Method and apparatus for global call queue in a global call center

• US 7,657,021 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2005
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Mathews, Eugene P., Romero, Chadwick Joseph, Howell, Christopher Robinson, Flockhart, Andrew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US11/057,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20060067506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,814 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266.01, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/264, 379/265.09, 379/308, 379/309, 709/224, 709/219, 709/227
• US Class Current: 379/266.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a contact center, comprising:

• • (a) a plurality of media servers 112a-n, each of the media servers being associated with a plurality of corresponding agent communication devices 120a-i positioned in a respective agent domain 100a-n;
  • (b) a plurality of gateways 128a-n, each of which is currently controlled by a corresponding one of the plurality of media servers 112a-n and positioned in a contactor domain 104; and
  • (c) a packet-switched Wide Area Network (WAN) 108 connecting the plurality of media servers 128a-n and the plurality of gateways 112a-n. A first gateway 128a is operable to physically park an incoming customer contact in the customer domain 104 until the occurrence of a call transfer event and, upon the occurrence of a call transfer event, to transfer the parked customer contact from the first gateway 128a to at least one of (i) a second media gateway 128b for processing by the second media gateway'"'"'s corresponding second controlling media server 112b and (ii) a first media server 112a controlling the first gateway 128a.

Claims

1. A contact center, comprising:

(a) a plurality of media servers, each of the media servers being associated with a plurality of corresponding agent communication devices, wherein each of the media servers and corresponding agent communication devices are positioned in a respective agent domain;

(b) a plurality of gateways, each of which is currently controlled by a corresponding one of the plurality of media servers, the plurality of gateways being positioned in a contactor domain; and

(c) a packet-switched Wide Area Network (WAN) connecting the plurality of media servers and the plurality of gateways, wherein a first gateway of the plurality of gateways is operable to physically park an incoming customer contact in the customer domain until the occurrence of a call transfer event, wherein a first media server of the plurality of media servers is operable to maintain a logical call queue in the agent domain corresponding to a physical call queue containing the physically parked incoming customer contact and, upon the occurrence of a call transfer event, to transfer the parked customer contact from the first gateway to at least one of (i) a second media gateway for processing by the second media gateway'"'"'s corresponding second controlling media server and (ii) the first media server controlling the first gateway, and wherein signaling between the first gateway and the first media server respecting the parked incoming contact is transmitted over the WAN, and wherein the WAN is transoceanic.

2. The contact center of claim 1, wherein the plurality of gateways are collocated and in communication with one another.

3. The contact center of claim 2, wherein the plurality of gateways are located in a common enclosure.

4. The contact center of claim 1, wherein the voice communications are compressed when transmitted over the WAN.

5. The contact center of claim 1, wherein a circuit-switched communication line extends between the first and second gateways over which the parked incoming contact can be transferred.

6. The contact center of claim 1, wherein the first media server maintains a logical queue comprising a placeholder located therein, the location of the placeholder in the logical queue corresponding to a location of the parked incoming contact in the physical queue.

7. The contact center of claim 1, wherein the first gateway is operable to perform tone detection and play announcements and/or music to a contactor associated with the incoming contact while the incoming contact is parked.

8. The contact center of claim 1, further comprising an Interactive Voice Response Unit (IVR) collocated with the plurality of gateways and operable to interact with a contactor associated with the incoming contact to obtain contactor information.

9. A method for processing a contact from a contactor, comprising:

(a) a contact processing computational component in a contactor domain receiving an incoming contact from a contactor;

(b) the computational component setting up and physically parking the incoming contact at the computational component such that a physical resource of the computational component is dedicated to the incoming contact while the contactor waits for servicing;

(c) the computational component signaling a media server regarding the existence of the incoming contact, wherein the media server currently controls the computational component, the media server is in communication with a plurality of agent communication devices, the media server is located in an agent domain, and the computational component is located in a contactor domain;

(d) while the contact is physically located at the computational component, the media server assigning to the contact a queue position in a logical work item queue maintained on the media server; and

(e) when the assigned queue position has advanced to a selected queue position, transferring the contact from the computational component to the media server for servicing by an agent associated with at least one of the agent communication devices, wherein the plurality of media servers are in communication with the plurality of gateways by means of a packet-switched network and the packet-switched network is transoceanic.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the computational component is a gateway, wherein the gateway is a member of a plurality of collocated gateways, each of the gateways being currently controlled by a respective media server in a plurality of media servers, and wherein each of the media servers is in communication with a plurality of corresponding agent communication devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of gateways are located in a common enclosure.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising at least one of the following steps while the contact is physically located at the gateway:

(f) the computational component performing tone detection on signals received as part of the incoming contact;

(g) the computational component playing announcements to the contactor;

(h) the computational component playing music to the contactor; and

(i) an Interactive Voice Response unit collecting information from the contactor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein step (f) is performed.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein step (g) is performed.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein step (h) is performed.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein step (i) is performed.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of collocated gateways are connected by a circuit-switched communication line and the communication line is located in the enclosure.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the gateway controller is located at the media server.

19. The method of claim 9, further comprising while the contact is physically located at the computational component:

(f) the computational component transferring the contact to a second computational component, the second computational component being currently controlled by a second media server different from the media server currently controlling the transferring computational component.

20. A computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the steps of claim 9.

21. A logic circuit operable to perform the steps of claim 9.

22. A method comprising:

(a) receiving, at a port of a first gateway, an incoming first contact from a first contactor, the first gateway being located at a first location, the first location being in a first country;

(b) setting up and parking, by the first gateway, the incoming first contact;

(c) while the incoming contact is parked at the first gateway, collecting, by the first gateway, information related to the incoming first contact, the incoming first contact related information comprising one or more of a detected tone generated by a first communication device of the first contactor, an electronic address received from the first contactor, and an electronic address of the first communication device;

(d) while the incoming contact is parked at the first gateway, transmitting by a packet-switched first network, to a second gateway, the second gateway being located at a second location, the second location being in a second country;

(e) while the incoming contact is parked at the first gateway, and in response to receipt of the transmitted first contact related information, placing, by a media server, a placeholder in a first selected position of a logical contact queue, the placeholder associated with the incoming first contact;

(f) determining a first instruction based on the first contact related information;

(g) transmitting by the media server and over the first network, the first contact related information to the first gateway; and

(h) when the placeholder has advanced to a second selected queue position, transferring the first contact to the media server for delivery to an agent, wherein the first network is transoceanic.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, while the incoming contact is parked at the first gateway, the first contact is terminated at the first gateway and not the first media server.