Workflow-Based Communication Routing for Service Agents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Service agents, whether human or automated, often lack the capability to address user issues effectively due to specialization in specific domains, leading to inefficient handling of customer inquiries and tasks, with automated systems sometimes failing to identify user intent.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a workflow-based communication routing system that utilizes a chat bot to determine user intent and route users to appropriate service agents, either human or automated, based on the task at hand, allowing seamless transitions between service agents and enabling users to choose transfers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If service agents are specialized in specific domains, then their expertise in handling specific types of customer issues is improved, but their ability to handle diverse customer inquiries comprehensively deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments service agents into different domains or categories based on their expertise (e.g., technical support agents, billing agents, shipping agents). A workflow management system then routes customer inquiries to the appropriate segmented agent group based on the issue type, allowing each agent to specialize while the overall system maintains comprehensive coverage through multi-domain segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a workflow management system as an intermediary between customers and service agents. This intermediary analyzes customer inquiries, determines the appropriate domain or agent type, and routes the inquiry accordingly. The intermediary enables specialized agents to handle specific issues while maintaining system-wide adaptability through intelligent routing decisions.
2Productivity
If automated systems are used to handle customer inquiries, then efficiency and cost-effectiveness are improved, but the system's ability to accurately identify user intent and handle complex issues deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The automated workflow management system is designed with multi-functionality to handle diverse inquiry types and complexity levels. It universally processes various customer issues by analyzing intent, determining appropriate workflows, and routing to suitable agents or automated processes. This universal design enables accurate intent identification across different domains while maintaining high efficiency through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts its response based on the complexity and type of customer inquiry. For simple issues, it automatically executes predefined workflows; for complex issues, it dynamically routes to human agents with appropriate context. This dynamic behavior enables the automated system to maintain high accuracy in intent identification while efficiently handling varying levels of complexity.
3Reliability
If customers are routed to specialized agents, then the quality of issue resolution is improved, but the time required to transfer between agents and access the right expertise deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The workflow management system performs preliminary analysis of customer inquiries before routing to agents. It pre-determines the appropriate domain, agent type, and workflow path based on the inquiry content. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming real-time analysis during the routing process and ensures customers are directed to the correct expertise immediately, reducing transfer time while maintaining resolution quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that allow customers to indicate their preferred routing options or provide additional context about their issues. This feedback enables the system to refine its routing decisions and reduce transfer time by aligning customer preferences with appropriate agent assignments, while still ensuring high-quality resolution through specialized expertise.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are various embodiments for routing communications to service agents based on a workflow. A computing device identifies a user intent object corresponding to a user interaction with the computing device. The computing device then generates a search criterion based on the identified user intent object and uses the search criterion for identifying the user intent in subsequent user interactions. After identifying the user intent, the computing device can identify a workflow corresponding to the user intent object. Later, the computing device can process one or more tasks associated with the workflow.