Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for changing operating parameters within an automatic contact distribution system that includes a plurality of functionally similar but structurally different automatic contact distributor subsystems. The method includes the steps of a user selecting an operating parameter for use by each of the plurality of functionally similar but structurally different automatic contact distributor subsystems, a respective conversion program for each of the plurality of functionally similar but structurally different automatic contact distributor subsystems receiving the selected operating parameter from the user and incorporating the selected operating parameter into the respective subsystems.

Abstract: Automatically accepting applications, and testing, training, certifying, assigning, allocating, controlling, and scheduling remote agents. An applicant (100) transmits an application to a remote agent center (RAC) (130) via a Communications Network (120). The application contains the person's profile, training, and experience. The RAC validates the skills via testing or third party confirmation, accepts the person as a remote worker, certifies the person's skill levels, and places the person in the remote worker pool. The remote worker can also obtain remote training on new or additional topics. The RAC evaluates the business demands of an external party, identifies remote workers with the needed skills who are available, and transmits the work at the appropriate time to the remote workers. The work is transmitted via or through the RAC. The external parties thus do not have to recruit, train, or test persons, or be concerned with staffing issues.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for establishing a communication connection between a client of an organization and an agent of the organization. The method includes the steps of an automatic call distributor of the organization receiving a call from the client, the automatic call distributor detecting an IM handle of the client from the call and the automatic call distributor establishing a VOIP connection between the client and agent of the organization using the IM handle.

Abstract: A method for updating real-time data between intervals in a communication processing center, having a data source and a data collector, includes receiving, at the data collector, real-time data at intervals from a data source. The real-time data includes information on the availability of aspects of a communication network. The received real-time data is stored in a memory. The occurrence of a specified triggering event between the intervals is detected. The stored real-time data is updated based on information relating to the specified triggering event.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for routing a contact with a client to one of a plurality of automatic contact distributors, each having a plurality of agents, by a network router. The method includes the step of determining by each automatic contact distributor of the plurality of automatic contact distributors a largest relative difference between a target occupancy and actual occupancy of each agent among the plurality of agents of the automatic contact distributor and for each contact type processed by the automatic contact distributor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for recording a call between a client and an agent through an automatic contact distributor. The method includes the steps of the automatic contact distributor receiving a recording request from the agent, the automatic contact distributor activating a recording program, the recording program sniffing traffic within a packet telephone of the agent to detect packets exchanged between the agent and client and the recording program recording the detected packets between the agent and customer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for enabling collaboration with web pages and other resources is described. A method includes the step of establishing a collaboration session between a first client and a second client. A requested resource is cached with the session host in response to a request having a first uniform resource locator (URL) issued by the first client, if the requested resource is a pre-determined type of resource. A second URL is provided to the second client. The second URL identifies the requested resource or the cached resource in accordance with whether the requested resource is cached. Apparatus for enabling collaboration includes a web server, a cache, and a filter. The web server provides a requested web page in response to a first client's request. The filter stores the requested web page in the cache, if the requested web page is a pre-determined type of web page.

Abstract: A channel and agent state control system and method is used in a contact center having a plurality of multi-media contact channels and a plurality of agents for handling communications over the contact channels. The agents are allocated to one or more contact channel tasks corresponding to the contact channels. The system and method reallocates the agents between the contact channels based upon real-time contact channel state data and the agent states. The system and method can be configured by a user to determine when reallocation is needed within a contact channel and to determine how the agents are reallocated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for controlling a server of a contact center system having a plurality of automatic contact centers. The method includes the steps of providing an audible menu to a supervisor of the contact center system having the plurality of automatic contact distributors, receiving an instruction from the supervisor and executing the received instruction within the server.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and software are provided for deploying at least one virtual appliance to a deployment site of a multi-tier computer system. The method includes reading a deployment configuration file to identify at least one virtual appliance to deploy, transferring the identified at least one virtual appliance to the computer system, registering the at least one virtual appliance with a virtualization software of the computer system, changing the network settings of the virtualization software to match the deployment configuration file, placing a copy of the deployment configuration file on the virtualization software, and the virtualization software installing the identified at least one virtual appliance on the computer system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for routing contacts within an automatic contact distribution system having a plurality of automatic contact distributors. The method includes the steps of receiving a request for contact from a human client through a public communication system and randomly tendering the contact request to some subset of the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

