Incoming call processing method, incoming call processing apparatus, and computer-readable recording medium having an incoming call processing program recorded thereon

• US 6,574,329 B2
• Filed: 04/06/1999
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Tatsuyuki, Mukaihara, Masataka
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US09/286,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20020101977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,519 Days
• Field of Search: 379/242, 379/84, 379/207, 379/88.09, 379/67.1, 379/205.01, 370/58.2, 370/60
• US Class Current: 379/242
• 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 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

The present invention relates to an incoming call processing method for enabling immediate answering of the greatest possible number of incoming calls without generating unserviced phone calls, by determining whether to answer the incoming call immediately or to answer the incoming call at a later time at which the volume of incoming call traffic intensity is light. To this end, the method includes a call receiving step for causing an electronic exchanger to receive an incoming call, an incoming call acceptance step for determining whether to answer the incoming call received in the call receiving step immediately or to answer the incoming call at a later time at which the volume of incoming call traffic intensity is light, and an answer step for answering the incoming call according to the type of answer determined by the incoming call acceptance step.

Claims

1. An incoming call processing method at an incoming call processing apparatus having a queue for storing an incoming call corresponding to a callback condition from an operator terminal of an incoming call acceptance side terminal to a client terminal of a calling party, comprising:

a call receiving step for causing an electronic exchanger, in said incoming call processing apparatus, to receive an incoming call;

an incoming call acceptance step for determining whether to answer each of the incoming call and the calls stored in the queue in the call receiving step based on a first callback condition of the incoming call acceptance side, said first callback condition being changeable by the calling party, and said first callback condition using a table for storing a phone number of said client terminal, a callback time prepared on the basis of past experience of traffic intensity and a phone number of said operator terminal in sequence of arrival of the incoming calls, or a second callback condition, said second callback condition being selected with the predicted traffic intensity information prepared on the basis of a past experience such as data corresponding to the number of incoming calls per hour in a particular day, the number of incoming calls per weekday, the number of incoming calls per month, and the number of incoming calls per event, immediately to answer the incoming call or to call back the incoming call at a later time at which the volume of incoming traffic intensity is light; and

an answer step for immediately answering the incoming call from the incoming call acceptance side terminal to the calling party, while calling back the incoming call at the later time at which the volume of incoming traffic intensity is light, based on the type of answer determined in the incoming call acceptance step.

2. The incoming call processing method as defined in claim 1, further comprising

a time information selection-and-determination step for selecting and determining information about the time at which an operator can answer the incoming call that in the incoming call acceptance step is selected to be answered at a later time;

a first notification step for reporting to a calling party the time information selected and determined in the time information selection-and-determination step;

a verification step for verifying an approval of the calling party regarding the time information report made in the first notification step; and

an answer time determination step for determining as answer time information the time information approved by the calling party in the verification step.

3. The incoming call processing method as defined in claim 2, wherein, the time information selection-and-determination step is configured by a step for selecting and determining the time at which the operator can answer the incoming call selected in the incoming call acceptance step to be answered at a later time.

4. The incoming call processing method as defined in claim 2, wherein

the time information selection-and-determination step is configured by a step for selecting and determining the time zone at which the operator can answer the incoming call selected in the incoming call acceptance step to be answered at a later time;

the first notification step is followed by an answer time designation step, in which the calling party designates a desired time within the answer time zone determined in the time information selection-and-determination step; and

the verification step is configured by a step for verifying the time designated in the answer time designation step.

5. The incoming call processing method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

an operator terminal selection step for selecting an operator terminal which is to answer, at the answer time determined in the response time determination step, the incoming call, which in the incoming call acceptance step has been selected to be answered at a later time; and

an operator terminal reserve step for reserving the operator terminal selected in the operator terminal selection step for answering the incoming call.

6. The incoming call processing method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

an answer postponement information cancellation step for canceling the answer postponement information on condition that the operator terminal can answer and finish talking if the same calling party makes an incoming call before the operator answers the incoming call that has been selected in the incoming call acceptance step to be answered at a later time.

7. The incoming call processing method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a second notification step for informing the calling party that no operator terminal can answer if the same calling party makes an incoming call in the answer step before the operator answers the incoming call which in the incoming call acceptance step has been selected to be answered at a later time.

8. The incoming call processing method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

an answer time change step for changing the answer time which has been determined in the answer time determination step, in association with the informing operation in the second notification step.

