Contact server for call center for syncronizing simultaneous telephone calls and TCP/IP communications

• US 6,493,447 B1
• Filed: 11/21/1997
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Goss, Raymond G., Ravenscroft, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, Roland G.
• Application Number:
  US08/976,162
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 379/34, 379/265, 379/266, 379/207, 379/265.01, 379/265-2-2, 379/265.09, 379/265--26, 379/266.01, 370/351, 370/352, 370/389, 370/401, 370/353, 370/354, 709/203, 343/700
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements
• 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 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

The present invention is a Contact Server that enables customers to submit call-back requests to a call center via the Internet, or virtually any other communications technology available. A call-back to the customer can be placed via any communications technology available. In its preferred embodiment, the Contact Server enables a call-back request to be submitted by a customer directly from an HTML page on a Web site, and have that same HTML page be presented to the agent that receives the call-back request. The agent can then place a telephone call to the number provided by the customer who submitted the call-back request, and at the same time, establish a TCP/IP communications session with the customer. This TCP/IP session can proceed between the agent'"'"'s Web browser and the customer'"'"'s Web browser, and the visible actions performed by the agent are transferred to the customer and displayed on the customer'"'"'s browser. The TCP/IP session proceeds simultaneous with the telephone call between the agent and the customer.

Claims

1. A system for managing communications between a customer and a business having a call center with a plurality of agent workstations, said system comprising:

a company web server configured for transmitting a web page to the customer via an IP communications link, said web page permitting the customer to request a call back;

an automatic call distributor configured for establishing a second communications link between one of the agent workstations in the call center and the customer;

a computer/telephony interface server configured for monitoring events at the automatic call distributor; and

a contact server deployed on a computer other than a computer deploying the company web server and configured for;

tracking the state of each of the agents,

listening for a call back request received from the customer via the company web server, said call back request specifying a call back to occur at a specified time,

identifying and reserving an available agent for future communications at the specified time with the customer based on the state of each of the agents in response to the call back request;

wherein the contact server is further configured for managing communications among the company web server, the agent workstation of the available agent, and the customer so that the available agent and the customer may each view the web page while communicating with each other over the second communications link.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the contact server is further configured to track the state of each of the agents by directly monitoring agent activities at the agent workstations in the call center.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the computer/telephony interface server is further configured for monitoring agent activities at the agent workstations in the call center; and

the contact server is further configured to track the state of each of the agents via the computer/telephony interface server.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second communications link employs a protocol selected from the group of broadband telephony, TCP/IP, SMTP, chat, internet telephony, and internet video.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a database server coupled to the contact server for authenticating the customer to use the call center.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a database server coupled to the contact server for providing access to data relating to services furnished by the company to the customer.

24. The system according to claim 1, wherein the specified time is one of a specific call time and a duration from a present time.

7. A system for managing communications between a customer and a business having a call center with a plurality of agent workstations, comprising:

a company web server configured for transmitting a web page to the customer via an IP communications link, said web page permitting the customer to request a call back;

an automatic call distributor configured for establishing a second communications link between one of the agent workstations in the call center and the customer;

a computer/telephony interface server configured for monitoring events at the automatic call distributor; and

a contact server configured for;

tracking the state of each of the agents,

listening for a call back request received from the customer via the company web server,

identifying and reserving an available agent for future communications with the customer based on the state of each of the agents in response to the call back request, and

managing communications among the company web server, the agent workstation of the available agent, and the customer so that the available agent and the customer may each view the web page while communicating with each other over the second communications link; and

an intranet web server separated from the company web server by a firewall, said intranet web server communicating with the available agent and the company web server providing at least one Java applet to the customer over the IP communications link.

