Method for operating a contact center and communication system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to enhanced digital messaging. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method of operating a contact center. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a call from a customer communication device, converting the call from the voice domain to the digital domain, and enabling the contact center to interact with the customer communication device in at least the digital domain after the call has been converted from the voice domain to the digital domain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to communication methods, and more particularly to communication methods performed in a contact center. Background Art

[0002] Contact centers may typically be limited in terms of the number of contacts or service requests they can handle. Especially when using voice channels, contact centers are typically limited in terms of the number of voice-based contacts that can be serviced based on the number of live and available human agents currently on duty. If a contact center experiences a high and unexpected number of voice calls, customers will likely experience long wait times. This results in customer dissatisfaction and may lead to revenue loss, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Solutions to the above disadvantages in traditional contact centers include scheduling a callback to the customer, thus allowing the customer to hang up the phone and wait for a call when an agent becomes available. Other solutions simply involve asking the customer to wait until a new agent is available. Both solutions require the customer to wait for some time to resolve their problem or issue.

[0004] Compared to synchronous communication channels, asynchronous communication channels or non-voice channels provide an opportunity for expansion for contact centers because a single agent can be used to service multiple contacts simultaneously. Asynchronous communication channels can also enable customers to have their questions answered more quickly compared to when they wait for an agent and talk live / synchronously. However, some customers may not initiate a contact with a contact center using an asynchronous communication channel. For example, some customers may simply call into the contact center due to habit or because they can only locate a customer help number. As another example, some customers may believe that real-time voice interaction is the best and most effective way to solve their problems and initiate a call to the contact center. Regardless of why a customer initiates a contact on a voice channel; the customer can be better served via an asynchronous communication channel. Embodiments of the present disclosure propose a solution that enables a contact center to automatically transfer a customer from a voice communication channel to a non-voice communication channel, especially in cases where the contact center recognizes that the customer can be better served via the non-voice channel. In any case, an option to switch from a voice communication channel to a non-voice communication channel can be provided to the customer, and information can also be provided to the customer to help inform their decision on whether to accept the switch option.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure propose a novel "call" or call processing procedure, wherein a customer is allowed to initiate a connection with a contact center via a voice channel, and then the contact center transfers (e.g., automatically) the customer to a non-voice communication channel (e.g., a digital communication channel such as chat, instant messaging (IM), short message service (SMS), web interaction, application-based interaction, etc.). By defining this novel "call", the contact center is more scalable and capable of handling large and unexpected call volumes. Scalability is possible because many components for automatically serving customer contacts are designed for non-voice communication channels (e.g., chatbots), while when customers cannot successfully navigate an interactive voice response (IVR) or a company website, live agents are more often used to serve the voice communication channel. In addition, a live agent can serve multiple non-voice contacts simultaneously, while a live agent cannot serve multiple voice contacts simultaneously.

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure can enable the contact center to automatically exclude the voice aspect from the session as soon as a customer's call arrives at the contact center. The customer can be transferred to a virtual or digital session. When such a transfer occurs, feedback can be provided to the customer to draw the customer's attention to the user interface (e.g., the touch screen of their phone). This can be done without the customer having to switch their client.

[0007] The present disclosure also provides a local interface (e.g., an HTML 5 or in-app interface) via the customer's client device that allows the customer to navigate a full self-service menu. The contact center can also be allowed to push a bot framework through an interface in the mobile domain. This effectively makes the voice media non-interactive until it is later determined that voice is needed to further support the customer's needs. There can be rules or some other triggering mechanism to define when the customer switches back to voice.

[0008] When the contact center notifies the customer that their call is being transferred from voice, an option can be provided to the customer to avoid the automatic transfer and remain on the voice channel; this option can be used by visually impaired customers or by customers who cannot devote their full visual attention to the device at that point in time. Alternatively, if the state of the contact center requires the transfer, the contact center can implement only the automatic transfer, which may be because the contact center is experiencing a large number of calls, is currently understaffed, etc. For example, if a customer call is placed in a queue for a voice interaction, the contact center can use an appropriate "expected wait time" as a trigger. If the "expected wait time" exceeds a certain threshold or exceeds the expected amount of time required for the customer to complete self-service in the digital domain, the call will automatically be transferred to a digital interaction; otherwise, it will remain a voice call. The threshold can be configurable or can be dynamically configured in response to the expected amount of time for the customer to self-service in the digital domain.

[0009] Contact centers can utilize novel responses to incoming calls. The contact center can initially be established as if the call were a normal voice call, but then the call can enter a natural feedback mechanism that excludes the voice media and places the customer in a digital domain without the need for the customer to move in / out of messaging and / or a browser. At a later point in time, if the customer or the contact center decides to add voice, the contact center can quickly and seamlessly convert the current digital interaction back into the voice domain.

[0010] This disclosure will describe an exemplary implementation in the mobile domain where a customer initiates a voice call with their mobile device and then most likely transitions to a digital domain on their mobile device, most likely via a dedicated application. The customer experience can be executed entirely within the application or can transition to a web-based interaction. However, it should be understood that the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, it may be possible to implement some of the features described herein on a non-mobile platform (e.g., a laptop, a personal computer, etc.).

[0011] As used herein, the automation of a contact center can refer to the behavior of a contact center whereby interactions are managed by a chatbot, which can use rule-based (e.g., expert system) or artificial intelligence (AI)-based directed conversations.

[0012] It should be understood that the conversation or interaction can be via an automated agent (e.g., a chatbot) or a human agent. In some embodiments, the digital asynchronous communication channel includes but is not limited to communication modalities configured to enable digital message communication between a customer's communication device (e.g., a client device, a mobile communication device, a smart phone, a tablet, a PC, a laptop, etc.) and an agent's communication device (e.g., a client device, a mobile communication device, a smart phone, a tablet, a PC, a laptop, a server executing a chatbot, etc.). In some embodiments, the digital asynchronous communication channel can include or utilize one, some, or many different communication paths, protocols, or messaging services. Non-limiting examples of messaging services that can be supported by the digital asynchronous communication channel include direct digital messaging (e.g., direct chat, SMS text, email, etc.), social media messaging (e.g., social media posts, social media direct messaging, etc.), web chat, or any other communication protocol that enables a conversation to occur non-real-time or near real-time and be logged. While live voice and video conversations are generally not performed via an asynchronous communication channel, it should be understood that the embodiments of this disclosure are envisioned to also facilitate voice and / or video communication between a contact center agent and a customer. The embodiments of this disclosure also envision transitioning a contact between synchronous and asynchronous communication channels (e.g., between a digital domain and a voice domain).

