Multi-tenant, multi-media call center services platform system

• US 6,831,966 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ipsen International GmbH, Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reynolds, Jim, Stevenson, Craig, Siegel-Jacobs, Karen, Tegan, Earl, Corlett, Renata, Ford, Terri
• Primary Examiner(s): Foster, Roland
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELAHEE, MD S
• Application Number:
  US09/651,791
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207.14, 379/211.02, 379/220, 379/9.04, 379/265-3-2, 379/266-1-2, 379/88.22, 379/265.12, 379/210.01, 379/221-5-2, 379/88.16, 379/265.02, 370/389, 370/352, 709/217, 705/7, 705/10
• US Class Current: 379/88.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

A call center system for enabling communication between callers and subscribers. The call center system includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and a virtual call center operable to receive calls from callers via the PSTN. The virtual call center performs Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Automated Call Distributor (ACD) functions to the callers on behalf of subscribers of the virtual call center for enabling communication between the callers and the subscribers. The virtual call center performs IVR and ACD functions to callers on behalf of each subscriber based on a service level agreement between each subscriber and the virtual call center. The virtual call center performs IVR functions associated with a subscriber for a caller to access information from the subscriber and for a caller to provide information to the subscriber. The virtual call center performs ACD functions associated with the subscriber to connect the caller with an agent of the subscriber.

Claims

1. A call center system for enabling communication between callers and subscribers, the system comprising:

a public switched telephone network (PSTN); and

a virtual call center shared by subscribers in accordance with service level agreements between the subscribers and the virtual call center, the virtual call center being operable to receive calls from callers via the PSTN, the virtual call center performing Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Automated Call Distributor (ACD) functions to the callers on behalf of the subscribers of the virtual call center for enabling communication between the callers and the subscribers, wherein the virtual call center performs IVR and ACD functions to callers on behalf of each subscriber based on a service level agreement between each subscriber and the virtual call center;

wherein the virtual call center performs IVR functions associated with a subscriber for a caller to access information from the subscriber and for a caller to provide information to the subscriber, wherein the virtual call center performs ACD functions associated with a subscriber to connect a caller with an agent of the subscriber;

wherein the virtual call center includes a call management unit having telephony ports for enabling connection of calls from the PSTN made by callers to the virtual call center for enabling communication between the callers and the subscribers, wherein the call management unit connects a call from the PSTN made by a caller to the virtual call center by allocating a telephony port to the call, wherein the availability of the telephony ports of the call management unit for calls made by callers to a subscriber is based on the service level agreement of the subscriber with the virtual call center.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a service level agreement database operable with virtual call center for storing the service level agreement of each subscriber with the virtual call center.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a local database operable with the virtual call center for storing rules for the IVR and ACD functions of each subscriber, wherein the virtual call center performs the IVR and ACD functions to the callers on behalf of the subscribers based on the rules of the IVR and ACD functions.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a remote database operable with the virtual call center for storing information regarding each subscriber, wherein the virtual call center performs IVR functions associated with each subscriber for a caller to access information regarding a subscriber from the remote database.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a remote database operable with the virtual call center for storing information provided by the caller to the subscriber.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the virtual call center includes a call management unit, a multi-tenant framework, a voice response unit, an applications server, and data network interfaces.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the virtual call center further includes a voice response unit operable for playing voice recordings to the callers on behalf of a subscriber for providing information to the caller regarding the subscriber.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein:

the voice response unit receives information from the caller in response to the caller responding to the voice recordings.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a transaction log database operable with the virtual call center for monitoring usage of IVR and ACD functions performed by the virtual call center to the callers on behalf of the subscribers.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the virtual call center is operable for connecting the caller to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) through a data network and the PSTN in accordance with the service level agreement of the subscriber whom the caller is calling.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the virtual call center is operable for connecting the caller to the ISP through data network and the PSTN to provide voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connectivity between the caller and an agent of the subscriber.

