Computer telephony integration (CTI) complete hospitality contact center

• US 7,356,139 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wellons, David L., Turcan, Diane Brown
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US10/335,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.13, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.11, 379/266.01, 379/266.03, 379/266.1
• US Class Current: 379/265.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for enabling a dynamic hospitality contact center (DHCC) that leverages the assets of a hospitality center'"'"'s communications systems including internal telecommunications networks, information systems, data networks, and applications, of public telecommunications networks, of public data networks, and/or of various communications devices to facilitate improved access, sharing, notification, and/or management of incoming calls and associated data.

Claims

1. A computer telephony integration system, comprising:

means for detecting an incoming communication to a hospitality call management system that intelligently routes the incoming communication to a designated party, the designated party having a plurality of communications devices which may receive the incoming communication;

means for associating a communications profile with the incoming communication, the communications profile comprising (1) address data associated with the incoming communication, (2) data associated with the designated party, (3) data associated with at least one configuration profile of the plurality of communications devices, (4) data associated with one or more communications systems of a hospitality call center, and (5) a room number associated with the designated party;

means for determining a status of each of the designated party'"'"'s plurality of communications devices, the status comprising availability data of the designated party, location data of the designated party, availability data of each communications device, a messaging delivery capability of each communications device, and a messaging confirmation capability for confirming delivery of at least one of the incoming communication and the data to the communications device, the messaging delivery capability of each communications device describing each communications device'"'"'s capability to present audio, to present video, and to present digital data;

means for mapping the location data associated with the designated party to determine the designated party'"'"'s location within a hospitality center;

if the designated party'"'"'s location indicates the designated party is unavailable to receive the incoming communication, then means for routing the incoming communication to an agent'"'"'s station;

if the designated party'"'"'s location indicates the designated party is proximate to a restroom within the hospitality center, then means for routing the incoming communication to an agent'"'"'s station;

if the designated party is available to receive the incoming communication, then means for routing the incoming communications to a selected communications device of the designated party'"'"'s plurality of communications devices, the selected communications device having the status to receive and to present the incoming communication;

if the designated party is available to receive the incoming communication, but the designated party'"'"'s plurality of communications devices are unavailable, then, based on the designated party'"'"'s location, means for routing the incoming communication to a nearby facility communications device that is proximate to the designated party'"'"'s location within the hospitality center; and

means for receiving a messaging confirmation notification that confirms presentation of the incoming communication at the selected communications device.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for receiving an indication that the incoming communication was received at the designated party'"'"'s selected communications device.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for converting the incoming communication from a first data format compatible with the agent station to a second data format compatible with the selected communications device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first data format comprises at least one of printed text format, a voice data format, a video data format, a dual-tone multi-frequency data format, and a digital data format.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second data format comprises at least one of printed text format, a voice data format, a video data format, a dual-tone multi-frequency data format, and a digital data format.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for receiving location coordinates describing the location of the designated party.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein when the nearby facility communications device is within a conference room with an ongoing meeting, then determining the status of the nearby facility communications device as unavailable to receive the incoming communication.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for associating the location data to the availability data of the designated party.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for associating the location data to the availability data of each communications device.

10. A method, comprising:

detecting an incoming communication to a hospitality call management system that intelligently routes the incoming communication to a designated party, the designated party having a plurality of communications devices which may receive the incoming communication;

associating a communications profile with the incoming communication, the communications profile comprising (1) address data associated with the incoming communication, (2) data associated with the designated party, (3) data associated with at least one configuration profile of the plurality of communications devices, (4) data associated with one or more communications systems of a hospitality call center, and (5) a room number associated with the designated party;

determining a status of each of the designated party'"'"'s plurality of communications devices, the status comprising availability data of the designated party, location data of the designated party, availability data of each communications device, a messaging delivery capability of each communications device, and a messaging confirmation capability for confirming delivery of at least one of the incoming communication and the data to the communications device, the messaging delivery capability of each communications device describing each communications device'"'"'s capability to present audio, to present video, and to present digital data;

