Leveraging A Sip Forking Model for Distributed Contact Center Routing

• US 20090238359A1
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Ely, Michael, Strandberg, Malcom
• Granted Patent: US 8,199,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.20
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for transferring contacts among automatic contact distributors of an automatic contact distribution system. The method includes the steps of collecting information from a contact through an interactive voice response unit of a broker automatic call distributor of the automatic contact distribution system, incorporating the collected information into a SIP message, forking the SIP message from the broker automatic contact distributor to a plurality of other automatic contact distributors of the automatic contact distribution system and transferring the contact from the broker automatic contact distributors to one of the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

Claims

1. A method of transferring contacts among automatic contact distributors of an automatic contact distribution system comprising:

collecting information from a contact through an interactive voice response unit of a broker automatic call distributor of the automatic contact distribution system;

incorporating the collected information into a SIP message;

forking the SIP message from the broker automatic contact distributor to a plurality of other automatic contact distributors of the automatic contact distribution system; and

transferring the contact from the broker automatic contact distributors to one of the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

2. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 1 wherein the SIP message further comprises a SIP INVITE message.

3. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 1 wherein the SIP message further comprises a SIP REFER message.

4. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 1 further comprising each of the plurality of other automatic contact distributors calculating a metric characterizing a relative availability of the automatic contact distributor to handle the contact.

5. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 4 further comprising the plurality of automatic contact distributors determining a type of the contact from the incorporated information.

6. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 5 further comprising the plurality of automatic contact distributors determining a queue time delay for an agent group of the determined contact type.

7. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 6 further comprising the plurality of automatic contact distributors comparing the determined queue time delay with a threshold value.

8. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 7 further comprising when the determined queue delay time exceeds the threshold, then the recipient automatic contact distributors sending a SIP OK message to the broker automatic contact distributor.

9. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 8 further comprising appending the metric to the SIP OK message.

10. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 9 further comprising the broker selecting the one of the plurality of automatic contact distributor for receipt of the contact based upon a relative value of the received metric.

11. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 1 further comprising the one automatic contact distributor receiving the contact from the broker connecting an interactive voice response unit to the contact and collecting additional information from the contact.

12. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 11 further comprising the one automatic contact distributor incorporating the information collected by the broker automatic contact distributor and the information collected by the one automatic contact distributor into a SIP transfer message and forking the SIP transfer message to the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

13. The method of transferring contacts as in claim 12 further comprising the one automatic contact distributor transferring the contact to a third automatic contact distributor based upon a set of responses received from the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

14. An apparatus for transferring contacts among automatic contact distributors of an automatic contact distribution system comprising:

means for collecting information from a contact through an interactive voice response unit of a broker automatic call distributor of the automatic contact distribution system;

means for incorporating the collected information into a SIP message;

means for forking the SIP message from the broker automatic contact distributor to a plurality of other automatic contact distributors of the automatic contact distribution system; and

means for transferring the contact from the broker automatic contact distributors to one of the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

15. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 14 wherein the SIP message further comprises a SIP INVITE message.

16. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 14 wherein the SIP message further comprises a SIP REFER message.

17. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 14 further comprising means within each of the plurality of other automatic contact distributors for calculating a metric characterizing a relative availability of the automatic contact distributor to handle the contact.

18. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 17 further comprising means within the plurality of automatic contact distributors for determining a type of the contact from the incorporated information.

19. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 18 further comprising means within the plurality of automatic contact distributors for determining a queue time delay for an agent group of the determined contact type.

20. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 19 further comprising means within the plurality of automatic contact distributors for comparing the determined queue time delay with a threshold value.

21. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 20 further comprising means for sending a SIP OK message to the broker automatic contact distributor when the determined queue delay time exceeds the threshold.

22. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 21 further comprising means for incorporating the metric to the SIP OK message.

23. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 22 further comprising means for selecting the one of the plurality of automatic contact distributor for receipt of the contact based upon a relative value of the received metric.

24. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 14 further comprising the one automatic contact distributor receiving the contact from the broker connecting an interactive voice response unit to the contact and collecting additional information from the contact.

25. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 24 further comprising means within the one automatic contact distributor for incorporating the information collected by the broker automatic contact distributor and the information collected by the one automatic contact distributor into a SIP transfer message and forking the SIP transfer message to the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

26. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 25 further comprising means within the one automatic contact distributor for transferring the contact to a third automatic contact distributor based upon a set of responses received from the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

27. An apparatus for transferring contacts among automatic contact distributors of an automatic contact distribution system comprising:

an interactive voice response unit that collects information from a contact;

a broker automatic call distributor that incorporates the collected information into a SIP message;

a SIP REGISTER that provides information for forking the SIP message from the broker automatic contact distributor to a plurality of other automatic contact distributors of the automatic contact distribution system; and

an availability processor that transfers the contact from the broker automatic contact distributors to one of the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

28. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 27 wherein the SIP message further comprises a SIP INVITE message.

29. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 27 wherein the SIP message further comprises a SIP REFER message.

30. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 27 further comprising a metric calculated within each of the plurality of automatic contact distributors that characterizes a relative availability of the automatic contact distributor to handle the contact.

31. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 30 further comprising a classification processor within the plurality of automatic contact distributors for determining a type of the contact from the incorporated information.

32. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 31 further comprising a timer within the plurality of automatic contact distributors for determining a queue time delay for an agent group of the determined contact type.

33. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 32 further comprising a comparator within the plurality of automatic contact distributors for comparing the determined queue time delay with a threshold value.

34. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 34 further comprising a SIP OK message incorporating the metric that is sent to the broker automatic contact distributor when the determined queue delay time exceeds the threshold.

35. The apparatus for transferring contacts as in claim 34 further comprising an availability processor that selects the one of the plurality of automatic contact distributor for receipt of the contact based upon a relative value of the received metric.