Method and apparatus for providing an interactive home agent with access to call center functionality and resources

• US 7,372,956 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1999
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Issayev, Valery, Kikinis, Dan, Bondarenko, Oleg, Shtivelman, Yuri
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US09/387,616
• Time in Patent Office: 3,178 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.09, 379/220.01, 379/265.11, 379/93.21, 379/265.02, 379/265.01, 370/353, 709/202
• US Class Current: 379/265.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6018 Subscriber or terminal logon/logoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0003 Interconnection between telephone networks and data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13092 Scanning of subscriber lines, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13107 : Control equipment for a part of the connection, distributed control, co-processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 : Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13378 : Speech recognition, speech analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13399 : Virtual channel/circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13546 : Intelligent Peripheral
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 : Distributing or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A call center system supports remote agent stations through a network by establishing a data link between a computer platform at the remote agent station and a CTI-processor connected to a telephony switch at the call center, and switching incoming calls from the call center to a telephone at the remote agent station while sending data pertaining to the calls via the data link to the computer platform at the remote agent station to be displayed. Data pertaining to calls is retrieved from a data base at the call center and sent via the data link to be displayed on a video display at the remote agent station. The data can include scripts for an agent at the remote station. Call center services are supported by cooperation between software at the CTI processor and the computer platform at the remote station. In one embodiment the data link, once established, is kept open while calls continue to be switched to the remote station. In another, after an initial log in, dial up is done from the remote station upon detecting calls from the call center by a TAPI compliant device, and a reduced log in is performed at the CTI processor to save time. In a third alternative, the CTI processor, via a modem bank adapted for dialing, establishes the data connection each time a call is switched from the call center to the remote station. A plurality of remote stations may be thus supported.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a remote agent station from a call center, comprising steps of:

(a) implementing a dial-up data link between a computer platform at the remote agent station and a CTI processor connected to a telephony switch at the call center, wherein enabling the data link includes a log-in procedure, and wherein once established, the connection may be renewed after being broken by a reduced log-in procedure;

(b) receiving incoming calls at the call center;

(c) determining to switch a selected one of the incoming calls to an agent at the remote agent station;

(d) placing a call from the call center to a telephone at the remote agent station via a telephone line connected to the telephone;

(e) detecting the incoming call by a TAPI-compliant device connected to the computer platform at the remote agent station and to the telephone line to the telephone at the remote agent station, initiating thereby a dial up of the data link with the reduced log-in procedure;

(f) switching the selected incoming call to the remote agent station;

(g) retrieving data associated with the selected incoming call from a database at the call center; and

(h) forwarding the data associated with the selected incoming call to the computer platform at the remote agent station via the open data link.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the CTI processor at the call center and the computer platform at the remote agent station each have a modem connected by a telephony line to a telephony network, and in step (e) the data link is established by the computer platform dialing up the CTI processor through the telephony network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the telephony network is a publicly-switched telephony network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the CTI processor at the call center is adapted as an Internet server, and in step (a) the data link is established by the computer platform at the remote agent station dialing up an Internet service provider and establishing an Internet connection to the CTI processor.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein, in step (h), the data forwarded is displayed as a screen pop on a video display connected to the computer platform at the remote agent station.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the screen pop includes a script for the agent at the remote agent station.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein first control routines executing at the CTI processor and second control routines executing at the computer platform at the remote agent station are adapted to cooperate over the data link to provide call center services to the agent at the remote agent station.