Customer self routing call center

Telephonic communications – Centralized switching system – Call distribution to operator

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C345S215000, C379S093170, C379S210010, C379S220010, C379S266070

Reexamination Certificate

active

06272216

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to telephone networks generally, and more specifically to call centers for receiving and routing calls.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Call centers are systems that enable a number of agents to handle incoming and/or outgoing calls. These calls are sent to and received by whichever of the agents are available at the time of the call.
Call centers often use call-related information such as the calling number or the called number to determine what treatment to give each call before the call is answered. They also give access (queue an incoming call for answering and/or answer the call) or deny access (return a busy signal). Typically, such call centers do not make a determination of the needs of the caller making the call. Instead, the caller's needs are determined by an agent only after the agent has answered the call.
It is desirable to provide a system that provides callers with greater control over the handling of their calls and routes calls more efficiently.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a call center which provides greater caller control by providing the caller more information in a graphical display format, and accepting caller inputs to allow the caller to decide how the call is processed by the call center.
According to one aspect of the invention, the system provides the caller with a graphical display showing a plurality of resources. The resources may include voice telephone by which the caller talks to an agent, a video device, a voice mail system, an electronic mail system or a wireless electronic communication system. The information may include, for example, the background, capabilities or credentials of the human agents, and the specifications and location of hardware resources. The system allows a customer to select multiple preferred agents and/or resources, and initiate multiple calls; subsequently, the caller can connect to the first one of the preferred agents to become available, while simultaneously dropping the other calls. The invention also provides a customer with information about routing alternatives, if any of the agents can be reached at an alternate telephone or destination address. While the caller is waiting from the requested agents or resources to become available, the caller can change or delete one or more of the pending calls.
These and other aspects of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings and the exemplary embodiment.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5444774 (1995-08-01), Friedes
patent: 5463681 (1995-10-01), Vaios et al.
patent: 5684872 (1997-11-01), Flockhart et al.
patent: 6064730 (2000-05-01), Ginsberg
U.S. application Ser No. 08/871,445, filed Jun. 1997, Ginsburg.
U.S. application Ser. No. 60/019,985, Ginsburg.

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