9. An incoming call processing apparatus, at an incoming call processing apparatus having a queue for storing an incoming call corresponding to a callback condition from an operator terminal of an incoming call acceptance side terminal to a client terminal of a calling party, comprising:

predicted traffic intensity information storage means for storing a second callback condition being changeable by a setting of the calling party or predicted traffic intensity information, said predicted traffic intensity information being prepared on the basis of a past experience such as data corresponding to the number of incoming calls per hour in a particular day, the number of incoming calls per weekday, the number of incoming calls per month, and the number of incoming calls per event,

incoming call acceptance means for determining whether to answer each of the incoming call and the calls stored in the queue based on a first callback condition of the incoming call acceptance side, said first callback condition being changeable by a calling party, and said first callback condition using a table for storing a phone number of said client terminal, a callback time prepared on the basis of past experience of traffic intensity and a phone number of said operator terminal in sequence of arrival of the incoming calls, immediately or predicted traffic intensity information, said predicted traffic intensity information being prepared on the basis of a past experience such as data corresponding to the number of incoming calls per hour in a particular day, the number of incoming calls per weekday, the number of incoming calls per month, and the number of incoming calls per event, or to call back the incoming call at a later time at which the volume of incoming traffic intensity is light;

time information selection-and-determination means for selecting and determining information about the time at which the operator can answer the incoming call that has been selected by the incoming call acceptance means to be answered at a later time, on the basis of the predicted traffic intensity information stored in the predicted traffic intensity information storage means;

first notification means for reporting to a calling party the time information selected and determined by the time information selection-and-determination means;

verification means for verifying an approval of the calling party regarding the time information report made by the first notification means;

answer time storage means for determining and storing as answer time information the time information that is approved by the calling party by way of the verification means; and

answer means which immediately answers the incoming call if the incoming call acceptance means has determined that the incoming call is to be answered immediately from the incoming call acceptance side terminal to the calling party, and which calls back the incoming call at the time stored in the answer time storage means if the incoming call acceptance means has determined that the incoming call is to be answered at a later time.

10. The incoming call processing apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

operator terminal selection means for selecting an operator terminal which is to answer the incoming call which has been selected by the incoming call acceptance means to be answered at a later time, at the answer time determined by the incoming call acceptance means; and

operator terminal reservation means for reserving the operator terminal selected by the operator terminal selection means for answering the incoming call.

11. The incoming call processing apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

answer postponement information cancellation means for canceling the answer postponement information on condition that the operator terminal can answer and finish talking if the same calling party makes another incoming call before the operator answers the incoming call that has been selected by the incoming call acceptance means to be answered at a later time;

second notification means for informing the calling party that no operator terminal can answer if the same calling party makes an incoming call before the operator answers the incoming call which has been selected by the incoming call acceptance means to be answered at a later time; and

answer time change means capable of changing the answer time which has been determined by the answer time determination means in association with the reporting operation of the second notification means.

12. A computer-readable recording medium on which there is recorded an incoming call processing program for causing a computer to act as

call receiving means for causing an electronic exchanger in an incoming call processing apparatus, said incoming call processing apparatus having a queue for storing an incoming call corresponding to a callback condition from an operator terminal of an incoming call acceptance side terminal to a client terminal of a calling party, to receive an incoming call;

incoming call acceptance means for determining whether to answer each of the incoming call and the calls stored in the queue received by the call receiving means based on a first callback condition of the incoming call acceptance side, said first callback condition being changeable by the calling party, and said first callback condition using a table for storing a phone number of said client terminal, a callback time prepared on the basis of past experience of traffic intensity and a phone number of said operator terminal in sequence of arrival of the incoming calls, or a second callback condition, said second callback condition being selected with the predicted traffic intensity information prepared on the basis of a past experience such as data corresponds to the number of incoming calls per hour in a particular day, the number of incoming calls per hour in a particular day, the number of incoming calls per weekday, the number of incoming calls per month, and the number of incoming calls per event, immediately to answer the incoming call or to call back the incoming call at a later time at which the volume of incoming traffic intensity is light; and

answer means for immediately answering the incoming call from the incoming call acceptance side terminal to the calling party, while calling back the incoming call at the later time at which the volume of incoming traffic intensity is light, based on the type of answer determined by the incoming call acceptance means.