Text Feedback for On-Hold Parties
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Solution Overview
Problem
On-hold parties in call centers are inconvenienced by needing to listen for auditory cues and the high bandwidth usage of audio-based music or announcements, which wastes time and resources.
Innovation Solution
Providing textual status indicators on the on-hold party's device, using mechanisms to intermix voice and text in the same call, allowing for display-based updates without requiring special protocols, and utilizing significantly less bandwidth than audio transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If auditory feedback (music or announcements) is provided to on-hold parties, then information is conveyed to the waiting party, but network bandwidth consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the acoustic field (audio announcements) with the visual field (text messages). Instead of transmitting audio signals that consume 64 kbps of bandwidth, the system transmits text-based status indicators that convey the same information with minimal bandwidth usage. This field substitution resolves the contradiction by maintaining information conveyance while dramatically reducing network resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of information transmission from analog audio waves to digital text characters. By transforming the form of status information from auditory to visual, the system maintains full informational content while reducing the bandwidth parameter from 64,000 bits per second to a fraction of that amount, thus resolving the contradiction between information quality and resource consumption.
2Loss of information
If on-hold parties listen to auditory cues to detect call status changes, then real-time status information is received, but the on-hold party's time is wasted and convenience is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the auditory detection mechanism with visual display on the user's device screen. Instead of requiring the user to actively listen for status changes, the system presents text-based status indicators that can be perceived at the user's own pace. This substitution eliminates the need for continuous attention during wait time, allowing users to engage in other activities while still receiving real-time status updates when they choose to look at their device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows on-hold parties to independently check their call status by looking at their device display without requiring external auditory cues. The text-based status indicators are pushed to the user's device, enabling them to self-monitor their wait status without consuming their auditory attention or requiring them to remain actively engaged with the phone, thus reclaiming their waiting time for productive use.
3Quantity of substance
If text-based status indicators are displayed instead of auditory feedback, then bandwidth usage is reduced, but the method of information delivery changes from auditory to visual
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the multi-functionality of mobile communication devices that already possess both audio and visual capabilities. By using the existing display function of the device for text-based status indicators, the system adds a visual information channel without requiring additional hardware or fundamentally changing how the device operates. This universal approach allows the device to handle both traditional audio calls and visual status displays simultaneously, resolving the contradiction by making the information delivery method adaptable rather than restrictive.
Data Source
AI summary
A party to a call that has been put on hold is provided with textual, display, announcements while on hold, via the on-hold call. A facility of the party that put the call on hold transmits text-based status indicators that are then displayed on a display of the on-hold party's communications device.