Telephonic communications – Plural exchange network or interconnection
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-17
2001-12-25
Matar, Ahmad (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Plural exchange network or interconnection
C379S221010, C379S220010, C379S309000, C379S265010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06333979
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for routing communications to communication processing centers (CPCs).
2. Description of Related Art
Many businesses use call centers coupled to networks such as telephone networks to provide services and information to customers and users. Directory assistance is an example of such a service which uses call centers. If available agents of a call center cannot answer an incoming call, the call is routed to a holding queue, to wait for an agent to become available. The time that a call is left in the holding queue is termed time-to-answer. On average, the longer the time-to-answer, the more likely it is that the calling party will simply hang up and abandon the call without waiting for the call to be answered. As a result, fees or sales may be lost. Thus, there is a need for new technology to reduce time-to-answer at call centers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for routing incoming voice and/or data communications to communication processing centers based on a destination plan. Incoming telephone communications are routed to communication processing centers based on various parameters such as numbering plan areas (NPA; i.e., area code), regions of origin/destination, or other parameters such as subject matter of the communications, skill level of receiving personnel, etc. The capacity of each communication processing center is determined and each communication processing center's free capacity is calculated for designated time intervals. From this result, the smallest free capacity of any time interval for each communication processing center is determined and the incoming communications are reallocated in a destination plan that maximizes the amount of smallest free capacity. Such maximization may be achieved through use of linear programming to make an initial distribution plan and also to make incremental incoming communication allocation adjustments.
The volume of incoming communications for telephone based services often has a regular daily pattern with one or more predictable high volume peak times. Reallocating incoming communications so that the amount of smallest free capacity is maximized spreads out the distribution of communications more evenly over the communication processing centers, thus reducing the average time to answer calls, while taking advantage of the noncoincidence of daily incoming communication volume peaks due to seasonal and regional variations and time zone differences.
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Bondi Andre B.
Segal Moshe
AT&T Corp.
Knowlin Thjuan P
Matar Ahmad
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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