Automated voice system for improving agent efficiency and improving service to parties on hold

For use with a system which places outbound calls to and receives inbound calls from a plurality of parties, which selectively connects ones of said plurality of parties to ones of a plurality of agents, which selectively places ones of said plurality of parties on hold, and which uses a call pacing algorithm to control the rate of placement of said outbound calls, a method for advising a party who is placed on hold, comprising the steps of:

• measuring call handling times for each agent of said plurality of agents;
• providing said call handling times for each said agent to said call pacing algorithm;
• receiving, for each said agent and from said call pacing algorithm, a prediction of time remaining until each of said agents becomes available;
• ranking said agents based upon said time remaining for each agent;
• determining a priority status for each party who is placed on hold;
• ranking said parties who are placed on hold based upon said priority status;
• matching a party on hold with an agent, based upon said ranking of said agents and said ranking of said parties;
• and
• providing, to a said party on hold, a statement of said time remaining for a said agent which was matched to said party.