183 results about "Automatic call distribution" patented technology

A system and method for predicting the wait time of a caller to a call center is disclosed. The call center associates a set of agents to which the caller may be queued. This set of agents selected may depend on the skills that each agent possesses, the type of service request made by the caller, caller priority, time of day, day of week and other conditions. An initial wait time estimate may then be given to the caller who is just queued. As a caller's conditions may dynamically change, a caller's position in the queue may also change as well as the pool of available agents. Periodic wait time estimate updates may also be given to the queued caller. A caller's wait time may be estimated based upon mean inter-arrival times for recently past calls into the call center. An average inter-arrival time may be calculated for the last several calls. Alternatively, a caller's wait time may be estimated based upon calls that are recently queued and dequeued. A table of values, Wnj, are maintained wherein each such value denoting the jth recent wait time of calls arriving with n calls already in the queue. An average value, Wn, for each n among all such Wnj, is thus calculated and a caller's estimated wait time is thus given, depending on how many calls are in the queue at the time of calling.

A multimedia telecommunication automatic call distribution center which allows access to the call center via a plurality of access means, including telephone and data networks to provide simultaneous voice, data, and video access, and ensures effective transparent spreading of agents over different geographical locations. The automatic call distribution center of the present invention uses a multimedia automatic call distribution server acting as connection manager for data network callers and provides for automatic caller identification.

A method for distributing calls of an automatic call distributor system includes determining location information for agents at a call center. The method further includes routing a request for connection with one of the agents to one of the agents based at least in part on the location information. A method for managing agents in a call center includes determining location information for a plurality of agents in a call center. The method further includes communicating a message to at least one of the agents requesting the agent to move to a new location in response to at least one request for connection with one of the agents.

A system and method for providing operator and customer services for automated telecommunications services on an intelligent overlay network (104) is disclosed. Operator and customer services are provided by an intelligent network (102). The intelligent network (102) comprises an automated call distributor (116); an application processor (118); an advanced intelligent network gateway (AIN Gateway) (120); a validation gateway (122); and enhanced operator consoles (126). The AIN Gateway provides the intelligent network with an interface to the intelligent overlay network. This allows components within the intelligent network to communicate with components in the intelligent overlay network, and vice-versa. The validation gateway provides the intelligent network with an interface to credit card validation systems (114), and is used to apply charges to customer credit cards. Enhanced operator consoles provide for efficient and seamless integration of operator and customer services to automated services running on the intelligent overlay network. Such enhanced operator consoles are provided in the form of customized application programs that are executed by the operator consoles based on the context of calls that are transferred from the intelligent overlay network.

A system and method for providing a call back option to a customer of a call center. According to one embodiment, the system includes a telecommunications switch and an automatic call distributor in communication with the telecommunications switch via first and second communications links. The system also includes means for providing the customer with a call back option in response to a first call from the customer, wherein the first call is routed to the automatic call distributor by the telecommunications switch over the first communications link, and means for establishing a second call between the automatic call distributor and the customer over the second communications link when the customer accepts the call back option.

This invnetion discloses a new generation call center (NGCC) system including an automatic call device ADC, a computer telephone integrated device CTI, an interactive voice response system IVR, a seat agent, an applied server AS and a database DB, in which, said ACD is used in mapping call requests of different signaling protocols from wide and narrow band network to a unified call matter and reports it to CTI device by a standard and open interface protocol and finishes the control process of call voice or video multimedia channel, said CTI device is used in boosting up queue to the reported call access request and route control to dispatch and manage the seats and IVR unifiedly, said IVR is used in analyzing and executing the automatic service logic and providing media resource ability.

A method and apparatus for extensible real-time workflows are described. The present invention allows a user of a transaction processing system, such as a customer relationship management (CRM) tool or an automatic call distribution (ACD), for example, to easily add new event sources without recompiling the core workflow server engine of the transaction processing system. The invention also supports features such as the adding of new services, the exchange of events and parameters with other systems, real-time collection and display of workflow statistical information, the use of a centralized configuration database, incremental loading and unloading of workflows and rules, and exception handling.

An Internet Protocol (IP) call distribution system, for selecting agents to handle incoming requests from users, that uses publish/subscribe technology so that agent state does not need to be maintained. An automatic call distribution method for selecting agents to handle incoming requests from users, that uses publish/subscribe technology so that agent state does not need to be maintained.

