Call center for offering goods and services to an inmate population
View Patent ↗A call center for an inmate at a correctional facility is disclosed. The call center services inmate calls and coordinates inmate purchases of goods and services. The call center is staffed by live operators who are connected to the inmates. The live operators are provided with inmate data, such as personal and family information and sentencing data. A vendor agent terminal displays the inmate data. The operator may suggest goods and services of interest to the inmate based upon the inmate data. The inmate may be charged a fee to access the live-operator vendor service. Alternatively or additionally, the inmate may be charged a per-minute fee to access the vendor call center. The vendor call center or a detention facility call processing system may provide warnings to the inmate regarding an elapsed call duration, a time remaining on the call, or a fee amount due to continue the call.
1. A call center system for providing goods and services to inmates, comprising:
a call center switch coupled to a inmate communications processing system at a detention facility and to a plurality of agent stations, the processing system providing communication services only to inmates at the detention facility;
the agent stations comprising a workstation or phone terminal and a communication connection, the agent station terminal coupled to a server and offering goods or services available for purchase by the inmates, and the connection allowing an IVR or live operators to speak with inmates in real-time; and
the workstation terminal further coupled to an inmate database, the workstation terminal displaying inmate data obtained from the detention facility related to an inmate account.
2. The call center system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a camera adapted to provide video conference data to the call processing system.
3. The call center system of claim 1 , wherein the workstation terminal provides a selected inmate's prior commissary orders.
4. The call center system of claim 1 , wherein the workstation terminal provides an account balance for an inmate account.
5. The call center system of claim 1 , wherein the workstation terminal provides friend and family information for a selected inmate.
6. The call center system of claim 1 , wherein the workstation terminal provides information associated with a selected inmate's sentence or conviction record.
7. The call center system of claim 1 , further comprising an interactive voice response (IVR) unit, the IVR adapted to play messages to the inmates.
8. A method for providing services to inmates, comprising:
establishing a connection between an inmate telephone and a vendor agent workstation in real-time;
displaying an inmate account profile to an agent at the agent workstation, the account profile comprising information about funds available from an inmate account and personal information about an inmate;
displaying, on the agent workstation, a list of items available for purchase by the inmate; and
creating an inmate order of items to be delivered to the inmate.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
sending the inmate order to a vendor company to be filled and delivered.
10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
timing a duration of a call between the inmate and the agent.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
charging the inmate account a fee based upon the duration of the call.
12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
charging the inmate account a fee for establishing the telephone call connection.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the personal information comprises information about the inmate comprises information associated with the inmate's family.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the personal information comprises information about the inmate comprises information associated with the inmate's sentencing and conviction record.
15. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
displaying, on the vendor agent workstation, a list of items previously purchased by the inmate.
16. A method for providing services to an inmate, comprising:
initiating a communications to a call center from a detention facility;
establishing a connection between an inmate and a call center agent;
sending inmate account information to a call center workstation, the account information including an inmate account balance;
billing the inmate account a connection fee for establishing the call connection to the call center agent; and
billing the inmate account a purchase amount corresponding to items ordered by the inmate from the vendor call center.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
timing a duration of the call to the call center; and
billing the inmate account a duration fee based upon the duration of the call connection.
18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
sending inmate profile data to the call center workstation, the inmate profile data comprising information about the inmate's family.
19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
sending inmate profile data to the call center workstation, the inmate profile data comprising information about the inmate's sentence.
20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
sending inmate profile data to the call center workstation, the inmate profile data comprising information about the inmate's family.