Virtual Agent Proxy for Seamless Chat Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual agent systems in real-time chat services often fail to provide seamless transitions between virtual agents and live agents, leading to poor customer experiences due to the lack of contextual information transfer and inefficient escalation processes.
Innovation Solution
A virtual agent proxy module is introduced in the chat server to intercept and forward messages, allowing virtual agents to participate in chats like live agents, and to manage seamless transitions by determining escalation or de-escalation based on predefined rules, ensuring that contextual information is preserved and passed to live agents when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a virtual agent is used to provide self-service content to consumers, then the need for human agents to service routine interactions is reduced, but when the virtual agent cannot answer a user's question, the user must leave the conversational channel and restart the interaction from scratch
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy module as an intermediary between the virtual agent and the chat server. This proxy module enables seamless handoff between virtual and human agents by maintaining conversation context and allowing the human agent to join the existing conversation thread, thus resolving the contradiction between automation and ease of operation
2Productivity
If a virtual agent and live agent are separated into different chat modules, then the virtual agent can provide automated responses, but the live agent is unaware of what has been discussed and the consumer must repeat information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the virtual agent chat module and human agent chat module into a unified conversation thread managed by the proxy module. This allows both agents to access the same conversation history and context, eliminating information loss while maintaining automated response efficiency
3Adaptability or versatility
If a link to escalate to a live chat agent is presented to the user, then the user can access human support, but a new chat module is opened and the live agent receives only the last question without visibility into what the virtual agent is doing
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy module serves as an intermediary that manages the escalation process seamlessly. Instead of opening a new chat module, the proxy module allows the human agent to join the existing conversation thread, maintaining system simplicity while providing adaptability for human support escalation
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for implementing real-time chat systems including virtual agents as chat participants, and more specifically, to the use of a virtual agent proxy in a real-time chat service. Certain techniques are disclosed that allow for seamless chat transitions between virtual agents and live agents. A chat server may include a virtual agent (VA) proxy module. The VA proxy module intercepts messages received at the chat server from end users, forwards them to virtual agents, and posts responses from the virtual agents back to be displayed to the corresponding end users. The VA proxy module thereby loosely couples virtual agents to the chat server, allowing the virtual agents to participate in chats just as live agents do. The chat server may determine that chat escalations and de-escalations are to occur, and can provide a full transcript of the chat to new chat participants.