A method and system for dynamic queuing utilizes a SIP messaging structure within a call center's architecture for interacting with a caller. The method and system can be used for ACD services developed for IP telephony using SIP as the signaling protocol. A SIP subscriber can also interact with an ACD system in the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) work space. In the latter case, a PSTN-to-IP gateway carries the bearer path and call level signaling between the two spaces, and corresponding Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) signaling links are used for linking the ACD specific signaling between the two spaces.

A system and method for servicing a caller at a contact center includes a processor subsystem and one or more modules that include code executable by the processor subsystem. Execution of the code invoking an automatic call distributor (ACD) collaborative application that provides the caller with a visual or aural call session history that lists each agent with whom the caller has interacted. The ACD collaborative application also providing the caller with an option to request return to a previous agent listed in the call session history. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

A method of tracking calls received within a call center is disclosed. A call is received within a call center switch that is connected to a call center via a host interface link (HIL). The call center has an automatic call distributor (ACD) server and interactive voice response (IVR) server, which is functionally integrated with the ACD server. The call is routed to the IVR server of the call center and responses are solicited from the caller to determine a requested type of service and what skills are required for answering a call. A route request based on an HIL protocol is determined within the call center and includes a new extension number and HIL messages. The call is routed based on the route request back to the call center and to an agent via the ACD server and HIL link such that the call can be tracked while in the call center and in queue.

In a computer-telephony integrated (CTI) contact center, a CTI adjunct (160) enqueues contacts in contact queues (184) of the CTI adjunct, but also causes contacts that are calls (168) to be enqueued as ACD calls in ACD call queues (120) of an ACD system (101), whereby the ACD system and its management information system (MIS 110) provide ACD features to the calls. Similarly, the CTI adjunct enqueues agents in agent queues (185) of the CTI adjunct, but also causes agents (102-104) that have call-handling skills to log into and to be enqueued as ACD agents in ACD agent queues (130) of the ACD system, whereby the ACD system and its MIS provide ACD features to the agents.

A skills based telephone call distribution system is disclosed. The system determines the informational needs of an incoming caller and defines a set of skills an agent should possess to serve the caller. A search is performed for an available agent possessing the skill set. Upon the search failing to locate an available agent possessing the skill set, the amount of time the caller may expect to wait therefor is estimated. The estimated time is compared to a maximum waiting time. If the estimated time is greater than the maximum waiting time, then the skill set is redefined to include a greater number of agents who may serve the caller. A new search is performed for an available agent possessing the redefined skill set.

The implement of the invention provides a call processing method, a call control device, an automatic call distribution device and a seat terminal, wherein the call processing method comprises the steps that the call control device receives a processing request to a call, which is distributed by the automatic call distribution device so as to extract the media link address and the media ability of the automatic call distribution device, which are carried in the processing request; the call control device carries out media negotiation based on the media abilities of the seat terminal and the automatic call distribution device; the call control device establishes a media session between the seat terminal and the automatic call distribution device according to the media link address of the seat terminal, the media link address of the automatic call distribution device and the media negotiation result so as to be convenient for the seat terminal to process the call. The implement of the invention also provides the call control device, the automatic call distribution device and the seat terminal, so that the processing burden of a whole cloud server is reduced, and the service quality of the call center based on the cloud computing technique can be effectively guaranteed.

A method for handling calls of an automatic call distributor system includes receiving, from a user, a request for connection with one of a plurality of agents, having one of a plurality of skills. In a particular embodiment, a preferred agent of the plurality of agents is selected by a statistical analysis using variables including a network resource available along a communication path between the user and the preferred agent, and an impact of connecting the user with the preferred agent upon the availability of a generally unique skill of the plurality of skills, to a future user. The user is connected with the preferred agent, the preferred agent having the one of the plurality of skills.

A method and apparatus for extensible real-time workflows are described. The present invention allows a user of a transaction processing system, such as a customer relationship management (CRM) tool or an automatic call distribution (ACD), for example, to easily add new event sources without recompiling the core workflow server engine of the transaction processing system. The invention also supports features such as the adding of new services, the exchange of events and parameters with other systems, real-time collection and display of workflow statistical information, the use of a centralized configuration database, incremental loading and unloading of workflows and rules, and exception handling.