Callback telecommunication system and method

• US 6,704,404 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2000
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Netcall Plc
• Original Assignee: Netcall Plc
• Inventors: Burnett, John Geoffrey Robert Wildman
• Primary Examiner(s): Deane, Jr., William J.
• Application Number:
  US09/614,063
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265-1-2, 379/266-1-2, 379/209.01, 379/369, 379/210.01
• US Class Current: 379/209.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements

Abstract

A system and method for call-back handling are described. A call from a caller to a client, is received and the number at which the caller can be called back is determined. The call-back handler then initiates a telephone call to the client through a public service telephone network standard line, either locally or on a public telephone network, and waits for the client to accept the call. Then, the caller is called and the calls from call-back handler to client and to the caller are connected.

Claims

1. A call-back method for a call center environment, the method comprising

receiving in a call-back handler a call from a caller to a client, the client having at least one agent capable of receiving telephone calls,

determining a number at which the caller can be called back,

initiating in the call-back handler a telephone call to the client through a public service telephone network standard line,

waiting for the telephone call to be connected to the at least one agent,

upon connection of the telephone call to the at least one agent and while the agent is available to talk to the caller, immediately initiating in the call-back handler a telephone call to the caller, and

connecting together in the call-back handler the telephone calls to the caller and to the client with a resulting connection between the caller and the individual being routed through the call-back handler.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the call from the call-back handler to the client is over a public telephone network.

3. A method of handling calls made by a caller to a client according to claim 1 further comprising the step of determining if the client is able to accept the telephone call by making the individual available to talk to the caller without call-back, and if so connecting the caller to the client.

4. A method of handling calls according to claim 1, wherein the at least one agent is a plurality of agents, and wherein the client has a switch connecting the plurality of agents to an external telephone network.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein a queue system is associated with the switch, and when the call-back system calls the client back it waits in the queue until an agent becomes available.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the call-back handler makes no more than a certain number of simultaneous calls to the client.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the certain number varies with time.

8. A method according to claim 6 further comprising the steps of sending information from the client to the call-back handler and determining the certain number based on the information sent.

9. A method according to claim 6 further comprising queuing calls that cannot be placed automatically with the client in a local queue in the call-back handler.

10. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of allowing the caller to input a preferred call-back time, and determining when to call the caller back using this information, if provided.

11. A method according claim 1 including automatically determining a telephone number of the caller and initiating the call to the caller using the automatically determined telephone number.

12. A method according claim 1 further comprising the step of allowing a caller to input a different number to be called back on than the telephone number from which the caller is calling.

13. A method according to claim 1 comprising

receiving a call from a caller at a client'"'"'s telephone system,

determining whether the call can be handled by the client or whether the call is to be handled by a call-back handler, and if the latter diverting the received call to the call-back handler to carry out the steps according to any preceding claim.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein the call-back handler receives and sends calls by a direct connection to a central office switch.

30. The call-back method of claim 1, wherein immediately initiating in the call back handler a telephone call to the caller comprises initiating the telephone call without waiting for the agent to press a key.

15. A method for a call center environment of handling telephone calls from at least one caller to at least one predetermined telephone number of a client, the client having at least one agent capable of receiving telephone calls, the method including

passing some or all telephone calls received on the at least one predetermined telephone number to a call-back handler to record the caller'"'"'s number,

receiving a telephone call to the client from the call-back handler on a telephone standard line by connecting the telephone call with the at least one agent, the agent being available to talk to the caller,

wherein the received telephone call on the telephone standard line is connected to the caller, whilst the agent is available to talk to the caller, by the call-back handler immediately initiating and carrying out the steps of calling back the caller on the recorded number and connecting in the call-back handler the caller to the received telephone call.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein telephone calls are passed to the call-back handler which cannot be handled locally within predetermined constraints.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein immediately initiating and carrying out the steps of calling back the caller on the recorded number and connecting in the call-back handler the caller to the received telephone call comprises carrying out the steps of calling back the caller on the recorded number and connecting in the call-back handler the caller to the received telephone call without waiting for the agent to press a key.

18. A call-back method for a call center environment, the method comprising

receiving in a call-back handler a telephone call from an original caller to a client having telephone apparatus and at least one agent capable of receiving telephone calls,

determining a number at which the original caller can be called back,

calling the client telephone apparatus by transmitting a dial signal from the call-back handler to a switch, so that the switch interprets the dial signal to connect the call-back handler to the client telephone apparatus,

upon establishing a connection between the call-back handler and the client telephone apparatus, immediately initiating in the call-back handler a telephone call from the call-back handler to the original caller, and

connecting together in the call-back handler the telephone calls to the original caller and to the telephone apparatus of the client so that the original caller is connected to the client telephone apparatus through the call-back handler.

19. A call-back method according to claim 18 wherein the switch to which the telephone call to the client is transmitted is a public network telephone exchange.

20. A call-back method according to claim 19 wherein the public network telephone exchange is a central office switch.

21. A call-back method according to claim 18 wherein the switch to which the telephone call to the client is transmitted is a private branch exchange.

22. A call-back method according to claim 18 wherein the call-back handler waits for the telephone call to the client to be connected by the switch and for the client to answer the call, before initiating the call back to the original caller.

23. A call-back method according to claim 18 further comprising the step of determining if at least one agent is available to talk to the caller without call-back, and if so connecting the original caller to the client without entering the call-back procedure.

24. A method according to claim 18 including automatically determining in the call-back handler a telephone number of the original caller.

25. The call-back method of claim 18, wherein immediately initiating in the call back handler a telephone call from the call-back handler to the original caller comprises initiating the telephone call without waiting for the agent to press a key.

26. A call-back handler for handling telephone calls made by a caller to a client in a call center environment, wherein the call-back handler comprises

a caller identification system for recording an identity of the caller,

a telephone standard out-dialler for dialling out using telephone standard codes,

code for causing the out-dialler to call the client and to wait for the telephone call to be connected to an agent, the agent being available to talk to the caller,

code for causing the out-dialler, upon connection of the telephone call to the agent and while the agent is available to talk to the caller, to dial the caller immediately, and

a switch for connecting the client with the caller so that the telephone calls from the out-dialler to the client and the caller are connected through the call-back handler.

27. A call-back handler according to claim 26 further comprising a queuing system for queuing telephone calls in the call-back-handler before dialling the client.

28. A call-back handler according to claim 26 further comprising an identifier to automatically determine the caller'"'"'s identity.

29. A call-back handler system according to claim 26 wherein the call-back handler is connected directly to a central office switch.

31. The call-back handler of claim 26, further comprising code for causing the out-dialler to dial the caller without waiting for the agent to press a key.