[0013] As used herein, a message can include one or more electronic records, texts, rich media, or data structures sent from one communication device to another via a communication network. A message can be sent via one or more data packets, and the format of such data packets can depend on the messaging protocol used to send the electronic record over the communication network.

[0014] As used herein, an interaction can correspond to two or more message exchanges between two or more entities over a digital communication channel. In some embodiments, an interaction can correspond to a question and response message pair, a question and question message pair, a statement and response message pair, or a set of messages. As used herein, a conversation can include one or more interactions. Thus, a conversation or an interaction can correspond to an exchange of speech, opinions, questions, responses to questions, or ideas. An interaction can occur partially within one domain (e.g., only within the digital domain or only within the voice domain), or an interaction can span both the digital domain and the voice domain.

[0015] As used herein, a conversation model can correspond to a data set that can be used in a neural network and that has been trained with one or more data sets that describe a conversation or message exchange between two or more entities. A conversation model can be stored as a model data file or any other data structure available within a neural network or an AI system.

[0016] As used herein, the phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” “or,” and “and / or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B, and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “A, B, and / or C,” and “A, B, or C” means either A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B, and C together.

[0017] The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Thus, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more,” and “at least one” are used interchangeably herein. It should also be noted that the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are used interchangeably.

[0018] As used herein, the term “automatically” and its variations refer to any process or operation that is completed without substantial human input during its execution. However, a process or operation can be automatic if input is received before the execution of the process or operation, even if the execution of the process or operation uses substantial or insubstantial human input. Human input is considered to be “substantial” if it affects how the process or operation will be executed. Human input that consents to the execution of the process or operation is not considered to be “substantial.”

[0019] As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" refers to any tangible storage and / or transmission medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with hole patterns, RAM, PROM, and EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, solid state media such as memory cards, any other storage chip or cartridge, carrier waves as described hereinafter, or any other medium that can be read by a computer. Digital file attachments of e-mails or other self-contained information archives or collections of archives are considered to be distribution media equivalent to tangible storage media. When a computer-readable medium is configured as a database, it should be understood that the database can be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, etc. Thus, the present disclosure is considered to include tangible storage media or distribution media and equivalents and successor media recognized by the prior art, in which the software implementation of the present disclosure is stored.

[0020] A "computer-readable signal" medium can include, for example, a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, where the propagated data signal has computer-readable program code embodied therein. Such a propagated signal can take any of a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium can be any computer-readable medium that is not a computer-readable storage medium and that can convey, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Any appropriate medium can be used to transmit the program code contained on a computer-readable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, fiber optic cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0021] As used herein, the terms "determine," "calculate," and "compute" and variations thereof are used interchangeably and include any type of method, process, mathematical operation, or technique.

[0022] It should be understood that the term "component" as used herein should be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with paragraph 6 of Section 112 of Title 35 of the United States Code. Thus, claims that contain the term "component" should cover all structures, materials, or acts described herein and all equivalents thereof. Moreover, structures, materials, or acts and their equivalents should include all those described in the Summary of the Invention, Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description, Abstract, and the claims themselves.

[0023] Aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of an embodiment that is entirely hardware, an embodiment that is entirely software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or an embodiment that combines software and hardware aspects, which may all be collectively referred to herein as "circuitry", "module", or "system". Any combination of one or more computer-readable media may be utilized. The computer-readable media may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0024] In another embodiment, the systems and methods of the present invention may be implemented in conjunction with a special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signal microprocessor, hard-wired electronic or logic circuits (such as discrete element circuits), a programmable logic device or gate array (such as a PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL), a special purpose computer, any similar component, etc. Generally, any device or component capable of implementing the methods described herein may be used to implement aspects of the present invention. Exemplary hardware for use with the disclosed embodiments, configurations, and aspects includes computers, handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet-enabled, digital, analog, hybrid, etc.), and other hardware known in the art. Some of these devices include microprocessors (e.g., single or multiple microprocessors), memory, non-volatile storage devices, input devices, and output devices. Additionally, alternative software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component / object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing may also be constructed to implement the methods described herein.

[0025] Examples of processors described herein may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: and 801, with 4G LTE integration and 64-bit computing and 615, with a 64-bit architecture A7 microprocessor, M7 motion coprocessor, series, Core TM processor series, processor series, Atom TM processor series, Intel processor series, i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22nm Haswell, i5-3570K 22nm generation series (Ivy Bridge), FX TM processor series, FX-4300, FX-6300, and FX-8350 32nm Vishera, Kaveri processors, Texas Jacinto C6000 TM Automotive infotainment processors, Texas OMAP TM Automotive mobile processors, Cortex TM -M processors, Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S TM processors, and processors equivalent in other industries, and can perform computing functions using any known or future-developed standards, instruction sets, libraries, and / or architectures.

[0026] In yet another embodiment, the disclosed method can be easily implemented in conjunction with software for an object or an object-oriented software development environment that provides portable source code usable on various computer or workstation platforms. Alternatively, the disclosed system can be implemented in whole or in part in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI designs. Whether to implement the system according to the present invention using software or hardware depends on the speed and / or efficiency requirements of the system, specific functions, and the specific software or hardware system or microprocessor or microcomputer system used.

[0027] In yet another embodiment, the disclosed method can be implemented in part in software that can be stored on a storage medium and executed on a programmed general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, etc. in cooperation with a controller and a memory. In these cases, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can be implemented as a program embedded in a personal computer, such as an applet, or a CGI script, implemented as a resource resident on a server or computer workstation, implemented as a routine embedded in a dedicated measurement system, system component, etc. The system can also be implemented by physically incorporating the system and / or method into a software and / or hardware system.

