US 7,680,263 B2 · Agent detector, with optional agent recognition and log-in capabilities, and optional portable call history storage

Abstract

A system for accurately detecting the unavailability of a call center agent that uses one or more agent sensors provided in the area of the agent's desk or station that are triggered when the agent moves into or out of the physical area in which he or she can answer calls. The agent sensor may be an external hardware peripheral device which communicates with a call center software application. The agent sensor operates to notify the call center application when an associated agent leaves their desk, so that the call center application can make that agent unavailable to receive calls as a result. When the agent returns, another signal may be sent from the sensor to the call center application indicating that the agent is again available to receive calls. The information gathered by the call center application from the sensor signals may be used to assist in report generation regarding call center agents, and to improve call center performance, since calls are not forwarded to agents that have stepped away from their desk, even for a brief moment.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A system for controlling call routing to an agent in a call center, comprising:

at least one agent sensor operative to determine that said agent has become unavailable to receive calls routed to telephone equipment located within a work area, responsive to said agent sensor detecting at least one unavailability event, said unavailability event indicating that said agent is leaving said work area, and wherein said at least one agent sensor is further operative to send a first signal to a received call routing system, responsive to said detecting that said agent has become unavailable to receive calls routed to said telephone equipment located within said work area, said first signal indicating to said received call routing system that said agent has become unavailable to receive calls routed to said telephone equipment located within said work area;
and
wherein said agent sensor is further operative to receive a portable data storage device associated with said agent and to store in said portable data storage device a call record describing activities associated with a call routed by said received call routing system to said telephone equipment located in said work area.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Agent detector, with optional agent recognition and log-in capabilities, and optional portable call history storage

Life of this patent

Agent detector, with optional agent recognition and log-in capabilities, and optional portable call history storage

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28