Staged predictive dialing system
AssigneeInteractive Intelligence, Inc.
InventorBrian E. Mewhinney
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method, apparatus, and system places outbound calls using a predictive dialer at a call center and, optionally, receives inbound calls. The predictive dialing components use information about the substantive stage of the active calls at a given point in time to decide whether to begin to dial another outbound call. The calls that are considered may be inbound or outbound. In one form of the invention, statistics are maintained regarding each agent's passage through the various stages of an active call, then the statistics are used to control the predictive dialer.
Claims28
An apparatus, comprising:
- a plurality of communication channels;
- a linking means for predictively establishing communication links via said plurality of communication channels;
- a telecommunication device linkable with two or more of said plurality of communication channels;
- wherein said telecommunication device is linked with a first remote party on a first active call via a first one of said plurality of communication channels;
- and
- a feedback means for communicating to said linking means a feedback signal that indicates the substantive progress of said first active call;
- wherein said linking means is operative, based at least in part on the substantive progress indicated by said feedback signal, to attempt to establish a second call to a second remote party via a second one of said plurality of communication channels.
A system, comprising a computer-readable medium encoded with programming instructions that are executable by a processor in communication with a predictive dialer, to:
- connect an agent with an outside party to establish a first active call;
- generate a first progress signal that reflects the state, among a plurality of states, of a discussion between the agent and the outside party as determined with reference to the content of the discussion, on a first one of the plurality of communication channels;
- and
- control the predictive dialer as a function of the first progress signal.
A method of controlling a predictive dialer in a communications center, comprising:
- connecting an agent to an outside party to create an active call in which the agent and the outside party engage in a discussion;
- determining a current state, among a plurality of states, of the discussion between the agent and the outside party, as determined with reference to the content of the discussion;
- and
- controlling the predictive dialer based on the current state of the active call.
A scripting system for use in an agent workstation in a call center having a predictive dialing system, the workstation comprising:
- a means for receiving telephone calls, each connected to a telephone respondent by the predictive dialing system;
- and
- a display means;
- the scripting system comprising:
- a means for providing signals effective to cause the display means to display a script for prompting an agent in a telephone call with the telephone respondent;
- a means for producing status signals representative of the progression of the agent through the script;
- and
- a means for sending said status signals to the predictive dialing system.
In a system having a predictive dialer and a plurality of agent stations, the improvement comprising:
- a signal from a first one of the agent stations that indicates the substantive content of the discussion between an agent at the first one of the agent stations and a third party;
- wherein the predictive dialer determines whether to dial additional calls as a function of the signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.