[0028] The methods described or claimed herein can be executed using traditional executable instruction sets that are finite and operate on a fixed set of inputs to provide one or more defined outputs. Alternatively or additionally, the methods described or claimed herein can be executed using AI, machine learning, neural networks, etc. In other words, the system or contact center is envisioned to include a finite instruction set and / or an AI-based model / neural network to execute some or all of the steps described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1is a block diagram illustrating a communication system according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 2 is a block diagram depicting additional details of a chatbot engine according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 3A is a first screenshot of a graphical user interface of a customer communication device according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 3B is a second screenshot of a graphical user interface of a customer communication device according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 3C is a third screenshot of a graphical user interface of a customer communication device according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 3D is a fourth screenshot of a graphical user interface of a customer communication device according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 3E is a fifth screenshot of a graphical user interface of a customer communication device according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 3F is a sixth screenshot of a graphical user interface of a customer communication device according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 3G is a seventh screenshot of a graphical user interface of a customer communication device according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0038] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a method of operating a contact center according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0039] In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments disclosed herein. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some of these specific details. The following description provides only exemplary embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope or applicability of the present disclosure. Additionally, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, many known structures and devices have been omitted from the preceding description. Such omissions should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Instead, the following description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those of ordinary skill in the art with a description that enables the implementation of the exemplary embodiments. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be practiced in various ways beyond the specific details set forth herein.

[0040] Although the exemplary aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations shown herein illustrate the various components of a system together, certain components of the system may be located remotely, at a remote portion of a distributed network such as a local area network (LAN) and / or the Internet, or within a dedicated system. Accordingly, it should be understood that the components of the system may be combined into one or more devices or configured at specific nodes of a distributed network, such as an analog and / or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switched network, or a circuit-switched network. From the foregoing description, it will be understood that, for reasons of computational efficiency, the components of the system may be arranged anywhere within the distributed network of components without affecting the operation of the system.

[0041] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for converting customer contacts within a contact center from the voice domain (e.g., where a voice communication channel is used) to the digital domain (e.g., where a non-voice or digital communication channel is used). Certain examples will be described in connection with automatically converting a contact from the voice domain to the digital domain in response to a trigger or in response to meeting a particular condition or set of conditions. Other examples will be described in connection with automatically converting a contact from the voice domain to the digital domain regardless of the state of the contact center (e.g., as a default action, attempting to convert a voice contact to the digital domain). Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods that enable a human user (e.g., a customer) to interact with a contact center via an asynchronous communication channel or a synchronous communication channel and to switch between the two different types of channels. An asynchronous communication channel may be presented to the human user to support efficient and intuitive communication with the contact center, which may be more effective for a customer than a synchronous communication channel. Existing contact centers process voice calls almost entirely in the voice domain. There is currently no solution for automatically converting voice-based contacts to the digital domain to achieve more efficient processing and relieve the burden on resources (e.g., hardware, ports, etc.) that support the voice domain.

[0042] Various additional details of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although flowcharts will be discussed and illustrated with respect to a particular sequence of events, it should be understood that changes, additions, and omissions to that sequence can occur without materially affecting the operation, configuration, and aspects of the disclosed embodiments.

[0043] First, with reference to Figure 1 , a communication system 100 according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. The communication system 100 is shown as including a communication network 104 that interconnects a contact center 108 and its resources with a plurality of customer communication devices 112. As the name implies, the customer communication devices 112 may be owned and / or operated by customers 116. The customers 116 may correspond to users or persons who interact with their customer communication devices 112 to communicate with the resources of the contact center 108. Specifically, the contact center 108 may include a plurality of resources that facilitate interaction with the customers 116 via synchronous and / or asynchronous communication channels that are presented to or available for use by the customers 116 and one or more of their customer communication devices 112. As Figure 1 shown, the customers 116 may utilize one or more customer communication devices 112 to interact with the contact center. Additionally, embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate that the customers 116 may use multiple different customer communication devices 112 to communicate via a single communication channel (whether synchronous or asynchronous). As a non-limiting example, the customers 116 may log in to a web-based portal or utilize a particular chat channel to authenticate themselves and then use the web-based portal or chat channel to communicate with any of their customer communication devices 112. As another example, and as will be described in further detail herein, the customers 116 may initially call the contact center 104 via a voice channel 176 (e.g., in the voice domain) seeking support, but may be transferred to a non-voice channel 180 (e.g., to the digital domain).

[0044] The customer communication devices 112 may correspond to computing devices, personal communication devices, portable communication devices, laptop computers, smart phones, personal computers, and / or any other devices capable of running an operating system, a web browser, etc. For example, the customer communication devices 112 may be configured to run various versions of Microsoft Corporation's and / or Apple Inc.'s operating systems, any one of various commercially available (such as LINUX or other UNIX-like operating systems), iOS, etc. These client communication devices 112 can also have any one of a variety of applications, including, for example, database client and / or server applications, web browser applications, chat applications, social media applications, call applications, etc. The client communication devices 112 can alternatively or additionally be any other electronic device capable of communicating via the communication network 104 and / or displaying and navigating web pages or other types of electronic documents, such as thin client computers, Internet-enabled mobile phones, and / or personal digital assistants.

[0045] The communication network 104 can be any type of network familiar to those skilled in the art, which can support data communication using any one of a variety of commercially available protocols, including but not limited to SIP, TCP / IP, SNA, IPX, AppleTalk, etc. By way of example only, the communication network 104 can correspond to a LAN, such as Ethernet, Token Ring, and / or similar networks; a wide area network; a virtual network, including but not limited to a virtual private network (“VPN”); the Internet; an intranet; an extranet; a public switched telephone network (“PSTN”); an infrared network; a wireless network (e.g., a network operating under any protocol in the IEEE 802.9 protocol suite, the IEEE 802.11 protocol suite, protocols known in the art and / or any other wireless protocol); and / or any combination of these and / or other networks.

[0046] Contact center 108 is shown as including one or more computing devices that enable contact center agents 172 and / or chatbots 148 to interact with customers 116 via a communication channel established between customer communication device 112 and contact center 108. In particular, contact center 108 is shown as including multiple servers 124, 128, 132 that enable the functionality of contact center 108 and network boundary device 120. Network boundary device 120 may correspond to one or more devices that establish and maintain the information security of contact center 108. In some embodiments, network boundary device 120 may include a session border controller (SBC), a firewall, a network address translator (NAT) device, a protocol converter, or a combination thereof. Because the communication network 104 may be untrusted from the perspective of the operator of contact center 108, in some embodiments, network boundary device 120 may be configured to implement security policies or rules. When a communication, message, packet, etc. is received at network boundary device 120, the components of network boundary device 120 may analyze the received communication, message, packet, etc. to determine whether the content of the received communication, message, packet, etc. can be safely passed to other components of contact center 108. In some embodiments, all content that safely passes through network boundary device 120 may be sent to communication server 128 or routing engine 124 for further analysis and processing (e.g., for inclusion in a particular conversation, for assignment / forwarding to a particular contact center agent 172, etc.).

