Recording using proxy servers

• US 7,613,290 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dong, Thomas Z., Williams, Jamie Richard, Calahan, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Harry S
• Application Number:
  US11/540,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20080080531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.06, 379/112.01, 379/67.1, 709/204, 709/265.07, 370352-356
• US Class Current: 379/265.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data

Abstract

Systems and methods for recording a communication session between a customer and an agent of a customer center communication system are provided. In this regard, a representative method comprises: communicating with the customer center communication system via a proxy server; determining whether to record a media stream associated with the communication session based on communication between the customer center communication system and the proxy server; and responsive to determining that the media stream is to be recorded, recording the media stream from the communication session.

Claims

1. A method for recording a communication session of a customer center communication system between a customer and an agent, comprising the steps of:

communicating with a customer center communication system via a proxy server;

determining whether to record a media stream associated with a communication session based on the communication between the customer center communication system and the proxy server;

responsive to determining that the media stream is to be recorded, transmitting instructions to the customer center communication system to duplicate the media stream and transmitting the duplicated media stream to the proxy server, which transmits the duplicated media stream to a recording system; and

receiving and recording the duplicated media stream associated with the communication session.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising communicating with a third party system via the proxy server, wherein the proxy server allows for request for connection, to file or other resources located on other third party system or the customer center communication system.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the proxy server provides resources by connection to a specified server or by serving the resources from cache.

4. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the third party system includes a recording component.

5. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising providing a secure connection via the proxy server between the third party system and the customer center communication system.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

storing data in cache of the proxy server; and

delivering the data from the cache of the proxy server to the customer center communication system and a recording system, whereby accelerating communication traffic between the customer center communication system and the recording system.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the data includes recording criteria corresponding to the recordation of the media stream.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first media stream and a second media stream associated with the communication session;

associating the first media stream with the second media stream; and

transmitting the first media stream and the second media stream to the recording system.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein associating the first media stream with the second media stream comprises using a unique identification stored in the first media stream and the second media stream, the unique identification corresponding to the communication session, wherein the recording system stitches the first media stream and the second media stream together as a single stream using the unique identification and records the single stream.

10. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein recording the media stream comprises recording the first media stream and the second media stream to first and second recording subsystems of the recording system, respectively, wherein the first and second recording subsystems are operative to provide the first media stream and the second media stream, respectively, to be stitched as a single stream.

11. The method as defined in claim 8, further comprising:

receiving the first media stream and the second media stream by one of an archival device and a replay device; and

stitching the first media stream and the second media stream together at one of the archival device and the replay device.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein transmitting the duplicated media stream to the recording system comprises transmitting the duplicated media stream to a recording subsystem of the recording system.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising communicating with a first recording subsystem and a second recording subsystem of the recording system by the proxy server, the proxy server being operative to communicate with the first recording subsystem for recording the media stream if the second recording subsystem fails to communicate with the proxy server.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein the first recording subsystem is operative to perform both active recording and passive sniffing.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising communicating with multiple proxy servers using a link protector, the multiple proxy servers communicating with multiple recording subsystems of the recording system, the link protector being operative to pass network traffic to a primary proxy server of the multiple proxy servers, such that upon having detected that connection between the primary proxy server and the link protector is down, the link protector is operative to pass the network traffic to a backup proxy server of the multiple proxy servers.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, further comprising configuring the multiple proxy servers with different Internet protocol (IP) addresses but the same domain name system (DNS) name.

17. The method as defined in claim 15, further comprising configuring a primary proxy server and multiple secondary proxy servers in the customer center communication system.

18. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

encrypting the media stream; and

receiving the encrypted media stream;

decrypting the encrypted media stream; and

recording the decrypted media stream.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, further comprising receiving electronic keys for decrypting the encrypted media stream.

20. The method as defined in claim 19, further comprising forwarding the electronic keys to a recording system, the recording system being operative to decrypt the encrypted media stream using the electronic keys.

21. The method as defined in claim 19, further comprising directing the customer center communication system to send the encrypted media stream to the proxy server, the proxy server being operative to decrypt the encrypted media stream using the electronic keys.

22. The method as defined in claim 19, further comprising delivering the electronic keys using a secure connection, the secure connection being achieved via a secure version of call control protocols, the protocols including one of a secure session initiation protocol (SIP) using transport layer security (TLS) and a secure computer-telephone integration (CTI) link.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

planning at least one campaign to implement the goals;

scheduling and deploying a workforce in accordance with the campaign to produce a plurality of agent-customer interactions;

measuring performance of an agent on at least a portion of the agent-customer interactions to produce a set of quality metrics for the agent;

analyzing the quality metrics to produce a rating of the measured interactions;

combining at least a portion of quality metrics to produce performance indicators; and

using the performance indicators in the planning step of a second campaign or another iteration of the at least one campaign.

