System and method for providing an automatic telephone call back from information provided at a data terminal

• US 7,302,051 B1
• Filed: 09/28/1998
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Strandberg, Malcom B.
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US09/161,816
• Time in Patent Office: 3,347 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/355, 379/209, 379/210.01
• US Class Current: 379/210.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/424 Arrangements for automatic redialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26

Abstract

The system and method provides an automatic telephone call back in response to a request for assistance made at a remote data terminal by an inquiring party. The inquiring party provides information at the data terminal, the information is transferred over a data path, such as the PSTN, the Internet, or any other WAN or LAN or combination thereof, to the automated telephone call back system. A data path interface at the automated back system provides an interface or gateway between the data path and an automated dialer system. The automated dialer system retrieves telephone numbers provided by the inquiring parties, schedules the call backs, and automatically dials the telephone numbers using a predictive dialer. If a connection is made, the dialer will automatically connect the called party to an available agent, and any additional information about the called party, if available, will be transmitted to the agent'"'"'s terminal by the call back manager. The automatic dialing system can also continuously dial a busy telephone number provided by an inquiring party, in order to ensure that they are contacted as soon as possible.

Claims

1. A system for managing resources of a call center operating inbound and outbound call campaigns and minimizing an automatic telephone call back comprising:

a first location including a telephone line and a data terminal and a telephone both connected to said telephone line, said data terminal generating a call back request requesting a call back to said telephone over said telephone network, wherein said first location cannot support voice and data communication simultaneously;

a data path interface, coupled to said telephone line, for receiving said call back request over said telephone line, for identifying call back data from said request, and for placing said call back data into at least one call record store for an outbound campaign;

an automated dialer system, located at a second location remote from said first location and coupled to said data path interface, and responsive to said at least one call record store, for automatically retrieving telephone numbers to be dialed from said call record store, and for processing said telephone numbers as an outbound telephone call campaign; and

means for causing said automated dialer system to substantially immediately dial said telephone number to be dialed over said telephone line and for substantially immediately and continuously redialing said telephone number to be dialed each time said automated dialer detects a busy signal and for causing said automated dialer system to reschedule a regular telephone number each time said regular telephone number dialer detects a busy signal.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said request further includes customer account identifying indicia.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said call back data further includes a time to call back.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said request further includes a message.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said message includes a voice message.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said message includes a textual message.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein said message includes a series of DTMF tones.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said data terminal is a digital computer and said transmitted data includes digital data.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said automated dialer system further includes a call scheduler, responsive to said at least one call record store, for ordering and scheduling said telephone numbers to be dialed.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said automated dialer system further includes a predictive dialer, responsive to said ordered telephone numbers, for initiating dialing of each of said ordered telephone numbers.

11. A method for managing resources of a call center operating inbound and outbound call campaigns, said method comprising the acts of:

receiving a call back request transmitted from a data terminal at a remote location, wherein said remote location includes said data terminal and a telephone both directly connected to a single telephone line and said remote location cannot support voice and data simultaneously;

identifying call back data from said request including a telephone number to be dialed, said telephone number associated with said telephone at said remote location;

placing said call back data into a call record store for an outbound campaign;

scheduling said telephone number to be dialed substantially immediately within said outbound campaign;

automatically dialing said telephone number as scheduled over said telephone line using a predictive dialer;

continuously redialing said telephone number each time a busy signal is detected;

connecting said telephone line to a second telephone of an available agent of a pool of agents, if an answer is detected;

automatically dialing a regular telephone number of said outbound campaign as scheduled using said predictive dialer;

rescheduling said regular telephone number to be dialed within said outbound campaign if a busy signal is detected; and

connecting said regular telephone line to said second telephone of said available agent of said pool of agents, if an answer is detected.

12. The method of claim 11 further including the act of rescheduling said telephone number to be dialed within said outbound campaign if no answer is detected.

13. The method of claim 11 further including the act of attempting to immediately connect said inquiring party to an available agent over said telephone line.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said telephone number is scheduled for an immediate call back.

15. The method of claim 11 further including the act of adding said telephone number to a future call campaign, if no connection is made.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein said call back data includes at least one time to be called back, wherein said telephone number is scheduled according to said time to call back.

17. A system for managing resources of a call center operating inbound and outbound call campaigns and minimizing an automatic telephone call back comprising:

a first location including a telephone line and a data terminal and a telephone both connected to said telephone line, said data terminal generating a call back request requesting a call back to said telephone over said telephone network, wherein said first location cannot support voice and data communication simultaneously;

a data path interface, coupled to said telephone line, for receiving said call back request over said telephone line, for identifying call back data from said request, and for placing said call back data into at least one call record store for an outbound campaign;

an automated dialer system, located at a second location remote from said first location and coupled to said data path interface, and responsive to said at least one call record store, for automatically retrieving telephone numbers to be dialed from said call record store, and for processing said telephone numbers as an outbound telephone call campaign; and

means for causing said automated dialer system to substantially immediately dial said telephone number to be dialed over said telephone line and for substantially immediately and continuously redialing said telephone number to be dialed each time said telephone number dialer detects a busy signal, for causing said automated dialer system to reschedule said telephone number to be dialed within said outbound campaign if no answer is detected, and for causing said automated dialer system to reschedule a regular telephone number each time said regular telephone number dialer detects a busy signal.