Method and apparatus for controlling a contact center
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for controlling a plurality of agent stations in a contact center, said apparatus comprising:
- a switch, for running contact center applications software and for controlling agent stations and facilitating switching between agent stations and customers or other agent stations;
a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) for controlling agent stations and for facilitating switching between said agent stations and said customers or other agent stations;
control means for determining whether a particular agent station should be controlled by said PBX or said switch, and for allocating said control.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A switching apparatus for a contact center is integrated into a legacy contact center including a PBX. The switching capacity of both of the PBX and the switch are utilized efficiently by handing off controller specific desktop agents between the central processor and the PBX.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. Apparatus for controlling a plurality of agent stations in a contact center, said apparatus comprising:
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a switch, for running contact center applications software and for controlling agent stations and facilitating switching between agent stations and customers or other agent stations;
a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) for controlling agent stations and for facilitating switching between said agent stations and said customers or other agent stations;
control means for determining whether a particular agent station should be controlled by said PBX or said switch, and for allocating said control. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. Apparatus for implementing a contact center comprising:
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a PBX, for switching contacts within said contact center;
a switch, said central processor comprising means for switching contacts within said contact center, and means for controlling whether said switch or said PBX is responsible for switching said contacts to and from any particular agent. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 12, 14)
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11. An agent station for use in a contact center, the agent station comprising:
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means for establishing contacts through a switching arrangement; and
means for sending a message indicative of which of a plurality of switching arrangements is to determine which contacts are routed to and from said agent station.
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13. A switch for use in a contact center comprising:
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control means for instructing a PBX as to which of a plurality of agents said PBX is responsible for controlling;
switching means for switching contacts to and from agents, the control of which is not done by the PBX.
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15. A method of switching contacts through a contact center to an agent comprising:
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determining, for a particular agent, which of either a PBX or other switch should control the particular agent; and
after said determination, switching said contact through to said agent via either the PBX or the switch, as said determining step requires.
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16. A method of controlling an agent station in a contact center, the method comprising the steps of:
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logging on from the agent station and specifying, during said logon, which of a plurality of at least two switching means should control switching to and from said agent; and
during operation of said center, controlling said agent station by a different one of said at least two switching means temporarily. - View Dependent Claims (17, 28)
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18. A call center switch comprising:
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a processor for receiving a logon message from each of a plurality of agent terminals, and for parsing the logon message to ascertain a specified one of several possible switching arrangements to interface said agent sending said logon message to a public network; and
switching means for switching contacts to and from agents. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A method of processing a contact in a contact center to facilitate the intervention of an additional party, the method comprising the steps of:
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facilitating a connection between an agent station and a remotely located terminal over a public network, the agent station being controlled by a contact center switch connected to a LAN;
signaling said contact center switch to add an additional entity to the contact;
sending a message from said contact center switch to a PBX over said LAN, said message causing control of said entity to be added to change from said PBX to said contact center switch, and adding said entity to said contact. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A contact center switch comprising:
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processing means for receiving logon messages from a plurality of agents, each agent capable of operating in a plurality of roles, the logon messages containing information indicative of which role in which the agent is operating; and
software for determining, based at least in part on the logon message, whether the switch or another device controls said each agent. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. A method of determining which of a plurality of switching apparatus connected to agent stations in a contact center should control each of said agents, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a logon message from each of a plurality of agents, and assigning control of said agent for the initiation and acceptance of contacts through one of a plurality of switching apparatus, said step of assigning being based at least in part upon said logon message.
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Specification