System for routing electronic mail to best qualified person based on content analysis

• US 6,128,646 A
• Filed: 12/24/1997
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miloslavsky, Alec
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prieto, Beatriz
• Application Number:
  US08/998,268
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/203, 709/205, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 709/242, 379/93.24, 379/93.17, 379/89.2, 379/93.15, 379/100.08, 379/980, 379/900, 379/100.13, 379/272, 379/265, 379/260, 379/201, 358/402, 370/351, 370/358
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• 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 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service
• 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 system for routing electronic mails to one of a plurality of support persons in a processing center is disclosed. Each person has a skill set that is suitable for responding to a certain type of e-mails. The system comprises an e-mail server for receiving the e-mail from a sender, an information extractor for extracting relevant information from the e-mail, and a router for routing the e-mail. The system contains a database for storing information related to all persons who can answer e-mails. The system also contains a server for storing the history of all activities in the system. The router can make routing decisions and perform load-balancing and alert functions based on the information stored in the database and the server.

Claims

1. A system for receiving and routing e-mails and telephony calls in a multimedia call center having a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) enhanced data network within the call center, the system for routing both e-mails and telephony calls comprising;

a plurality of computers connected on the data network and managed by support persons;

an e-mail server connected on the data network;

an adapter for performing conversion between e-mail attributes and telephony attributes, the adapter connected to the data network and the e-mail server;

a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) server connected on the data network; and

a telephony router connected to the data network;

characterized in that the adapter converts data between e-mail attributes and telephony attributes, and the CTI server negotiates with the router over the data network to determine a destination for the e-mail, and directs the e-mail server to forward the e-mail to one of said support persons based on the negotiation.

2. The system of claim 1 also comprising a stat-server connected to the data network, wherein stat-server records all of the activity information of the call center, and the router uses the information, at least partially, in the said negotiation with the CTI-server to determine a destination for the e-mail.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein routing of e-mails to selected support persons is load-balanced based on recorded activity stored in said stat-server of both e-mail and telephony traffic.

4. The System of claim 1 also comprising a database connected to the data network storing information regarding availability of said support persons, wherein the router uses the information, at least partially, in the said negotiation with the CTI-server to determine a destination for the e-mail.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said database further stores information on senders of e-mails, and routing performed by said router further uses said stored information on senders of e-mails in selecting support persons to receive said e-mails.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said database stores information about prior relationships of support persons and e-mail senders, and said router uses said relationship information in routing decisions.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein a time limit for response to e-mails by said support persons is set, and wherein e-mails not answered within said time limit are rerouted to other support persons.

8. The system of claim 1 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.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the support persons, after receiving the routed e-mail, reply directly to the sender of the e-mail, via the e-mail server, on a first come first serve basis.

10. A method for receiving and routing e-mails in a multimedia call center routing both e-mails and telephony calls having a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) enhanced data network within the call center, the method for routing e-mails comprising steps of;

(a) converting e-mail attributes to telephony attributes of an e-mail received at the call center via an adapter connected to a data network,

(b) negotiating a destination for the e-mail between a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) server, and a telephony router, both being connected to the data network,

(c) instructing an e-mail server to forward said e-mail to one of a plurality of computer terminals connected to the data network, at least partially based on the negotiation in step (b).