Abstract: Automated method and systems are provided for determining a gap exists in an enterprise's knowledge base. Once a gap is determined, a question is developed in accord with the gap. An answer is then developed to answer the question and the knowledge base is updated accordingly. The source of the information may be cross-domain information such that an enterprise may include relevant information, and/or more usable information, than what could be otherwise provided by information limited to the enterprise's domain.

Abstract: Agents of a contact center process work items for clients of the contact center. Agents may, at some point, experience “burnout.” Detecting early signs, and automatically mitigating the burnout allows agents to maintain interest in their work and avoid expensive training of new agents and lost experience of burnt-out agents. Agents may be monitored for single events and/or a pattern of events indicating burnout. Automatic detection and response to the burnout provides agents indicating burnout to have more interesting, less difficult, or otherwise more favorable working conditions. Feedback monitoring determines if the mitigation efforts are successful. If not, and an agent is burnt out and likely to quit, measures may be automatically launched to prevent the burnt-out agent from “infecting” other agents.

Abstract: Customer of a contact center often provide information related to their call that is use to route the call to an appropriate agent. As a result, a work item is created and routed to an agent selected, at least in part, as having a skill associated with the information provided. However, the information is often missing or wrong. As an agent processes the work item, it may become apparent that the work item was misrouted and if the true nature of the work item was known earlier, the work item would have been routed to a different agent. Provided with respect to certain embodiments, misrouted work items are identified and, if appropriate, rerouted to an appropriate agent for processing.

Abstract: The delivery of goods to a customer comprises a substantial portion of human activity. To correct address errors and/or to more precisely locate delivery locations, systems are provided to assist human, human operated vehicle, or autonomous vehicles to locate a delivery point. Often the location of a delivery point is inaccurate or imprecise. GPS and other coordinate systems often fail or are imprecise without an unobstructed view of the sky. Even with coordinates available, the delivery point may be different from the coordinates or, more commonly, coordinates that are different from some standard point within a postal address associated with the coordinates. Providing a delivery system that utilizes a broadcasted identifier, such as an identifier associated with the order of the item, the delivery of the item may be made proximate to the source of the broadcasted identifier or further refined using the broadcasted identifier as a reference.

Abstract: Agents of a contact center are trained and assessed without the need for a separate testing and assessment task. Work items are provided to agents, who are non-primary agents with respect to a particular skill associated with an attribute of a work item. With the controlled routing of the non-primary work items to the non-primary agent, the agent is provided with a chance to practice their non-primary skills, with the intention of improving said skills A number of successfully completed tasks may indicate the agent is entitled to “primary” designation and be provided with tasks having the attribute in the normal course of business.

Abstract: Systems are provided for the automatic analysis of skills in a contact center. More particularly to skills that are available, skills that are requested, and the difference between the two. The system may then determine a number of solutions that, if implemented by the contact center, would allow the contact center to have the skill differential. A decision is then made whereby a factor is utilized to select the more optimal solution from the number of solutions.

Abstract: Contact centers continually monitor the performance of their resources (e.g., human and automated agents) used for processing work items. An agent with a primary skill receives a flow of work items each having an attribute associated with that particular primary skill. However, agents often have non-primary skills and may serve as a backup for other agents. Measuring the agent's skill level with respect to a non-primary skill allows agents to be scored and potentially identified as having the skill as a primary skill. Selectively providing agents with non-primary work items and monitoring the agent's performance with those work items provides a means to assess an agent's non-primary skill using real work items and without the need for testing resources.

Abstract: A contact center, methods, and mechanisms are provided for dynamically assembling a team of resources to handle a work item. The work item is analyzed for any needs and a suitable team of resources is selected based at least partially on those needs. Each of the resources can be reserved and applied to a work item for a duration of time that the work item is being handled. As the workflow associated with the work item progresses, the needs of the work item are reevaluated for any changes that may require a modification to the team of resources. When the changes require modification, the team of resources can be adjusted on the fly to suit the changing needs of the work item.

Abstract: A system can determine a best routing of a customer contact based on analysis of one or more automatically generated answers. A customer may provide an inquiry through a social media contact. The contact center can analyze the inquiry to generate one or more automated answers. The system then analyzes the automated answers. The analysis may include studying various attributes of the answer, either in relation to the inquiry or based in historical data. From the analysis, the system can modify the answers and/or provide a different or improved pool of agents to handle the contact. Thus, an improved set of answers and agents is provided for managing the contact.

Abstract: Contact center strived to provide needed skills in close proximity to an anticipated demand for the skills. Skills may be needed to replace agents that are reassigned or that are no longer agents of the contact center. Training and recruitment of agents represents a significant investment in time money and other agents for a contact center. Determining a trajectory for a particular candidate to acquire the needed skill, at a point before the contact center fully invests in training, allows the agent to be excluded from future training should the agent not perform as expected were in the performance is measured at least one midpoint towards acquisition of the needed skill. As a benefit, agents can be directed towards acquiring the needed skills from other sources.

