Communication Channel Merging System for Customer Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customer service systems face inefficiencies due to customers often using multiple communication channels simultaneously or serially, leading to increased resource utilization and costs, as they wait for live representatives while trying to resolve issues on other platforms.
Innovation Solution
A communication channel merging system that detects concurrent active channels for a user, calculates a user score based on session information, and merges communication sessions if the score meets a merge condition, selecting the most appropriate channel to continue the merged session and terminating unnecessary channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If customers use multiple communication channels simultaneously or serially to resolve issues, then customer service accessibility and issue resolution capability are improved, but system resource utilization increases and servicing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple communication channels (IVR, chat, email, social media) into a unified communication session managed by a single customer service representative. The system consolidates messages from different channels into one session, allowing the representative to handle all communications efficiently without requiring separate resources for each channel, thus reducing overall system resource utilization while maintaining accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication channel merging system serves multiple functions by handling diverse communication types (voice, text, email, social media) through a single integrated platform. This universal system can route and manage any type of customer communication through one representative, eliminating the need for separate specialized channels and reducing the quantity of system resources required.
2Reliability
If customers wait for live representatives on one support platform, then quality of customer service interaction is improved, but waiting time increases and customer experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having customer service representatives proactively monitor and prepare to handle communications from multiple channels before customers actually need assistance. The representative can pre-configure the unified communication session and prepare responses, allowing for faster reaction times when customers reach out while maintaining high-quality interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified communication session enables continuous useful action by allowing the customer service representative to attend to communications from different channels without interruption or delay. Instead of switching between separate platforms, the representative maintains continuous engagement with the customer through the merged session, reducing waiting time while preserving interaction quality.
3Productivity
If multiple communication channels are utilized simultaneously, then customer issue resolution capability is improved, but contact servicing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple communication channels into a single unified session that can be handled by one customer service representative. This merging eliminates the need for separate dedicated resources for each channel (IVR, chat, email, social media), thereby reducing the total energy consumption and contact servicing costs while preserving the ability to resolve customer issues through multiple channel types.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy or representation of multiple communication channels within a single unified session interface. This allows the customer service representative to access and respond to communications from different channels through one interface, reducing the need for multiple separate systems and lowering overall operational costs while maintaining full issue resolution capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication channel merging system detects that a first communication session that is provided via a first communication channel between a first user and a first service provider is concurrent with a second communication session that is provided via a second communication channel between the first user and a second service provider. The system then generates a user score based on information associated with the first and second communication sessions and determines that the user score satisfies a condition that causes the first and second communication sessions to be merged into a merged communication session. The system generates a first channel score for the first communication channel and a second channel score for the second communication channel and determines based on those channel scores that the first communication channel should provide the merged communication session. The system directs the merged communication session to be provided on the first communication channel.