Calling system and method

• US 5,533,103 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 07/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Enterprise Communications, Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Information Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Ogden, James E., Peavey, Stephen D., Zmuda, Paul E., Hoyt, William J., Jamroga, David A., Dunn, Ino, Jorgensen, Jacob W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US08/473,941
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/69, 379/71, 379/75, 379/84, 379/85, 379/86, 379/87, 379/88, 379/89, 379/92, 379/93, 379/112, 379/218, 379/265, 379/266, 379/308, 379/309
• US Class Current: 379/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• 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 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/904 Auto-calling

Abstract

An automated computer calling system is disclosed for correlating diverse types of recorded information, such as voice or video, with data records that have been previously stored and/or simultaneously entered. The calling system is capable of simultaneously recording and processing multiple customer transactions, and verifying the transactions on the basis of the recorded information. In a preferred embodiment, the calling system includes: a customer database; one or more agent stations connected to a communications network; a call processor for controlling the communication between the agent stations and the customers and for selectively recording at least a portion of the conversation between a customer and an agent; a call manager for monitoring the customer communications and enabling data exchange between the customer database and the agent station, and for supplying the call processor with information required to initiate and terminate the communication; and a call recorder for linking the recorded voice information with the corresponding customer data record.

Claims

1. An automated calling system which stores a digital voice record of at least a portion of a conversation between an agent and a customer from which digital voice record an audible version of said conversation can be recreated for verification of a data input by the agent to a customer record in response to the conversation, comprising in combination:

an agent telephone set, and an agent station including an agent data input means, and an agent data display means;

call processor means;

call manager means;

a first data link establishing a two way data communications link between said call manager means and said agent data input means and said agent data display means;

a second data link establishing two way data communications between said call processor means and said call manager means;

said call processor means connecting a telephone trunk to said agent telephone set to establish a two way voice communication link between the customer and the agent telephone set;

means to store customer records;

said call manager means transmitting over said first data link customer record data to said agent data display means from said means to store customer records and storing, in said means to store customer records, changes to said customer data inputted from said agent data input means;

a digital voice recorder means;

a voice communications link between said call processor means and said digital voice recorder means;

said call manager means transmitting over said second data link a begin recording command, to said call processor means in response to an input to begin recording from said agent station to said call manager means over said first data link;

said call processor means transmitting said at least a portion of said conversation between the agent and the customer over said voice communications link to said digital voice recorder means;

said call manager means transmitting a customer identifier and an agent identifier to said digital voice recorder means; and

said digital voice recorder means recording said digital voice record of said at least a portion of said conversation, along with said customer identifier and said agent identifier.