Call Processing Switch for Customer-Assisted Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Call centers face high volumes of incoming calls, leading to customer frustration and increased expenses due to prolonged hold times and the need for additional agents.
Innovation Solution
A call-processing switch system that connects callers to a group of participants who have previously received assistance from call-center agents, allowing them to assist each other in conference calls, reducing the load on agents and minimizing hold times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If additional call-center agents are hired to handle high volume of incoming calls, then the call center can assist more customers, but the expenses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by allowing satisfied customers (participants) to assist other callers without requiring additional paid agents. The system automatically connects participants to callers in need through the call-processing switch, enabling customers to serve themselves and others freely, thus reducing the need for additional agents while maintaining high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers the time and effort of satisfied customers by having them volunteer to assist other callers. Instead of discarding their knowledge and time after their initial service, the system recovers and reuses their expertise to handle additional calls, effectively converting past service into future service capacity without additional cost
2Quantity of substance
If customers are put-on-hold until a call-center agent is available, then fewer agents are needed, but customer satisfaction decreases due to extended hold times
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-identifying and preparing satisfied customers as potential participants before they are needed. The call-processing switch maintains a database of satisfied customers who have agreed to assist others, so when a caller needs assistance, the system can immediately connect them with an available participant without requiring hold time or additional agent training
Solution Approach 2:
The call-processing switch acts as an intermediary that automatically connects participants with callers in need. This intermediary system eliminates the need for customers to manually search for help or wait in queues, as the switch handles the matching and connection process automatically, reducing hold time while maintaining low agent requirements
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention comprises a method for: (i) receiving information from a caller C1 and indexing the caller C1 into a first group based, at least in part, on the received information, (ii) transmitting to a participant P1, a first message requesting that the participant P1 assist the caller C1 indexed in the first group, (iii) establishing a conference call between the participant P1 and the caller C1 in response to the participant P1 responding to the first message, (iv) transmitting the first message to a participant P2 when the participant P1 does not respond to the first message, (v) establishing a conference call between the participant P2 and the caller C1 in response to the participant P2 responding to the first message, and (vi) connecting the caller C1 with an agent A1 when a response to the first message is not received from the participant P1 and the participant P2.