Method and system for monitoring and managing multi-sourced call centers

• US 8,699,689 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Broadsoft Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Transera Communications Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sundaram, Mukesh, Uppaluru, Prem
• Primary Examiner(s): Asanbayev, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US12/794,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20100246801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 379/220.01, 379/256.01, 379/112.1, 379/221.01, 379/221.03, 379/229, 379/231, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.06, 379/266.01, 379/266.04, 379/266.1
• US Class Current: 379/220.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2254 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5234 Uniform load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems

Abstract

A mid-point call management node subject to monitoring through a workstation communicatively coupled thereto, provides call services (e.g., through extensible markup language (XML), and in particular call control extensible markup language (CCXML) and/or voice extensible markup language (VXML), instructions) for an inbound call received from an originating network at an originating point-of-presence (POP) associated with multiple, disparate call centers, the call services being provided in response to call management application instructions issued according to enterprise-specific strategies for optimizing call handling between the originating POP and domestic and/or international ones of the disparate call centers communicatively coupled thereto. Call center information (e.g., call load information) received at the management node from the multiple call centers may be used in connection with providing the call services. The enterprise-specific strategies may be instantiated as processes for: call routing, load balancing, work force management, and/or customer relationship management.

Claims

1. In a communications network that includes a call management node communicatively coupled to an originating point of presence (POP) and a plurality of call centers, each of the plurality of call centers associated with a respective remote POP or domestic POP, a method, comprising:

receiving, at the call management node, (i) information concerning an inbound call received at a media gateway of the originating POP, and (ii) information from the respective remote POP or domestic POP concerning current call processing at the plurality of call centers, wherein the information concerning the current call processing at the plurality of call center includes call load information;

determining, by the call management node, call parameter data for the inbound call based on the information concerning the inbound call and the information concerning the current call processing at the plurality of call centers;

providing, from the call management node to a call control gateway communicatively coupled to the media gateway of the originating POP, call management instructions for the inbound call, the call management instructions being selected by the call management node according to the call parameter data and enterprise-specific strategies for optimizing call handling for a specific call center, the enterprise-specific strategies being specific to an enterprise other than an entity operating the call management node and the specific call center, wherein the call management instructions comprise instructions selected from a set including all of;

call routing, call transfer, call queuing, call reporting, call recording, and call monitoring, and wherein the enterprise-specific strategies are instantiated as processes selected from a set including all of;

call routing, load balancing, work force management, and customer relationship management;

monitoring, by a user, the inbound call at a workstation communicatively coupled to the call management node and a remote data center;

wherein monitoring is selected from a set including all of;

call transfer between the plurality of call centers, listening on a call between an agent and a customer, recording the call between an agent and a customer, and queuing a call until a particular agent is available; and

providing, by the call management node, via the call control gateway of the originating POP, call connection for the inbound call with a selected call center of the plurality of call centers via a particular one of the respective remote POP or domestic POP associated with the selected call center, the call connection being provided by the originating POP in response to a call management application instructions issued by the call management node according to call parameter data and enterprise-specific strategies.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising connecting the inbound call to the selected call center according to the call management instructions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the inbound call is directed to the selected call center as a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the inbound call is terminated into one of:

an automatic call distributor associated with the selected call center, or a private branch exchange associated with the selected call center.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the call management instructions comprise one of:

extensible markup language (XML) instructions, call control extensible markup language (CCXML) instructions or voice extensible markup language (VXML) instructions.

6. A call handling system, comprising:

a plurality of call centers, each connected to an associated remote point of presence (POP) or domestic POP;

an originating POP having a media gateway, signaling server, media server, and a call control gateway and being communicatively coupled to receive an inbound call from a network at the media gateway;

and a midpoint call management node, communicatively coupled to receive (i) information concerning the inbound call from the call control gateway of the originating POP, and (ii) information concerning current call processing at each of the plurality of call centers from the associated remote POP or domestic POP,

wherein, the midpoint call management node is configured to provide call object model, network object model and agent object models representing embodiments of the call handling system to a session manager of the call control gateway of the originating POP for manipulation by the session manager, the call object model representing the inbound call received at the call handling system, the network object model providing state information concerning the call handling system, and the agent object model representing a state of a call center agent within the call handling system, and to provide the session manager with call-related, network-related and agent-related events from the call handling system;

wherein the call control gateway further includes a network events manager configured to receive events indicative of whether or not particular network elements and links within the call handling system are either in service or out of service, the network event manager being communicatively coupled to the session manager through a call manager;

wherein the session manager of the originating POP is configured to retrieve instructions from the midpoint call management node for manipulating, in accordance with enterprise-specific strategies for call handling among call centers of the call handling system, the call object model, network object model and agent object model and reacting to the call-related, network-related and agent-related events to connect the inbound call to a selected call center of the plurality of call centers accordingly, the enterprise-specific strategies being specific to an enterprise other than an entity operating the midpoint call management node and the specific call center; and

a workstation, communicatively coupled to a midpoint call management node and a remote data center allowing a user to monitor the inbound call;

wherein monitoring comprises;

call transfer between the plurality of call centers, listening on a call between an agent and a customer, recording the call between an agent and a customer, and queuing a call until a particular agent is available.

7. The call handling system of claim 6, wherein the call control gateway further includes an agent event manager communicatively coupled to receive events indicative of current states of identified call agents using the call handling system and to notify a call manager of the call control gateway of the current states of the identified agents.

8. The call handling system of claim 7, wherein the agent event manager receives events over SIP (session initiation protocol) via Presence extensions and SIMPLE (SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions).

9. The call handling system of claim 7, wherein the current states of the identified agents comprise one or more of:

available to handle calls, busy handling a call, and unavailable between calls.