Avaya Technology LLC

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Avaya Inc.

Didina Burok

Andrew Derek Flockhart

Peter Matteo

Eugene P Mathews

Joaquin Omar Alvarado

Robert Daniel Nalbone

Christopher Moss

Robert C Steiner

Wen-Hua Ju

Larry John Roybal

Rafal Sitkowski

Colin Lingwood Mallows

Sami Qutub

James M Landwehr

Steven Michael Silverstein

Brian Hillis

Gail Levenelm

Leta G Herman

In a computer-telephony integrated (CTI) contact center, a CTI adjunct () enqueues contacts in contact queues () of the CTI adjunct, but also causes contacts that are calls () to be enqueued as ACD calls in ACD call queues () of an ACD system (), whereby the ACD system and its management information system (MIS) provide ACD features to the calls. Similarly, the CTI adjunct enqueues agents in agent queues () of the CTI adjunct, but also causes agents () that have call-handling skills to log into and to be enqueued as ACD agents in ACD agent queues () of the ACD system, whereby the ACD system and its MIS provide ACD features to the agents.

Computer-telephony integration that uses features of an automatic call distribution system

In a computer integrated telephony call center where an adjunct host ( ) normally controls enqueuing of calls ( ) in call queues ( ) of an ACD system ( ) and corresponding call queues ( &prime;) of the adjunct host and assigning of the enqueued calls to agents, the ACD system assumes ( ) control over its call queues upon loss of the control by the adjunct host (e.g., upon failure ( ) of the adjunct host). The ACD system flags ( ) all calls that are enqueued at the time of loss of the adjunct host control as well as all calls that the ACD subsequently enqueues as being under ACD system control. When the adjunct host regains its control ability, the ACD system stops flagging new calls, call queues of the host processor are cleared ( ), and the adjunct host regains control ( ) of enqueuing calls in call queues of the ACD and the adjunct host. But the adjunct host regains control ( ) of assigning calls from each call queue of the ACD system and the corresponding call queue of the adjunct host only when all flagged calls have been removed ( ) from that ACD call queue by the ACD system. The adjunct host resumes assigning work to each agent only when the adjunct host has regained control ( ) of assigning calls from all call queues that are served by that agent. Failure and restoration of control by the adjunct host is thereby made transparent to calls.

Uninterrupted automatic call distribution during failure and recovery of computer-telephony integration

An automated method for servicing a plurality of work items within committed times. A workflow including two or more work activities is assigned for each of the plurality of work items and a commitment is assigned either to each workflow or to each work item in each workflow. Queued work items are automatically assigned to a next available agent based on an activity state. A short-term predictor provides early detection of work items that are at risk of failing to meet their commitments. A long-term predictor detects backlogs of work items where excessive delays in queue are likely to put work items at risk of failing to meet their commitments. An activity's state can also cause additional reserve and backup agents to be assigned to it, to service work items from its queue before their commitments are missed.

Automated workflow method for assigning work items to resources

A call initiation request generated by an application running on a computer-telephony integration (CTI) server or other CTI device is supplied via a CTI link to a switch. The switch receives the request over the CTI link, and places a 'phantom' call from the originator of the call to the destination of the call. The phantom call may be representative of, for example, a real-time voice call or a non-real-time transaction such as a delivery of an e-mail, facsimile or voice mail message. The originator corresponds to a phantom extension or group of phantom extensions which is not associated with any physical communication device of the system. A phantom extension in accordance with the invention does not require an actual physical originator or destination communication device, as well as a corresponding switch port card or other hardware, and therefore does not consume valuable switch resources. The switch reports call status information for the phantom call to the application over the CTI link.

Methods and apparatus for processing phantom calls placed via

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Matawan, NJ, United States of America

Didina Burok