'Arcy Paul

Classifications

• H04M3/5166

  in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends · CPC title

• H04M3/5175 Primary

  Call or contact centers supervision arrangements · CPC title

• H04M3/58

  Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party (substation line holding circuits H04M1/80) · CPC title

• H04M3/2281

  Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls · CPC title

• H04M3/2218

  Call detail recording · CPC title