Managing instant messenger contacts at a contact center

摘要

Instant messaging contacts received at a contact center are directed to a conference with other such contacts before being allocated to an agent. In this way, customers of the contact center are entertained while waiting and have the ability to resolve one another's problems, thereby reducing the load on the contact center's agents. In another aspect, automated instant messaging scripts interact with the customer to elucidate the nature of the customer contact before directing the contact to a human agent.

主权项

1. A method of managing instant messaging (IM) contacts at a contact center, comprising the steps of:
a) receiving an IM contact from a first customer via a data network; b) adding said IM contact to a conference with a plurality of IM contacts from other customers, c) upon receiving an IM message from an IM contact in said conference, conveying said message to each of the other IM contacts in said conference; d) locating an agent of said contact center suitable for participating in an IM conversation with said first customer; e) removing said IM contact of said first customer from said conference; and f) directing further IM messages from said first customer to said agent and vice versa to effect an IM conversation between said first customer and said agent.