[0047] In some embodiments, each server of contact center 108 may be configured to perform a set of tasks or specific tasks specific to supporting the functions of contact center 108. For example, routing engine 124 may correspond to one server or a group of servers configured to receive messages from network boundary device 120 and make routing decisions on the message(s) within contact center 108. Communication server 128 may correspond to a single server or a group of servers configured to establish and maintain a communication channel between customer 116 and contact center 108. In some embodiments, routing engine 124 and communication server 128 may work in cooperation to ensure that an appropriate agent 172 or set of agents 172 is assigned to a specific communication channel (e.g., voice channel 176 or non-voice channel 180) to service / address a contact initiated by customer 116 of contact center 108. Specifically, but not by way of limitation, routing engine 124 may be configured to determine which agent 172 should be assigned to a specific communication channel for answering questions of customer 116 and / or for providing service to customer 116. Routing engine 124 may provide appropriate signaling to the communication device 168 of the agent such that the communication device 168 of the agent can connect to the communication channel on which customer 116 is communicating and such that agent 172 can view the messages sent by the communication device 112 of the customer, which are ultimately assigned to and posted on the appropriate communication channel.

[0048] Even more specifically, communication server 128 may establish and maintain multiple different types of communication channels 176, 180. In other embodiments, different communication servers 128 may be provided to support different types of communication channels 176, 180. For example, one communication server 128 may be configured to support voice channel 176, while another communication server 128 may be configured to support non-voice channel 180. It should be understood that voice channel 176 may be established and maintained using any suitable voice-based communication protocol. It should also be understood that any communication having a voice aspect (e.g., video communication) may include voice channel 176. In some embodiments, non-voice channel 180 may include any suitable type of asynchronous communication channel and may be considered to be within the digital domain. Non-limiting examples of communication that non-voice channel 180 may support include chat, IM, SMS, web collaboration, etc.

[0049] When a message is received from the customer communication device 112 and assigned to a particular asynchronous communication channel, the routing engine 124 can determine which agent 172 will serve the needs of the customer 116 (e.g., answer questions, provide services, etc.), and then connect the communication device 168 of the selected agent to the same asynchronous communication channel, enabling the agent 172 to participate in a chat session with the customer 116. Alternatively or additionally, as will be described in further detail herein, the routing engine 124 can connect an automated agent (e.g., a chatbot) to the communication channel in a similar manner as the communication device 168 of an agent is connected to assist in serving the needs of the customer 116. The difference is that the automated agent (e.g., a chatbot) can be configured to respond to messages from the customer 116 sent through the communication channel in an automated manner (e.g., without input from a human user). It should be understood that the routing engine 124 can be configured to connect both human agents 172 and automated agents (e.g., chatbots) to the same communication channel or different communication channels. For example, it may be desirable to allow an automated agent to respond to messages from the customer 116 in a semi-automated manner (e.g., where the chatbot generates a proposed response to the message, but requires approval or editing by the human agent 172 before being sent / submitted to the communication channel and delivered to the customer communication device 112). As another example, the automated or semi-automated agent can respond to the customer 116 on an asynchronous communication channel (e.g., a non-voice channel 180), while the human agent 172 can respond to the customer 116 on a voice channel 176.

[0050] It should be understood that the communication server 128 can be configured to support any number of communication protocols or applications, whether synchronous or asynchronous. Non-limiting examples of communication protocols or applications that the communication server 128 can support include the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), HTTP Secure (HTTPS), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Java, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Short Message Service (SMS), Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Web Application Messaging (WAMP), SOAP, MIME, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTP), Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC), WebGL, XMPP, Skype protocol, AIM, Microsoft Notification Protocol, email, etc. In addition to supporting text-based communication, the communication server 128 can also be configured to support non-text-based communication, such as voice communication, video communication, etc.

[0051] Another server or another set of servers that can be provided in the contact center 108 is the contact management server 132. The contact management server 132 can be configured to manage contacts or work items existing within the contact center 108, and these contacts or work items represent tasks related to providing services to the customer 116 to be performed by human agents 172 and / or automated agents (e.g., chatbots). The contact management server 132 can be configured to maintain status information of some or all of the contacts in the contact center 108 at any given point in time. The contact management server 132 can also be configured to manage and analyze historical contacts as part of training and updating automated agents (e.g., the chatbot engine 148). In some embodiments, the contact management server 132 can maintain status information of the human agents 172 in the contact center 108 and can also interact with the routing engine 124 to determine which agents 172 are currently available to service a contact and have the appropriate skills to service the contact. Additional capabilities of the contact management server 132 will be described in further detail with respect to the operation of the chatbot engine 148 and the domain management instruction set 160, both of which are shown to be provided by the contact management server 132.

[0052] Although certain components are depicted as being included in the contact management server 132, it should be understood that these components can be provided in any other server or group of servers in the contact center 108. For example, the components of the contact management server 132 can be provided in the routing engine 124 and / or the communication server 128, and vice versa. Additionally, embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate a single server having all the capabilities of the routing engine 124, the communication server 128, and the contact management server 132.

[0053] The contact management server 132 is shown to include a processor 136, a network interface 140, and a memory 144. The processor 136 can correspond to one or more computer processing devices. Non-limiting examples of processors include microprocessors, integrated circuit (IC) chips, general-purpose processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), etc. Examples of the processor 136 as described herein can include, but are not limited to 800 and 801, with 4G LTE Integration and 64-bit computing 620 and 615, with a 64-bit architecture A7 processor, M7 motion coprocessor, series, Core TM processor series, processor series, Atom TMProcessor family, Intel Processor family, i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22nm Haswell, i5-3570K 22nm Ivy Bridge, the FX TM Processor family, FX-4300, FX-6300, and FX-8350 32nm Vishera, Kaveri processor, Texas Jacinto C6000 TM Automotive entertainment processor, Texas OMAP TM Automotive-grade mobile processor, Cortex TM -M processor, Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S TM Processor, at least one of other industrially equivalent processors, and capable of performing computational functions using any known or future-developed standards, instruction sets, libraries, and / or architectures.

[0054] Network interface 140 can be configured such that contact management server 132 can communicate with other machines in contact center 108 and / or with other machines connected to communication network 104. Network interface 140 can include, but is not limited to, modems, network cards (wireless or wired), infrared communication devices, etc.

