Multiple queuing and servicing of a contact
View Patent ↗A contact originator is given a choice to enqueue the contact in multiple contact queues, to serve multiple needs or interests of the originator. If the contact reaches the head of the queue for the primary need while the contact is being serviced from a queue for a secondary need, the contact either remains at the head of the primary-need queue until the servicing at the secondary-need queue is completed, or a resource of the primary-need queue is conferenced in with the contact and the resource of the secondary-need queue so that the resources can serve both needs simultaneously.
1. A method comprising:
enqueuing a contact in a first contact queue;
determining whether or not to enqueue the contact in a second contact queue based on a determined level of interest of a contactor in a matter corresponding to the second contact queue;
in response to the determining, enqueuing the contact in the second contact queue while the contact remains enqueued in the first contact queue;
firstly servicing the contact with a first resource of one of the first and the second contact queue while the contact remains enqueued in the other of the first and the second contact queue; and
subsequently to commencing of the firstly servicing, secondly servicing the contact with a second resource of the other of the first and the second contact queue.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein:
firstly servicing comprises servicing the contact with a resource of the second contact queue while the contact remains enqueued in the first contact queue; and
secondly servicing comprises subsequently to commencing of servicing the contact with the resource of the second contact queue, servicing the contact with a resource of the first contact queue.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein:
secondly servicing comprises advancing the contact through the first contact queue to a head of the first contact queue, maintaining the contact in the first contact queue while the contact is being firstly serviced, and in response to completing the firstly servicing, removing the contact from the first contact queue and secondly servicing the contact.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein:
secondly servicing comprises advancing the contact through the first contact queue to a head of the first contact queue, and in response to the contact reaching the head of the first contact queue, simultaneously firstly and secondly servicing the contact.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein:
simultaneously firstly and secondly servicing comprises conferencing the resource of the first contact queue and the resource of the second contact queue with a contactor.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein:
firstly servicing comprises servicing the contact with the resource of the first contact queue while the contact remains enqueued in the second contact queue; and
secondly servicing comprises in response to determining a high said level of interest, servicing the contact with the resource of the second contact queue subsequently to commencing of the firstly servicing.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein:
secondly servicing comprises advancing the contact through the second contact queue to a head of the second contact queue, maintaining the contact in the second contact queue while the contact is being firstly serviced, and in response to completing the firstly servicing, removing the contact from the second contact queue and secondly servicing the contact.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein:
secondly servicing comprises advancing the contact through the second contact queue to a head of the second contact queue, and in response to the contact reaching the head of the second contact queue, simultaneously firstly and secondly servicing the contact.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein:
simultaneously firstly and secondly servicing comprises conferencing the resource of the first contact queue and the resource of the second contact queue with a contactor.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein:
determining comprises while the contact is enqueued in the first contact queue, interacting with a contactor to determine whether or not to enqueue the contact in the second contact queue.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein:
determining comprises determining an in queue estimated wait time (EWT) for each of the first contact queue and a plurality of the second contact queues, while the contact is enqueued in the first contact queue, interacting with a contactor, and using the EWTs and results of the interacting to determine whether or not to enqueue the contact in at least one of the second contact queues.
12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
enqueuing a second contact in the first contact queue;
determining whether or not to enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue;
in response to the determining, enqueuing the second contact in the second contact queue while the second contact remains enqueued in the first contact queue;
servicing the second contact with a resource of the first contact queue;
removing the second contact from the second contact queue; and
not servicing the second contact with a resource of the second contact queue.
13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
enqueuing a second contact in the first contact queue;
determining whether or not to enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue;
determining a level of interest of a contactor corresponding to the second contact in a matter corresponding to the second contact queue;
in response to determining to enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue, enqueuing the second contact in the second contact queue while the second contact remains enqueued in the first contact queue;
servicing the second contact with a resource of the first contact queue; and
servicing or not servicing the second contact with a resource of the second contact queue depending upon the determined level of interest of the contactor corresponding to the second contact in the matter corresponding to the second contact queue.
14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
enqueuing a second contact in the first contact queue;
determining whether or not to enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue;
in response to determining to enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue, enqueuing the second contact in the second contact queue; and
in response to determining to not enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue, forbearing from enqueuing the second contact in the second contact queue.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the resource of the first contact queue serves a first need or interest of the contact; and
the resource of the second contact queue serves a second need or interest of the contact that is different from the first need or interest.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of one of claims 1 - 15 .
