System and methods for call decisioning in a virtual call center integrating telephony with computers

• US 6,553,113 B1
• Filed: 07/09/1999
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: First USA Bank N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Dhir, Nitin, Shkreli, Djovana, Foster, Thorp
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/349,960
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265-1-2, 379/266-1-2, 379/309, 379/219, 379/220.01
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems

Abstract

An apparatus and methods for a call routing system is disclosed whereby the call routing service provider is associated with a series of partners. By providing a system supporting not only the main user, but also the partners, efficiencies are gained through cost-spreading. Agents can be qualified to field calls for multiple business entities. Cross-selling and proactive servicing based on caller demographic and profile data can be effectuated. The system employs a centralized or global bank of shared Interactive Voice Response (IVR) units so that unnecessary post-routing and call site interflow are reduced. The system comprises a central server system that interfaces with a long distance provider so that route requests are received, caller data is retrieved from one or more databases, routing and handling strategies are developed, load balancing is effectuated, and calls are appropriately routed to one of a plurality of geographically separated call center systems with queues staffed by agents. Each call center system is designed to support various queues, and agents may be qualified or assigned to various queues based on their skill sets and skill levels.

Claims

1. A server-based call routing system, comprising:

a central server system for receiving information of a call and developing a routing control signal and information to assist an agent in handling said call;

said central server system being coupled to a telephony network that is responsive to said routing control signal;

a plurality of call sites with a plurality of queues for receiving said call based on said routing control signal and for receiving said information to assist an agent;

a voice response unit that is external to the telephony network, and that is shared by the plurality of call sites, wherein the central server system preroutes the call to the voice response unit in order to collect at least some of the information of a call prior to developing the routing control signal;

wherein said call sites provide servicing for a plurality of partners, and further wherein said plurality of call sites provides dedicated queues for at least some of the partners.

2. The call routing system of claim 1, wherein each of said call sites is staffed by a plurality of agents and wherein at least one agent is associated with more than one queue.

3. The call routing system of claim 1, wherein one of said plurality of queues is for proactive servicing for suggesting servicing other than that requested by a caller.

4. The call routing system of claim 3, wherein said central server system is adapted to route said call to said queue for proactive servicing based on decisioning logic that predicts whether the caller may be interested in a product or service based on previously stored data comprising customer profile data or customer behavior data.

5. The call routing system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of partners have their own dedicated phone numbers such that the central server system can recognize that the call is directed to a specific partner based on dialed number information.

6. The call routing system of claim 1, wherein before developing the routing control signal the central server system generates a plurality of candidate routing strategies based on running scripts retrieved from a database, each candidate routing strategy having a target queue, and further wherein the central server system generates the routing control signal based on selection of one of the candidate routing strategies.

7. The call routing system of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the information of a call is used to retrieve information from a call center database in order to develop the routing control signal.

8. The call routing system of claim 7, wherein the routing control signal causes the telephony network to take the call back from the voice response unit for routing to one of the call sites.

9. A method of routing calls in a call routing system, comprising:

receiving information of a call at a central server system;

generating a first routing control signal to route the call to an interactive voice response unit shared by a plurality of call sites, wherein the interactive voice response unit is external to an exchange carrier providing the call;

receiving input from a caller at the interactive voice response unit; and

generating a second routing control signal for routing the call to one of said plurality of call sites based at least in part on said input;

wherein the call routing system provides service for a plurality of partners, and further wherein said plurality of call sites provides dedicated queues for at least some of the partners.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a plurality of agents for staffing the call sites, the agents capable of being associated with multiple queues.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of assigning multiple queues at each call site.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said multiple queues comprise at least one queue for proactive servicing for suggesting servicing other than that requested by a caller.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of generating a second routing control signal further comprises predicting a service or product of interest to a caller based on decisioning logic that predicts whether the caller may be interested in a product or service other than that requested by the caller by processing previously stored data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of routing the call to an agent at the call site who is associated with a queue for the service or product.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein at least some of the plurality of partners have their own dedicated phone numbers such that the central server system can recognize that the call is directed to a specific partner based on dialed number information.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of generating a plurality of candidate routing strategies based on running scripts retrieved from a database, each candidate routing strategy having a target queue, and wherein the step of generating a second routing control signal comprises selecting one of the candidate routing strategies.

17. A method of preparing strategies for a call routing system, comprising:

receiving information of a call at a call routing system, the information including data provided by a voice response unit that is shared by a plurality of call sites and that is external to a telephony network providing the call;

retrieving data from a database based on said information;

generating a plurality of routing strategies for said call based on the retrieved data, each routing strategy having an associated target queue;

performing load balancing based on the status of a plurality of queues; and

selecting one of said strategies;

wherein the plurality of call sites provide servicing for a plurality of partners, and further wherein the plurality of call sites provide dedicated queues for at least some of the partners.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein one of said routing strategies provides for sending the call to a queue for proactive servicing for suggesting servicing other than that requested by a caller.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of generating handling strategy data to assist an agent.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said handling strategy data informs the agent on how to handle said call.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein at least some of the plurality of partners have their own dedicated phone numbers, and further comprising the step of recognizing that the call is directed to a specific partner based on dialed number information.