Enhanced automatic call distribution system operation
AssigneeAT&T Bell Laboratories
InventorsJanice H. Jurgensen, Wayne A. Senneke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The exemplary embodiment is in an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD). Incoming calls to a system with no available agents can be placed in a queue, or in a departure from the prior art, can be terminated to voice mail. Voice mail messages are classified into different priority queues according to called number, keyed DTMF digits from the calling customer, and the calling number. The voice mail calls are delivered to the agent based upon the priority of the voice mail queue after the agent completes a call or after he/she logs in following a log out period. The voice mail calls can be terminated to a team of agents.
Claims17
An automatic call distributor (ACD) comprising:
- a plurality of first queues for storing information identifying calls to be answered when an agent becomes available and a plurality of second queues for storing voice mail control information for calls for which callers have left a voice message;
- and
- processor means, operative under the control of a program, for routing calls from one of said first queues and from one of said second queues to available agents in accordance with a priority scheme for appropriately giving preference to said first or said second queues;
- wherein said preference is sometimes given to one of said second queues even if one of said first queues is not empty.
A method of processing an incoming call to an automatic call distributor (ACD), comprising:
- responsive to a receipt of an incoming call, and a determination that no agents are available to serve the call, offering a caller of said call an opportunity to leave a message;
- and
- responsive to an indication that said caller requests to leave a message, connecting said caller to voice messaging means for recording a voice message;
- wherein when an agent becomes available, if a voice message for said ACD has been recorded, said agent will automatically receive said recorded message if no calls are queued in the ACD for a team of which said agent is a member;
- and
- wherein said agent sometimes receives said recorded message even if one or more calls are queued for said team.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.