8. A contact server for managing communications between a customer and a company, said customer having access to a company web server and said company having a customer call center employing a telecommunications telephony server, said contact server comprising:

an event processor configured for monitoring activities of agents at the customer call center and updating the state of each of the agents in tables managed by a database server;

at least one thread configured for listening for a call back request received from a customer via the company web server, said call back request specifying a call back to occur at a specified time; and

a main process configured for processing the call back request by identifying and reserving an available agent for future communications at the specified time with the customer based on the state of each of the agents in response to the call back request;

wherein the main process is further configured for managing communications among the company web server, the available agent, and the customer so that the available agent and the customer may each view the web page while communicating with each other over a communications link established by the telecommunications telephony server.

9. The contact server according to claim 8, wherein the event processor is further configured to track the state of each of the agents by directly monitoring agent activities at the agent workstations in the call center.

10. The contact server according to claim 8, wherein the contact server is further configured to track the state of each of the agents via the telecommunications telephony server.

11. The contact server according to claim 8, wherein the main process is further configured for notifying the telecommunications telephony server if an agent is available.

12. The contact server according to claim 11, wherein the main process is further configured for matching a set of qualifications with a customer'"'"'s requirements prior to said notifying the telecommunications telephony server.

13. The contact server according to claim 11, wherein the main process is further configured for matching a set of customer entitlements with a set of entitlements maintained for an IP address of the customer prior to said notifying the telecommunications telephony server.

14. The contact server according to claim 11, wherein the at least one thread is further configured for synchronizing an additional IP communications link to a call center manager.

15. The contact server according to claim 11, wherein the at least one thread is further configured for synchronizing an additional IP communications link with the customer employing a protocol selected from the group of broadband telephony, TCP/IP, SMTP, chat, internet telephony, and internet video.

25. The system according to claim 8, wherein the contact server is deployed on a computer other than a computer deploying the company web server.

26. The system according to claim 8, wherein the specified time is one of a specific call time and a duration from a present time.

16. A method for operating a contact server to manage communications between a customer and a company, said customer having access to a company web server transmitting a web page to the customer and said company having a customer call center employing a telecommunications telephony server, said method comprising:

monitoring activities of agents at the customer call center via the telecommunications telephony server to track the state of each of the agents;

listening for a call back request received from a customer via the company web server, said call back request indicating a specified time to call back;

identifying and reserving an available agent for future communications at the specified time with the customer based on the state of each of the agents in response to the call back request; and

managing communications among the company web server, the available agent, and the customer so that the available agent and the customer may each view the web page while communicating with each other over a communications link established by the telecommunications telephony server.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising notifying the telecommunications telephony server if an agent is available.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising matching a set of qualifications with a customer'"'"'s requirements prior to said notifying the telecommunications telephony server.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising matching a set of customer entitlements with a set of entitlements maintained for an IP address of the customer prior to said notifying the telecommunications telephony server.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising synchronizing an additional IP communications link to a call center manager.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising synchronizing an additional IP communications link with the customer employing a protocol selected from the group of broadband telephony, TCP/IP, SMTP, chat, internet telephony, and internet video.

27. The method according to claim 16, wherein the contact server is deployed on a computer other than a computer deploying the company web server.

28. The method according to claim 16, wherein the specified time is one of a specific call time and a duration from a present time.

22. A system for managing communications between a customer and a business having a call center with a plurality of agent workstations, said system comprising:

a company web server configured for transmitting a web page to the customer via an IP communications link, said web page permitting the customer to request a call back at a specified time;

an automatic call distributor configured for establishing a second communications link between one of the agent workstations in the call center and the customer;

a computer/telephony interface server configured for monitoring events at the automatic call distributor; and

a contact server configured for;

tracking the state of each of the agents,

listening for a call back request received from the customer via the company web server,

identifying and reserving an available agent for future communications at the specified time with the customer based on the state of each of the agents in response to the call back request, and

managing communications among the company web server, the agent workstation of the available agent, and the customer so that the available agent and the customer may each view the web page while communicating with each other over the second communications link.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the specified time is one of a specific call time and a duration from a present time.