Telephonic communications – Centralized switching system – Call distribution to operator
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-11
2003-04-22
Hong, Harry S. (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Centralized switching system
Call distribution to operator
C379S265010, C379S088190, C379S088210, C379S211010, C379S212010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06553112
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a call center system having a function for displaying user information corresponding to a user number dialed by a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
As competitions in the telecommunication field are becoming severe in recent years, to offer users better services, a function for displaying user information upon occurrence of a termination call of a user to a call center is being required.
In this case, it is necessary to cause each user to dial various kinds of user identification numbers such as a user number, to search the user information from a database corresponding to the dialed numbers, and to display the searched result.
In a related art reference of such a call center system, after an operator thereof hears the user number and so forth of a user who has called the call center, the operator inputs the user number and so forth to a user information system with a keyboard.
However, in the related art reference, there is a problem that it is slow to display the user information because the user number and so forth are input after a call is terminated to the call center.
And, accompanied with the development of DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) signal receiving unit (referred to as IVR: Interactive Voice Response), in the related art reference, the following system is considered. The system is that: after a call is terminated to the IVR and a user number and so forth have been received to the IVR, the termination call is transferred to an operator and the user number and so forth received by the IVR is sent to the operator.
However, in the latter related art reference, there is the following problem. The problem is that: in the case that a system is operated by a plurality of operators and the system uses a ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) function of a PBX (Private Branch exchange), when a termination call is transferred from the IVR to one operator, since the transfer destination of the termination call is not explicit outside the PBX, the user number and so forth received by the IVR may not be sent to the operator as the transfer destination.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made from the above-described point of view. An object of the present invention is to allow a user number and so forth received by the IVR to be sent to an operator as a transfer destination even if the ACD function of the PBX is being used.
An aspect of the present invention presupposes a call center system for switching a termination call to one of a plurality of operator units.
This aspect has the following units.
First, a private branch exchange exchanges a call.
Next, a signal receiving unit has the functions of receiving call information that identifies the termination call from the private branch exchange, receiving user identification information from an originator corresponding to the termination call with a DTMF signal, storing the user identification information along with the call information corresponding to the termination call, receiving the user identification information and then causing the private branch exchange to transfer the termination call to one of the operator units, and sending the stored user identification information corresponding to a first inquiry that identifies the call information received from a network to an originator of the inquiry through the network.
Next, a database unit stores user information corresponding to the user identification information.
Each of the operator units has the functions of receiving call information of the termination call designated as a transfer call by the signal receiving unit from the private branch exchange, sending a first inquiry that identifies the received call information and that inquires the user identification information to the signal receiving unit through the network, sending a second inquiry that identifies user identification information received from the signal receiving unit corresponding to the first inquiry and that inquires the user information to the database unit, displaying the user information received from the database unit corresponding to the second inquiry, and terminating the termination call designated as the transfer call by the signal receiving unit and allowing an operator of the relevant operator unit to communicate with the originator of the termination call.
According to the structure of an aspect of the present invention, call information of a termination call is sent to the signal receiving unit and an operator unit as a transfer destination. In addition, after the signal receiving unit has received and stored user identification information, the operator unit as the transfer destination inquires of the signal receiving unit about the user identification information with a key of call information. Thus, even if the private branch exchange is using the ACD function and so forth, the user identification information received by the signal receiving unit can be sent to an operator as a transfer destination.
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Bui Bing
Fujitsu Limited
Hong Harry S.
Katten Muchin Zavis & Rosenman
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