Method and apparatus for extended management of state and interaction of a remote knowledge worker from a contact center

A method for managing remote agents of a communication center comprising:

• receiving, by a first processor, over a wide area network, from a second processor distributed at a remote geographic location, activity state information of devices associated with the remote agents, wherein the devices associated with the remote agents do not have a control link to the first processor, wherein the second processor is adapted to register a directory number associated with an end user device of the devices associated with one of the remote agents;
• detecting, by the first processor, an interaction received at a first switch coupled to the first processor;
• identifying, by the first processor, in response to detecting the interaction, the one of the remote agents based on the received activity state information;
• transmitting, by the first processor to the second processor over the wide area network, a first control message adhering to a first protocol for routing the interaction to the directory number of the end user device associated with the one of the remote agents, wherein in response to receipt of the first control message, the second processor is configured to transform the first control message to adhere to a second protocol that is adapted to be recognized by the end user device associated with the one of the remote agents, and transmit the transformed message to the end user device;
• transmitting, by the first processor, a signal for routing the interaction from the first switch to a second switch coupled to the second processor;
• receiving, by the first processor from the second processor over the wide area network, a second control message for controlling the interaction as the interaction is occurring, wherein the control message is provided over the local data communications medium to the second processor by the end user device associated with the one of the remote agents handling the interaction;
• and
• transmitting, by the first processor, a signal to the first switch for controlling the interaction according to the second control message.

A system for managing remote agents of a communication center comprising:

• a first server coupled to a first switch and having a memory with instructions stored therein that, when executed by the first server, cause the first server to:
• receive, over a wide area network, activity state information of devices associated with the remote agents;
• detect an interaction received at the first switch;
• identify, in response to detecting the interaction, one of the remote agents based on the received activity state information;
• transmit over the wide area network, a first control message adhering to a first protocol for routing the interaction to a directory number of an end user device of the devices associated with the one of the remote agents;
• receive, over the wide area network, a second control message for controlling the interaction as the interaction is occurring;
• and
• transmit a signal to the first switch for controlling the interaction according to the second control message;
• and
• a second server distributed at a remote geographic location, the second server coupled to a second switch and having a memory with instructions stored therein that, when executed by the second server, cause the second server to:
• register the directory number associated with the end user device of the devices associated with one of the remote agents;
• monitor the devices associated with the remote agents for activity state information, wherein the devices are coupled to the second server over a local data communications medium, and the devices do not have a control link to the first processor;
• send the activity state information to the first server over the wide area network;
• receive the first control message from the first server over the wide area network for routing the interaction to the directory number of the end user device associated with the one of the remote agents;
• transform the first control message to adhere to a second protocol that is adapted to be recognized by the end user device associated with the one of the remote agents;
• transmit the transformed message to the end user device;
• receive over the local data communications medium, from the end user device associated with the one of the remote agents, a second control message for controlling the interaction;
• and
• transmit the received second control message to the first server over the wide area network.