Aspect Software, Incorporated

Davox Corporation

Concerto Software, Inc

Cim Ltd.

Malcom B Strandberg

Michael Charles Pinault

Robert C Owens

B Scott Smith

James Harmon Barnett

James F Mitchell

Michael Ely

Anthony Curreri

Robert Stent

W James Gillis

John Cambray

A system and method for providing hold queue prioritizing for a contact center includes an automated system and a contact receiver/director for connecting contacts to the automated system. A contact identifier obtains identifying information from each of the contacts connected to the system. A hold queue is coupled to the contact receiver/director for storing contact records associated with contacts connected to the automated system. A contact status identifier determines a connection status of each of the contacts in the hold queue and stores the connection status in the respective contact record for each contact. A contact-back identifier identifies a received contact-back by matching the contact identifying information associated with a contact to a contact record in the hold queue. The contact receiver/director selects a contact record with a 'connected' connection status and connects the caller in the hold queue associated with the selected contact record to an available agent.

Contact center queue priority management method and system

A method and apparatus are provided for operating a plurality of call center products. The method includes the steps of providing an enterprise administration server and disposing a respective terminal adapter between the enterprise administration server and each of the plurality of call center products. The method further includes the steps of a terminal adapter of a call center of the plurality of call center products receiving a database instruction from the enterprise administration server; the terminal adapter mapping a database instruction between a protocol of the enterprise administration server and a protocol of the call center product and the call center product executing the instruction.

Unified command and control of a multiplicity of heterogeneous systems supporting call center functionality

A method and apparatus are provided for transferring contacts among automatic contact distributors of an automatic contact distribution system. The method includes the steps of collecting information from a contact through an interactive voice response unit of a broker automatic call distributor of the automatic contact distribution system, incorporating the collected information into a SIP message, forking the SIP message from the broker automatic contact distributor to a plurality of other automatic contact distributors of the automatic contact distribution system and transferring the contact from the broker automatic contact distributors to one of the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

Leveraging a SIP forking model for distributed contact center routing

The system and method provides an automatic telephone call back in response to a request for assistance made at a remote data terminal by an inquiring party. The inquiring party provides information at the data terminal, the information is transferred over a data path, such as the PSTN, the Internet, or any other WAN or LAN or combination thereof, to the automated telephone call back system. A data path interface at the automated back system provides an interface or gateway between the data path and an automated dialer system. The automated dialer system retrieves telephone numbers provided by the inquiring parties, schedules the call backs, and automatically dials the telephone numbers using a predictive dialer. If a connection is made, the dialer will automatically connect the called party to an available agent, and any additional information about the called party, if available, will be transmitted to the agent's terminal by the call back manager. The automatic dialing system can also continuously dial a busy telephone number provided by an inquiring party, in order to ensure that they are contacted as soon as possible.

System and method for providing an automatic telephone call back from information provided at a data terminal

A system and method for providing audio communication over a computer network between sending and destination devices using differing communication formats is provided. The system identifies the format of the incoming digital encoded audio data signal, identifies the destination device format of the signal, and converts the data to a second digital encoded audio data signal which is compatible with the format utilized by the destination device.

System and method for providing audio communication over a computer network using differing communication formats

A system for contacting an interested party utilizing a computer network includes an interested party database including a field containing a first e-mail address used to address an e-mail message to an interested party and an e-mail general or responsive to the first e-mail address and generating the first e-mail message addressed to the first e-mail address of the interested party. The generator also sends the first e-mail message to the interested party's first e-mail address. The first e-mail message includes a response message portion including a second e-mail message. The second e-mail message is addressed to a second e-mail address (sending party's e-mail address. The response message portion is responsive to the first e-mail message being read, for sending the second e-mail message to the sending party's e-mail address. The system further includes a database responsive to the second e-mail message storing data associated therewith.

System and method for utilizing a computer network in conjunction with traditional telemarketing

A system and method provides an automatic telephone call back to a telephone line being used to access a computer network. A call back is made in response to a request by an inquiring party at a remote data terminal connected to the computer network using a telephone line. The inquiring party provides call back data at the data terminal connected to a computer network, such as the Internet, by way of a telephone line. The call back data is transferred over the computer network to the automated telephone call back system. A computer network interface at the automated back system provides a gateway between the computer network and an automated dialer system. The automated dialer system retrieves telephone numbers provided by the inquiring parties, schedules the call backs, and automatically dials the telephone numbers using a predictive dialer. If a telephone number is scheduled for an immediate call back, the call status is monitored by the dialer to detect a busy signal. If a busy signal is detected, a redial script instructs the predictive dialer to continuously redial the number until an answer is detected, i.e., the inquiring party disconnects from the computer network and the telephone line becomes available. If a connection is made, the dialer will automatically connect the called party to an available agent, and any additional information about the called party, if available, will be transmitted to the agent's terminal by the call back manager.

