Progress Update Messages for Hold State Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customers on hold during technical support calls often experience frustration due to lack of communication from contact center agents, leading to decreased satisfaction and potential call drops, as they are unaware of the agent's progress in resolving their issues.
Innovation Solution
A system that detects events associated with contact center agents, such as communicating with specialists, and sends progress update messages to customers on hold, informing them of the agent's activities through voice or video messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the contact center agent places the customer on hold to review documents or consult specialists, then the agent can provide better service, but the customer experiences frustration and may drop the call due to lack of communication
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by automatically sending progress update messages to the customer on hold. These messages provide real-time information about the agent's activities (reviewing documents, consulting specialists), creating a feedback loop that keeps the customer informed and reduces frustration while maintaining service quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary component that acts as a communication bridge between the agent and the customer during hold periods. This intermediary automatically generates and sends progress update messages, mediating the information flow without requiring direct agent-customer interaction, thus reducing customer frustration while preserving service quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If the agent takes time to resolve the customer's problem by consulting specialists or reviewing documents, then the problem resolution quality improves, but the customer satisfaction decreases due to extended wait time
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback to continuously update the customer about the problem resolution progress. By sending automated messages that reflect the agent's current activities (consulting specialists, reviewing documents), the system transforms the perceived wait time into productive communication, maintaining customer satisfaction while allowing sufficient time for quality problem resolution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by proactively sending progress update messages before the customer becomes frustrated or hangs up. These advance communications prepare the customer for the wait period, framing it as productive problem-solving time rather than unproductive delay, thus reducing perceived wait time while maintaining resolution quality.
3Productivity
If the agent remains silent or plays music on hold while working on the customer's issue, then the agent can focus on resolving the problem, but the customer feels forgotten and experiences decreased satisfaction
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated feedback mechanisms that send progress update messages to the customer, maintaining communication transparency without requiring the agent to verbally update them. This allows the agent to remain focused and productive while the system handles information communication, preventing the customer from feeling forgotten.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service communication by automatically generating and sending progress update messages without requiring direct agent intervention. This allows the agent to focus on productive problem-solving activities while the system independently maintains communication transparency with the customer, resolving the contradiction between agent productivity and communication transparency.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication session (e.g., voice or video) is established between a first party and a second party. The communication session is placed on hold or mute by the second party. While the first party is on hold or mute, an event associated with the second party is detected. For example, the second party calls a third party. In response to detecting the event associated with the second party, a progress update message is sent to first party on hold or mute. For example, the progress update message may be a voice message that states the second party (e.g., the contact center agent) is talking to a third party to resolve an issue of the first party. By sending the progress update message, the first party is apprised of the second party's progress in assisting the first party.