Virtual receptionist system

An apparatus providing an improvement in customer service sessions implemented over computer networks, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:
• receiving, via one or more computer networks from a cabinet application executing on a computing device, a request to initiate a customer service session between the cabinet application executing on the computing device and a virtual receptionist application to provide virtual receptionist services to a user of the cabinet application executing on the computing device, the request including a computer identifier (CID) of the cabinet application executing on the computing device;
• selecting a particular virtual receptionist application from a plurality of virtual receptionist applications executing on one or more computing devices to provide virtual receptionist services to the cabinet application executing on the computing device;
• assigning the particular virtual receptionist application to a customer service session with the cabinet application executing on the computing device and providing the CID of the cabinet application executing on the computing device to the particular virtual receptionist application;
• instructing the particular virtual receptionist application to instruct a video conferencing server, which is separate from the distribution server and the computing device, to establish a video conferencing session between the cabinet application executing on the computing device and the particular virtual receptionist, wherein in response to receiving the instruction from the distribution server, the particular virtual receptionist application provides the CID of the cabinet application and a CID of the particular virtual receptionist application to the videoconferencing server.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media providing an improvement in customer service sessions implemented over computer networks, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:

• a distribution server receiving, via one or more computer networks from a cabinet application executing on a computing device, a request to initiate a customer service session between the cabinet application executing on the computing device and a virtual receptionist application to provide virtual receptionist services to a user of the cabinet application executing on the computing device, the request including a computer identifier (CID) of the cabinet application executing on the computing device;
• the distribution server, selecting a particular virtual receptionist application from a plurality of virtual receptionist applications executing on one or more computing devices to provide virtual receptionist services to the user of the cabinet application executing on the computing device;
• the distribution server, assigning the particular virtual receptionist application to a customer service session with the cabinet application executing on the computing device and providing the CID of the cabinet application executing on the computing device to the particular virtual receptionist application;
• the distribution server instructing the particular virtual receptionist application to instruct a video conferencing server, which is separate from the distribution server and the computing device, to establish a video conferencing session between the cabinet application executing on the computing device and the particular virtual receptionist, wherein in response to receiving the instruction from the distribution server, the particular virtual receptionist application provides the CID of the cabinet application and a CID of the particular virtual receptionist application to the videoconferencing server.