Routing emails to a plurality of agents

• US 20050128961A1
• Filed: 02/01/2005
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alec Miloslavsky, Dmitry A. Torba, Igor Neyman, Jason Goecke, Oleg Turovsky, Vladimir N. Deryugin
• Original Assignee: Alec Miloslavsky, Dmitry A. Torba, Igor Neyman, Jason Goecke, Oleg Turovsky, Vladimir N. Deryugin
• Inventors: Miloslavsky, Alec, Neyman, Igor, Torba, Dmitry A., Deryugin, Vladimir N., Turovsky, Oleg, Goecke, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 7,460,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/10 Adding special bits or symbols to the coded information, e.g. parity check, casting out 9's or 11's
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1008 in individual solid state devices G06F11/1004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2215 to test error correction or detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1833 by adding special lists or symbols to the coded information G11B20/1806, G11B20/1866 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1053 IP private branch exchange [PBX] functionality entities or arrangements circuit switched PBXs H04M3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 : PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 : Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 : with remote located operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5141 : Details of processing calls and other types of contacts in an unified manner unified messaging in packet-switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 : in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 : Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 : interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 : with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 : Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 : Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 : Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 : for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/00 : Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0003 : Interconnection between telephone networks and data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0006 : where voice calls cross both networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0009 : where voice calls remain entirely in the telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 : Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 : Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 : Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 : Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 : Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 : Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 : Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 : Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/62 : for connecting to private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/901 : Wide area network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 : Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

An Internet Protocol Network Telephony call center having a plurality of agents for serving clients also processes e-mails addresses to the call center, but not to specific agents. An e-mail server receives and routes the e-mail, and includes a router and a database storing skill set information regarding agents. The router extracts information from the e-mails, matches key words in the extracted information with key words from the skill sets, and routes the e-mails to appropriate agents having the necessary skills to respond to the service requirements in the e-mails.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A system for routing an electronic mail (e-mail) to a plurality of agents having specific skill sets within a variety of possible skill sets, the system comprising:

an e-mail server adapted to receive said e-mail from a sender;

an information extractor for extracting information from said email;

a router; and

a data repository accessible to the router and storing skill sets of said agents;

wherein said router selects the plurality of agents for routing the email by matching stored information about the specific skill sets with portions of information extracted from said email.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a statistics server (stat-server) recording activities of said system, and wherein routing performed by said router further uses said recorded activity in said stat-server.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein routing of e-mails to selected agents is is load-balanced based on recorded activity stored in said stat-server.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein an overload threshold is set for number of e-mails to be routed, and senders of e-mails are notified of a possible delay when the threshold is exceeded.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein said stat-server further stores information on senders of e-mails, and routing performed by said router further uses said stored information on senders of e-mails.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein said plurality of agents are associated with a queue to which said email is routed.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein a time limit for response to an e-mail by said agents is set, and wherein e-mails not answered within said time limit are rerouted to a different plurality of agents.

18. The system of claim 11 further comprising an information extractor adapted to extract information from said e-mail, and wherein said information extractor comprises plural and selectable extraction algorithms.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein one of the extraction algorithms includes a parser, and wherein said one of the extraction algorithms uses the parser to search for keywords in said e-mail. information extracted from said email.

20. A method for routing an electronic mails (e-mail) to a plurality of agents, comprising steps of:

(a) receiving said e-mail from a sender at an e-mail server;

(b) extracting information from the email;

(c) matching said extracted information with recorded skill sets of a plurality of agents in a data repository; and

(d) routing the email to a plurality of agents indicated by the matching step (c).

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the plurality of agents to which said email is routed are associated with a queue.