System and method for call distribution

1. A computer-implemented method for distributing phone calls, comprising:

receiving an inquiry from an individual having caller identification information;

determining, with at least one processor, a call time to call the individual;

selecting a service provider telephone number by matching an area code of the caller identification information for the individual with area codes for a plurality of service provider telephone numbers;

generating, with at least one processor, a text message in response to receiving the inquiry, the text message comprising the call time and service provider information, the service provider information comprising the service provider telephone number;

automatically transmitting, with at least one processor, the text message to the individual from the service provider prior to the call time; and

automatically initiating a phone call to the individual at the call time from the service provider telephone number.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the service provider telephone number is included in a message body of the text message.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the inquiry comprises a phone call from the individual outside of service provider business hours, further comprising:

presenting the individual with call back options; and

receiving a selection of a call back option from the individual, wherein the call time is determined based on the selection of the call back option.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the inquiry comprises an online form that is completed by the individual, and wherein the call time is determined from the online form.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the text message is automatically transmitted to the individual at a predetermined time prior to the call time.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the phone call is unanswered by the individual; and

automatically initiating a subsequent phone call to the individual at a predetermined time after initiating the phone call or determining that the phone call is unanswered by the individual.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, with at least one processor, that the phone call is unanswered by the individual;

determining, with at least one processor, a new call time;

generating, with at least one processor, a new text message comprising the new call time and the service provider information;

automatically transmitting, with at least one processor, the new text message to the individual prior to the new call time; and

automatically initiating a new phone call to the individual at the new call time.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining the call time comprises selecting a time from at least one of the following: a relative time after sending the text message, a specific time of day, a range of times, a time requested by the individual, or any combination thereof.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the service provider information comprises at least one of the following: a company or organization name, a brand name, a type of good or service, a name of a call-buyer associated with the service provider, or any combination thereof.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the phone call is initiated between the individual and at least one of the service provider and an automated pre-recorded outbound call service.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the text message is generated and sent to the individual immediately or at a predetermined time after receiving the inquiry.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the text message is at least one of the following: a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message, an email message, a web-based message, or any combination thereof.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the text message comprises a text message body, and wherein the text message body comprises the call time and the service provider telephone number.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein, after receiving the inquiry from the individual, the method further comprises determining a service provider agent from a plurality of service provider agents, wherein the service provider telephone number comprises a telephone number of the service provider agent.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein, after receiving the inquiry from the individual, the method further comprises determining a service provider from a plurality of service providers.

16. A system for distributing phone calls, comprising at least one computer including at least one processor, wherein the at least one computer is in communication with a telephone network, the at least one computer programmed or configured to:

receive an inquiry from an individual having caller identification information;

determine a call time to call the individual;

select a service provider telephone number by matching an area code of the caller identification information for the individual with area codes for a plurality of service provider telephone numbers;

generate a text message in response to receiving the inquiry, the text message comprising the call time and service provider information, the service provider information comprising the service provider telephone number;

automatically transmit the text message to the individual from the service provider prior to the call time; and

automatically initiate a phone call to the individual at the call time from the service provider telephone number.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the service provider telephone number is included in a message body of the text message.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the inquiry comprises a phone call from the individual outside of service provider business hours, and wherein the at least one computer is further programmed or configured to:

present the individual with call back options; and

receive a selection of a call back option from the individual, wherein the call time is determined based on the selection of the call back option.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the text message is automatically transmitted to the individual at a predetermined time prior to the call time.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one computer is further programmed or configured to:

determine that the phone call is unanswered by the individual; and

automatically initiate a subsequent phone call to the individual at a predetermined time after initiating the phone call or determining that the phone call is unanswered by the individual.

21. The system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one computer is further programmed or configured to:

determine that the phone call is unanswered by the individual;

determine a new call time;

generate a new text message comprising the new call time and the service provider information;

automatically transmit the new text message to the individual prior to the new call time; and

automatically initiate a new phone call to the individual at the new call time.

22. The system of claim 16 , wherein the call time is determined by selecting a time from at least one of the following: a relative time after sending the text message, a specific time of day, a range of times, a time requested by the individual, or any combination thereof.

23. The system of claim 16 , wherein the service provider information comprises at least one of the following: a company or organization name, a brand name, a type of good or service, a name of a call-buyer associated with the service provider, or any combination thereof.

24. A computer program product for distributing phone calls, comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

receive an inquiry from an individual having caller identification information;

determine a call time to call the individual;

select a service provider telephone number by matching an area code of the caller identification information for the individual with area codes for a plurality of service provider telephone numbers;

generate a text message in response to receiving the inquiry, the text message comprising the call time and service provider information, the service provider information comprising the service provider telephone number;

automatically transmit the text message to the individual from the service provider prior to the call time; and

automatically initiate a phone call to the individual at the call time from the service provider telephone number.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the text message is transmitted from the service provider telephone number.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , further comprising transmitting a confirmation text message based on the selection of the call back option received from the individual.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising scheduling a call back time based at least partially on a text message received from the individual.