IP Library Granted Patent US 8,565,222
Granted Patent B2
US 8,565,222 · App. 12/618,526 · Granted Oct 22, 2013

Enterprise contact server with enhanced routing features

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,565,222
App. No.
12/618,526
Granted
Oct 22, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A server may include logic configured to receive a call-back request from a customer, where the call-back request includes an identifier associated with the customer. The server may further include logic configured to identify, based on the identifier, a call center from a group of call centers having a group of agents qualified to handle the call-back request; and logic configured to forward the call-back request to the identified call center, where the call-back request causes the identified call center to select one of the group of agents to handle the call-back request.

Claims (73)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a call-back request of a customer;

identifying, by the server, a plurality of different call centers, each of the plurality of different call centers being associated with one or more agents to handle the call-back request, the plurality of different call centers being identified based on:

the call-back request, and

a respective qualification of each of the one or more agents;

sending, by the server, a message, to each of the plurality of different call centers, to query a status of each of the one or more agents to handle the call-back request,

the status of each of the one or more agents indicating an availability of the agent to handle the call-back request;

receiving, by the server and from a particular call center of the plurality of different call centers, a response to the message, the response indicating whether a particular agent, of the one or more agents associated with the particular call center, is available to handle the call-back request,

the particular call center being the first to respond to the message; and

forwarding, by the server, the call-back request to the particular call center based on:

the response of the particular call center, and

the particular call center being the first to respond to the message.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying the qualification of each of the one or more agents, associated with a respective one of the plurality of different call centers, based on customer identification information of the customer.

3. The method of claim 1 , where forwarding the call-back request to the particular call center causes the call-back request to be forwarded to a terminal of the particular agent.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving an update to information identifying the qualification of at least one of the one or more agents from at least one of the plurality of different call centers.

5. The method of claim 1 , where identifying the plurality of different call centers comprises:

identifying one or more skills relating to the call-back request; and

identifying the plurality of different call centers as being associated with agents with the one or more skills.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying a different one of the plurality of call centers when the response of the particular call center indicates that no agent, associated with the particular call center, is available to handle the call-back request.

7. The method of claim 1 , where receiving the call-back request includes:

receiving the call-back request from another server,

the other server receiving the call-back request from a device of the customer, based on the customer submitting the call-back request via a web site associated with the other server, and forwarding the call-back request to the server.

8. A device comprising:

a processor to execute instructions, stored in a memory, to:

receive a call-back request of a customer;

identify a plurality of different call centers, each of the plurality of different call centers being associated with one or more agents to handle the call-back request,

each of the plurality of different call centers being identified based on one or more skills, of each of the one or more agents, relating to the call-back request;

identify a particular call center of the plurality of different call centers based on a quantity of the one or more agents, associated with the particular call center, being greater than a quantity of the one or more agents associated with other one or more of the plurality of different call centers;

send a message, to the identified particular call center, to query a status of the one or more agents associated with the particular call center;

receive a response, from the particular call center and to the message, indicating whether a particular agent, of the one or more agents associated with the particular call center, is available to handle the call-back request; and

forward the call-back request to the identified particular call center based on receiving the response, from the particular call center, to the message.

9. The device of claim 8 , where, when receiving the call-back request, the processor is to receive customer identification information associated with the customer, and

where the processor is further to:

identify the one or more skills based on the customer identification information.

10. The device of claim 8 , where the processor is further to:

identify the particular agent as having a highest skill level, out of skill levels of the one or more agents associated with the particular call center, of a skill needed to handle the call-back request.

11. The device of claim 8 , where the response indicates that the particular agent is not available,

where the processor is further to:

identify a different call center of the plurality of different call centers based on the response indicating that the particular agent is not available.

12. The device of claim 8 , where, when receiving the call-back request, the processor is to:

receive the call-back request from another server,

the other server receiving the call-back request from the customer, based on the customer submitting the call-back request via a web site associated with the other server, and forwarding the call-back request to the server.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a server, causes the server to:

receive a call-back request of a customer;

identify a plurality of different call centers,

each of the plurality of different call centers being associated with one or more agents to handle the call-back request,

the plurality of different call centers being identified based on:

the call-back request, and

a respective qualification of each of the one or more agents;

send a message, to each of the plurality of different call centers, to query a status of each of the one or more agents associated with a respective one of the plurality of different call centers,

the status of each of the one or more agents indicating an availability of the agent to handle the call-back request;

receive, from a particular call center of the plurality of different call centers, a response to the message,

the response indicating whether a particular agent, of the one or more agents associated with the particular call center, is available to handle the call-back request,

the particular call center being the first to respond to the message; and

forward the call-back request to the particular call center based on:

the response of the particular call center, and

the particular call center being the first to respond to the message.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to receive the call-back request include:

one or more instructions to receive the call-back request from another server,

the other server receiving the call-back request from a device of the customer, based on the customer submitting the call-back request via a web site associated with the other server, and forwarding the call-back request to the server.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , where the response indicates that the particular agent is available, and

where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to forward the call-back request include:

one or more instructions to forward the call-back request to the particular call center based on the response indicating that the particular agent is available.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising:

one or more instructions to forward the call-back request to another call center, of the plurality of different call centers, when the response indicates that no agent, associated with the particular call center, is available.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to forward the call-back request to the particular call center include one or more instructions to forward the call-back request to a device of the particular agent.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising:

one or more instructions to receive information identifying the customer; and

one or more instructions to identify the respective qualification of each of the one or more agents, associated with a respective one of the plurality of different call centers, based on the information identifying the customer.

Assignments (6)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 032734 FRAME: 0502. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Nov 28, 2017
From: VERIZON BUSINESS GLOBAL LLC
To: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
Reel/Frame 044626/0088 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 22, 2014
From: VERIZON BUSINESS GLOBAL LLC
To: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
Reel/Frame 032734/0502 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 8, 2014
From: MCI WORLDCOM, INC.
To: WORLDCOM, INC.
Reel/Frame 032632/0055 →
MERGER Recorded Apr 8, 2014
From: MCI, INC.
To: MCI, LLC
Reel/Frame 032632/0244 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 8, 2014
From: MCI, LLC
To: VERIZON BUSINESS GLOBAL LLC
Reel/Frame 032632/0404 →
MERGER Recorded Apr 8, 2014
From: WORLDCOM, INC.
To: MCI, INC.
Reel/Frame 032632/0446 →