Distributed Audio Conferencing System With Third-Party Hold And Sidebar Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current VoIP systems lack advanced telephony features for managing third-party participation in conference calls, such as volume control, sidebar functionality, third-party hold, supervisor hunting, and transfer capabilities, which restrict call agents' ability to efficiently handle client concerns and manage call transfers.
Innovation Solution
A conference call system with a feature module that includes a volume module, sidebar module, third-party hold module, supervisor hunt module, third-party disconnect module, and transfer module, which allow for selective volume adjustment, sidebar creation, holding, supervisor search, disconnection, and call transfer with enhanced permissions management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the supervisor joins the conference call to provide guidance, then the call agent can determine the course of action, but the call agent cannot transfer the conference call to another agent
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the conference call management into independent controllable entities. The conference call is segmented into individual participant connections that can be independently managed, allowing the call agent to transfer the call while the supervisor remains connected through a separate connection path.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a conference bridge as an intermediary that mediates between the supervisor, call agent, and client. This intermediary allows the call agent to transfer the client to another agent while the supervisor continues to monitor or participate through the bridge, enabling both guidance and transfer simultaneously.
2Ease of operation
If the call agent listens to both supervisor and client, then guidance can be received, but the call agent cannot adjust volume separately for each participant
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a media mixer as an intermediary that handles the complex audio mixing between multiple participants. The media mixer receives audio streams from the supervisor, client, and other participants, and provides individually controllable output streams to each participant, enabling separate volume adjustment without increasing endpoint complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Each participant's endpoint autonomously manages its own audio output by receiving mixed audio streams from the media mixer. The endpoint can independently adjust the volume of different participants without requiring complex multi-party mixing capabilities at each device, distributing the control functionality across the system.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the agent puts the client on hold to speak with the supervisor, then private discussion is possible, but the client cannot be put on third-party hold while supervisor and agent discuss
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the hold functionality into different types: traditional hold where the client is completely disconnected from the audio path, and third-party hold where the client remains connected to the conference bridge but is muted. This segmentation allows the supervisor and agent to discuss privately while the client remains in the conference without hearing the conversation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different audio routing qualities to different participants. When third-party hold is activated, the client's audio stream is locally muted at the conference bridge while maintaining the connection, allowing the supervisor and agent to have private discussions while the client remains technically present but inaudible to the conversation.
4Productivity
If traditional call transfer is used, then the call can be transferred to another agent, but the conference call with supervisor must be disconnected first
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary setup by establishing the conference bridge connection and supervisor participation before the call transfer occurs. The conference context is prepared and maintained in advance, allowing the call agent to transfer the client to another agent while the supervisor remains connected, preventing context loss and enabling seamless transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The conference call maintains continuous operation throughout the transfer process. The supervisor's connection to the conference bridge remains active before, during, and after the call transfer, ensuring that the guidance context is preserved and the supervisor can continue to monitor or participate in the call without reconnection or setup.
Data Source
AI summary
A conference call system with a plurality of endpoints, a switch and a media mixer is disclosed. One or more entities in the conference call system comprise part or whole of a feature module. The feature module executes various telephony features like adjusting the volume of a selected participant in a conference call, initiating a sidebar with a participant wherein other participants cannot hear the conversation of the participants in the sidebar, putting a selected call participant on hold from an endpoint other than the selected participant's endpoint, disconnecting a selected participant from an endpoint other than the selected participant's endpoint and transferring a call with two or more participants to a new participant's endpoint.