Customer Controlled Interaction Management Routing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Customers lack control over interactions with contact centers, often routing blindly without knowledge of agent availability, leading to inefficient service experiences and potential idle reserved agents.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for customer-controlled interaction management (CCIM) that allows customers to route interactions based on real-time agent availability, using a software application that provides routing logic and presence monitoring, enabling selection of preferred agents and configuring routing scripts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If contact center controls routing of interactions, then service efficiency is improved, but customer control and satisfaction deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice efficiencyVSAvoidcustomer control
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The routing control function is segmented between contact center (infrastructure, agent management) and customer (routing preferences, selection criteria). The customer receives a segmented portion of control to select preferred agents and configure routing logic, while the contact center retains infrastructure control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The traditional routing control model is inverted: instead of the contact center unilaterally routing customers to agents, the customer is empowered to control the routing process by selecting preferred agents and configuring routing logic based on their preferences and real-time availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of operation

If customer routes interactions directly to preferred agents, then customer control is improved, but agent availability knowledge and routing efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecustomer controlVSAvoidagent availability knowledge
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by providing customers with real-time agent availability information through presence data. The software application monitors and displays whether preferred agents are available, allowing customers to make informed routing decisions without the contact center controlling the process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The software application acts as an intermediary between the customer and contact center infrastructure. It provides presence monitoring and routing capabilities to the customer while interfacing with the contact center's switching system, enabling customer-controlled routing with full information about agent availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If contact center reserves agents for customers, then service quality is improved, but resource utilization and cost efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice qualityVSAvoidresource utilization
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses preliminary action by allowing customers to pre-configure their routing preferences and selected agents before interactions occur. This enables automatic routing to preferred agents when available, eliminating the need for contact center-initiated agent reservations while ensuring service quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The customer's software application performs self-service by automatically monitoring agent presence, applying routing logic, and initiating connections to preferred agents without contact center intervention. This eliminates the need for contact center resource reservation while maintaining reliable service delivery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3186947B1Customer controlled interaction management
Publication Date: 2020.03.04 GREENEDEN U S HLDG II LLC
  • EP3186947B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3186947B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3186947B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system and method for managing interactions of a customer contact center. A contact center processor receives a request to reserve a contact center resource for handling an interaction. The processor also receives data about the interaction. The processor identifies a routing point for routing the interaction based on the received data. The routing point is associated with routing logic controlled by a customer instead of the contact center. The processor routes the interaction to the identified routing point for giving the customer control of the routing of the interaction.