[0055] The memory 144 may include one or more computer memory devices. The memory 144 may be configured to store program instructions executable by the processor 136 and ultimately provide the functionality of the communication management server 132 described herein. The memory 144 may also be configured to store data or information that can be used by or is callable by the instructions stored in the memory 144. An example of data that may be stored in the memory 144 for use by its components is conversation state data 152. The conversation state data 152 may represent the specific state of one or more conversations occurring on the communication channels 176, 180. The memory 144 may include, for example, random access memory (RAM) devices, read only memory (ROM) devices, flash memory devices, magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, solid state storage devices, core memory, buffer memory devices, combinations thereof, and the like. In some embodiments, the memory 144 corresponds to a computer-readable storage medium, and although the memory 144 is depicted as being internal to the contact management server 132, it should be understood that the memory 144 may correspond to a memory device, database, or apparatus external to the contact management server 132.

[0056] Illustratively, the memory 144 is shown storing a chatbot engine 148 for execution by the processor 136. In some embodiments, the chatbot engine 148 may correspond to a set of processor-executable instructions (e.g., a finite instruction set with defined inputs, variables, and outputs). In some embodiments, the chatbot engine 148 may correspond to the artificial intelligence (AI) component of the contact management server 132 executed by the processor 136. In some embodiments, the chatbot engine 148 may utilize one or more conversation models 156, which may be in the form of artificial neural networks, to identify and respond to messages sent by the customer 116 over the communication channels 176, 180 supported by the communication server 128. In some embodiments, the chatbot engine 148 may be trained with training data and may be programmed to learn from such conversations as additional conversations occur or after conversations occur. In some embodiments, as the chatbot engine 148 learns from ongoing conversations, the chatbot engine 148 may update one or more conversation models 156.

[0057] Memory 144 is also shown as including a domain management instruction set 160, which can be configured to support domain management, as will be described in further detail herein. Specifically, but not by way of limitation, the domain management instruction set 160 can be configured to automatically transfer calls from a customer 116 from a voice domain (e.g., from a voice channel 176) to a digital domain (e.g., to a non-voice channel 180). In some embodiments, the domain management instruction set 160 can be configured to effect the transfer from the voice domain to the digital domain automatically and without any manual input. In some embodiments, the domain management instruction set 160 can be configured to refer to certain rules for transferring a call from one domain to another and then effect the transfer process when those rules are met. Such rules can depend on the current state of the contact center 108 (e.g., agent utilization, estimated wait time, current number of voice calls waiting to be answered, current number of customers 116 waiting to be answered, etc.). These rules can depend on one or more key performance indicators (KPIs) of the contact center 108 and whether those KPIs meet a predetermined KPI threshold. Examples of such KPIs include, but are not limited to, customer wait time, average queue time, average abandonment rate, call blocking percentage, service level, average answer speed, average handle time, average after-call work time, first call resolution, customer satisfaction, occupancy, agent absenteeism, and agent turnover. If one or more of these KPIs do not meet the predetermined threshold, the domain management instruction set 160 can be configured to transfer the call from the voice domain to the digital domain. The domain management instruction set 160 can also be configured to transfer the call back from the digital domain to the voice domain, as will be described in further detail herein. When the customer 116 interacts with the contact center 108 using the voice channel 176, the customer 116 can receive self-service via the IVR 164. The IVR 164 can present various self-service options to the customer 116 based on an IVR tree known in the contact center art. On the other hand, when the customer 116 interacts with the contact center using the non-voice channel 180, the customer 116 can receive self-service via the chatbot engine 148, other automated mechanisms, and / or a human agent 172.

[0058] In addition to the chatbot engine 148, the memory 144 can also include, for example Figure 2Regarding the illustrated dialogue engine 228, it should be understood that the chatbot engine 148 and the dialogue engine 228 can be provided in a single component without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The dialogue engine 228 can be configured to analyze the conversation between the chatbot engine 148 and the customer 116 and determine the current state of the conversation (e.g., the dialogue or conversation state 152) based on the analysis. Thus, the dialogue engine 228 can be configured to update the conversation state 152 based on the content of the message sent by the customer 116 and based on the content of the message sent by the chatbot engine 148. The dialogue engine 228 can be configured to advance the conversation state 152.

[0059] As described above, the chatbot engine 148 can be configured to operate using a set of guidelines (e.g., as a set of static instructions) or by using machine learning. Further details of the chatbot engine 148 that utilizes machine learning will now be described with reference to Figure 2 The chatbot engine 148 that utilizes machine learning can also access training data to initially train the behavior of the chatbot engine 148. The chatbot engine 148 can also be configured to learn from further interactions based on feedback, which can be provided in an automated manner (e.g., via a recurrent learning neural network) and / or in a manually provided manner (e.g., by an artificial agent 172 confirming or rejecting that a particular response prepared by the chatbot engine 148 is suitable for a particular message received from the customer 116).

[0060] The learning / training module 204 of the chatbot engine 148 can access and use one or more conversation models 156. The conversation models 156 can be built and updated by the training / learning module 204 based on training data and feedback. The learning / training module 204 can also be configured to access information from the report database 212 to establish a robot response database 216, which stores robot responses that have previously been provided by the chatbot engine 148 and have been identified as valid or appropriate in the context (e.g., based on a positive response from the customer 116 and / or based on administrative user input). When the chatbot engine 148 participates in more conversations with the customer 116, the responses within the robot response database 216 can be continuously updated, revised, edited, or deleted by the learning / training module 204.

[0061] In some embodiments, the chatbot engine 148 can include a recommendation engine 208, which can access the robot response database 216 and select an appropriate response recommendation from the robot response database 216 based on the dialogue input 224 received from the dialogue engine 228. As Figure 2As shown, the dialogue engine 228 can provide dialogue input 224 in the form of real-time chat data and / or in the form of conversation state 152 information. The real-time chat data can correspond to the content of messages received from the customer's communication device 112 over a communication channel. In other words, the dialogue engine 228 can be configured to retrieve the message content from a digital communication channel and provide such content to the chatbot engine 148 in the form of dialogue input 224. Using the dialogue input and bot response database 216, the recommendation engine 208 can be configured to recommend one or more responses to the response generator 220. The response generator 220 can be configured to provide the selected response to the dialogue engine 228 for transmission over the non-voice communication channel 180. In other words, the dialogue engine 228 can be responsible for managing the state of the conversation and can provide the mechanism by which the chatbot engine 148 engages with the asynchronous communication channel and the customer 116. For example, the dialogue engine 228 can generate a response message for the chat channel through which the customer 116 previously sent a message. The interaction between the chatbot engine 148 and the customer 116 can represent a contact within the contact center 108, and the state of the contact can be determined by the dialogue engine 228, which accordingly updates the conversation state 152. In some embodiments, the chatbot engine 148 can be configured to interact with the customer 116 in such a way that the customer 116 is unaware that they are interacting with an automated agent and instead believes that they are interacting with a human agent 172.

