Virtual contact center with dynamic routing
View Patent ↗A network-based interaction system includes a machine connected to the network for receiving and routing an interaction request, a server application having access to the network for matching an interaction request to a profile, and a data repository for storing profile information.
1. A network-based interaction system comprising:
a computerized router machine connected to the network, executing software from memory for receiving and routing an interaction from an initiator;
an instant message (IM) server connected to the network accessible to the router machine executing IM software; and
a function of the software executing on the router matching the interaction to an agent profile, created and stored by the IM software, having at least contact and personal characteristic information for an agent, the agent profile part of a virtual group identified by a characteristic common to all agent profiles in the group;
wherein the interaction includes at least a specific agent characteristic required to service the interaction matched by the router machine to a characteristic in the agent profile and the router machine routes the interaction to an agent contact matching the agent profile.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interaction is any one of an instant message, Email, telephone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), text messaging and the computerized router machine functions as an instant message proxy server.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interaction is a vocalized request for an instant message session and the computerized router machine functions as an interactive voice response system.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interaction is a vocalized request for an instant message session and the computerized router machine includes a Voice over Internet Protocol interface server.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein contact is an instant message contact.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network includes a telephone network and an Internet network.
7. A voice application executing from memory of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) server for suggesting an interactive data session contact based on matching a voice response from a caller to agent profiles stored at an Instant message (IM) server accessible to the IVR comprising:
one or more routines receiving a voice response at the IVR and playing options for the voice response;
one or more routines for interpreting voice responses to the one or more options; and
a routine for selecting one or more of the agent profiles from a repository of agent profiles at the IM server based on the interpretation of the one or more of the responses;
wherein the interpretation includes at least an identified characteristic required to service the interactive data session and the selected agent profile includes at least the identified characteristic and a contact for an agent available for an interactive data session.
8. The voice application of claim 7 , executed by a voice over Internet protocol interface.
9. The voice application of claim 7 , wherein the agent profile is part of a virtual group profile at the IM server wherein agent profiles of the virtual group have a common characteristic.
10. The voice application of claim 7 , wherein the agent profile is that of an individual.
11. The voice application of claim 7 , wherein the interactive data session is an instant message data session.