Matching routed call to agent workstation

• US 6,792,102 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Shires, Glen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US09/750,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20020085705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 279/265.01, 279/265.04, 279/265.09
• US Class Current: 379/265.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

An arrangement is provided for matching a routed call to an agent workstation. An agent working at an agent station of a call center enters an agent ID when the agent answers a routed call. The routed call is therefore associated with the agent ID. The agent ID is encoded into DTMF tones which is detected by a telephony server so that the encoded agent ID can be extracted. The extracted agent ID is then sent to a browser server. The agent ID is then used by the browser server to identify a workstation that is represented by the same agent ID by matching the received agent ID with the workstation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

entering, by an agent at an agent station, an agent ID when the agent answers a routed call, the routed call being associated with the agent ID;

detecting, by a telephony server, DTMF tones resulted from the agent ID entered by the agent, the DTMF tones encoding the agent ID;

sending, by the telephony server, the agent ID decoded from the DTMF tones to a browser server;

matching, by the browser server, the agent ID, associated with the routed call, with a corresponding workstation that is represented by the agent ID;

receiving, by the telephony server, a request for a call-back from a user, the request being received from the browser server via the Internet, the request including a type of the user'"'"'s problem;

placing, by the telephony server, a call to a call center, the call representing the request; and

routing, by the call center, the call to a selected agent station, from a plurality of agent stations, based on the type of the user'"'"'s problem, as a routed call before the agent answers the routed call.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

entering, by the agent before the agent answers the routed call, the agent ID into the browser server from the workstation; and

recording, by the browser server, the agent ID entered by the agent into the browser server from the workstation.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the matching comprises:

receiving, by the browser server, the agent ID decoded from the DTMF tones, sent by the sending from the telephony server; and

identifying, by the browser server, the corresponding workstation by matching the agent ID of the corresponding workstation, recorded by the recording before the agent answers the routed call, with the agent ID decoded from the DTMF tones, received by the receiving.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

issuing, by the user, the request for the call-back, by selecting a live information service from a web page via a browser on the browser server, from a device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the device comprises a personal computer.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the device comprises a personal digital assistant.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the device comprises a wireless personal digital assistant.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the device comprises a wireless web-enabled device.

9. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

bridging, by the telephony server after the agent answers the routed call, a call-back between the agent and the user; and

opening, by the browser server, a co-browsing session between the user and the agent by displaying similar web content on both display screens of the device and the corresponding workstation.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein the type of the user'"'"'s problem is billing-related.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein the agent enters the agent ID every time the agent answers the routed call.

26. The system according to claim 9, wherein the type of the user'"'"'s problem is billing-related.

27. The system according to claim 9, wherein the agent enters the agent ID every time the agent answers the routed call.

10. A system for matching routed call to agent workstation, the system comprising:

a browser server;

an agent station wherein the agent station including a workstation and a call station, the workstation being used by an agent to log into the browser server using an agent ID and the call station being used by the agent to answer a routed call;

a device used by a user, the user connecting to the browser server to access data content via the device;

a telephony server connecting to the browser server and the device, the telephony server

receiving a request for a call-back issued by the user, the request including a type of the user'"'"'s problem,

detecting an agent ID entered by the agent when the agent answers the routed call to initiate the call-back, sending the agent ID to the browser server,

and bridging the call-back; and

a call center connecting to the telephony server and the agent station, the call center receiving the request for the call-back issued by the user and forwarded by the telephony server, and routing the request to a selected agent station, from a plurality of agent stations, based on the type of the user'"'"'s problem, as a routed call.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the request for a call-back is issued by the user from a web page hosted by the browser server.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the device comprises a personal computer.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the device comprises a personal digital assistant.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the device comprises a wireless web-enabled device.

