Method and apparatus for interfacing a customer with a call center

Abstract

A method and apparatus for interfacing a customer with a call center allows information obtained from a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag to be transmitted to the call center to provide additional information about the customer and allow the session to be routed within the call center. The call center may be accessed by telephone, computer, or via another type of customer premises equipment over a voice or data network. The RFID tag may be an identification tag provided to the customer for access to the call center or may be a tag associated with the customer and not specific to the call center. The call center may route calls based on routing information contained in the RFID tag information, customer identity and previous sessions with that customer, personal and demographic information and statistical support records for other sessions involving customers with similar personal and demographic information.

1 . A system comprising:
 an RFID apparatus comprising:
 an RFID tag device; and 
 a communications interface configured to communicate with a wide area network (WAN), wherein 
 the RFID apparatus is configured to read RFID information from an RFID tag placed within a reading proximity of the RFID tag device, and to communicate the RFID information to a call center network element via the WAN; and 
 the call center network element configured to be communicatively coupled to a plurality of agent stations, the call center network element comprising: 
 a network interface configured to communicate with the WAN; 
 a processor coupled to the network interface; and 
 control logic which configures the processor to:
 receive the RFID information via the WAN; and 
 based on the RFID information, effect a presentation of information provided to one of the plurality of agent stations. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control logic further configures the processor to:
 route a communication session to the one of the plurality of agent stations based on the RFID information.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the RFID tag device comprises an RFID tag reader and writer, and wherein the control logic is further configured to send data to the RFID tag device via the WAN for recording on the RFID tag. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the data comprises a routing data for altering the routing of a subsequent communication session established with the call center network element. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control logic further configures the processor to:
 select a particular song from a plurality of songs based on the RFID information; and   stream the particular song to the RFID apparatus for rendering to a user.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control logic further configures the processor to:
 select a particular language from a plurality of languages based on the RFID information; and   stream the particular language to the RFID apparatus for rendering to a user.   
     
     
         7 . A call center network element configured to be communicatively coupled to a plurality of agent stations, the call center network element comprising:
 a network interface configured to communicate with a wide area network (WAN);   a processor coupled to the network interface; and   control logic which configures the processor to:
 receive RFID information from an RFID tag device via the WAN, the RFID tag device generating the RFID information based on an RFID tag in reading proximity of the RFID tag device; and 
 based on the RFID information, effect the presentation of information provided to one of the plurality of agent stations. 
   
     
     
         8 . The call center network element of  claim 7 , wherein the control logic further configures the processor to:
 route a communication session to the one of the plurality of agent stations based on the RFID information.   
     
     
         9 . The call center network element of  claim 7 , wherein the RFID tag device comprises an RFID tag reader and writer, and wherein the control logic is further configured to send data to the RFID tag device via the WAN for recording on the RFID tag. 
     
     
         10 . A method for effecting the presentation of information provided to an agent in a call center, the method comprising:
 receiving, at a call center network element configured to be communicatively coupled to a plurality of agent stations, RFID information from an RFID tag device via a wide area network (WAN), the RFID tag device generating the RFID information based on an RFID tag in reading proximity of the RFID tag device; and   based on the RFID information, effect the presentation of information provided to one of the plurality of agent stations.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising
 routing a communication session to the one of the plurality of agent stations based on the RFID information.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the RFID tag device comprises an RFID tag reader and writer, and further comprising sending data to the RFID tag device via the WAN for recording on the RFID tag. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the data comprises routing data for altering a routing of a subsequent communication session established with the call center network element.