Method and apparatus for controlling a contact center
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for controlling a plurality of agent stations in a contact center, said apparatus comprising:
- a switch, for running contact center applications software and for controlling agent stations and facilitating switching between agent stations and customers or other agent stations;
a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) for controlling agent stations and for facilitation switching between said agent stations and said customers or other agent stations;
wherein the switch and the PBX are mutually exclusive with respect to controlling agent stations such that each of the agent stations is controlled by either the switch or the PBX at any given time; and
control means for determining whether a particular agent station should be controlled by said PBX or said switch, and for allocating said control.
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Abstract
A switching apparatus for a contact center is integrated into a legacy contact center including a PBX. The switching capacity of both of the PBX and the switch are utilized efficiently by handing off controller specific desktop agents between the central processor and the PBX.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. Apparatus for controlling a plurality of agent stations in a contact center, said apparatus comprising:
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a switch, for running contact center applications software and for controlling agent stations and facilitating switching between agent stations and customers or other agent stations;
a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) for controlling agent stations and for facilitation switching between said agent stations and said customers or other agent stations;
wherein the switch and the PBX are mutually exclusive with respect to controlling agent stations such that each of the agent stations is controlled by either the switch or the PBX at any given time; and
control means for determining whether a particular agent station should be controlled by said PBX or said switch, and for allocating said control. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. Apparatus for implementing a contact center comprising:
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a PBX, for switching contacts within said contact center, and for controlling agent stations;
a switch, for switching contacts within said contact center, and for controlling agent stations;
wherein the switch and the PBX are mutually exclusive with respect to controlling agent stations such that each of the agent stations is controlled by either the switch or the PBX at any given time; and
a central processor, said central processor comprising means for controlling whether said switch or said PBX is responsible for controlling and switching said contacts within said contact center to and from any particular agent. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of switching contacts through a contact center to an agent comprising:
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determining, for a particular agent, which of either a PBX or other switch should control the particular agent, wherein the PBX and the switch are mutually exclusive with respect to controlling the particular agent such that each of the agent is controlled by either the switch or the PBX at any given time; and
after said determination, switching said contact through to said agent via either the PBX or the switch, as said determining step requires.
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Specification