Interactive call processor to facilitate completion of queued calls

Abstract

Call processing apparatus for queuing calling parties waiting to be connected to a service position, and for calculating queue position data or wait time data and transmitting the queue data to the calling parties. The queued calling parties can also reach alternate destinations by inputting digit information for routing queued calling parties to such destinations.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates in general to telecommunications equipment, and more particularly to automatic call distributors and associated methods and apparatus for enhancing the completion of calls to service positions.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAutomatic call distributors are employed in high telephone call traffic situations for providing an even and systematic distribution of incoming calls to a plurality of service positions, such as operators, attendants or agents. Less sophisticated call sequencers are also used in high traffic situations, but provide only "first in first out" queuing for the callers. Generally, such sequencers do not provide uniform distribution of calls to the attendants or agents. One typical applications for automatic call distributor (ACD) equipment is the airline industry, in which a large number of callers seeking reservation, arrival, departure, etc., information are connected in an orderly manner to a number of atte...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a call processor for use with telephone switching equipment for enhancing and facilitating the completion of calls thereto. According to the call processor of the invention, calling parties who cannot be presently serviced by the attendant positions of telephone switching equipment are periodically transmitted a message concerning queue information. The message may include information concerning the average time in which queued calls are answered, or the calling party's relative position within the queue. The call processor of the invention calculates delay spectra information based on the recent history of complemented telephone calls to the attendant positions. The information related to the delay spectra can then be transmitted to the calling parties to generate a well-being and confidence that progress is being made in completing the call.

In order to eliminate the queue limitation problem, there is established a queue threshold for holding a maximum number of calling parties waiting to be connected to the attendant positions. Calling parties placing incoming calls to the switching equipment which exceed the threshold are transmitted a different instructional message concerning an overflow situation. The calling parties may then be given an alternate set of choices, and further holding would not be one of the choices, or the parties are disconnected. This is especially advantageous in telephone switching systems for providing alternate service to the callers, or for releasing incoming lines and allowing other incoming traffic to be serviced as to other inquiries which may not lead to an overload condition .

Problems solved by technology

Less sophisticated call sequencers are also used in high traffic situations, but provide only "first in first out" queuing for the callers.

Generally, such sequencers do not provide uniform distribution of calls to the attendants or agents.

First, the calling parties placed in the queue must wait to be serviced without knowing the extent of the wait time or other circumstances involved.

Hence, many calling parties placed in the queue become impatient and simply discontinue the call by hanging up, whereby the business entity associated with the ACD may lose business or customers.

In addition, the same calling parties may place subsequent and repeated telephone calls to the business, thereby generating a number of calls from a single caller which yields an erroneous indication of the number of inquiries made to the business entity.

This limitation is encountered when all incoming lines of the business entity are tied up with callers waiting for a group of positions which are experiencing long delays, thereby making access impossible to free or idle telephone extensions which are situated outside of the high traffic group.

Such a situation hampers good business relationships and often has a negative affect on the calling parties.

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