Avaya Technology LLC

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Avaya Inc.

At&t Bell Laboratories

Avaya Technologies Corp

Eugene P Mathews

Andrew Derek Flockhart

Robin Harris Foster

Joylee E Kohler

John Z Taylor

Robert Daniel Nalbone

Roy A Jensen

Frank J Bogart

Thomas S Fisher

Stephen L Skarzynski

Christopher Moss

Joaquin Omar Alvarado

Gregory L Anderson

Peter Matteo

Didina Burok

David Charles Bengtson

Rodney Allen Thomson

Simon C Borst

Robert J Thornberry, Jr

Douglas W Swartz

Martin Ira Reiman

Carlos Alberto Perea

Lucinda M Sanders

Darryl J Maxwell

James B Shepard

Steven T Kaish

SuJeanne Foster

Craig F Palmer

Francis C Hymus

Judith B Seery

William Edward Gourlay

James E Ertel

Mark Landers

Robert W Donnelly

Raechel Greschler

Jill K Ross

Christopher Robinson Howell

Chadwick Joseph Romero

Smita P Sheth

George J Ryva

Nigel G Matson

Edward L Smelko

Andrew J Cammer

The present invention is directed to architectures for receiving, from requestors, requests for information, identifying appropriate responders, unknown to the requestors, to provide the requested information, and effecting interactions between the requestors and responders.

Communications-enabled dynamic social network routing utilizing presence

In one embodiment, a contact center is provided that includes:

Method and apparatus for the automated delivery of notifications to contacts based on predicted work prioritization

A method and system for dynamically determining a poll wherein at least a first parameter for each queue of one or more queues is maintained and a poll for each queue based upon an initial polling mode corresponding to each of the one or more queues is conducted. The polling mode comprises either a scheduled polling mode or an on-demand polling mode. Thereafter, at least a second parameter for each queue based on the poll is determined and an interval or a mode of a subsequent poll for each queue based on a comparison between the first parameter and the second parameter corresponding to each queue is scheduled. The subsequent poll is either (a) a different one of the scheduled poll and the on-demand poll, or (b) the scheduled poll having a different polling interval than the initial polling mode wherein the initial polling mode is also the scheduled poll.

Enhanced polling method and system

The system and method establish a communication with a first party. A first emotion is detected during a first step during the communication. Steps in the communication can include: establishing a call, waiting in a queue, talking with an agent, communicating with an IVR system, and the like. A second emotion is detected at a different step in the communication. Alternatively, the first and second emotions are detected in two different but related communications. The detection of the first and/or second emotion determines how to process the communication. Examples of processing a communication can include routing the communication differently, selecting a different script for an agent, selecting a different agent, and the like. In addition, the communication can also be processed differently based on other additional parameters.

System and method for detecting emotions at different steps in a communication

The present invention is directed to a contact center using presence information to direct work items to experts. More specifically, a system is provided that includes a feature that allows for subject matter experts, which are individuals other than customer service agents, to assist in incoming calls in at least three different modes: an assist mode, an intercept mode and an overflow mode. Thus, customer service efficiency and customer satisfaction are increased. In addition, it is contemplated that subject matter experts may either selectively accept or deny the request for assistance.

Prioritized service delivery based on presence and availability of interruptible enterprise resources with skills

The present invention is directed to a contact center, comprising:

Method and apparatus for global call queue in a global call center

In a blended inbound/outbound call center (), an outbound call-pacing function () decides whether or not to initiate an additional outbound call for a particular skill. It determines () whether the number of available agents for the skill plus the number of resting agents for the skill exceeds the number of available inbound calls for the skill plus the number of outstanding outbound calls for the skill. It also determines () whether a target service time for the skill exceeds an estimated wait time of each of the available inbound calls for the skill assuming that pending outbound calls for the skill plus one take precedence over the inbound calls. If both determinations are affirmative, the call pacing function initiates () an additional call for the skill. If either determination is negative, the function forbears () from initiating an additional call for the skill. The number of available and resting agents may be incremented () by (a) a difference between the target service time for the skill and the present waiting time of the last-enqueued inbound call for the skill divided by the average rate of advance through the skill's call queue, or (b) the average amount of time that a newly-initiated outbound call for the skill takes to become available divided by the average rate of advance, plus the number of agents for the skill who are busy but expected to become available within a time period equal to (a) or (b), less the number of those agents that will receive a rest period upon becoming idle. The number of calls may be incremented () by the number of inbound calls that are expected to arrive within the time period (a) or (b).

