Method for managing data in an automatic call distribution system

• US 7,522,720 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2003
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Enterprise Systems Technologies S.a.r.l. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Enterprise Communications GmbH and Co KG (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Drobek, Erich
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Karen L
• Application Number:
  US10/656,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,052 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/265.09, 379/265.12, 379/265.13, 379/908
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A method for managing CTI data in an automatic call distribution ACD is described. In this case, caller data is determined by a call center forwarding CCR and/or an interactive voice response unit is transmitted to a CTI instance CTII for forwarding control, with customer data being extracted from a customer database KDB and entered in a customer data document KDD to which access takes place from an agent workstation AWP.

Claims

1. A method for managing data in automatic call distribution system, comprising a call center forwarding, a CTI instance for receiving control of a customer call from the call center forwarding directly and/or though an interactive voice response unit, a customer database accessible from the CTI instance, and an agent workstation communicating with the CTI instance, the method comprising:

transmitting caller data from the call center forwarding and/or the interactive voice response unit to the CTI instance;

extracting customer data from the customer database by the CTI instance on the basis of the caller data and an access level according to an agent profile stored in the CTI instance;

formatting the customer data in a customer data document by the CTI instance, the customer data being formatted in accordance with the access level assigned to an agent corresponding to the agent profile and having access to the agent workstation; and

providing the agent with the customer data document through the agent workstation, wherein

the access level is one of a plurality of graded access rights,

during a booking-in process of the agent and/or the agent workstation, the agent profile is activated, which identifies previously-specified access rights to customer information, and

the customer data document is generated from the customer data by matching the access rights to the activated agent profile.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein

an access address is assigned to the customer data document, which address refers to an area of a working memory occupied by the customer data document, and

the access address of the customer data document is transmitted to the agent workstation.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein

the customer data document is buffer stored in a working data memory,

the working data memory is independent of the customer database, and

the agent workstation accesses the customer data document from the working data memory.

5. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein

the customer data document is created as a HTML document,

the working data memory is a webserver,

a URL address is assigned to the HTML document, and

the URL address is transmitted to the agent workstation to provide the agent with the customer data document.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein

the customer data document is created in a markup language, and

the agent is provided with the customer data document from the agent workstation by a browser for the markup language.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the customer data document is created as an HTML document, and the browser is an HTML browser.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein

a URL address is permanently assigned to the agent workstation,

the customer data document created as an HTML document is stored in a server assigned to the agent workstation,

the server has an “

update”

function,

the “

update”

function is triggered by a connection of a caller to the agent workstation, and

the customer data document is opened by triggering the “

update”

function.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the customer data document is provided to the agent independently from the customer database.

2. A method for managing data in automatic call distribution system, comprising a call center forwarding, a CTI instance receiving call control directly from the call center forwarding and/or though an interactive voice response unit, a customer database accessible from the CTI instance, and an agent workstation, the method comprising:

transmitting caller data from the call center forwarding and/or the interactive voice response unit to the CTI instance;

extracting customer data from the customer database by the CTI instance on the basis of the caller data;

formatting the customer data in a customer data document by the CTI instance, the customer data being formatted in accordance with an access level assigned to an individual agent having access to the agent workstation; and

providing the agent with the customer data document through the agent workstation, wherein

all customer data is associated with one or more access levels identifying types of agents that should be allowed access to the customer data,

the customer data is selected to determine data having an access level that matches the access level of an individual agent, and

the customer data document is assembled by compiling the data having a matching access level.

10. A system for an automatic call distribution, comprising:

a call center forwarding unit to forward caller data regarding a caller,

a CTI instance unit comprising;

a first converting device to convert caller data into search parameters for searching customer data in a customer database;

a second converting device to convert a first data format of the customer data retrieved using the search parameters from the customer database to a second data format of a customer data document, and to create the customer data document so that it contains information matching access rights of an agent who will address the caller;

a working data memory to store the customer data document independent from the customer database; and

an information provision unit to provide the agent with access to the customer data document, wherein

the access rights of an agent who will address the caller are defined by an access profile stored in the CTI instance unit, and

the system further comprises an assignment device to assign the customer data document to at least one agent profile.

11. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the caller data is determined from an automatic call number identification unit.

12. The system in accordance with claim 10, further comprising an interactive voice response unit to determine caller data from an automated telephone dialogue.

13. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the first converting device converts caller data from a DNIS system into search parameters for a search operation of customer data in the customer database.

14. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the second converting device converts the first data format into a markup language.

15. The system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the second converting device converts the first data format into an HTML markup language.

16. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein

the information provision unit creates an access address of the customer data document, and

the access address is a URL address.

17. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein

the agent accesses the customer data document through an agent workstation,

a URL address is permanently assigned to the agent workstation,

the agent workstation has an “

update”

function, and

the customer data document corresponding to the URL address is opened when the caller is connected to the agent workstation.

18. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein

the working data memory is a webserver external to the customer database

the customer data document is stored in the webserver as HTML data, and

the agent is provided with the customer data document from the webserver through a URL address.