15. A system for a telephony server, the system comprising:

a receiver for receiving a request from a user for a call-back, the request including a type of the user'"'"'s problem;

a call center to call a selected agent station, from a plurality of agent stations, based on a type of the user'"'"'s problem, as a routed call before the agent answers the routed call;

a dialer for placing a call to the call center based on the request, the request including the type of the user'"'"'s problem;

a detector for detecting DTMF tones generated from a DTMF key entered by an agent at an agent station, the DTMF key representing the agent ID of the agent and DTMF tones encoding the agent ID;

a transmitter for sending the agent ID, decoded from DTMF tones, to the browser server; and

a phone call bridge for placing and bridging the call-back between the agent and the user.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein the request for the call-back is issued via a web page on a browser hosted by a browser server.

28. The system according to claim 15, wherein the type of the user'"'"'s problem is billing-related.

29. The system according to claim 15, wherein the agent enters the agent ID every time the agent answers the routed call.

17. A system for a browser server, the system comprising:

a log-in mechanism for a logging in session, wherein the log-in in session corresponds to an agent ID;

a telephony server connecting to the browser server and a device, the telephony server

receiving a request for a call-back issued by a user, the request including a type of the user'"'"'s problem,

detecting an agent ID entered by the agent when the agent answers a routed call to initiate the call-back, sending the agent ID to the browser server, and bridging the call-back; and

a call center connecting to the telephony server and the agent station, the call center receiving the request for the call-back issued by the user and forwarded by the telephony server, routing the request to a selected agent station, from a plurality of agent stations, based on the type of the user'"'"'s problem, as the routed call;

a receiver for receiving an ID from the telephony server;

a matcher for matching the agent ID corresponding to a log-in session and the ID received from the telephony server by the receiver;

a co-browsing mechanism; and

a web server.

18. The system according to claim 17, further comprising a storage to store IDs.

30. The method according to claim 17, wherein the type of the user'"'"'s problem is billing-related.

31. The system according to claim 17, wherein the agent enters the agent ID every time the agent answers the routed call.

19. A computer readable medium having program code stored thereon such that when the code is read and executed by a computer, the computer is caused to:

detect, by a telephony server, DTMF tones resulted from an agent ID entered by an agent when the agent answers a routed call, the DTMF tones encoding the agent ID, the routed call being associated with the agent ID;

send, by the telephony server, the agent ID decoded from the DTMF tones to a browser server; and

match, by the browser server, the agent ID, associated with the routed call, with a corresponding workstation that is represented by the agent ID

receive, by the telephony server, a request for a call-back from a user, the request being received from the browser server via the Internet, and the request includes a type of the user'"'"'s problem;

placing, by the telephony server, a call to a call center, the call representing the request; and

routing, by the call center, the call to a selected agent station, from a plurality of agent stations, based on the type of the user'"'"'s problem, as a routed call before the agent answers the routed call.

20. The medium according to claim 19, wherein the code further causes the computer to:

log in the agent, before the agent answers the routed call, based on the agent ID when the agent logs into the browser server from the workstation; and

record, by the browser server, the agent ID used by the agent to log into the browser server from the workstation.

21. The medium according to claim 19, wherein the code further causes the computer to:

receive, by the browser server, the agent ID decoded from the DTMF tones, sent by the sending from the telephony server; and

identify, by the browser server, the corresponding workstation by matching the agent ID of the corresponding workstation, recorded by the recording before the agent answers the routed call, with the agent ID decoded from the DTMF tones, received by the receiving.

22. The medium according to claim 19, wherein the code further causes the computer to:

receives the request from the user, for the call-back, the user issuing the request by selecting a live telephone information service from a web page via a browser on the browser server, from a device.

23. The medium according to claim 19, wherein the code further causes the computer to:

bridge, by the telephony server after the agent answers the routed call, a call-back between the agent and the user; and

open, by the browser server, a co-browsing session between the user and the agent by displaying the same web content on both display screens of the device and the corresponding workstation.

32. The medium according to claim 19, wherein the type of the user'"'"'s problem is billing-related.

33. The medium according to claim 19, wherein the agent enters the agent ID every time the agent answers the routed call.