Method and system for distributing outbound telephone calls

• US 7,239,692 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Noble Systems Corporation
• Original Assignee: ALI Solutions, Inc. (Noble Systems Corporation)
• Inventors: Rodenbusch, Richard, Duncan, Daniel N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US11/561,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20070121900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 225 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.05, 379/265.12, 37926601-26605, 379/266.07, 379/266.08, 379/266.1
• US Class Current: 379/266.07
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/106 for flying insects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26

Abstract

A method and system is provided for the distribution of outbound telephone calls. This method and system includes dialing devices receiving call records and providing telephone calls to one or more agents. Interfaced with the dialing device is a distribution module including pools and queues. The distribution module places the call records into the pools and transfers less than all of the call records to the queues to allow for calling by the dialing devices at peak efficiency. The distribution module transfers the queues to the dialing devices so that the dialing device can place telephone calls. The distribution module monitors the queues to determine when to send additional call records to the queues. In addition, distribution module monitors the results of the call records and updates the call records in the pools so that call records with unsuccessful outcomes can be safely called again later in the day.

Claims

1. A system for distributing outbound telephone calls, the system comprising:

a distribution module having a plurality of call records, the distribution module operable to place the call records into plural queues and to transfer each of the plural queues to one of plural dialing devices, each dialing device operable to support plural contacts for plural agents with the call records.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the distribution module is further operable to transfer additional call records to the queues if the dialing devices have contacted predetermined of the call records.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the distribution module comprises a server that supports TCP/IP, the distribution module transferring the queues with TCP/IP.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the dialing devices comprise predictive dialers.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the distribution module is further operable to monitor the dialing devices to determine contact results associated with the call records and to transfer additional call records to the queues based at least in part on the contact results.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the distribution module is further operable to redistribute call records between the queues based at least in part upon contact attempt results associated with the call records at the dialing devices.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a scheduling module interfaced with the distribution module, the scheduling module operable to schedule call records for ordered contact attempts by the dialing devices according to one or more factors.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the distribution module manages call records in plural pools, the distribution module further operable to transfer call records to a queue from a first pool and transfers call records to the queue from a second pool when the call records in the first pool are depleted.

9. A method for distributing outbound telephone calls, the method comprising:

organizing call records at a distribution module into a plurality of queues;

distributing each queue to one of a plurality of dialing devices;

attempting outbound telephone calls with the call records of the queue at each dialing device; and

providing each outbound telephone call to one of plural agents associated with each dialing device.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

monitoring the results of outbound telephone calls at each dialing device;

communicating the results to the distribution module; and

distributing additional call records to the queues based in part on the results.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein organizing call records at the distribution module further comprises:

determining a priority between the call records based on one or more factors; and

ordering the call records in queues based on the priority.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the priority is based on the likelihood of a successful contact for the call record.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the priority is based on a location associated with each call record.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

uploading a plurality of call attempt results from the dialing devices to the distribution module; and

analyzing the call attempt results to determine the number of call records remaining to be called in the queues and a depletion rate at which the dialing devices call the call records in the queues.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining a number of additional call records for each queues based upon the number of call records remaining to be called and the depletion rate; and

distributing the determined number of additional call records to each queue.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising redistributing the call records between the queues based on the call attempt results associated with each dialing device.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein distributing the queues to a plurality of dialing devices comprises:

locking the call records to each dialing device;

creating a plurality of contingency files specific for each dialing device; and

updating the contingency files with call attempt results.