Contact Center System Bridging Third Party via Text Message
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contact centers face limitations in allowing a third party to join an ongoing communication between a customer and an agent without requiring the customer to end the call and redial, leading to frustration and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system that sends a text message to a third party's mobile device with a contact telephone number or webpage address to join an ongoing telephone call or Web chat, allowing them to bridge into the conversation by placing a call or rendering the webpage, with optional announcements and acknowledgments to ensure seamless integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a third party needs to join an ongoing call, then information can be obtained from the third party, but the customer must end the call and redial which causes frustration and loss of time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by notifying the third party in advance via text message with the contact center number, preparing them to join the call before the call actually needs to be joined. This allows the third party to be ready with information without interrupting the ongoing customer call.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact center system acts as an intermediary by receiving calls from third parties and bridging them into ongoing customer calls. This mediator function allows information exchange with the third party without requiring the customer to end or interrupt their call.
2Loss of information
If the customer ends the call to retrieve information from a third party, then the needed information can be obtained, but the customer experience deteriorates and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact center serves as an intermediary that facilitates communication with the third party (spouse) while the customer remains on the call with the agent. The system receives the third party's call and bridges it in, allowing information exchange without interrupting the loan application process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system sends a preliminary text message to the third party with instructions and the contact center number, so when the third party calls, they can be quickly bridged into the existing call. This preliminary notification streamlines the process and maintains productivity.
3Reliability
If the customer is routed to a different agent upon redialing, then the call can be re-established, but the customer must start from the beginning which increases frustration and time loss
Solution Approach 1:
The contact center system acts as an intermediary that maintains the context of the original call. When the third party is bridged in, the system preserves the call state and participant information, allowing the process to continue without requiring the customer to start over with a different agent.
4Adaptability or versatility
If traditional call bridging is used, then a third party can be added to the call, but the system complexity increases and requires manual agent intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service functionality where the third party can initiate their own call to join the conversation by receiving a text message with instructions and the contact center number. This automated approach reduces the need for manual agent intervention and simplifies the overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically notifying the third party via text message with all necessary information to join the call. This preliminary notification and automated call routing reduces the complexity of manual call management while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems, and computer program products for bridging a third party onto a communication such as a telephone call or Web chat that is being conducted between a first party and a second party. Specifically, a contact, such as a telephone number or webpage address, is linked with the communication being conducted between the first and second parties and a text message is sent to the third party that includes the contact. For instance, in particular embodiments, this contact may be embedded in the text message so that the third party can simply select the contact from the text message to initiate being bridged onto the communication. Accordingly, the third party makes use of the contact to be bridged onto the communication so that the third party can converse with the first party and the second party.