System and method for operating a plurality of call centers

• US 5,915,012 A
• Filed: 01/14/1997
• Issued: 06/22/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miloslavsky, Alec
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Application Number:
  US08/782,983
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 379/220, 379/221, 379/207, 379/265, 379/266, 379/210, 379/211, 379/212, 379/201
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• 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 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• 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 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• 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

Abstract

A network-level routing system has a router and a connected information server at network level, the information server linked to a plurality of CTI servers each connected by a CTI link to a telephony switch in a call center. The CTI servers are adapted to monitor and control the telephony switches, which may be of different make and manufacture, and to report switch status to the connected information server at network level on a continuous basis, transaction-by-transaction. Incoming calls are routed to the telephony switches at the call centers by the network-level router based on the continually updated information in the network-level information server.

Claims

1. A system for routing telephone calls to individual ones of a plurality of telephony switches located within a plurality of call centers, said system comprising:

computer telephony integration (CTI) servers with each CTI server matched to one of the plurality of telephony switches;

a network level stat-server communicating with all of the CTI servers, the stat-server storing status information related to all of the telephony switches; and

a network level router using the stored status information in the stat-server for routing incoming calls to individual ones of the telephony switches;

wherein each of the CTI servers continuously reports the status of the connected telephony switch to the network level stat-server on a per-transaction basis.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the router routes telephone calls received by a first call center to a second call center.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein individual ones of the telephony switches are made by different manufacturers, and wherein each CTI server is adapted to communicate with the connected telephony switch and with the network level stat-server.

4. A method for routing a telephone call to one of a plurality of call centers each having at least one telephony switch connected to a computer telephony integration (CTI) server, the CTI server for each switch interacting with a network level stat-server connected to a network-level router;

the method comprising steps of;

notifying the network level stat-server via the CTI servers connected to each of the telephony switches of all transactions of the connected telephony switches on a transaction-by-transaction basis;

receiving a call at the network level to be routed by the network-level router;

selecting, by said router, based on information from said stat-server, a telephony switch at a call center for routing the call; and

routing the call to the selected switch.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein in the notifying step agent skills are communicated to the stat-server, and the agent skill information is used in routing decisions by the router.