12. A call center system for enabling communication between callers and subscribers, the system comprising:

a public switched telephone network (PSTN); and

a virtual call center shared by subscribers in accordance with service level agreements between the subscribers and the virtual call center, the virtual call center being operable to receive calls from callers via the PSTN, the virtual call center performing Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Automated Call Distributor (ACD) functions to the callers on behalf of the subscribers of the virtual call center for enabling communication between the callers and the subscribers, wherein the virtual call center performs IVR and ACD functions to callers on behalf of each subscriber based on a service level agreement between each subscriber and the virtual call center;

wherein the virtual call center includes a call management unit having telephony ports for enabling connection of calls from the PSTN made by callers to the virtual call center for enabling communication between the callers and the subscribers, wherein the call management unit connects a call from the PSTN made by a caller to the virtual call center by allocating a telephony port to the call, wherein the availability of the telephony ports of the call management unit for calls made by callers to a subscriber is based on the service level agreement of the subscriber with the virtual call center;

wherein the virtual call center further includes a voice response unit operable for playing voice recordings to the callers on behalf of a subscriber for providing information to the caller regarding the subscriber;

wherein the virtual call center further includes a multi-tenant framework, wherein the call management unit forwards to the multi-tenant framework access information regarding the caller, wherein the multi-tenant framework uses the access information to identify the subscriber whom the caller is calling.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the virtual call center performs IVR functions associated with a subscriber for a caller to access information from the subscriber.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the virtual call center performs IVR functions associated with a subscriber for a caller to provide information to the subscriber.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the virtual call center performs ACD functions associated with the subscriber to connect the caller with an agent of the subscriber.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the access information regarding the caller includes automatic number identification (ANI) information.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the access information regarding the caller includes dialed number identification service (DNIS) information.

18. A call center system for enabling communication between callers and subscribers, the system comprising:

a public switched telephone network (PSTN); and

a virtual call center shared by subscribers in accordance with service level agreements between the subscribers and the virtual call center, the virtual call center being operable to receive calls from callers via the PSTN, the virtual call center performing Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Automated Call Distributor (ACD) functions to the callers on behalf of the subscribers of the virtual call center for enabling communication between the callers and the subscribers, wherein the virtual call center performs IVR and ACD functions to callers on behalf of each subscriber based on a service level agreement between each subscriber and the virtual call center;

wherein the virtual call center includes a call management unit having telephony ports for enabling connection of calls from the PSTN made by callers to the virtual call center for enabling communication between the callers and the subscribers;

wherein the virtual call center further includes a voice response unit operable for playing voice recordings to the callers on behalf of a subscriber for providing information to the caller regarding the subscriber;

wherein the virtual call center further includes a multi-tenant framework, wherein the call management unit forwards to the multi-tenant framework access information regarding the caller, wherein the multi-tenant framework uses the access information to identify the subscriber whom the caller is calling, wherein the multi-tenant framework compares the service level agreement of the subscriber whom the caller is calling to the current use of the call management unit by the subscriber to determine whether to instruct the call management unit to accept or reject the call from the caller to the subscriber.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein:

the virtual call center further includes an applications server, wherein the multi-tenant framework forwards information regarding the caller to the applications server, wherein the applications server performs IVR and ACD functions to the caller on behalf of a subscriber based on the service level agreement of the subscriber with the virtual call center.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein:

the application server directs the voice response unit to play recordings of the subscriber to the caller for interacting with the caller.

21. The system of claim 19 further comprising:

a data network;

wherein the virtual call center further includes data network interfaces for connecting the virtual call center to the data network.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising:

a computer telephone integration (CTI) router connected to the data network, the CTI router containing information about agent skills and status for each subscriber, wherein the applications server forwards information regarding the caller to the CTI router, wherein the CTI router returns a routing instruction to the applications server in response to receiving the information regarding the caller, wherein the routing instruction includes an address of an agent of the subscriber for handling the call from the caller.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein:

wherein the CTI router determines an agent of the subscriber for handling the call based on the information regarding the caller and the information regarding agent skills and status.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein:

upon receiving the routing instruction from the CTI router the applications server instructs the call management unit to transfer the call from the caller to the address returned in the routing instruction for connecting the caller to the agent of the subscriber.