24. A system for recording a communication session of a customer center communication system between a customer and an agent, comprising:

a customer center communication system having a communication device, the communication device being operative to transmit a media stream associated with a communication session between a customer and an agent;

a proxy server being operative to communicate with the customer center communication system to determine whether to record the media stream of the communication session; and

a recording system being operative to communicate with the proxy server and the customer center communication system, wherein responsive to determining that the media stream is to be recorded, the proxy server transmits instructions to the customer center communication system to duplicate the media stream and transmit the duplicated media stream to the recording system, the recording system being further operative to record the duplicated media stream.

25. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the proxy server communicates with a third party system, wherein the proxy server allows for request for connection, to file or other resources located on other third party system or the customer center communication system.

26. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the proxy server provides resources by connection to a specified server or by serving the resources from cache.

27. The system as defined in claim 25, wherein the third party system includes a recording component.

28. The system as defined in claim 25, wherein the proxy server provides a secure connection between the third party system and the customer center communication system.

29. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the proxy server saves data in cache of the proxy server, the proxy server being operative to deliver the data from the cache to the customer center communication system and the recording system.

30. The system as defined in claim 29, wherein the data includes recording criteria corresponding to the recordation of the media stream.

31. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the proxy server is further operative to do the following:

receive a first media stream and a second media stream of the communication session,

associate the first media stream with the second media stream, and

transmit the first media stream and the second media stream to the recording system.

32. The system as defined in claim 31, wherein the proxy server associates the first media stream with the second media stream by using a unique identification stored in the first media stream and the second media stream, the unique identification corresponding to the communication session.

33. The system as defined in claim 32, wherein the customer center communication system stores the unique identification in the header of the first media stream and the second media stream.

34. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the customer center communication system is further operative to transmit the duplicated media stream to the proxy server, which relays the duplicated media stream to a recording subsystem of the recording system.

35. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the customer center communication system is further operative to transmit the duplicated media stream to a recording subsystem of the recording system.

36. The system as defined in claim 31, wherein the recording system is further operative to record the media stream and the second media stream as a single stream.

37. The system as defined in claim 31, wherein information to associate the first media stream with the second media stream is transmitted to the recording system via a call control protocol or a computer telephony integration (CTI) link, the call control protocol including one of a session initiation protocol (SIP) and H323.

38. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the recording system includes a first recording subsystem and a second subsystem, both the first and second recording subsystems being operative to communicate with the proxy server, the proxy server being operative to communicate with the first recording system for recording the media stream if the second recording system fails to communicate with the proxy server.

39. The system as defined in claim 38, wherein the first recording subsystem is operative to perform both active recording and passive sniffing.

40. The system as defined in claim 24, further comprising multiple proxy servers being operative to communicate with a link protector and multiple recording subsystems of the recording system, the link protector being operative to pass network traffic to a primary proxy server of the multiple proxy servers, upon having detected that connection between the primary proxy server and the link protector is down, the link protector being operative to pass the network traffic to a backup proxy server of the multiple proxy servers.

41. The system as defined in claim 40, wherein the multiple proxy servers are configured with different Internet protocol (IP) addresses but the same DNS name.

42. The system as defined in claim 40, wherein the multiple proxy servers having a primary and multiple secondary proxy servers in the customer center communication system.

43. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the customer center communication system encrypts the media stream.

44. The system as defined in claim 43, wherein the proxy server receives electronic keys for decrypting the encrypted media stream.

45. The system as defined in claim 44, wherein the proxy server is operative to forward the electronic keys to the recording system, the recording system being operative to decrypt the encrypted media stream using the electronic keys.

46. The system as defined in claim 44, wherein the proxy server is operative to direct the customer center communication system to send the encrypted media stream to the proxy server, the proxy server being operative to decrypt the encrypted media stream using the electronic keys.

47. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a workforce manager comprising a scheduler; and

a quality monitor configured to provide, to the scheduler, at least one quality goal for a work period and at least one agent quality score,

wherein the scheduler is configured to produce a workforce schedule comprising agent assignments to work activities,

wherein the workforce schedule is based at least in part on the at least one quality goal and the at least one agent quality score.

48. The system of claim 47, further comprising a lesson assignment component configured to receive at least one indicator of performance of an agent, and further configured to assign a lesson to the agent based on the at least one indicator.

49. A system for recording a communication session between a customer and an agent, comprising:

a proxy server being operative to communicate with a customer center communication system to determine whether to record a media stream associated with a communication session, the proxy server being further operative to transmit instructions to the customer center communication system to duplicate the media stream and transmit the duplicated media stream over a network; and

a recording system being operative to communicate with the proxy server and the customer center communication system, the recording system being operative to receive the duplicated media stream over the network and record the duplicated media stream.