CALL AND DATA CORRESPONDENCE IN A CALL-IN CENTER EMPLOYING VIRTUAL RESTRUCTURING FOR COMPUTER TELEPHONY INTEGRATED FUNCTIONALITY
A call center having agent stations comprising telephones connected to computer stations by a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant bridge has data pertaining to callers stored in a database on a local area network (LAN) to which the computer stations are also connected. Origination data for incoming calls, both conventional calls to the telephones and computer-simulated calls to the computer platforms, is used as a key to extract data pertaining to calls from the database for display on video display units (VDUs) of the computer workstations where the calls are terminated. In some cases, data is only extracted and displayed for calls from previously listed origination points.
1 . A telephony call-in center, comprising:
a plurality of agent stations, individual ones of the agent stations having a telephone and a computer platform including a video display unit (VDU), the telephone and computer platform connected by a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant data link;
a local area network (LAN) connecting at least some of the computer platforms at the agent stations; and
a first computer processor connected on the LAN, having a wide area network connection (WAN) adapted to receive computer-simulated telephone calls, and having access to a database;
wherein the computer platform is adapted to retrieve origination data for incoming calls to the telephone, and to use the origination data to correlate the caller with further data retrieved from the database for display on the VDU.
2 . The telephony call-in center of claim 1 wherein the first computer processor is adapted to service calls from specific Service Control Points (SCPs) and to block display of data at agent station VDUs for any call not identified as originating at one of the specific SCPs.
3 . The telephony call-in center of claim 1 . wherein one or more of the computer platforms are personal computers (PCs).
4 . The telephony call-in center of claim 1 wherein the computer platforms are adapted to report the origination data to the first processor, and the first processor is adapted to correlate the caller with further data retrieved from the database for display on the VDU.
5 . A telephone call-routing system, comprising:
a call-in center comprising a plurality of agent stations, individual ones of the agent stations having a telephone and a computer platform including a video display unit (VDU), the telephone and the computer platform connected by a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant bridge, with a plurality of the computer workstations connected to one another, to a first processor, and to a database on a local area network (LAN); and
a call-routing center comprising a telephony switch adapted to switch telephone calls to the telephones at the call-in center and a processor adapted to route computer-simulated telephone calls to the computer platforms at the agent stations;
wherein the computer workstation is adapted to retrieve origination data for incoming calls, both conventional telephony and computer-simulated, and to report the origination data to the first processor, and wherein the first processor is adapted to use the origination data to correlate the caller with further data retrieved from the database for display on the VDU.
6 . The telephone call-routing system of claim 6 wherein the first processor is adapted to service calls from specific Service Control Points (SCPs) and to block display of data at agent station VDUs for any call not identified as originating at one of the specific SCPs.
7 . The telephone call-routing system of claim 5 wherein one or more of the computer workstations are personal computers (PCs).
8 . An agent station for a call-in center, comprising:
a computer platform having a local area network (LAN) adapter, the computer platform adapted for receiving and processing computer-simulated telephone calls;
a telephone having a telephone line port; and
a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant bridge connecting the computer workstation and the telephone;
wherein the computer workstation is adapted to retrieve origination data for calls, both calls to the telephone and computer-simulated calls to the computer platform, and to report the origination data on a LAN via the LAN adapter to a processor connected to the LAN.
9 . The agent station of claim 8 wherein the computer platform is a personal computer (PC) having a video display unit (VDU).
10 . A method for correlating displayed data with incoming conventional telephone and computer-simulated telephone calls at a call-in center, comprising steps of:
(a) connecting individual telephones at the call-in center by a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant bridge to individual computer platforms;
(b) connecting each telephone-connected computer workstation on a local area network (LAN) to a processor connected on the LAN, the processor having access to a database storing data to be displayed;
(c) monitoring origination information of incoming calls by the computer workstations;
(d) providing the origination information over the LAN to the LAN-connected processor; and
(e) using the origination information via the processor to correlate data to be displayed with the incoming calls.