Limiting contact in a networked contact center environment

• US 9,986,091 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2016
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Townsend, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Asanbayev, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US15/070,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20160198048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8027 based on network load situation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/12 Counting circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• 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 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

This document discusses, among other things, limiting contact to a networked contact center that is a host to multiple tenants. In an example embodiment, a communication is received by a networked contact center. In determining whether to allow the communication to reach contact center resources, a contact rate value may be examined. The contact rate value may represent an allowable quantity of contact within a time interval. For some example embodiments, a determination of whether the network contact center is to accept or reject the communication is made based on the contact rate value.

Claims

1. A networked contact center that hosts a plurality of tenants, the networked contact center comprising:

a plurality of platform machines, each platform machine including at least one central processing unit (CPU) and associated with a respective one of the plurality of tenants and having a respective contact parameter stored in a database;

a contact machine that is communicatively coupled to the plurality of platform machines and that includes at least one central processing unit (CPU) that is configured to;

in response to receiving a communication;

determine one of the plurality of tenants is associated with the communication;

determine whether one of the plurality of platform machines associated with the determined tenant is allowed to accept the communication based on the respective contact parameter for the one of the plurality of platform machines; and

on information indicative of whether one or more calls is allowed to be routed to a plurality of communication layers within a first time interval and by maintaining values representing a number of ongoing network communications associated with each of the plurality of communication layers, the respective contact parameter being associated with a quantity of contact within the first time interval, wherein the plurality of communication layers includes at least two of a dialed number identification service layer, a tenant layer, a platform layer, a cluster layer, a site layer, and a carrier layer,

in response to determining that the one of the plurality of platform machines associated with the determined tenant is not allowed to accept the communication, reject the communication to the one of the plurality of platform machines;

in response to determining that the platform machine is allowed to accept the communication, route an initiation of the communication to the determined one of the plurality of tenants; and

adjust at least one of the respective contact parameters based at least in part on the received communication, and

wherein the platform machine is further configured and arranged to reject the communication, in response to receiving the routed initiation of the communication, based on available platform resources.

2. The networked contact center of claim 1, wherein the communication includes a voice communication, a chat communication, an email communication, or a combination thereof, wherein the initiation includes a communication of data indicating the determined tenant.

3. The networked contact center of claim 1, wherein the contact machine is configured and arranged to:

determine the platform machine of the plurality of platform machines that is associated with the determined tenant using data in the received communication that is indicative of the determined tenant.

4. The networked contact center of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of tenants has a plurality of contact parameters stored in the database.

5. The networked contact center of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of contact parameters has a respective status stored in the database, the status indicating whether the contact parameter is active or disabled.

6. The networked contact center of claim 5, wherein the contact machine is configured and arranged to determine whether one of the plurality of platform machines associated with the communication is allowed to accept the communication based on the ones of the plurality of contact parameters having a status indicating the contact parameter is active.

7. The networked contact center of claim 5, wherein the platform machine corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of tenants is configured and arranged to adjust the statuses of the plurality of contact parameters based on an operating status of the platform machine.

8. The networked contact center of claim 1, wherein the database forms a storage layer, and the platform machines foul′

a platform layer, the platform machines configured to share access to the storage layer.

9. A system comprising:

a networked contact center that includes a plurality of communication layers, the communication layers including;

at least one database in a storage layer, and

platform machines in a platform layer, the platform machines including one or more central processing units and configured to share access to the storage layer; and

at least one contact machine including a central processing unit and communicatively coupled to the platform machines, the contact machine configured and arranged to;

receive a network communication,

identify, based upon the received network communication, a particular platform machine of the platform machines in the platform layer, and

determine availability of platform resources associated with the particular platform machine based upon a contact parameter for each of the plurality of communication layers,

reject, in response to determining that one of the platform resources is not available, the network communication to the particular platform machine,

determining that the platform machine is allowed to accept the communication based on the respective contact parameter and on information indicative of whether one or more calls is allowed to be routed to a plurality of communication layers within a first time interval and by maintaining values representing a number of ongoing network communications associated with each of the plurality of communication layers, the respective contact parameter being associated with a quantity of contact within the first time interval, wherein the plurality of communication layers includes at least two of a dialed number identification service layer, a tenant layer, a platform layer, a cluster layer, a site layer, and a carrier layer; and

route, in response to determining that the one platform resources is available, an initiation of the network communication to the particular platform machine, and

wherein the particular platform machine is further configured and arranged to reject the network communication, in response to receiving the routed initiation, based on available platform resources.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one contact machine is further configured and arranged to determine availability of platform resources by maintaining bucket values representing a number of ongoing network communications associated with each of the plurality of communication layers.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the bucket values correspond to the network communications associated with a respective one of a networked contact center dialed number identification service (DNIS) bucket, a tenant bucket, a platform bucket, a cluster bucket, a site bucket and a carrier bucket.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one contact machine is further configured and arranged to maintain the bucket values by decrementing, after a communication is allowed, corresponding bucket values by a selected value.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one contact machine is further configured and arranged to maintain the bucket values by incrementing, after a specific time interval, the corresponding bucket values by the selected value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one contact machine is configured to adjust the specific time interval in response to feedback.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one contact machine is further configured and arranged to generate, in response to rejecting the routing from routing the communication to the particular platform machine, a rejection message.