Virtual hold and callback implementation for the waiting queue service from Altice Labs

Abstract

In today's highly connected world, contact centers often represent the primary interface between companies and their customers. As such, the efficiency and quality of service provided by these centers directly impact customer satisfaction and brand perception. A common pain point for customers interacting with contact centers is the need to wait on hold, often for extended periods. To address this, many modern solutions propose virtual hold and callback mechanisms that allow customers to avoid live waiting, offering instead a callback when an agent becomes available. This thesis explores the development and evaluation of virtual hold and callback strategies designed for seamless integration into the existing waiting queue system of a commercial unified communications platform provided by Altice Labs. The project focuses on both the technical implementation of these features and the strategic analysis of different approaches to optimize performance and customer experience. Given the challenges of testing such strategies in a live production environment, the work also introduces a simulation framework capable of modeling and analyzing different virtual hold strategies under a variety of contact center conditions. Overall, this thesis delivers both a production-ready implementation of virtual hold and callback functionality and useful insights into strategy evaluation, contributing to the optimization of contact center operations.