Call Center Callback System with Queue Position Preservation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Call center management systems face challenges in efficiently handling incoming calls, leading to long waiting times and increased costs due to the inability to immediately forward calls to available agents, resulting in customer dissatisfaction and higher operational expenses.

Innovation Solution

A method where a call center system automatically records the caller's phone number and initiates a second call after a predetermined time if the initial call is not forwarded within a set interval, ensuring seamless callback and maintaining the caller's position in the queue, thereby reducing waiting times and costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If calls are held in a queue until a call center agent is available, then calls can be forwarded to the appropriate agent, but the caller incurs waiting time costs and experiences customer dissatisfaction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecall forwarding efficiencyVSAvoidcaller waiting time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by recording the caller's phone number during the first call and preparing a second call before the queue wait time expires. This preliminary preparation enables immediate reconnection when an agent becomes available, reducing the effective waiting time for the caller.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system maintains continuity of useful action by keeping the communication channel reserved and the caller's position in queue preserved throughout the wait period. The second call seamlessly continues the service interaction without requiring the caller to restart the process, maintaining continuous value delivery despite the physical interruption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

2Productivity

If the system waits for a call center agent to be available before forwarding the call, then proper call routing is achieved, but the communication channel remains occupied and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecall routing accuracyVSAvoidcommunication channel occupancy cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system initiates a second call before the first call times out, performing the actual connection action in advance. This allows the communication channel to be released from the first call while maintaining service continuity through the second call, reducing channel occupancy costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system discards the first call channel occupancy after a predetermined time while recovering the service relationship through a second call. The caller's position in queue and communication context are preserved and recovered in the second call, allowing resource release without service loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Loss of energy

If the system terminates the first call after a predetermined time, then communication costs are reduced, but the caller must be reconnected through a second call which may cause delays

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication costVSAvoidreconnection delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The second call is initiated in advance before the first call is terminated, so when the first call ends, the second call is already in progress or ready to connect. This eliminates reconnection delay while still allowing the first call to be terminated for cost reasons.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system ensures continuity by having the second call seamlessly pick up where the first call left off, with the caller's queue position and communication context preserved. The useful action of serving the caller continues without interruption despite the technical termination and reconnection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

4Ease of operation

If the system maintains the caller's position in the queue during the callback process, then customer satisfaction is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomer satisfactionVSAvoidqueue management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a copy of the caller's queue position and communication context for the second call based on the first call's data. This copying approach maintains customer satisfaction by preserving the original position while avoiding complex real-time queue manipulation, as the position data is replicated rather than dynamically recalculated.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP2672688B1Method for operating a system and system for the management of calls in a call centre

Publication Date: 2018.10.03 VODAFONE HOLDING GMBH

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AI summary

The method involves automatically receiving a call (4) initiated by a caller through a call number, where the call number is assigned to a call center. The call number is of a caller (3) is detected by a system (1) with the call. The call is ended, when the call forwarding is failed within a predetermined time interval. Another call (7) is initiated to the caller through the detected call number and is classified into a waiting line (6) on receiving the latter call. The waiting position is determined within the waiting line according to the former call. An independent claim is included for a call managing system with a call answering unit.