17. An apparatus comprising:
a storage medium defining a first contact queue and a second contact queue;
at least one first resource associated with the first contact queue;
at least one second resource associated with the second contact queue;
a system for determining whether or not to enqueue the contact in the second contact queue based on a determined level of interest of a contactor in a matter corresponding to the second contact queue; and
a manager for enqueuing the contact in the first contact queue, for enqueuing the contact in the second contact queue while the contact remains enqueued in the first contact queue in response to the determining, for causing one of the first and the second resource to firstly service the contact while the contact remains enqueued in the other of the first and the second contact queue, and for causing the other of the first and the second resource to secondly service the contact subsequently to commencing the firstly servicing.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:
the manager is adapted to cause the second resource to firstly service the contact with the second resource while the contact remains enqueued in the first contact queue, and is adapted to cause the first resource to secondly service the contact with the first resource subsequently to commencing the firstly servicing.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein:
the manager is further adapted for advancing the contact through the first contact queue to a head of the first contact queue, for maintaining the contact in the first contact queue while the contact is being firstly serviced, and for removing the contact from the first contact queue and causing the contact to be secondly serviced in response to completion of the first servicing.
20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein:
the manager is further adapted for advancing the contact through the first contact queue to a head of the first contact queue, and then for causing the contact to be simultaneously firstly and secondly serviced.
21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein:
the manager is adapted to conference the first and the second resource with a contactor to cause the contact to be simultaneously firstly and secondly serviced.
22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:
the manager is adapted to cause the first resource to firstly service the contact while the contact remains enqueued in the second contact queue, and is adapted to cause the second resource to secondly service the contact subsequently to commencing of the firstly servicing in response to determining a high said level of interest.
23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein:
the manager is further adapted for advancing the contact through the first contact queue to a head of the first contact queue, for maintaining the contact in the first contact queue while the contact is being firstly serviced, and for removing the contact from the first contact queue and causing the contact to be secondly serviced in response to completion of the firstly servicing.
24. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein:
the manager is further adapted for advancing the contact through the second contact queue to a head of the second contact queue, and then for causing the contact to be simultaneously firstly and secondly serviced.
25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein:
the manager is adapted to conference the first and the second resource with a contactor to cause the contact to be simultaneously firstly and secondly serviced.
26. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:
the system comprises an interactive response system for interacting with an originator of the contact while the contact is enqueued in the first contact queue, to determine whether or not to enqueue the contact in the second contact queue.
27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein:
the manager is further adapted for determining an in queue estimated wait time (EWT) for each of the first contact queue and for a plurality of the second contact queues, and is adapted to use the EWTs and results of the interacting to determine whether or not to enqueue the contact in at least one of the second contact queues.
28. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:
the system is further adapted for determining whether or not to enqueue a second contact in the second contact queue; and
the manager is further adapted for enqueuing the second contact in the first contact queue, in response to the determining for enqueuing the second contact in the second contact queue while the contact remains enqueued in the first contact queue, for causing a first resource to service the second contact, for removing the second contact from the second contact queue, and for forbearing from causing a second resource to service the second contact.
29. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:
the manager or the system is adapted to determine whether or not to enqueue a second contact in the second contact queue and a level of interest of a contactor corresponding to the second contact in a matter corresponding to the second contact queue; and
the manager is adapted to enqueue the second contact in the first contact queue, to enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue in response to determining to enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue, to cause the second contact to be serviced by a first resource, and to cause or not cause the second contact to be serviced by a second resource depending upon the determined level of interest of the contactor corresponding to the second contact in the matter corresponding to the second contact queue.
30. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:
the manager or the system is adapted to determine whether or not to enqueue a second contact in the second contact queue; and
the manager is adapted to enqueue the second contact in the first contact queue, to enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue in response to a determination to enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue, and to forbear from enqueuing the second contact in the second contact queue in response to a determination to not enqueue the second contact in the second contact queue.
31. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:
the at least one first resource is for serving a first need or interest of the contact, and the at least one second resource is for serving a second need or interest of the contact that is different from the first need or interest.