Abstract: Contact centers strive to match the demands and preferences of their customers with the skills and abilities of the agents who process work items associated with the customers (e.g., contacts). However, the preferred agent may be unavailable, non-existent, backlogged or otherwise ineligible to accept the work item. An agent who is non-preferred but still qualified may be utilized to process the work item, such as an agent with adequate skills with respect to a particular attribute of the work item. Reports for the selection of the non-preferred but qualified agents are provided herein. A contact center may then utilize such reporting to identify underserved areas of their customer base.

Abstract: Contact centers receive work items for processing by resources, such as human or automated agents. Social media has become a popular medium to receive work items and communicate with customers. Legal concerns, such as those focused on customer privacy, may limit gathering and/or storing of certain customer data on resources controlled by the contact center or require the deletion of data collected from a revoked prior authorization. Storing at least some data, such as a token, within a customer's social media website allows a contact center to maintain connections, transactions, or other information related to a customer or a specific transaction with a customer as long as the customer and/or social media website chose not to delete the token.

Abstract: Correctly staffing retail settings is a challenge. While calendar based staffing decisions, such as increasing staffing for a holiday sale, may provide high-level staffing recommendations. The activities of customers may be monitored to provide a more granular staffing allocation. Customers who, for example, spend a certain duration of time within one portion of the retail setting may be determined to indicate a need for assistance and a staff member of the retail setting allocated to assist the customer or customers within an area with a spike in customer activity. Similarly, customers who indicate a desire to purchase an item requiring certain staff skills (e.g., verify customer identity, complete legal documents, lift heavy items, etc.) may be detected and an appropriate staff member allocated. As a result, the customer may receive assistance from staff members having the required skills to complete their purchase.

Abstract: Automated kiosks are often provided in retail settings to provide a convenient and cost-effective means to assist customers of the retail setting and as an alternative or supplement to human agents. Kiosks may work well for certain customers and actions, however, the customer and/or kiosk may fail to effectively interact with each other and leave the customer dissatisfied with the interaction. By determining a meta-meaning associated with a customer's actions with a kiosk, the kiosk may be able to determine whether an agent should be summoned to assist the customer. For example, a customer may be using the kiosk for an unusually long time. In response, an available agent may be notified and approach the customer to offer their assistance; without the customer explicitly requesting such assistance. As a benefit, the retail setting may appear more in-touch with the needs of the customer.

Abstract: Customer assistance is provided by leveraging certain contact center infrastructure components to a retail setting. Often contact centers have a wealth of information regarding individual products and services a retail setting may offer. The information, as provided herein, may then be delivered to the customer in the form of a dialogue. The dialogue may be based, in part, on a contact center dialogue for the same or similar item. The customer may then be instructed to perform an act, such as retrieving another item at a certain location. Unlike a contact center, the physical presence of the customer provides an opportunity to receive feedback in the form of monitor the customer's actions to determine if the customer complied with instructions. Optionally, a follow up activity may be imitated based on the customer's compliance.

Abstract: A server executing a social media identity and discovery application and method are provided that scan social networking sites for communications. The target content is found with content indicators when communications are put on a social networking site. The content is recorded and evaluated. If the identified content is contextually significant, the alias and the user account data and/or user data from public records are correlated based on keywords and/or events, and a notification of the correlation is sent to an agency, agent, or a contact center system. The agent or agency may verify that the identity of a poster has been accurately correlated with a customer record in the database or with user data from public records. The agent, the agency, or the system has the opportunity to respond to the communication, despite the anonymity of the poster on the social networking site.

Abstract: Businesses have long appreciated the advantages of anticipating potential customers' needs. Directing marketing activities towards non-customers, persons not having such a need, wastes resources of the business and may damage a business' reputation. By providing a location-based analysis of a user's activities, such as by an opt-in application for a mobile device carried by the user, subject matter relevant and timely information on goods and/or services of the business may be provided to the user.

Abstract: Handheld communication devices, such as smart phones, comprise a number of data gathering sensors. The sensors may be utilized to provide an agent of a contact center with situational information regarding the user of the handheld device. While global positioning systems (GPS) provides one means to locate a user of a communication device, GPS is not always available. However, by utilizing radio receivers, internal condition sensors, motion detectors, and other sensing components, a situation for a customer may be determined to supplement or substitute for GPS-determined location as well as to identify more relevant situations for the user beyond those provided by GPS provided location information.

Abstract: Contact centers often have a significant pool of troubleshooting information related to devices that a customer may own or have access to. Connecting the device to a resource of the contact center presents challenges as customers and device manufacturers are reluctant to provide direct connectivity from the device to a public network, such as the Internet. A customer communication device, such as a smart phone, with an application allows a user to broker a communication between a resource of a contact center and a device. As a benefit, the customer can see and control the types of communication occurring and approve or deny according to their comfort level. When the resource-device session is concluded, the link is terminated and cannot be resumed without again obtaining approval.

Abstract: A server executing a social media identity and discovery application and method are provided that scan social networking sites for communications. The target content is found with content indicators when communications are put on a social networking site. The content is recorded and evaluated. If the identified content is contextually significant, the alias and the private user data are correlated based on events, and a notification of the correlation is sent to an agent or a contact center system. The agent may verify that the identity of a poster has been accurately correlated with a customer record in the database. The agent or the system has the opportunity to respond to the communication, despite the anonymity of the poster on the social networking site.