Method and system for enabling queue camp-on for skills-based routing

• US 6,546,087 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information & Communication Networks, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Beyda, William J., Wuerfel, Randall P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US09/788,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20020114432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/265.01, 379/265.12, 379/266.01, 379/265.04, 379/265.06, 379/265.03, 379/210.01, 379/93.24, 379/265.11, 379/265.02, 379/209.01, 709/205, 709/203, 709/204, 707/3, 455/414
• US Class Current: 379/90.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• 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 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

In an automated call management method and system, automated processing is used to collect customer information that enables skills-based call routing and a camp-on approach to efficiently handling calls. The customer information is preferably acquired through use of a web-compatible form that is submitted by the customer. The form includes information that identifies agent attributes that are considered advantageous to handling a particular call, includes the callback telephone number, and may include the time at which the callback should be initiated. In another embodiment, the information is acquired using interactive voice recognition techniques. After an agent queue is selected on the basis of a correlation between identified agent attributes and the skills of a particular agent or agent group, a camp-on request is generated to initiate a connection when an appropriate agent is available.

Claims

1. A call-management method for distributing calls among agents for an automated request-and-respond capability comprising steps of:

utilizing automated processing to collect information from individuals for identifying agent attributes advantageous to handling calls involving said individuals;

utilizing automated resume routing to correlate identified agent attributes with specific said agents on a basis of stored attribute data regarding particular said agents; and

establishing call sessions between said individuals and said agents based on correlations identified using said automated resume routing, including employing automated camp-on techniques in call sessions in which;

(a) said agents selected for said call sessions on a basis of said correlation are not immediately available; and

(b) said individuals of said call sessions terminate connections that were utilized in said automated processing to collect said information from said individuals.

2. The call-management method of claim 1 wherein said step of utilizing automated processing includes enabling said individuals to enter said information as user data via data connections, said data connections being separate from said call sessions between said individuals and said agents.

3. The call-management method of claim 2 wherein said step of utilizing automated processing includes enabling said individuals to complete and submit Web-based forms via said data connections, said step of establishing call sessions including generating camp-on requests in response to said Web-based forms, said camp-on requests being specific to said call sessions between said individuals and said agents.

4. The call-management method of claim 3 wherein said step of enabling said individuals to complete and submit Web-based forms includes enabling each said individual to input a choice of time at which said camp-on request is generated.

5. The call-management method of claim 3 wherein said step of utilizing automated processing includes translating and extracting said information from said Web-based forms.

6. The call-management method of claim 3 wherein:

said step of utilizing automated processing is implemented by a Web-based system;

said step of utilizing automated resume routing is implemented by a skills-based routing system for automatic call distribution (ACD); and

said step of establishing call sessions is implemented by a telephony system.

7. The call-management method of claim 1 wherein said step of utilizing automated processing includes employing interactive voice recognition (IVR) techniques.

8. The call-management method of claim 7 wherein said step of employing IVR techniques includes enabling said individuals to select times at which camp-on requests are generated for establishing said call sessions.

9. The call-management method of claim 1 wherein said step of utilizing automated resume routing includes storing said attribute data as information relating to call-handling skills for a plurality of types of customer concerns, said step of utilizing automated resume routing further including selecting an agent queue for each of said call sessions on a basis of correlating said information collected from said individuals with said information relating to said call-handling skills, each said agent queue having at least one said agent associated therewith.

10. The call-management method of claim 9 wherein said steps of utilizing automated processing and utilizing automated resume routing are implemented as a customer support system.

11. A method of providing responsive calls in an automated call distribution (ACD) system comprising steps of:

collecting information from an individual regarding intended subject matter of a call session and regarding a telephone number for a call to said individual, said information being collected using automated techniques conducted via a first connection that requires system resources;

correlating said collected information with a plurality of call-handling skills of a plurality of individualized agents and selecting a particular agent queue on the basis of said correlating;

generating a camp-on request in response to said correlating, said camp-on request being specific to said telephone number and said particular agent queue; and

establishing a call connection between said individual and an agent following completion of a camp-on sequence that is initiated by said camp-on request, said camp-on sequence progressing with said first connection being terminated, thereby freeing said system resources required for said first connection.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of collecting information includes accessing form information submitted by said individual via a data network connection, said form information including said telephone number.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of collecting information includes providing access to a Web-based form in which said information is entered.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of collecting information includes soliciting and receiving a callback time at which said individual desires said call connection to occur.

15. An automated call distribution (ACD) capability comprising:

a Web-based system configured to process Web-based forms submitted by individuals requesting calls;

a skills-based resume routing system having stored attribute data regarding individualized call-handling skills of a plurality of individual agents, said Web-based system and said skills-based resume routing system being cooperative to correlate information from said Web-based forms with said stored attribute data to assign said agents to requests for said calls based on said call-handling skills of said agents; and

a telephony-based system configured to execute camp-on techniques in response to a command to establish a call session between one of said individuals and one of said agents, said Web-based system and said telephony-based system being cooperative with respect to maintaining said individuals and said agents in off-hold conditions while said camp-on techniques are executed.

16. The ACD capability of claim 15 wherein said Web-based system is enabled to determine a requested call time submitted by one of said individuals and said telephony-based system is cooperative to implement said camp-on techniques at said requested call time.

17. The ACD capability of claim 15 wherein said telephony-based system is a telephony-over-local area network (ToL) in which said Web-based system is incorporated.

18. The ACD capability of claim 15 wherein said telephony system is enabled to generate a camp-on request to an agent queue for which a particular call has been assigned.

19. The ACD capability of claim 15 wherein said telephony-based system is a private branch exchange.