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

Abstract

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.