The call centre experience is set to become radically different as agents will soon be able to make use of real-time social media information as customer calls come in, following NewVoiceMedia’s recent award of a new UK patent. The patent, invented by NewVoiceMedia’s founder Richard Pickering, brings a regularly discussed concept to reality and discloses a technique in which caller data is used to execute a search query using internal data repositories and external resources such as Google or Microsoft Bing.  The subsequent results are then used to deliver targeted information to the receiving agent.

The recently granted Patent covers the integration of automated CLI information and IVR information to extract more personalised data about the caller.  The technology enables a search of internal data sources, partner sources, public services (Experian, Royal Mail) or the Web. Information is then prioritised and presented to the agent to support the call and allow a more meaningful and valuable interaction to take place.

Richard Pickering, founder of NewVoiceMedia, said: “This new patent award will soon enable us to integrate real-time search as part and parcel of our true cloud contact centre product, ContactWorld. This integration of search engine capabilities with existing contact centre technologies such as IVR and CRM databases will enable our customers’ agents to quickly access huge amounts of callers’ data from internal databases and the Internet.

“Since many major social networks are now accessible to search engines such as Google and Bing, recent social media comments from or about the calling customer could be used to identify potential issues and opportunities enabling agents to be one step ahead of the game and offer a truly unique customer experience.”

As NewVoiceMedia offers a true cloud experience to its customers, its product is multi-tenant meaning that any customer using ContactWorld will benefit from the added internet enabled search capability the moment it is made live. To make use of the technology, agents will just need a phone line and internet connection as no software needs to be downloaded and there’s no need for lengthy integration.

Jonathan Gale, CEO of NewVoiceMedia, added: “With social media on the rise, more consumers are taking a multichannel approach to communicating with businesses and with each other. Right now, this real-time information is blocked from the view of the contact centre agent, who is on the frontline of a consumer’s experience with a business. By making that information available and accessible to the agent, we are not only enabling them to become more effective but are also giving their customers an experience that they will not forget.”

Gale continues, “We want to enable our customers to deliver the very best customer experience simply and efficiently. Our true cloud approach to contact centres means we are able to develop and roll out innovative technology, such as this patent allows, to every single customer using our product. Being in the cloud gives us the scope to create and develop applications and functionality that our on-premise competitors are simply not able to do.”