[0062] To achieve this ability, training data from conversations between the human agent 172 and the customer 116 that have occurred over a specific communication channel (e.g., the voice communication channel 176 and / or the non-voice communication channel 180) can be continuously provided to the chatbot engine 148. The chatbot engine 148 can be trained to have specific skills (e.g., by training the chatbot engine 148 using exchanges related to specific topics such as sales, product troubleshooting, billing, reservation assistance, etc.). Thus, it should be understood that the contact center 108 can include multiple chatbot engines 148 of different types without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0063] Now referring Figures 3A to 3G to, various interactions of the customer 116 with the contact center 108 according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. Specifically, Figures 3A through 3GShows various possible screens or interfaces that can be presented to customer 116 via the user interface 308 of mobile device 304. It should be understood that mobile device 304 represents an example of customer communication device 112. It should also be understood that similar or identical options can be presented to customer 116 on any type of customer communication device 112, and embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to mobile device 304. For example, customer 116 may be allowed to interact with contact center 108 using a PC, laptop, etc. via voice communication channel 176 and / or non-voice communication channel 180, and any suitable type of graphical user interface (GUI) elements can be presented to customer 116 via the user interface 308 of such device 112.

[0064] First referring to Figure 3A , a dialing screen 312 can be presented to customer 116 first, in which one or more dialing options are presented to customer 116 that enable customer 116 to dial the phone number associated with contact center 108. Although dialing screen 312 shows inputs that can be used to generate dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) output using mobile device 104, it should be understood that any type of interface can be presented to customer 116. Specifically, customer 116 can view the enterprise's website, and the website can include hyperlinks, etc., which cause the browser of mobile device 304 to automatically dial the number associated with the enterprise. As another non-limiting example, a dialing screen 312 can be provided to customer 116 that includes a list of contacts, favorites, or other numbers that the customer dials with a certain degree of frequency. As another non-limiting example, dialing screen 312 can be presented within an application provided by the company that also operates contact center 108 on mobile device 304. In some embodiments, dialing screen 312 can include one or more buttons or touch-sensitive inputs that cause mobile device 304 to dial the number associated with contact center 108.

[0065] Figure 3B Shows a ringing screen 316, in which different inputs and / or outputs can be presented to customer 116 compared to the inputs / outputs presented in dialing screen 312. In ringing screen 316, a hangup input 320 can be presented to customer 116, which will cause mobile device 304 to stop or remove itself from the voice communication channel 176 established with contact center 108. It should be understood that ringing screen 316 can be presented when the call to contact center 108 is ringing, but before the voice communication channel 176 is fully established between mobile device 304 and the resources of contact center 108.

[0066] Figure 3CDisplays a call screen 318, which can be presented when the customer 116 is on a call with the live agent 172 or connected to the IVR 164 of the contact center 108. In some embodiments, the call screen 318 may not be presented until a voice channel 176 is established between the contact center 108 and the customer communication device 112. In some embodiments, if the mobile device 304 is within a predetermined proximity of the face or head of the customer 116 (e.g., if the mobile device 304 is brought to the ear of the customer 116), the call screen 318 may be hidden and not presented by the user interface 308. Such proximity can be detected using a proximity detector or sensor on the mobile device 304.

[0067] Figure 3C Also shown is that when the voice channel 176 has been established, audio communication is then enabled between the customer 116 and the contact center 108. Specifically, but not by way of limitation, the customer 116 can receive audio content 328 from the agent 172 or the IVR 164 of the contact center 108. The audio content 328 can be provided to the customer 116 via the speaker 324 of the mobile device 304. In a similar manner, the customer 116 may be able to provide audio content to the contact center via one or more inputs of the mobile device 304. For example, the mobile device 304 can include a microphone 332 that captures audio input from the customer 116 and transmits the audio content to the contact center 108 via the voice channel 176. Alternatively or additionally, the customer 116 can use DTMF outputs generated at the mobile device 304 to interact with the IVR 164. The exchange of audio input can be facilitated during only audio interactions or during video interactions that include an audio component. In some embodiments, the audio content 328 provided to the customer 116 can include a list of options for traversing an IVR tree provided by the IVR 164.

[0068] As in Figure 3DAs can be seen and according to at least some embodiments, the contact center 108 can be configured to facilitate the conversion of a call from a voice channel 176 (e.g., from the voice or audio domain) to a non-voice channel 180 (e.g., into the digital domain). Specifically, the contact center 108 can utilize the domain management instruction set 160 to initiate the conversion to the digital domain and establish a non-voice channel 180 between the contact center 108 and the customer communication device 112 (e.g., the mobile device 304). The domain management instruction set 160 can be configured to determine that the timing for converting the call from the voice domain to the digital domain is appropriate. In some embodiments, the conversion can be triggered immediately in response to establishing the voice channel 176. In some embodiments, the conversion can be triggered in response to the customer 116 selecting a particular self-service option presented by the IVR 164. In some embodiments, the conversion can be triggered in response to detecting a particular state of the contact center 108. In some embodiments, the conversion can be triggered by a combination of the above conditions. In some embodiments, the conversion can occur automatically, but only after it has been determined and found that the capabilities of the customer 116's mobile device 304 can support the appropriate non-voice channel 180.