Intelligent inbound/outbound communications blending

The present invention relates to the operation of interconnected switches or call centers. In particular, the present invention allows communication bandwidth to be conserved, by providing audible feedback from a switch that is relatively local to a caller, even though a call center that is remote to the caller has accepted responsibility for routing the call to an agent. In addition, the present invention simplifies the administration of audible feedback by allowing such feedback to be provided from a centralized or common location. The present invention allows for the reliable operation of call center arrangements, without requiring that communication channels interconnecting switches or call centers that are grossly oversized in proportion to the data required to be carried in association with conversations between callers and agents. In addition, the present invention allows for call center processing features to be fully functional on a receiving switch, while audible feedback is provided to a caller on hold from a sending switch.

Method and apparatus for the efficient utilization of trunk bandwidth in a global enterprise

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

A system for using an under-utilized data channel for carrying additional data, in a network mode. One such channel is the D-channel in the ISDN system. In one implementation, a group of telephone call centers share data, using the D-channel, about the lengths of time incoming callers must wait before being answered. Using the shared data, the call centers collectively route incoming calls to call centers having smaller waiting times.

Ring network implemented by telephony switches and links

When a call to a call center is enqueued to await an agent or placed on hold by an agent, an applet customized to satisfy an in-queue experience selected by the caller is downloaded to and executed on the caller's terminal. The applet presents information to the caller, and may also interact with the caller by, for example, gathering information from the caller. The time needed for execution of the selected applet is within a wait time negotiated with the caller. Preferably, the caller is identified (e.g., via the caller's address or identifier), and the applet is further customized for that caller's preferences, e.g., based on previously-gathered and stored information about that caller. When the agent is about ready to take the call, the caller is alerted. When an agent dequeues the call or takes the call off hold, connection of the agent with the client is (re)established.

Customized applet-on-hold arrangement

A call center ( ) rejects further calls when the sum of the present time, the anticipated call in-queue wait time ( ), and the anticipated call service time ( ) for this type ( ) of call exceeds the closing time of the call center. The call center may redirect the rejected calls to another call center if it determines that the other call center can service them by its closing time.

Timely shut-down of a real-time work center

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

The present invention provides a method and system for controlling call volume into a call center. The method and system provides the contacting entity with a file of information for viewing that encourages or discourages continuance of the contact or initiation of another contact with the call center. This is accomplished by adding or omitting features from the file such as contact buttons or icons, messages, and the like. The architecture determines which type of file to provide a contacting entity based on such factors as the staffing level of the call center, the busyness of the call center, the value of the contact and/or contacting entity, and the like.

Arrangement for controlling the volume and type of contacts in an internet call center

A call center or other processing system receives an incoming communication over a computer network, determines at least a portion of a network source address of the originator, and utilizes information from the source address to select a particular type of treatment for the communication. The computer network may be an Internet Protocol (IP) network and the network source address may be an IP source address. The communication may be a service request delivered from the originator to a call center over the Internet. The source address may be processed to determine, e.g., a particular individual corresponding to the originator, or a company name, company size, Internet service provider, geographic region, or other characteristic associated with the originator. This information is then used to determine how the communication will be handled, e.g., provided with service within a designated time, handled by an agent having particular skills, etc. The source address may also be used to control subsequent activation of live agent support icons presented via a web page. Advantageously, the invention allows more efficient handling of communications received over the Internet by allowing a call center to provide appropriate customer treatment for such communications.

Method for providing customer treatment based on specified rules in conjunction with network source address of a request originator

Growing community of inventors

Barrington, IL, United States of America

Eugene P Mathews