US-12621258-B2 - Communications apparatus using unified communications platform and channel-communications management circuit

US12621258B2US 12621258 B2US12621258 B2US 12621258B2US-12621258-B2

Abstract

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.

Inventors

Bryan R. Martin
Jared Smith-Mickelson

Assignees

8×8, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20210830

Claims (20)

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.

Description

OVERVIEW Aspects of the present disclosure are generally directed to data-communications and computer servers. Computer servers are increasingly being used to provide various services over a network including, but not limited to, VoIP communications services such as VoIP calls, video conferencing, call exchange servers, packet switching, and traffic management as well as non-VoIP services including, but not limited to: website hosting, remote data storage, remote computing services, and virtual computing environments. The use of data communications services has been widespread and significant in terms of both numbers of users and types of services/systems being made available. This growth could be attributable to any of a wide variety of socio-economic changes such as the mobility of users of these services, the types and reduced costs of portable telecommunication tools, and the ever-evolving technology adapting to the personal and business needs of the communications users. Due to wide-spread needs of such users and the many disparate types of services/systems being made available, cohesive integration of such services/systems for secure and efficient operations has been problematic. Consequently, users attempting to utilize such systems have experienced difficulty and oftentimes significant delay and frustrations when these systems have attempted to intercept the user communications. For example, these experiences often ensue from auto-attendant processors attempting unsuccessfully to discern the reasons for users having called a certain entity (e.g., via an audio-type or text-type communication). SUMMARY Various example embodiments are directed to issues such as those addressed above and/or others which may become apparent from the following disclosure concerning processing, and resolving, and/or routing of inbound communications from users as may be received by a data-communications system. More particular examples and related aspects are directed to a unified communications service platform to provide different types of communications channels and for certain inbound communications received via certain of the different types of communications channels, with an effectively merging of the received communications into an interaction record which may be used, for example, to react or reply via a preferred one of the different types of channels. Such particular examples and related aspects are further discussed below in this disclosure in connection with other related examples aspects and systems which may be used together or independently, or in any combination involving two or more of such aspects and systems. In one more specific example, a communications system includes a unified communications platform and a channel-communications management circuit that is communicatively integrated with the unified communications platform. The platform includes at least one data-communications server to process different types of communications services respectively using different types of communications channels, and the channel-communications management circuit provides an effective merging of inbound data communications received via the different types of communications channels to develop an interaction record for a reply communication on a preferred channel and/or for use in a subsequently-received inbound data communication. In certain other examples, the present disclosure is directed to a communications system, a method for using the communications system, and/or one or more aspects associated or integrated with the communications system or method, in which said one or more aspects comprise at least one of: unified communications platform for facilitating different types of communications services; a channel-communications management circuit to effectively merge data communications selected to be received over different channels; and/or selection of one of the different communications channels in response to a request for a follow-up communication after the user receives an inbound interaction via a server arrangement, whereby said selected one of the different communications channels is input to and used by the server arrangement in determining over which of the different communications channels the follow-up communication is to be conveyed. In one specific 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, for accessing 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 via the different types of co