CALL CENTERS FOR PROVIDING CUSTOMER SERVICES IN A TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20100014511A1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Holly, Gerald Augustin JR., Jarquin, Roberto Armando Portillo, Borodow, Eli Ben, Margulies, Edwin Kenneth, Ezerzer, Ran, Aljane, Ali
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• 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 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A software-based distributed architecture allows rapid provisioning and flexible management of fault-tolerant call centers for interaction between companies'"'"' agents and outside customers via multi-media messages, using both real time and non-real time messages. The real time messages include web-based chat, forms and applications sharing, PSTN calls, and incoming and outgoing Voice over IP calls. The non-real time messages include web call-back requests, voice messages, fax messages, and email messages. The architecture provides for sharing of non-dedicated resources among multiple companies, mirrored hot backup, dynamic resource provisioning and allocation, dynamic load balancing, and implementation of service controls on individual companies in accordance with subscription service limits.

Claims

1. A multi-channel, multimedia communication system comprising:

a first plurality of communication channels, wherein each of the first plurality of communication channels is of a different type;

a call center resource communicatively coupled with the first plurality of communication channels, the call center resource adapted to receive a communication from a caller via at least one of the first plurality of communication channels;

an automated call distributor resource communicatively coupled with the call center resource, wherein the automated call distributor selects an agent of a company from a plurality of agents for handling the communication based at least in part on information from the communication; and

a second plurality of communication channels communicatively coupled with the call center resource, wherein each of the second plurality of communication channels is of a different type and wherein the call center resource routes the communication to the selected agent and establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent via at least one of the second plurality of communication channels.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a resource manager, wherein the resource manager provides centralized management of the call center resource and the automated call distributor resource.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a network manager, wherein the network manager adds, removes, modifies, starts, and stops resources of the system based at least in part on input from a user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated call distributor resource selects the agent further based on history information for the caller.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated call distributor resource selects the agent further based on skills of the agent.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated call distributor resource selects the agent further based on availability of the agent.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the call center resource and the automated call distributor resource are shared by a first company and a second company and the plurality of agents comprises agents for both the first company and the second company.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises an email resource and the communication comprises an e-mail received by the email resource.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the email resource forwards the e-mail to the selected agent via one of the second plurality of communication channels.

10. The system, of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a chat resource and the call center resource establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent by initiating a chat session.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second plurality of communication channels comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) network and initiating the chat session comprises initiating the chat session via the IP network.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the call center resource establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent by initiating a voice call.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second plurality of communication channels comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) network and initiating the voice call comprises initiating a Voice Over IP call to the selected agent.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a web servlet resource and the call center resource establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent by initiating a multimedia session between the caller and the agent.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second plurality of communication channels comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) network and initiating the multimedia session comprises initiating the multimedia session via the IP network.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of communication links comprises one or more tandem switches.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of communication links comprises one or more tandem switches.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the call center resource establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent by initiating a Voice Over IP (VoIP), call to the agent.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the tandem switches comprise a hybrid switch.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the call center resource establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent by initiating a Voice Over IP (VoIP) call to the agent.

21. A multi-channel, multimedia communication system comprising:

a first plurality of communication channels, wherein each of the first plurality of communication channels is of a different type;

a call center resource communicatively coupled with the first plurality of communication channels, the call center resource adapted to receive a communication from a caller via at least one of the first plurality of communication channels;

an automated call distributor resource communicatively coupled with the call center resource, wherein the automated call distributor selects an agent of a company from a plurality of agents for handling the communication based at least in part on information from the communication; and

a second plurality of communication channels communicatively coupled with the call center resource, wherein the second plurality of communication channels comprises at least one Internet Protocol (IP) network and at least one non-IP network and wherein the call center resource routes the communication to the selected agent and establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent via at least one of the second plurality of communication channels.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the system further comprises an email resource and the communication comprises an e-mail received by the email resource.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the email resource forwards the e-mail to the selected agent via one of the second plurality of communication channels.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the system further comprises a chat resource and the call center resource establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent by initiating a chat session.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the system further comprises a chat resource and the call center resource establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent by initiating a chat session.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the call center resource establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent by initiating a voice call.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein initiating the voice call comprises initiating a Voice Over IP (VoIP) call to the selected agent via the IP network.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the system further comprises a web servlet resource and the call center resource establishes a connection between the caller and the selected agent by initiating a multimedia session between the caller and the agent.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein initiating the multimedia session comprises initiating the multimedia session via the IP network.

30. A multi-channel, multimedia communication system comprising:

a first plurality of communication channels, wherein each of the first plurality of communication channels is of a different type;

a call center resource communicatively coupled with the first plurality of communication channels, the call center resource adapted to receive a communication from a caller via at least one of the first plurality of communication channels;

an automated call distributor resource communicatively coupled with the call center resource, wherein the automated call distributor selects an agent of a company from a plurality of agents for handling the communication based at least in part on information from the communication; and

a second plurality of communication channels communicatively coupled with the call center resource, wherein the second plurality of communication channels comprises at least one Internet Protocol (IP) network and at least one non-IP network and wherein the call center resource routes the communication to the selected agent and initiates a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call between the caller and the selected agent via the IP network.

31. A method for providing call center services, the method comprising:

receiving a communication from a caller at a multi-channel, multimedia communication system via at least one of a first plurality of communication channels;

selecting with the multi-channel, multimedia communication system an agent of a company from a plurality of agents for handling the communication based at least in part on information from the communication;

routing the communication with the multi-channel, multimedia communication system to the selected agent; and

establishing with the multi-channel, multimedia communication system a connection between the caller and the selected agent via at least one of a second plurality of communication channels, the second plurality of communication channels comprising at least one Internet Protocol (IP) network and at least one non-IP network.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising forwarding with the multi-channel, multimedia communication system an e-mail message from the caller to the selected agent via one of the second plurality of communication channels.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising initiating with the multi-channel, multimedia communication system a chat session between the caller and the selected agent via one of the second plurality of communication channels.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising initiating with the multi-channel, multimedia communication system a voice call between the caller and the selected agent via one of the second plurality of communication channels.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the voice call comprises a Voice Over IP (VoIP) call.