Call Center Token Routing for Agent Continuity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Call centers face inefficiencies and customer dissatisfaction due to the inability to consistently route follow-up calls to the same agent while maintaining anonymity for both the agent and the customer, especially in cases where multiple devices and anonymity are involved.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that generate a token linking the caller to the responsible agent, allowing reconnection without revealing personal data, using cookies, SMS, or voice tokens, ensuring the caller can reach the same agent or their deputy while preserving anonymity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the caller is connected to the next free agent through IVR, then call distribution efficiency is improved, but the caller may not reach the same agent and service quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by storing a token linking the caller to the responsible agent during the first call. This token is then used in subsequent calls to automatically route the caller back to the same agent, eliminating the need to explain the situation again and ensuring service consistency while maintaining efficient call distribution
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (token) that mediates between the caller and the agent. The token contains a concealed reference to the responsible agent without revealing personal data, enabling automatic reconnection while preserving both call distribution efficiency and service consistency
2Ease of operation
If the agent's personal contact details are communicated to the caller, then direct reconnection is improved, but agent anonymity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a token as an intermediary that contains a concealed reference to the agent's contact details. The token enables direct reconnection to the same agent without exposing personal information, thus maintaining both reconnection convenience and agent anonymity
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of sharing the agent's actual contact details, the system creates a copy or reference (token) that points to the agent without revealing their identity. This token can be stored by the caller and used for reconnection while preserving the agent's anonymity
3Reliability
If Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) is used to display customer history, then service quality is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential reconnection function from complex CTI systems. Instead of relying on comprehensive customer history display and integration, it uses a simple token-based mechanism that achieves the same service quality improvement with minimal system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simple, lightweight token (compared to complex CTI infrastructure) to achieve reconnection. The token is a minimal data structure that can be stored and processed easily, reducing system complexity while maintaining service quality
4Productivity
If the caller must make multiple calls to resolve a problem, then agent availability is improved, but customer satisfaction deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by establishing a token linkage during the first call. This allows subsequent calls to be automatically routed to the same agent without requiring the agent to be immediately available, as the token persists and enables reconnection when the agent becomes available again
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining the token linkage across multiple calls. This creates a continuous connection between the caller and the responsible agent, eliminating the need to repeat information and maintaining customer satisfaction while respecting agent availability
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A procedure for managing a call from a caller to a call center (100) comprises the following steps: - Defining a call center agent (100) who receives the call as the responsible agent for a case (222i) associated with the call; - Establishing a relationship (224i) between the responsible agent and the case (222i); - Generating a token that enables addressing the relationship, the token being free of any individual connection or personal data of the responsible agent; - Making the token available to the caller so that the token can be activated when the caller contacts the call center (100) again; - Connecting the caller to the responsible agent or a substitute if the token is activated during the subsequent contact.A device for managing a call from a caller to a call center (100), which is trained and equipped to route a call from at least one long-distance communication network (150, 160, 170) to several agent workstations (130), is trained and equipped to perform the procedural steps of the procedure.