 Dynamic modification of multimedia content |
| FIG. 1 depicts an example of an Internet environment having features of the present invention. As ... |
|
| Networked appliance for recording, storing and serving digital images |
| An improved image server is provided by virtue of the present invention. In one embodiment of an ... |
|
| System and method for processing a request for information in a network |
| From the foregoing, it may be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a need has arisen for a ... |
|
| Secure postage meter in an ATM application |
| We claim: 1. An apparatus for performing banking and postage metering functions comprising: a ... |
|
| Systems for accessing the internet and geo-defined data and associated methods |
| In one aspect, the invention provides Internet access apparatus that co-exists, and/or operates in ... |
|
| Method and apparatus for managing accounts payable |
| The foregoing summary is intended merely to provide a brief description of the general nature of ... |
|
| Flexible direct signaling system |
| Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a direct signaling method and architecture for ... |
|
| Sender-paid electronic messaging |
| The present invention is a messaging system, and method of operation thereof, which provides ... |
|
|
Context-sensitive presentation of information to call-center agents
| Details |
Inventors: Anderson, Gregory Lane;
Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc. (Murray Hill, NJ)
Primary Examiner: Hong; Harry S.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Volejnicek; David
A method (200-520) and an apparatus (118) for presenting information to a call center agent in a context-sensitive manner involves monitoring (314, 504) activities--such as keyboard or pointer input from an agent and information being displayed to the agent--at an agent position (140, 150) of a call center, receiving (318, 508) a request for information--such as directory information or a list of wrapup codes--from the agent, in response analyzing (322, 324, 512) the request within the context of the monitored activities to determine a subset of the requested information--such as selected telephone numbers or a selected wrapup code--which is most relevant to the monitored activities, and then either presenting (404, 408)--displaying--only the subset to the agent in response to the request, or presenting (410, 514) the requested information in a manner that emphasizes the subset over the rest of the requested information--such as by highlighting the subset. Preferably, the monitoring also includes monitoring (202) with whom the agent is presently engaged in a telephone call and what the telephone call is about, and the analyzing also includes analyzing (208, 304) the monitored activities to determine whether non-requested information is relevant to the monitored activities or what actions should be undertaken with respect to the call, and then giving an indication (216, 312) of the determination to the agent. |
|
DETAILED DESCRIPTION This invention is directed to solving these and other problems and disadvantages of the prior art.
Applicant has realized that a key to making the call center agents' job significantly easier is to provide the agents with information in a context-sensitive manner.
"Context-sensitive" for purposes of this application means dependent upon the identity, the history, and the present state, as well as the subject, of a function which the agent is performing at that time.
The subject of the function includes the particular call, or the particular calling or called party, with respect to which the function is being performed.
Providing the agents with information in a context-sensitive manner means that the information which is presently most relevant to the function, and hence is of interest to the agent, either is provided alone to the exclusion of presently-less relevant or irrelevant information, or is highlighted or presented in some other manner that emphasizes it over the presently-less relevant or irrelevant information.
Information is therefore pre-selected for the agent, and in the pre-selection process some of the skill that the agent would normally apply to selecting information is applied automatically on the agent's behalf in the pre-selection process.
Hence, dependency upon the agent's own skill is lessened.
Furthermore, as a consequence of the pre-selection, the agent is presented with less information than would otherwise be the case.
That means that the agent is not as likely to be overwhelmed by the amount of information being presented, that the agent can use the presented information faster because he or she does not have to sift through so much information, and that the agent is likely to complete the function more accurately because he or she will not be distracted or confused by less-relevant or irrelevant information.
According to an aspect of the invention, therefore, a method and an apparatus for presenting call center information in a context-sensitive manner involves monitoring activities (such as keyboard or pointer input from an agent and information being displayed to the agent, for example) at an agent position of a call center, receiving a request for information (such as directory information or a list of wrapup codes, for example) from the agent position and in response analyzing the request within the context of the monitored activities to determine a subset of the requested information (e
|
|
Finance 