System and method for providing an automatic telephone call back to a telephone line being used to access a computer network

A web browser based client workstation receives web browser based information and displays the web browser based information in a web page browser format. The web browser based information may include operation critical application information which is interactively displayed and utilized to perform an operation critical application from the client workstation. The operation critical application may include a telephony application. The web browser based client workstation may include a script wizard for allowing a user to generate non-proprietary, industry standard, active objects to handle one or more applications. The client workstation may also include at least one host connection active object to handle information exchange between the web browser based client workstation and a host computer/database. Persistent data to be utilized by the client workstation may be stored within the workstation for later reuse without access to a server computer. The client workstation may execute HTML code which may be generated on the client workstation for control of an application by the workstation. The client workstation may also include web browser based scripting information for providing one or more script pages which can be logically related and called one after the other based upon an answer or response to a predetermined message text on a previous script page. The client workstation may be coupled to a server computer which includes at least one proxy server. The proxy server facilitates access to data external to the server computer. Data from multiple sources can be requested through the proxy server and displayed generally simultaneously on one web page of the web browser based client workstation.

Browser user inter face for client workstation

The system and method for dialing in a telephony system using a common channel signaling protocol, such as ISDN, maximizes the use of bearer or voice channels. The telephony system includes a dialing switch connected to a central office switch that supports the common channel signaling protocol. In one example, the connection is made using an ISDN primary rate interface (PRI) connection providing 23 bearer channels and one data channel. The dialing switch automatically dials to establish telephone connections between calling parties, such as agents in a call center, and called parties, such as existing or potential customers. The system also includes a telephony system control/manager that controls the dialing and manages telephony resources. The system determines predictive dialing factors, such as an anticipated connect ratio (ACR) of dialed numbers to connections with called parties, average talk time, a number of idle agents, and hold time. Based upon these predictive dialing factors, the system determines a number of telephone numbers to be dialed, which can exceed the number of bearer channels. Dialing commands are then transmitted over the data channel to dial the numbers, and the answered calls are connected over the available bearer channels to the calling parties. Predictive dialing is thus achieved with a number of bearer channels equal to the number of calling parties.

System and method for dialing in a telephony system using a common channel signaling protocol in which the use of bearer channels is maximized

A system and method for providing an electronic chat session between at least one inquiring party and at least one agent includes an inquiring party data terminal through which an inquiring party requests an electronic chat session with a call center agent over a data flow path that the inquiring party establishes with an information provider. A computer network and associated network interfaces, interface the inquiring party data terminal, the information provider server, and the electronic chat session distribution system to the computer network and allows data to be exchanged there between. A call center controller, responsive to a chat session request, generates a routing signal which establishes a data flow path between the inquiring party and at least one call center agent. The agent/inquiring party data flow path is an extension of the data flow path established between the inquiring party and the information provider and the data flow path established between the information provider and the call center allowing for the exchange of data between the inquiring party and a call center agent at the time the inquiry for information is made and without the need to establish another data flow path.

System and method for providing an electronic chat session between a data terminal and an information provider at the request of an inquiring party input into the data terminal

A multi-path digital signal processor for use in a telephony system provides a first data path for interfacing to a local area network, a second data path for interfacing to a Versa-bus Modular Eurocard (VME) bus, and at least one third data path for interfacing to at least one pulse code modulation digital signal path. The Digital Signal Processor may transmit and receive data by any or all of these means to allow efficient data transfer and processing by the Digital Signal Processor in a telephony system.

Multi-path bus digital processor

A multi-path digital signal processor for use in a telephony system provides a first data path for interfacing to a local area network, a second data path for interfacing to an industry standard computer backplane bus, and at least one third data path for interfacing to at least one time division multiplexed digital signal path. The Digital Signal Processor may transmit and receive data by any or all of these means to allow efficient data transfer and processing by the Digital Signal Processor in a telephony system.

Multi-path bus digital signal processor

A voice response system for providing interactive data exchange between an outside party, an operator and one or more data bases wherein a voice path switch initially connects an outside party to a database through a voice response unit. The voice response unit provides digitized voice prompts and questions to the outside party. The outside party responds to the prompts by entering selected numbers on a telephone touchtone keypad. The voice response unit then converts data from the database to voice signals recognizable by the outside party. The voice response unit or the outside party may selectively transfer the transaction to a human operator. In addition to providing transfer of voice signals from the voice response system to an operator, the system provides the operator with a list of information transacted thus far between the outside party and the voice response unit. The system also includes a workstation programmable function feature which performs a selected task upon the occurrence of a predetermined event such as receiving data at the operator workstation or removing or replacing the operator telephone handset.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Malcom B Strandberg