Apparatus and methods for coordinating telephone and data communications

• US 6,130,933 A
• Filed: 02/02/1996
• Issued: 10/10/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1996
• 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): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US08/594,628
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 379/96, 379/97, 379/98, 379/93, 379/90, 379/94, 379/265, 379/142, 379/93.09, 379/90.01, 379/93.07, 379/93.12, 379/93.14, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/93.25 , 379/93.24, 379/267, 395/793, 395/200.1, 395/200.02, 395/200.2, 370/401, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/90.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• 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 3/51 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: 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 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 7/12 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

Abstract

A telephony call center system comprises an Internet connection adapted for receiving data from a WEB server, the data originating from the computer platform of a person browsing the Internet, including data identifying the browsing person, such as a telephone number, and indicating to the WEB server a desire of the browsing person to communicate with an agent at the call center. The communication desired may be (a) a request for an agent at the call center to receive a telephone call from a browsing person, or (b) a request for a call to be placed to the browsing person from the call center. In both (a) and (b) the practical result is a telephone conference between the browsing person and an agent at the call center. In the first instance (a), in response to the data from the WEB server to the call center, the call center provides to the WEB server, for transfer to the browsing person via the Internet, a telephone number of a routing point at the call center. The call center selects an agent and initiates a watch for an arriving call from the browsing person. On arrival of the call, it is switched to the selected agent. In the other instance (b), in response to the data, the call center enters the browsing person'"'"'s telephone number to a dialer and, when the dialer completes a call to the browsing person, switches the call to a selected agent.

Claims

1. A system for conducting multimedia communication between an agent at a call center and a customer, comprising:

a customer location having a telephone connected by a first telephone line to a telephone network, and a computer connected by a data modem via a second telephone line to a wide area network (WAN);

a presentation server connected to the wide area network (WAN) and adapted for data connection to the computer at the customer location via the second telephone line and the data modem, whereby a customer may interact with a presentation provided by the presentation server; and

a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)-enhanced call center having a telephony switch connected to a CTI server executing CTI applications and connected to a telephony trunk, the CTI server also connected also by a digital data link to the presentation server, and the telephony switch connected to telephones in plural agent stations at the call center, the plural agent stations also having computer stations with video display units (PC/VDU);

wherein a customer-initiated interaction with the presentation causes the presentation server to request, via the digital data link to the CTI server, a voice telephony connection between one of the agent stations and the first telephone line at the customer location, and wherein the CTI server in response to the request returns a telephone number of a routing point at the CTI enhanced call center to the presentation server via the digital data link, the presentation server provides the routing point number to the customer in the presentation, selects an agent station for the connection, informs the presentation server of the agent station selection, the CTI server routes an incoming call placed by the customer on the second telephone line to the routing point to the selected agent station, and the presentation server connects the presentation to the selected agent station.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the PC/VDUs at agent stations are connected to a local area network (LAN) with a file server having customer information also connected on the LAN, and wherein the CTI server, based on data from the presentation server identifying the customer, retrieves data regarding the customer from the file server and causes the data regarding the customer to be displayed at the PC/VDU at the agent station when the call is accomplished between the customer and the agent station.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the wide area network is the Internet, the server is a WEB server connected to the Internet, and the presentation is a WEB page hosted by the WEB server.

4. A Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)-enhanced call center comprising:

a telephony switch connected to a telephony trunk and to telephones at plural agent stations, the plural agent stations also having computer platforms with video display units (PC/VDU); and

a CTI server connected by a CTI link to the telephony switch and having a data link to an Internet server;

wherein, upon receiving a request from the Internet server, the CTI server selects an agent to interact with a customer connected to the Internet server and viewing a presentation from the Internet server, returns a telephone number of a routing point at the computerized telephony switching system via the data link to the Internet server for relay in the presentation to the customer, and then routes a telephony call arriving at the routing point from the customer to the selected agent, and receives the presentation from the Internet server via the data link, and provides the presentation to the PCIVDU at the selected agent station.

5. In a system comprising a presentation server connected to a wide area network (WAN) and adapted to present a hosted interactive presentation to a customer also connected to the wide area network, a method for providing a voice telephony connection separate from the wide area network between the customer and an agent, and for coordinating the voice connection with transmission of the presentation to the agent, the method comprising steps of:

(a) upon an input to the interactive presentation by the customer, requesting the voice connection be established, the request sent via a data link from the presentation server to a CTI server at a CTI-enhanced call center, the CTI server connected to a telephony switch having a trunk line and plural agent stations each with a telephone connected to the telephony switch;

(b) selecting one of the plural agent stations to interface with the customer on the voice connection;

(c) establishing the voice connection with the customer via the trunk by returning a telephone number of a routing point at the telephony switch to the presentation server for transfer via the WAN to the customer;

(d) receiving at the routing point a telephony call from the customer, switching the established call to the selected agent; and

(e) transmitting the presentation via the data link to a computer at the selected agent station.