CALL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING COMBINED CALLING LISTS

• US 20020067820A1
• Filed: 10/20/1998
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BENSON, PAUL, IMPEY, ALAN ADRIAN
• Application Number:
  US09/175,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20020067820A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

A method of managing a call system for a computer telephony integrated call center system, said call center system comprising two or more customer call lists for at least one business telephony application, said method comprising: retrieving customer records for the same customer from a number of call lists; and combining said customer records to form a combined call list for said customer. A plurality of combined call lists for a plurality of customers is stored in a combined call list database. When ever a call is outbound to a customer or inbound to a customer the combined list for that customer is displayed so that calls to that customer can be managed.

Claims

1. A method of managing a call system for a computer telephony integrated call centre system, said call centre system comprising two or more customer call lists for at least one business telephony application, said method comprising:

retrieving customer records for the same customer from a number of call lists; and

combining said customer records to form a combined call list for said customer.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising forming a plurality of combined call lists for a plurality of customers and storing said plurality of combined call lists in a combined call list database.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 further comprising creating a new record to indicate the progress of an outbound call when an outbound call is initiated.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said outbound call progress record is created in a separate outbound call database.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein said outbound call progress record contains data relating to the customer that the call was made to.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 further comprising recording in the out call progress record when the call is completed and/or which call list the call was initiated form.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising creating a new record to indicate the progress of an inbound call for the call centre.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said inbound call progress record is created in a separate inbound call database.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said inbound call progress record contains data relating to the customer who initiated the call.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 further comprising recording in the inbound call progress record when the call is completed and/or the reason for the call.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 further comprising displaying said combined call list for a customer on initiation of an outbound call to that customer or an inbound call from that customer.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising displaying the outbound call progress records for a customer on initiation of an outbound to that customer or inbound call from that customer.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 and as dependent on claim 7 further comprising displaying the inbound call progress record for a customer in initiation of an outbound call to that customer or an inbound call from that customer.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14 further comprising means for forming a plurality of combined call lists for a plurality of customers and storing said plurality of combined call lists in a combined call list database.

16. A system as claimed in claim 15 further comprising means for creating a new record to indicate the progress of an outbound call when an outbound call is initiated.

14. A call management system for a computer telephony integrated call centre system, said call centre system comprising two or more customer call lists for at least one business telephony application, said call management system comprising:

means for retrieving customer records for the same customer from a number of call lists; and

means for combining said customer records to form a combined call list for said customer.