Call-routing system and method

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of facilitating communications between an initiator and a desired recipient by making use of an intermediary agent (“agent”), said method comprising:

• receiving a request to initiate said communication from said initiator;
• providing a profiles database that stores a set of attributes associated with one or more of a plurality of agents;
• extracting source information from said request;
• referencing said source information against said profiles database to identify one of said plurality of agents to facilitate said communication;
• and
• directing said communication to said identified agent who may then facilitate said call between said initiator and said desired recipient, wherein directing said communications request to a specific agent includes selecting said specific agent prior to when said communications request reaches a telephony server, thereby substantially eliminating any delay between receiving said communications request at said telephony server and directing said request to said selected agent.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for routing a communications request to help facilitate a call between a user and a desired recipient by making use of an intermediary agent (“agent”), the method comprising:

• receiving said communications request from a user, wherein said communications request includes a request to ultimately reach said desired recipient;
• retrieving a set of preferences associated with said user;
• retrieving profile data related to each of a plurality of agents who may respond to said communications request to facilitate communications between said user and said desired recipient;
• and
• routing said communications request to a specific agent, wherein said specific agent possesses attributes consistent with at least a portion of the set of preferences and profile data, wherein routing said communications request to a specific agent includes selecting said specific agent prior to when said communications request reaches a telephony server, thereby substantially eliminating any delay between receiving said communications request at said telephony server and directing said request to said selected agent.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for routing a communications request to help facilitate a call between a user and a desired recipient by making use of an intermediary agent (“agent”) received through a teletype (TTY) device or destined to be communicated through a TTY device, the method comprising:

• receiving said communications request from said user, wherein said communications request includes a request to ultimately reach said desired recipient;
• retrieving signaling information from said communications request;
• receiving profile data related to a plurality of agents who may respond to said communications request to facilitate communications between said user and said desired recipient;
• based on said signaling information and said profile data, denoting a hierarchy of two or more of said plurality of agents to facilitate said communications request;
• and
• routing said communications request to one of said two or more of said plurality of agents in said hierarchy, who is able to receive said communications request and facilitate said call.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for establishing a communications link between a set of persons with an intermediary agent facilitator in a hub-and-spoke format, where the agent is the hub and set persons are the spokes, the method comprising:

• receiving a request to establish said communications link between said set of persons, wherein said request is to be directed to one of a plurality of receiving components;
• identifying one of said plurality of receiving components to satisfy said request;
• prior to communicating said request to said identified receiving component, identifying an agent from a plurality of agents to facilitate said communications link, wherein identifying an agent comprises:
• (a) retrieving a set of attributes associated with a calling source;
• (b) retrieving, from a profiles database, profile data related to each of said plurality of agents;
• (c) retrieving statistical data related to each of said plurality of agents;
• and
• (d) selecting a specific agent from said plurality of agents based on said set of attributes, said profile data, and said statistical data;
• and
• communicating said request to said identified receiving component, whereby said request can be routed to said identified agent immediately incident to being received by said receiving component.

A system for routing a communications request to help facilitate a call between a user and a desired recipient by making use of an intermediary agent (“agent”), said system comprising:

• a preferences database for storing information related to calling preferences of said user;
• a profiles database for storing a set of attributes associated with a plurality of agents who facilitate calls between parties;
• a statistics manager for computing statistical data related said plurality of agents;
• and
• one or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for referencing said preferences database, said statistics manager, and said profiles database incident to receiving said communications request to designate a hierarchy of two or more of said plurality of agents to facilitate said communications request, wherein designating said hierarchy includes ranking each of the plurality of agents so that if a first selected agent is not available, the system suggests an alternative agent from the hierarchy.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for enabling a deaf or hard-of-hearing person to communicate with another person over a communications network via a communications link by making use of an intermediary agent (“agent”), the method comprising:

• receiving a request to establish said communications link between a user and a desired recipient, wherein at least one of said user and said desired recipient is deaf or hard-of-hearing;
• monitoring a plurality of agents who may facilitate said communications request by serving as an intermediary, wherein said monitoring includes receiving and parsing a continuous feed of agent login events, agent status, and port capacity;
• extracting source information from said communications request;
• and
• based on said monitoring and said source information, directing said communications request to one or more of said plurality of agents.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for routing a communications request to help facilitate a call between an initiator and a desired recipient by making use of a plurality of intermediary agents (“agents”), the method comprising;

• retrieving a set of preferences associated with said initiator of said communications request;
• retrieving profile data related to said plurality of agents who may respond to said communications request;
• retrieving statistical data related to said plurality of agents;
• matching said initiator to one or more of said agents based said statistical data and on a relationship between said set of preferences and said profile data, wherein said one or more of said agents have attributes consistent with at least a portion of said set of preferences and profile data;
• and
• designating a hierarchy of two or more of said plurality of agents to facilitate said communications request, wherein designating said hierarchy includes ranking each of the plurality of agents so that if a first selected agent is not available, the system suggests an alternative agent from the hierarchy.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of routing a communications request to help facilitate communications between a plurality of users and a plurality of desired recipients by making use of a plurality of intermediary agents (“agents”), said method comprising:

• providing a preferences database that contains a plurality of entries associated with said plurality of users, wherein said preferences database includes customer-preferred routing information for each of said plurality of users;
• receiving a plurality of communications requests from said plurality of users, wherein said communications requests include requests to ultimately reach said desired recipient;
• referencing a profiles database that contains a plurality of entries related to a plurality of agents who may respond to said communications requests to facilitate said communications between said plurality of users and said plurality of desired recipients;
• matching said users to said agents based on a comparison between said entries of said preferences database and said entries of said profile database;
• and
• routing each of said communications requests to a specific agent, wherein said specific agent possesses attributes consistent with at least a portion of the set of preferences and profile data, wherein routing said communications request to a specific agent includes selecting said specific agent prior to when said communications request reaches a telephony server, thereby substantially eliminating any delay between receiving said communications request at said telephony server and directing said request to said selected agent.