Abstract: The computer-implemented method includes automatically determining typical behavior pertaining to at least one system parameter of a contact management system. The typical behavior is determined from performance data of the contact management system captured over a first predetermined time period. A deviation from the typical behavior of at least one system parameter of the contact management system is automatically reported.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for transferring contacts among automatic contact distributors of an automatic contact distribution system. The method includes the steps of collecting information from a contact through an interactive voice response unit of a broker automatic call distributor of the automatic contact distribution system, incorporating the collected information into a SIP message, forking the SIP message from the broker automatic contact distributor to a plurality of other automatic contact distributors of the automatic contact distribution system and transferring the contact from the broker automatic contact distributors to one of the plurality of automatic contact distributors.

Abstract: The method for and system or apparatus for forecasting future communication transaction traffic from a customer include the steps of or structure for: collecting communication channel data on at least first and second communication channels; performing a numeric transformation to the data; calculating a discrete choice probability for each communication channel; and forecasting future period usage values for a user on a communication channel.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method is provided for routing calls within an automatic contact distribution system comprising assessing at least two evaluators programmed to collect information about identified sets of attributes associated with a call. The system then initiates the collection of information to enable the evaluators to assign a value to those attributed for which information exists. A comparison is then performed of the values assigned to the attributes in each evaluator. The call is then routed to the agent selected by the comparison.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for prompting an agent of an automatic contact distributor during a customer service contact with a client. The method includes the steps of detecting a state of the customer service contact with the client via operation of a terminal of the agent; selecting a set of possible responses for use by the agent from a plurality of sets of possible responses that are appropriate to the detected state of the customer service contact and visually prompting the agent with the selected set of possible responses.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for processing a call with a client within an automatic contact distributor system. The method includes the step of providing a user agent application within a terminal of an agent of the automatic contact distributor system that functions as an interface for exchanging SIP commands and providing an agent state machine within the terminal of the agent that controls a plurality of call states of a connection of the call between the client and the agent where the agent state machine is different than the user agent application. The method further includes the steps of receiving a SIP INVITE by the user agent application from an automatic contact distributor of the automatic contact distribution system transferring the call from the automatic contact distributor to the agent and depicting a state of the plurality of states of the call on a display of the terminal based upon a logical state of the state machine.

Abstract: Method and system of estimating a number of agents to service contacts arriving on multiple chat channels in an automatic contact distribution system. In some embodiments, estimated average times that agents and contacts spend, respectively, composing a single chat message and an estimated average time of a chat session are used to derive an inflated handle time for any selected number of chat channels, an effective number of agents is computed for the inflated handle time, and that effective number of agents is divided by the selected number of channels.

Abstract: A system and method of using voice to access information in a call center is disclosed. Providing a voice response server to handle requests from local and remote administrators allows a call center to be managed even when administrators are physically distant from the call center. The voice response server may adhere to VoiceXML to process requests for call center information from administrators.

Abstract: The apparatus and method provide assistance to an agent in a communication system, such as a communication system having an automatic call distributor. The method has the steps of determining skills of each agent of a plurality of agents, storing the determined skills for respective agents of the plurality of agents as skill records in a database, retrieving the skill record of a predetermined agent from the database, comparing the skill record of the predetermined agent to the skill records of the other agents in the database, selecting an agent from the plurality of agents based on the comparison of skill records, and establishing communication between the predetermined agent and the selected agent. The skill record of a predetermined agent is retrieved when the predetermined agent of the plurality of agents requests to communicate with another of the agents of the plurality of agents. The apparatus implements the method.