Communications apparatus using unified communications platform and channel-communications management circuit
In one example, a communications system includes a unified communications platform and a channel-communications management circuit. The unified communications platform is to process different types of communications services respectively using different types of communications channels. The channel-communications management circuit may be used to provide an effective merging of data communications received via the different types of communications services to develop an interaction record for a reply communication on a preferred channel and/or for use in a subsequently-received inbound data communication. The channel-communications management circuit may also react to a subsequently-received inbound data communication such as by using the interaction record in another communication subsequent to the inbound data communications, and/or by accessing the record and/or replying to content in the different types of communications services based on a determined identity of a sender or participant of the data communications.
1 . A communications system comprising: a unified communications platform, including at least one data-communications server, to process different types of communications services respectively using different types of communications channels; and a channel-communications management circuit, communicatively integrated with the unified communications platform, the channel-communications management circuit configured for effectively merging data communications received via the different types of communications channels, developing and storing an interaction record based on the received merged data communications, automatically selecting, based on a characteristic of the received data communications involved in the effective merging, a subsequent type of a communications channel as a preferred a communications channel in response to a request for a follow-up data communication reply by a user to an inbound interaction via the unified communications platform, and incorporating the interaction record into the follow-up data communication to facilitate a subsequent data communication on the preferred communications channel.
2 . The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the preferred communications channel is one of the different types of communications channels on which any of the data communications involved in the effective merging is received.
3 . The communications system of claim 2 , wherein the preferred communications channel is not one of the different types of communications channels on which any of the data communications involved in the effective merging is received.
4 . The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the channel-communications management circuit is configured for automatically selecting the type of subsequent communications channel as the preferred communications channel based on at least one communications-based characteristic from among one or of: context, sentiment, key-word and time of the received data communications involved in the effective merging.
5 . The communications system of claim 1 , further comprising an analytics circuit configured for predicting an outcome of the received merged data communications from keywords and/or a speech characteristic parameters in the received merged data communications, wherein the interaction action record comprises the predicted outcome.
6 . The communications system of claim 5 , wherein the channel-communications management circuit is further configured for receiving the subsequent data communication via the preferred communications channel, wherein the analytics circuit is configured for comparing keywords and/or a speech characteristic parameter in the subsequent communication to the keywords and/or the speech characteristic parameter in the stored interaction record to identify the predicted outcome.
7 . The communications system of claim 6 , wherein the predicted outcome is identified if the keywords and/or speech characteristic parameter in the subsequent data communication match the keywords and/or speech characteristic parameters in the stored interaction record.
8 . The communications system of claim 6 , wherein the predicted outcome is associated with the speech characteristic parameter.
9 . The communications system of claim 8 , wherein the speech characteristic parameter comprises a speech amplitude or speech velocity.
10 . The communications system of claim 8 , wherein the speech characteristic parameter in the stored interaction record is a baseline threshold value, and wherein the predicted outcome is identified if the speech characteristic parameter in the subsequent data communication is outside the baseline threshold value.
11 . The communications system of claim 5 , wherein the analytics circuit is configured for associating the keywords and/or the speech characteristic parameter with the predicted outcome based on different types of users of the unified communications platform.
12 . The communications system of claim 5 , wherein using the interaction record to facilitate the subsequent data communication on the preferred communications channel comprises automatically routing the subsequent data communication to a specialist.
13 . The communications system of claim 5 , wherein using the interaction record to facilitate the subsequent data communication on the preferred communications channel comprises automatically bridging a manager into the subsequent data communication.
14 . The communications system of claim 5 , wherein using the interaction record to facilitate the subsequent data communication on the preferred communications channel comprises providing feedback to or training an agent to facilitate the subsequent data communication on the preferred communications channel.
15 . The communications system of claim 5 , wherein the predicted outcome is one of a positive conversation and a negative conversation.
16 . The communications system of claim 5 , wherein the channel-communications management circuit is configured for providing a series of queries in accordance with a script over at least one of the different communications channels, and wherein at least some of the data communications are received in response to the series of queries.
17 . The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the different types of communications services respectively using different types of communications channels respectively include two or more of a VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) service, chat service, SMS-messaging service and email service, and the preferred communication channel includes one of the VoIP service, chat service, SMS-messaging service, and email service.
18 . The communications system of claim 1 ,
wherein the channel-communications management circuit is co-located at the same site as the server arrangement, and
wherein the channel-communications management circuit and the server arrangement are to use a common broadband router, or network gateway, to access data over a broadband network.
19 . The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the channel-communications management circuit is configured for merging the received data communications into a unification channel specifically associated with a participant involved with the interaction record.
20 . A method for use by a data communications system having a unified communications platform, the method comprising:
processing different types of communications services, via the unified communications platform, including at least one data-communications server, respectively using different types of communications channels; and
via a channel-communications management circuit communicatively integrated with the unified communications platform, providing an effective merging of data communications received via the different types of communications channels, developing and storing an interaction record based on the received merged data communications, parameter, automatically selecting, based on content within the received data communications involved in the effective merging, a subsequent type of a communications channel as a preferred communications channel in response to a request for a follow-up data communication reply by a user after receiving an inbound interaction via the unified communications platform, and incorporating the interaction record into the follow-up data communication.