Distributed hardware/software system for managing agent status in a communication center

• US 9,118,624 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2001
• 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: Coussement, Stefaan Valere Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US14/316,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20140307862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.06, 379/265.09, 379/266.01, 379/309
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6018 Subscriber or terminal logon/logoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• 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 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/00 Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals

Abstract

An agent presence application for monitoring target agent resources and rendering agent states to subscribing applications is provided. The presence application has at least one first portion for collecting data regarding states of activity of the target agent resources, and at least one second portion for integrating the data and rendering the agent states to the subscribing applications.

Claims

1. A first proxy server for managing agent status, the first proxy server comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory has stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

receive status information from a plurality of second proxy servers, the second proxy servers being configured to receive and aggregate status information from a first agent station and a second agent station, respectively;

aggregate the status information from the second proxy servers; and

provide the aggregated status information to a subscribing device, wherein the second proxy servers are in a hierarchical relationship with respect to the first proxy server.

2. The first proxy server of claim 1, wherein the second proxy servers receive the status information from the first agent station and the second agent station periodically, or when a status of an agent changes.

3. The first proxy server of claim 1, wherein the first proxy server is on a web server, and the first agent station and the second agent station are located remotely from the first proxy server.

4. The first proxy server of claim 1, wherein the first agent station and the second agent station each comprise a plurality of agent stations.

5. The first proxy server of claim 1, wherein the second proxy servers each comprise a plurality of lower level proxy servers, each of the lower level proxy servers being configured to receive status information from a plurality of agent stations.

6. The first proxy server of claim 1, wherein the status information comprises at least one of agent presence information, agent availability information, or agent skill information.

7. The first proxy server of claim 1, wherein the subscribing device is configured to route incoming events to the first agent station or the second agent station.

8. The first proxy server of claim 7, wherein the incoming events comprise at least one of voice call, web based calls, video calls, video mail, electronic mail, or chat message.

9. The first proxy server of claim 1, wherein the second proxy servers are configured to receive status information from a third agent station.

10. A method for managing agent status, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first proxy server, status information from a plurality of second proxy servers, the second proxy servers being configured to receive and aggregate status information from a first agent station and a second agent station, respectively;

aggregating, by the first proxy server, the status information from the second proxy servers; and

providing, by the first proxy server, the aggregated status information to a subscribing device, wherein the second proxy servers are in a hierarchical relationship with respect to the first proxy server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second proxy servers receive the status information from the first agent station and the second agent station periodically, or when a status of an agent changes.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first proxy server is on a web server, and the first agent station and the second agent station are located remotely from the first proxy server.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first agent station and the second agent station each comprise a plurality of agent stations.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the second proxy servers each comprise a plurality of lower level proxy servers, each of the lower level proxy servers being configured to receive status information from a plurality of agent stations.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the status information comprises at least one of agent presence information, agent availability information, or agent skill information.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the subscribing device is configured to route incoming events to the first agent station or the second agent station.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the incoming events comprise at least one of voice call, web based calls, video calls, video mail, electronic mail, or chat message.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the second proxy servers are both configured to receive status information from a third agent station.