Call center management systems
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for managing dead air time on outbound calls comprising:
- obtaining a record for an outbound call to be made from a call center to a receiving party;
providing a parameter that specifies a time period of allowable dead air for outbound calls;
transmitting an out-of-band message to initiate the outbound call;
receiving an out-of-band message that the outbound call has been answered;
measuring dead air time for the outbound call; and
connecting an agent to the outbound call if the agent is available for the call before the dead air time for the outbound call exceeds the time period of allowable dead air specified by the parameter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A call center management system employs out-of-band signaling, such as provided by ISDN telecommunications technology, to manage outbound calls from a call center. By communicating with a central office of the PSTN in this way, it is possible to exercise a great degree of control over outbound calls originating from the call center. This control may be used, for example, to insert a meaningful caller identification label into the outbound call, or to manage dead air time within limits established by law, custom, or convenience, and to provide detailed reporting of outbound call activity.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for managing dead air time on outbound calls comprising:
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obtaining a record for an outbound call to be made from a call center to a receiving party;
providing a parameter that specifies a time period of allowable dead air for outbound calls;
transmitting an out-of-band message to initiate the outbound call;
receiving an out-of-band message that the outbound call has been answered;
measuring dead air time for the outbound call; and
connecting an agent to the outbound call if the agent is available for the call before the dead air time for the outbound call exceeds the time period of allowable dead air specified by the parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. Computer executable code embodied in a computer-readable medium comprising:
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computer executable code that provides a parameter that specifies a time period of allowable dead air for outbound calls;
computer executable code that obtains a record for an outbound call to be made from a call center to a receiving party;
computer executable code that generates an out-of-band message to initiate the outbound call;
computer executable code that receives an out-of-band message that the outbound call has been answered;
computer executable code that measures dead air time for the outbound call; and
computer executable code that connects an agent to the outbound call if the agent is available for the call before the dead air time for the outbound call exceeds the time period of allowable dead air specified by the parameter.
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27. A system for managing dead air time on outbound calls comprising:
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parameter means for providing a parameter that specifies a time period of allowable dead air for outbound calls;
obtaining means for obtaining a record for an outbound call to be made from a call center to a receiving party;
transmitting means for transmitting an out-of-band message to initiate the outbound call;
receiving means for receiving an out-of-band message that the outbound call has been answered;
measuring means for measuring dead air time for the outbound call; and
connecting means for connecting an agent to the outbound call if the agent is available for the call before the dead air time for the outbound call exceeds the time period of allowable dead air specified by the parameter.
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28. A method for managing dead air time on outbound calls comprising:
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providing a parameter that specifies a time period of allowable dead air for outbound calls;
obtaining a record for an outbound call to be made from a call center to a receiving party;
transmitting an out-of-band message to initiate the outbound call;
receiving an out-of-band message that the outbound call has been answered;
measuring dead air time for the outbound call; and
connecting an agent proxy to the outbound call if the agent proxy is available for the call before the dead air time for the outbound call exceeds the time period of allowable dead air specified by the parameter. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. A method for managing outbound calls comprising:
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providing a dead air interval for use in a telecommunications system, the dead air interval defining an interval of time that begins with a first event, the time of which may be determined for a call within the telecommunications system and increases with a passage of time until a second event, the time of which may be determined for the call within the telecommunications system;
providing a dead air parameter representative of a maximum allowable limit for the dead air interval;
generating an outbound call from a call center to a receiving party;
measuring the dead air interval for the outbound call;
attempting to connect the outbound call to an agent at the call center before the dead air interval for the outbound call exceeds the dead air parameter; and
tearing down the outbound call before the dead air interval for the outbound call exceeds the dead air parameter.
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31. A method for managing outbound calls comprising:
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defining a dead air interval for use in a telecommunications system, the dead air interval defining an interval of time that begins with a first event, the time of which may be determined for a call within the telecommunications system and increases with a passage of time until a second event, the time of which may be determined for the call within the telecommunications system;
defining a dead air parameter representative of a maximum allowable limit for the dead air interval;
determining at least one of the dead air interval and the dead air parameter applicable to a location of a receiving party;
placing an outbound call from a call center to the receiving party;
measuring the dead air interval for the outbound call;
attempting to connect the outbound call to an agent at the call center before the dead air interval for the outbound call exceeds the dead air parameter; and
tearing down the outbound call before the dead air interval for the outbound call exceeds the dead air parameter. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34)
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35. A system for managing dead air at a call center comprising:
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a plurality of agent stations, each agent station including a display and a telephone;
a telecommunications switch coupled to the telephone at each one of the plurality of agent stations, the telecommunications switch also coupled in a communicating relationship with a central office, the communicating relationship including one or more voice channels and one or more signaling channels;
a database of records corresponding to outbound calls that are to be placed; and
a computer configured to read a record from the database, to provide commands to the telecommunications switch to place a call associated with the record wherein an answer by a receiving party is signaled to the telecommunications switch through one of the one or more signaling channels, and to connect one of the one or more voice channels associated with the call to a telephone at an available one of the plurality of agent stations, and, when an agent station is not immediately available for the receiving party, the computer further configured to tear down the call before a dead air time associated with the call exceeds a time period of allowable dead air.
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36. A method for managing caller identification in outbound telephone calls comprising:
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obtaining a record for an outbound call to be made from a call center to a receiving party, the record including a caller identifier for transmission to the receiving party in the outbound call as an identifier of a calling party;
transmitting an out-of-band message to initiate the outbound call, the out-of-band message including a telephone number used to connect to the receiving party through a telecommunications network, and the message including the identifier for transmission to the receiving party;
receiving an out-of-band message that the outbound call has been answered; and
connecting an agent to the outbound call.
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Specification