Contact Center System for Tracking One-and-Done Customer Interactions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current contact centers lack the ability to identify and differentiate between 'one-and-done' and repetitive contacts from the same customer, leading to inefficiencies in resource allocation and increased customer dissatisfaction.

Innovation Solution

A contact center system that includes an input to receive contacts, a selector to determine the relatedness of contacts, and a repeat contact determining agent to track and differentiate between 'one-and-done' and repetitive contacts, allowing for targeted resource allocation and improved customer service.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If contact centers use standard contact distribution algorithms to maximize contact throughput, then contact center productivity increases, but the ability to identify and differentiate repetitive contacts from one-and-done contacts deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontact throughputVSAvoidcontact relatedness information

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary analysis of contact relatedness before routing the contact to an agent. The contact history analysis component examines previous contacts from the same customer proactively, and the contact vector is pre-modified to include repeat contact indicators before the contact reaches the agent, enabling differentiated service without disrupting throughput

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces intermediary components between the contact intake and agent routing processes. The contact history analysis component and contact vector modification component act as intermediaries that analyze contact patterns and inject relevant information into the routing decision process, allowing the system to maintain high throughput while gaining visibility into contact relatedness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If contact centers track trouble tickets to monitor customer issues, then measurement capability improves, but the ability to identify repetitive contacts and make contact-handling decisions based on this identification deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontact tracking capabilityVSAvoidcontact-handling decision-making

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges trouble ticket tracking with contact history analysis into a unified system. The contact history analysis component consolidates information from multiple sources including trouble tickets, previous contacts, and customer data into a comprehensive view that automatically informs routing decisions, eliminating the need for separate manual tracking and decision processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback loops where contact history analysis results are fed back into the contact vector modification process. The contact vector is dynamically adjusted based on identified contact patterns and repeat contact indicators, creating a closed-loop system where measurement information automatically influences subsequent contact-handling decisions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of energy

If contact centers service customers in as few contacts as possible to minimize costs, then operating costs decrease, but the ability to measure and track one-and-done contact rates deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontact center operating costsVSAvoidone-and-done contact measurement

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual or mechanical tracking methods with automated electronic analysis. The contact history analysis component automatically processes contact data, identifies patterns, and calculates one-and-done rates through electronic computation, eliminating the need for manual tracking while providing precise measurements that directly inform cost-reduction strategies

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS7734032B1Contact center and method for tracking and acting on one and done customer contacts

Publication Date: 2010.06.08 AVAYA INC

AI summary

The present invention is directed to a contact center for servicing contacts having (a) an input to receive a first contact from a first customer; (b) a selector (i) to determine whether the first contact is related to another contact with the first customer and (ii) when the first contact is related to another contact with the first customer, to service the contact differently than when the first contact is unrelated to another contact with the first customer; and/or (c) a repeat contact determining agent (i) to track, a set of the plurality of agents over a selected time period, a number of contacts serviced by the agent set that are related to another contact serviced by the plurality of agents and (ii) to maintain, for each of the plurality of agents, an indicator indicating one or more of (a) a number of contacts, serviced by the agent set during the selected time period, that are not related to another contact serviced by the agent and (b) a number of contacts, serviced by the agent set during the selected time period, that are related to another contact serviced by the agent.