Method and apparatus for recording and automated playback of personal agent greetings in a communication-center environment

• US 6,442,247 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2000
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• 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: Garcia, Gustavo Manuel Marin Damil
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/538,112
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/76, 379/88.01, 379/88.13, 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/88.25, 379/258, 379/260, 379/262, 379/265, 379/219, 379/214.01, 379/265.01, 379/268.09, 379/266.01, 379/265.12, 379/908, 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/306 Prerecordings to be used during a voice call
• 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 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/908 Multimedia

Abstract

A system for presenting a recorded message on behalf of an agent receiving a call at an agent station in a call center, the agent station having a telephony interface for receiving calls and a personal computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU), has a telephony switching apparatus enhanced by a computer-telephony integration (CTI) processor, an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system executing a voice treatment option (VTO) software, coupled to the telephony switching apparatus and the CTI processor; and a data repository having recorded messages stored on behalf of the agent and accessible to the CTI processor. The CTI processor routes incoming calls to the telephony interface for the agent, uses data associated with the calls for selecting appropriate recorded messages, and causes, by controlling the IVR, a retrieved recorded message to be played to a caller upon the agent picking up the routed call. The system is useful with both conventional telephone systems and data network telephony, such as over the Internet.

Claims

1. A system for presenting a recorded message on behalf of an agent receiving a call at an agent station in a call center, the agent station having a telephony interface for receiving calls and a personal computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU), the system comprising:

a telephony switching apparatus enhanced by a computer-telephony integration (CTI) processor;

an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system executing a voice treatment option (VTO) software, coupled to the telephony switching apparatus and the CTI processor;

a data repository storing pre-known historical data pertaining to callers; and

a data repository having recorded messages stored on behalf of the agent and accessible to the CTI processor;

characterized in that the CTI processor routes incoming calls to the telephony interface for the agent, uses data associated with the calls for selecting appropriate recorded messages, and causes, by controlling the IVR, a retrieved recorded message to be played to a caller upon the agent picking up the routed call, wherein the system provides whispered information to the agent about the callers based on the stored pre-known data pertaining to callers , not audible to the callers, to aid the agents in dealing with calls.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the telephony switching apparatus is a standard connection-oriented switched telephony (COST) telephone switch and the telephony interface is a COST telephone.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the telephony switching apparatus is a data-packet network (DPN) router, and the telephony interface is one of the PC/VDU or an Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT)-enabled telephone.

4. The system of claim 1 comprising both a COST switch receiving COST calls and a DPN router receiving IPNT calls, both controlled by the CTI processor, wherein both COST calls and IPNT calls are routed to agents, and pre-recorded messages are selected and played transparently to agents for both kinds of calls.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising software executing on the PC/VDU at the agent station, the software providing a user/interface at the PC/VDU enabling the agent to record, edit, and store messages.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the CTI processor apprises the agent of assignments upon the agent logging on at the agent station.

7. A method for presenting a recorded message on behalf of an agent receiving a call at an agent station in a call center, the agent station having a telephony interface for receiving calls, the method comprising steps of:

(a) storing the recorded messages in a repository accessible to a computer-telephony integration;

(b) providing a data repository storing pre-known data pertaining to callers;

(c) routing a call to an agent by a computer-telephony integration (CTI) processor controlling a telephony switching apparatus;

(d) selecting, by the CTI processor, from a data repository having recorded messages stored on behalf of the agent and accessible to the CTI processor, a message to be played to a caller;

(e) upon the agent picking up the routed call, playing the message to the caller; and

(f) whispering information and instructions about the callers regarding customer importance and treatment to an agent to aid the agents in dealing with calls based on pre-known stored caller information.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the telephony switching apparatus is a standard connection-oriented switched telephony (COST) telephone switch and the telephony interface is a COST telephone.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the telephony switching apparatus is a data-packet network (DPN) router, and the telephony interface is one of a PC or an Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT)-enabled telephone.

10. The method of claim 7 comprising both a COST switch receiving COST calls and a DPN router receiving IPNT calls, both controlled by the CTI processor, wherein both COST calls and IPNT calls are routed to agents, and pre-recorded messages are selected and played transparently to agents for both kinds of calls.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising software executing on the PC/VDU at the agent station, the software providing a user/interface at the PC/VDU enabling the agent to record, edit, and store messages.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the CTI processor apprises the agent of assignments upon the agent logging on at the agent station.