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: Method and system maintaining “super-objects” in a central administering system, where each super-object is associated with corresponding objects in target systems so that editing of that super-object or of one of its associated objects results in conforming edits for all of the associated objects.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for handling contact requests among a plurality of dissimilar automatic contact distributors. The method includes the steps of providing a plurality of workflows scripts, translating each of the plurality of workflows scripts into a respective native language of each of the plurality of dissimilar automatic contact distributors. The method further includes the steps of tendering a request for a contact to the plurality of dissimilar automatic contact distributors, selecting a automatic contact distributor of the plurality of dissimilar automatic contact distributors to handle the contact based upon a response from at least some of the plurality of dissimilar automatic contact distributors and transferring the contact to the selected automatic contact distributor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for synchronizing changes from a plurality of dissimilar automatic contact distributors to an electronic workforce management server. The method includes the steps of determining a type of data received from each of the dissimilar automatic contact distributors and identifying a data criteria for the determined type of data. The method further includes the steps of detecting a difference between the data criteria and data, identifying a correction for the detected difference, reformatting the data based upon the identified correction and saving the reformatted data in a database of the electronic workforce management server.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for signing a user into a computer network associated with an automatic contact distribution system. The method includes the steps of providing a sign-on list that identifies a plurality of subsystems of the computer network of the automatic contact distribution system that the user had previously signed onto, detecting the user signing into the system, retrieving the sign-on list and automatically signing the user into each of the plurality of subsystems identified by the list.

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: A method and apparatus for providing resource access to a user within a computer network of the automatic contact distribution system. The method includes the steps of providing a permission set that defines a limited set of features within the computer network that the user can access, the user signing into the computer network of the automatic call distribution system, the system retrieving the permission set for the user and the system providing the user with limited access to the computer system based upon the permission set.

Abstract: Method and system for publishing real-time data, that is unique and specific for administering automatic contact distribution (ACD) systems, via a simple standard and in locations that are accessed readily.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for monitoring activities of a plurality of agents servicing a plurality of calls for an organization. The method includes the steps of monitoring a plurality of applications on a terminal of an agent of the plurality of agents, detecting selection of an application of the plurality of applications, identifying a call associated with the selected application of the plurality of calls and saving a time of selection and an identifier of the application in a respective file or database of the identified call for future retrieval.

Abstract: Generally, the invention is a device, method, and system for transferring a communication session from a first call center to a second call center. An exemplary system may have a first call center and a second call center. The first call center may have a first call management device, a call information posting device, and one or more agent communication terminals. The first call management device connects at least one telephone call from a customer to an agent communication terminal of the first call center. The call posting device produces a webpage of contact information associated with the customer. The second call center may have a second call management device different from the first call management device, a call information retrieving device, and one or more agent communication terminals. The call information retrieving device accesses the webpage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for accessing a server of a computer system. The method includes the steps of providing a startup CONFIG file or database table for use during initialization of the server and a predetermined user identifier within the startup CONFIG file or database table. The method further includes the steps of a user requesting access to the server, the user providing the predetermined user identifier and the server logging the user into the server under the predetermined user identifier without requiring a password.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for provisioning call handling resources in a contact handling system. The method includes the steps of identifying a call handling resource within a first contact center, copying call handling data associated with the identified contact handling resource and writing the call handling data into a contact handling structure of a second contact center.

Abstract: Method and system for administering multiple target systems automatic contact distribution (ACD) systems, where corresponding object types in the various target systems may have different schema. A user of the administering system works in a single schema, and translators permit communication between the administering system and the various target systems.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for collecting deployment information from a user for a multi-tier computer system. The method includes the steps of receiving a deployment size of the multi-tier system from the user and identifying a set of virtual appliances by function based upon the deployment size received from the user. The method further includes the steps of prompting the user for a name for each identified virtual appliance, collecting network information of each virtual appliance based upon the name and generating a deployment configuration file for a mandatory virtual appliance of the set of virtual appliances.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided that allowing a user to simultaneously participate in two separate conversations. The method includes the steps of the user independently adjusting a volume of an audio signal for each of the two separate conversations, presenting the adjusted volume of the audio signals from the two separate conversations to the ears of the user, presenting a voice input from the user to a first of the two separate conversations and muting a voice input from the user to the second of the two separate conversations.

Abstract: A device for reducing echo by controlling microphone and/speaker gain in a telecommunications system is disclosed. An exemplary embodiment of the device may have an echo detector, echo level detector, and a gain controller. The echo detector detects an echo in a transmitted audio communication signal. The echo level detector determines the volume level of the detected echo. The gain control may adjust the gain of a microphone transmitting and/or speaker broadcasting the audio communication signal based on the echo level detected. The gain control and echo cancellation may cooperate with each other.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for operating a plurality of call center products. The method includes the steps of providing an enterprise administration server and disposing a respective terminal adapter between the enterprise administration server and each of the plurality of call center products. The method further includes the steps of a terminal adapter of a call center of the plurality of call center products receiving a database instruction from the enterprise administration server; the terminal adapter mapping a database instruction between a protocol of the enterprise administration server and a protocol of the call center product and the call center product executing the instruction.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for providing of server-based objects automated memory management in multithreaded, object-oriented programming applications through the use of a reusable class library. The exemplary method derives a new object class from the generic base object class to provide the new object class with smart pointer functionality. The exemplary method type-defines the generic template class to the new object class automated reference counting functionality thereby creating a proxy object. In embodiments, the object-oriented programming language may be C++. The exemplary method provides automated reference counting combined with the use of smart pointers to achieve automated memory management of server-based objects.

Abstract: A business has a main office (13) which has a controller (225), a plurality of telephones, a plurality of computers, a PBX and/or an ACD (216), and a plurality of corporate resources (220) such as servers, hosts, applications, databases, routers, gateways, switches, a voicemail system, an e-mail system, and facsimile servers. A user at the main office (13) has access to the various corporate resources and also has a portable communications device (10), such as a laptop computer, with which to place a call to the controller via a communications link (11) such as the Internet, to send user commands to and receive the resultant status, information, or operation, from, the controller, to access any of the corporate resources and data, and to make calls to and receive communications from outside parties (12). In addition, the user may create a personal profile which causes the controller to forward selected communications to him, via the Internet, wherever the user may be.

Abstract: A headset and adapter that converts between Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network of a contact center and an audio signal received and generated by an agent of the contact center wearing the headset is disclosed. A VoIP terminal receives and transmits VoIP instructions and application program interface instructions over a contact center network. An audio terminal receives an audio signal from a microphone and transmits an audio signal to a speaker. A processor of the adapter converts a received VoIP signal to the transmitted audio signal and converts the received audio signal to a transmitted VoIP instruction.