Method and apparatus for integrating agent status between a customer relations management system and a multiple channel communications center
View Patent ↗A system for integrating a contact center, an agent station, and a customer relation management server for communication includes a network adapter node having port connection to the contact center, the agent station, and the customer relation management server; and one or more dynamic states running on the network adapter mode wherein the one or more states described represent current agent activity and presence attributes according to model. In preferred application the customer relation management server is adapted to deliver data and or services or notification of availability thereof to the agent station based on the current state information for one or more events active or in queue for the agent station.
1. A system for integrating a contact center, an agent station, and a customer relation management system comprising at least one server, comprising:
a computer device coupled to the contact center, the agent station, and the customer relation management server; and
software running on said computer device;
wherein said software communicates with the contact center, the agent station, and the customer relation management server, making one or more dynamic states of one or more of the contact center, the agent station, and the customer relation management server available to others of the contact center, the agent station, and the customer relation management server.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the coupling and communication are accomplished over one or both of a wide area network and a local area network.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the wide area network is the Internet network.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more dynamic states comprise one or more of an agent status model identifying the agent, the channels of the agent, and the current presence and activity conditions of the agent in interaction relative to the channels.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer relation management system is physically located within the contact center.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer relation management system is a third-party-maintained system remote from the contact center.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more dynamic states may be updated from an agent station or from a contact center.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein agent state updates are pushed to the contact center and the customer relation management server according to need dependent upon current media events received at the agent station.
9. The system of claim 7 wherein agent state updates are accessed from the one or more dynamic states through a subscription to services and an agent model reporting the state or states.
10. The system of claim 1 further comprising an instance of the software running on the agent station, the instance providing agent interaction and agent control ability for manipulating agent states including an interface for interacting with customer relation services.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein the software instance is a browser plug-in or otherwise browser based wit data transferred over hypertext transfer protocol enabled network connections.
12. The system of claim 1 further comprising an instance of the software running at the contact center and adapted to provide event notification, queue management, agent state interpretation, and agent state updates.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein the software instance contains a descriptor of voice destination parameters and a descriptor of media channel destination parameters for each agent status model that describes a single or a group of agents.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer relation management server accesses the agent station based on agent state detection and current need according to enterprise rules.
15. The system of claim 14 wherein the customer relation management server provides services appropriate to the state or states detected.
16. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer relation management server is accessed by the agent station based on agent state detection and current need according to enterprise rules, and orders data and or services.
17. A method for automated ordering and receipt of data and/or services provided by a customer relation management system to a communications terminal according to reported state information about live or asynchronous media events routed to the terminal comprising steps of:
(a) routing an event or notification of the event to the communications terminal;
(b) reporting state information related to the routed event or notification of the state information to the customer relation management system during the time of routing of the event for connection;
(c) determining at the customer relation management system specific data and/or services needed; and
(d) receiving at the terminal the data and/or services or a notification of availability of the data and/or services from the customer relation management system during or before a time of interaction for the event at the terminal.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the state information is part of an agent status model and the ordering of data or services is performed at a network adapter containing the agent status model.
19. The method of claim 17 wherein in step (a) the event is one of a telephone event or a voice over IP event.
20. The method of claim 17 wherein In step (a) the event is one of an email event, a chat request event, or an instant messaging event.
21. The method of claim 17 wherein in step (a) the event is a hypertext transfer protocol request.
22. The method of claim 17 wherein in step (a) the communications terminal is an agent station comprising a computer connected to a network and at least a simulated telephone.
23. The method of claim 17 wherein in step (b) reporting is performed in a network adapter node consulting an agent status model for state information related to the routed event.
24. The method of claim 17 wherein in step (b) the state information includes one or more of the event media type, event author ID, routing source ID, routing destination ID, contact destination ID, and queue ID and position therein.
25. The method of claim 17 wherein in step (b) the state further includes pre-determined ID relevant to specific data and or services to be delivered.
26. The method of claim 17 wherein in step (c) the determination is made according to specific ID.
27. The method of claim 17 wherein in step (c) the determination is made according to a best option matching the state information of more than one option available to the customer relation management server.
28. The method of claim 17 wherein in step (b) the state information related to the routed event results from a manual change of settings from the point of the communications terminal.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein the change results in customer relation management system delivery of a solution covering more than one event described in the agent status model.