[0069] The domain management instruction set 160 can send a request to the mobile device 304 or otherwise cause the mobile device 304 to present a presented pop-up window 336 to the customer 116 that includes options 340, 344. In some embodiments, the pop-up window 336 can include an accept option 340 and a reject option 344. If the customer 116 selects the accept option 340 as Figure 3D shown, the domain management instruction set 160 can take further actions to convert the call, as will be described herein. Alternatively, if the customer 116 selects the reject option 344, the customer 116 can remain on the voice channel 176 and no further steps related to converting the call from the voice domain to the digital domain may be taken. The pop-up window 336 presented to the customer 116 can be presented by the user interface 308 of the mobile device 304. The pop-up window 336 can be presented as part of an in-application option or window. Thus, although described as a pop-up window 336, it should be understood that the accept option 340 and / or the reject option 344 can be presented in some other window, frame, or GUI element. It should also be understood that the accept option 340 and / or the reject option 344 can be optional and not required. Instead, the domain management instruction set 160 can automatically initiate the conversion without requesting input or permission from the customer 116. In such a case, the customer 116 can be notified of the conversion via text-based information presentation using the user interface 308, or may not be notified.

[0070] Figure 3EAn example of a digital options menu 348 is shown that can be presented to a customer 116 via a mobile device 304 when a contact center transfers a call from a voice channel 176 to a non-voice channel 180. The digital options menu 348 can include visual components (e.g., icons, buttons, touch-based user inputs, soft buttons, etc.) or a plurality of GUI elements that present to the customer 116 one or more options for navigating a self-service framework in the digital domain. In some embodiments, the options provided within the digital options menu 348 can be controlled by an entity operating the contact center 108. These options can also depend on the nature of the non-voice channel 180 used to service the contact within the digital domain. As a non-limiting example, if the non-voice channel 180 corresponds to a first type of channel (e.g., web collaboration), the digital options menu 348 can include an entire website or HTML document that the customer 116 is co-browsing. As another non-limiting example, if the non-voice channel 180 utilizes a different protocol that enables the customer 116 to receive self-service via an application on the mobile device 304, a different set of options can be presented. In another example, if the non-voice channel 180 is an SMS or chat channel, a more simplified set of options can be presented to the customer 116 as compared to a scenario where the customer 116 is co-browsing a website.

[0071] Illustrative options that can be presented to the customer 116 via the digital options menu 348 include, but are not limited to, a chat option 352, a support type option 356, a customer information option 360, a wait information option 364, and a return to voice option 368. Selecting the chat option 352 can cause the mobile device 304 to present a chat window as Figure 3F shown, where the customer 116 is allowed to participate in a chat conversation with an agent (e.g., a human agent, an automated agent, and / or a chatbot). The chat conversation can include an input 372a provided by the customer, which is presented on the chat communication channel as a customer chat message 376. The chat conversation can also include an input 372b provided by the agent, which is presented on the chat communication channel as an agent chat message 380. The agent chat message 380 can be generated by a human agent 172 or an automated agent.

[0072] In some embodiments, the chat conversation can also be used to present one or more options to the customer 116. For example, Figure 3F shown is that a return to voice option 368 can be presented to the customer 116 if the content of the conversation indicates that the customer 116 may need such an option. It should be understood that other options can be presented during the chat conversation without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0073] Returning to Figure 3E, the support type option 356 (if selected by customer 116) can enable the mobile device 304 to present different self-service support options to the customer. Such options can include options for selecting different types of non-voice communication channels 180. The support type option 356 can also allow customer 116 to select whether they receive automated support from an automated resource in the contact center (e.g., a chatbot) or receive human support from a human agent 172.

[0074] The customer information option 360 can provide customer 116 with the ability to enter information (e.g., enter name, number, customer number, nature of the problem, etc.) before receiving service from another resource in the contact center 108. The information provided via the customer information option 360 can be stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) database and ultimately presented to the human agent 172 when the agent 172 connects to customer 116.

[0075] The wait information option 364 can provide customer 116 with wait information that describes the nature of the wait time experienced in the contact center 108. Selecting the wait information option 364 can cause the contact center 108 to send various types of wait information to customer 116, such as the estimated wait time for a voice interaction with a human agent 172, the estimated wait time for a chat interaction with a human agent 172, the estimated wait time for receiving a callback, the actual wait time experienced by customer 116, etc.

[0076] The return to voice option 368 can provide customer 116 with an option to convert the conversation from the digital domain back to the voice domain. In some embodiments, if customer 116 selects the return to voice option 368, the contact center 108 can invoke the domain management instruction set 160 to transfer customer 116 back onto the voice channel 176. Even if customer 116 is moved back onto the voice channel 176 (e.g., customer 116 can be served by multiple types of channels simultaneously), the non-voice channel 180 used to present the digital option menu 348 can still be maintained.

[0077] As Figure 3G shown, if customer 116 selects the return to voice option 368 (e.g., from within a chat conversation or from the digital option menu 348), then customer 116 can begin interacting with the contact center 108 using the audio component exchanged over the voice channel 176. The agent 172 or an automated assistant (e.g., provided from the IVR 164) can then provide audio content 328 to customer 116 and vice versa.

[0078] Now refer to Figure 4, additional details of a method for operating a contact center 108 in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. The method begins when a call is received at the contact center 108 (step 404). The call can correspond to a voice call, a video call, or any other type of call that enables the exchange of audio content between the customer 116 and a resource of the contact center 108. In some embodiments, the call can be initiated by the customer 116. In other embodiments, the call can be initiated by the contact center 108, but the customer 116 answering the call can cause the contact center 108 to identify the call and begin processing the call as a received call.

[0079] The method continues by routing the customer 116 to an automated service that utilizes a voice channel 176 (step 408). In some embodiments, the customer 116 can be routed to the IVR 164, which presents self-service options to the customer based on an IVR tree programmed into the IVR 164.

[0080] The method can also continue by determining, with the domain management instruction set 160, whether the customer communication device 112 is capable of non-voice interaction (step 412). This determination can be made based on determining the device type of the customer communication device 112. Alternatively or additionally, information describing the operating system, applications stored on the customer communication device 112, the browsing capabilities of the customer communication device 112, or some other operating capabilities of the customer communication device 112 can be analyzed by the domain management instruction set 160.

