Apparatus and methods for managing multiple internet protocol capable call centers

• US 6,175,564 B1
• Filed: 01/22/1998
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1995
• 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, Neyman, Igor, Torba, Dmitry A., Deryugin, Vladimir N., Turovsky, Oleg, Goecke, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Brenda H.
• Application Number:
  US09/012,043
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/270, 379/265, 379/266, 379/219, 379/220, 379/309
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• 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 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• 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 3/5125 with remote located operators
• 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 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 : Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 : where the data service is an electronic mail service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/122 : where the PSTN/ISDN access is used as an access to networks other than PSTN/ISDN access arrangements to networks other than PSTN/ISDN H04M7/0066; access arrangements to public data networks H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 : Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 : Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 : Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 : Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 : Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 : Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 : Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/62 : for connecting to private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

An Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) system has Internet-connected managing computers at plural call centers connected to local agent stations at each call center. The managing computers are adapted to receive IPNT calls from clients at internal routing points. A router coupled to each of the managing computers at the call centers is adapted to execute routing rules to select agent stations for transferring calls received at the routing points, and the agent stations selected can be at any of the call centers involved. In one aspect the router, having selected an agent station at a call center remote from the call center where a call to be routed is first received, requests a routing point address at the remote call center, then transfers the call to that new routing point. The second call center then further routes the transferred call to the final agent station. Statistics may be used in routing, and data regarding client-callers may be routed to the same agent station for display to which calls are routed.

Claims

1. A system for routing Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) calls to agent stations at any of a plurality of remotely-distributed IPNT-capable call centers, each call center comprising a managing computer connected to PCs at each of a plurality of local agent stations, the system comprising:

a statistical server (stat-server) having a connection to each of the managing computers the stat-server storing and updating statistics related to activities of the call centers; and

a router coupled to the stat-server and each of the managing computers;

wherein the router accesses stored routing rules and statistics compiled for the call centers, and to route IPNT calls received at a routing point at any one of the call centers to an agent station at any one of the call centers.

2. The routing system of claim 1 wherein the router, in routing a call received at a routing point in a first managing computer at a first call center, having selected an agent station at another call center to receive the call, requests of the managing computer an address for a routing point at the second call center, and transfers the call to that routing point, the managing computer at the second call center then routing the call to an agent station local to the second managing computer.

3. The routing system of claim 1 further comprising a database storing data regarding callers, and wherein the routing server, when routing a call, also retrieves from the database client data related to the client placing a call and causes the retrieved data to be forwarded to the agent to whom a call is routed.

4. An Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call center system comprising:

a first Internet-connected managing computer coupled to plural PCs at first agent stations by links capable of carrying IPNT call data;

a second Internet-connected managing computer coupled to plural PCs at second agent stations by links capable of carrying IPNT call data; and

a call router coupled to the first and second managing computers;

wherein the call router executes routing rules to select any agent station at either of the first and second call centers for transferring a call received from a client at a routing point in either of the first and second call centers.

5. The call center system of claim 4 further comprising a statistics server (stat- server) coupled to the first and second call centers, the stat-server monitoring activities of the two call centers and storing statistics developed from the monitored activities, and wherein the router consults the stat-server in making routing decisions.

6. The call center system of claim 4 further comprising a database accessible to the router and storing data regarding clients placing calls to the call center, and wherein the router, upon causing a call received at one of the call centers to be routed to an agent at either call center, also retrieves data regarding the client caller from the database and causes the retrieved data to be transferred to the PC to which the call from the client is transferred.

7. The call center system of claim 4 wherein the managing computer is a computer-telephony integration (CTI) processor connected by a CTI link to a telephony switch at each call center, the telephony switch connected by a trunk line to a publicly-switched telephony network (PSTN) and by station-side ports to telephones at the local agent stations of each of the first and second call centers, the call centers being multimedia centers and the system capable of handling and routing both plain old telephony service (POTS) calls and IPNT calls.

8. A method for routing Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) calls in an IPNT call center system having a first and a second call center each having a managing computer connected to the Internet and plural connected agent stations with PCs, the method comprising steps of:

(a) monitoring arriving calls at routing points in each of the call centers;

(b) selecting an agent station at either one of the call centers for each arriving call by executing routing rules by a router coupled to both managing computers; and

(c) transferring each arriving call at either call center to the agent station selected in step (b).

9. The method of claim 8 wherein, in step (c) the router, in selecting an agent station at the second call center to get a call that first arrives at the first call center, contacts the managing computer at the second call center, requesting an address of a routing point at the second call center, and then routes the call to the requested routing point, the second call center then further routing the call to the selected agent.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising a step for consulting a statistics server (stat-server) by the router in the selection process, the stat-server monitoring activities of both call centers and preparing and storing statistics regarding the activities monitored, wherein the statistics are used by the router in selecting agent stations to receive calls.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising a step for consulting a database by the router, the database storing data regarding client-callers, wherein the router causes retrieved data regarding a client-caller to be transferred to the PC at the agent station to which the call placed by the client-caller is routed.