mapping the location data associated with the designated party to determine the designated party'"'"'s location within a hospitality center;

if the designated party'"'"'s location indicates the designated party is unavailable to receive the incoming communication, then routing the incoming communication to a agent'"'"'s station;

if the designated party'"'"'s location indicates the designated party is proximate to a restroom within the hospitality center, then routing the incoming communication to an agent'"'"'s station;

if the designated party is available to receive the incoming communication, then routing the incoming communications to a selected communications device of the designated party'"'"'s plurality of communications devices, the selected communications device having the status to receive ad to present the incoming communication;

if the designated party is available to receive the incoming communication, but the designated party'"'"'s plurality of communications devices are unavailable, then, based on the designated party'"'"'s location, routing the incoming communication to a nearby facility communications device that is proximate to the designated party'"'"'s location within the hospitality center; and

receiving a messaging confirmation notification that confirms presentation of the incoming communication at the selected communications device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein associating the communications profile with the incoming communication comprises accessing a hospitality call center application for managing the communications profile.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising converting the incoming communication from a first data format compatible with the agent station to a second data format compatible with the selected communications device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first data format comprises at least one of printed text format, a voice data format, a video data format, a dual-tone multi-frequency data format, and a digital data format.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second data format comprises at least one of printed text format, a voice data format, a video data format, a dual-tone multi-frequency data format, and a digital data format.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving an indication that the incoming communication was received at the designated party'"'"'s selected communications device.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving location coordinates describing the location of the designated party.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein when the nearby facility communications device is within a conference room with an ongoing meeting, then determining the status of the nearby facility communications device as unavailable to receive the incoming communication.

18. A computer readable memory on which is encoded instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

detecting an incoming communication to a hospitality call management system that intelligently routes the incoming communication to a designated party, the designated party having a plurality of communications devices which may receive the incoming communication;

associating a communications profile with the incoming communication, the communications profile comprising (1) address data associated with the incoming communication, (2) data associated with the designated party, (3) data associated with at least one configuration profile of the plurality of communications devices, (4) data associated with one or more communications systems of a hospitality call center, and (5) a room number associated with the designated party;

determining a status of each of the designated party'"'"'s plurality of communications devices, the status comprising availability data of the designated party, location data of the designated party, availability data of each communications device, a messaging delivery capability of each communications device, and a messaging confirmation capability for confirming delivery of at least one of the incoming communication and the data to the communications device, the messaging delivery capability of each communications device describing each communications device'"'"'s capability to present audio, to present video, and to present digital data;

mapping the location data associated with the designated party to determine the designated party'"'"'s location within a hospitality center;

if the designated party'"'"'s location indicates the designated party is unavailable to receive the incoming communication, then routing the incoming communication to an agent'"'"'s station;

if the designated party'"'"'s location indicates the designated party is proximate to a restroom within the hospitality center, then routing the incoming communication to an agent'"'"'s station;

if the designated party is available to receive the incoming communication, then routing the incoming communications to a selected communications device of the designated party'"'"'s plurality of communications devices, the selected communications device having the status to receive and to present the incoming communication;

if the designated party is available to receive the incoming communication, but the designated party'"'"'s plurality of communications devices are unavailable, then, based on the designated party'"'"'s location, routing the incoming communication to a nearby facility communications device that is proximate to the designated party'"'"'s location within the hospitality center; and

receiving a messaging confirmation notification that confirms presentation of the incoming communication at the selected communications device.

19. The computer readable memory of claim 18, further comprising instructions for performing:

if the messaging confirmation notification identifies that the incoming communication is not communicated to the selected communications device, then routing the incoming communication to an alternate communications device; and

if the messaging confirmation notification identifies that the incoming communication is communicated, then presenting the messaging confirmation notification.