[0081] If the answer to the query is negative, the method continues by using the voice channel 176 to continue customer interaction and contact handling (step 420). On the other hand, if the answer to the query of step 412 is positive, the method proceeds to an optional step that determines whether the customer 116 wishes to continue non-voice interaction on the non-voice communication channel 180 (step 416). Additionally, this step can be optional in cases where the contact center 108 is configured to automatically convert all calls to non-voice interaction. If the answer to the query of step 416 is negative, the method can proceed to step 420. If the query of step 416 receives an affirmative answer, or if the conversion is automatically initiated by the contact center 108 without requesting input from the customer 116, the method can continue by switching the contact to the non-voice channel 180 (step 424). In some embodiments, the switching step can cause the customer communication device 112 to switch the application presented to the customer 116. In some embodiments, the switching step can cause a different set of GUI elements to be presented to the customer 116. The switching step can also include terminating the voice channel 176, although additional steps to terminate the voice channel 176 to support the non-voice channel 180 are not required. In other embodiments, the switching step can involve enabling the customer 116 to interact with the contact center resources via one or more non-voice channels 180 (and optionally maintaining the voice channel 176) (step 428).

[0082] The customer 116 can continue to interact with the contact center 108 using the non-voice channel(s) 180, and the nature of the interaction can depend on the capabilities provided by the non-voice channel 180. As described above, the customer 116 may or may not be allowed to continue interacting with the contact center 108 using the voice channel 176.

[0083] The method can continue by determining whether the customer 116 and / or the contact center 108 wishes to switch the customer 116 back to the voice channel 176 (step 436). In cases where the contact center 108 (e.g., the domain management instruction set 160) determines that the voice channel 176 can be utilized to improve certain aspects of customer interaction, the decision to switch the customer 116 (and the contact representing the customer 116 interaction within the contact center 108) can be made by the contact center 108. Alternatively or additionally, the customer 116 can provide input to the contact center 108 to indicate a desire to switch back to voice interaction. The switch back to voice interaction may or may not cause the contact center 108 to terminate the non-voice channel 180 that was previously used to support customer interaction in the digital domain.

[0084] If the query of step 436 is answered affirmatively, the method can proceed to step 420. On the other hand, if the query of step 436 is answered negatively, the contact center 108 can determine whether the contact has been resolved (step 440). If the contact has not been resolved (e.g., because there is still work required to resolve the contact or because the customer has not indicated that their problem has been resolved), the method can return to step 436 or possibly to step 428. If it is determined that the contact is resolved (which may occur within the voice domain and / or the digital domain), the method can proceed and the contact center completes contact processing and releases any resources used to support the voice channel 176 and / or the non-voice channel 180 (step 444). In some embodiments, due to the asynchronous nature of the non-voice channel 180, the non-voice channel 180 can remain open and be available for use by the customer 116 at a later time. Additional processing on the contact center 108 side can include post-call work performed by the human agent 172.

[0085] The present disclosure includes, in various aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations, components, methods, processes, systems, and / or apparatuses substantially as depicted and described herein, including their various aspects, embodiments, configuration embodiments, sub-combinations, and / or subsets. Those skilled in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. The present disclosure includes, in various aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations, providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and / or described herein, or including, in their various aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations, the absence of such items that may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease of implementation, and / or reducing implementation cost.

[0086] The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the present disclosure to one or more forms disclosed herein. For example, in the foregoing detailed description, various features of the present disclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations to streamline the disclosure. The features of the aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations of the present disclosure can be combined in alternative aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations other than those discussed above. The methods of the present disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Instead, as reflected in the appended claims, the inventive aspects lie in less than all of the features of a single foregoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and / or configuration. Accordingly, the appended claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, where each claim stands on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] In addition, although this specification has included descriptions of one or more aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations, as well as certain variations and modifications, after understanding the present disclosure, other variations, combinations, and modifications are within the scope of the present invention, for example, as may be within the skills and knowledge of those skilled in the art. It is desired to obtain rights that include alternative aspects, embodiments, and / or configurations within the allowable scope, including alternative, interchangeable, and / or equivalent structures, functions, scopes, or steps of those claimed, whether or not such alternative, interchangeable, and / or equivalent structures, functions, scopes, or steps are disclosed herein, and it is not desired to publicly contribute any patentable subject matter.

Claims

1. A method of operating a contact center, the method comprising: Receiving a call at the contact center from a customer communication device; Automatically transferring the call from the voice domain to the digital domain in response to an expected wait time in the voice domain exceeding an amount of expected time required for the customer to complete self-service in the digital domain; Enabling the contact center to interact with the customer communication device in at least the digital domain after the call has been transferred from the voice domain to the digital domain, while maintaining the voice channel between the customer communication device and the contact center; And Automatically transferring the call back from the digital domain to the voice domain when the contact center determines that the voice domain can be utilized to improve the customer interaction.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Establishing a voice channel between the customer communication device and the contact center; And Establishing a non-voice channel between the customer communication device and the contact center, wherein transferring the call from the voice domain to the digital domain includes: enabling the contact center to serve the customer's contact via the non-voice channel rather than the voice channel.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: Terminating the voice channel after the non-voice channel has been established and before the non-voice channel is terminated.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: Providing self-service options to the customer via the non-voice channel.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Connecting the customer communication device to an interactive voice response (IVR) system before transferring the call from the voice domain to the digital domain; Presenting a list of IVR self-service options to the customer communication device; And Receiving a customer response at the IVR system, wherein the customer response is received via the voice channel.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The contact center interacts with the customer communication device in at least the digital domain via at least one of text-based messaging and web collaboration.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Establishing an asynchronous communication channel to facilitate interaction between the customer communication device and the contact center in the digital domain.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein Using a chatbot to facilitate interaction between the customer communication device and the contact center in the digital domain.

9. A communication system, comprising: A processor; And A computer memory storing data thereon, the data enabling the processor to: Receive a call at the contact center from a customer communication device; Establish a voice channel between the contact center and the customer communication device; Establish a non-voice channel between the contact center and the customer communication device; Automatically transfer the connection from the voice channel to the non-voice channel in response to an expected wait time in the voice channel exceeding an amount of expected time required for the customer to complete self-service in the non-voice channel, thereby enabling the contact center to serve the contact of the customer using the customer communication device via the non-voice channel while maintaining the voice channel; and Automatically transfer the call back from the non-voice channel to the voice channel when the contact center determines that the voice channel can be utilized to improve the customer interaction.

10. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein, The data stored on the computer memory further enables the processor to: Further in response to determining that a contact center key performance indicator fails to meet a predetermined threshold, automatically switch the contact from a voice channel to a non-voice channel, where the key performance indicator includes at least one of average queue time, average abandonment rate, call blocking percentage, service level, average answer speed, average handle time, average after-call work time, first call resolution, customer satisfaction, occupancy rate, agent absenteeism, and agent turnover rate.

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