Abstract: A system and method of changing entity configuration information in a call center is disclosed. By automatically monitoring entities in a call center, selecting an entity in the call center, and modifying configuration information of the selected entity, keeping track of entities in a call center is automated. Agents and consoles are examples of entities monitored in the call center. When agents or consoles change physical location, the electronic floor plan is automatically updated to reflect the new physical location information for the agents and consoles. Further, a supervisor of a call center can change entity configuration information by selecting an entity on the electronic floor plan.

Abstract: A method is provided for detecting echo cancellation in a communication network. The method includes the steps of transmitting from an originating unit a pre-defined echo cancellation detection signal to a receiving unit. The resulting signal is detected by the receiving unit and analyzed to determine whether the differences between the resulting signal and a stored pre-defined signal indicate the detection of echo cancellation on the communication network.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for presenting script to be followed by a telemarketer during a threaded conversation with a customer. The method includes the steps of recognizing a word content of a response of the customer to a first portion of the presented script and detecting key words and key words in context of the response. The method further includes the steps of evaluating the detected key words and key words in context to determine an information content, comparing the information content of the evaluated words with an information content of a plurality of expected customer responses and selecting the expected customer response with a closest relative match and following a script associated with the selected expected customer response of the customer as a second portion of the presented script.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for obtaining audio information through the Internet by agents of an automatic call distributor situated at a plurality of remotely located terminals. The method includes the steps of transmitting a sign-on request from a first terminal of the plurality of remotely located terminals to a server of the automatic call distributor through the Internet notifying the server that an associated agent of the first terminal is ready for receiving calls, retrieving a universal resource locator of a web file server containing the audio information needed by the associated agent of the first terminal, said web file server being located on a second terminal of the plurality of remotely located terminals and downloading the audio information through the Internet from the web file server specified by the universal resource locator to the first terminal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for processing a call with a client detected by a call center to an agent of the call center. The method includes the step of providing a call object for the call, collecting attributes of the call within the call object, associating an agent object with the call object and displaying client data to an agent of the call center based upon a view process of the associated agent object.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for accepting a call by an automatic call distributor and for automatic call handling of the call. The apparatus for automatic call handling has: a call receiving system that outputs at least one voice signal; a text voice converter having an input for the at least one voice signal, the text voice converter converting the voice signal to a text stream and providing the text stream on an output thereof; an emotion detector having an input for the at least one voice signal, the emotion detector detecting at least one emotional state in the voice signal and producing at least one tag indicator indicative thereof on an output of the emotion detector; and a scripting engine having inputs for the text stream and the at least one tag indicator, the scripting engine providing on an output thereof at least one response based on the text stream and on the at least one tag indicator.

Abstract: Resources of a contact center are allocated by electronically monitoring at least one operational parameter of the contact center and performing a comparison between the operational parameter and a threshold value for the operational parameter. An indication of an action to be taken to affect allocation of resources of the contact center is then developed based on the comparison. This allocation also may be performed using an apparatus having a processing unit coupled with a memory, and instructions that are storable in the memory and executable by the processing unit. The instructions could be for monitoring at least one operational parameter of the contact center, performing a comparison between the operational parameter and a threshold value for the operational parameter, and developing an indication of an action to be taken to affect allocation of resources of the contact center.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of establishing an audio call path between an Internet user accessing a web site and an agent of the web site is provided. The method includes the steps of proving a web site with a plurality of audio access icons and a plurality of agent groups and associating an agent group of the plurality of agent groups with each audio-access icon of the web site. The method further includes establishing a voice path between the user and an agent of the associated agent group based upon activation of a audio-access icon by the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provides data to an agent station associated with a transaction processing system. The data corresponds to an incoming call routed from a caller through a communication network to the agent station, where the incoming calls are based on voice-mode communication and/or text-mode communication. The method includes the steps of receiving the incoming call from the communication network, obtaining caller-specific data corresponding to the incoming call, inspecting the caller-specific data to determine a specialty type corresponding to the incoming call, selecting an selected agent station based upon the determined specialty type and routing the incoming call to the selected agent station, transmitting the caller-specific data to the selected agent station, and automatically launching or maximizing an application on the selected agent station so that the application and corresponding call-specific data is available to the agent when the agent services the incoming call.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for processing a public safety call. The method includes the steps of receiving the public safety call and determining a geographic source of the public safety call. The method further includes the steps of determining an environment of the geographic source of the public safety call, identifying a resource to handle the public safety call based upon the determined environment and forwarding the call to the identified resource.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for exchanging information between at least some slots of a first T-carrier and some other non-coincidental slots of a second T-carrier. The method includes the steps of exchanging information between successive slots of the first T-carrier and respective predetermined memory locations within a memory device and exchanging information between successive slots of the second T-carrier and at least some of the predetermined locations in memory of the first T-carrier based upon a channel-exchange list relating at least some channels of the first T-carrier to at least some other channels of the second T-carrier.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for presenting background sensory information to a call participant through a call connection. The method includes the steps of determining an identity of the call participant from call associated information and presenting the call participant with predetermined background sensory information through the call connection based upon the identity of the caller.

Abstract: The method and apparatus is for improving transactions in a communication system. The method including: dynamically monitoring a data session between at least one of first and second parties in a transaction in the communication system; and engaging a third party into the transaction as a function of the monitoring of the data session between the first and second parties. The apparatus implements the method.

Abstract: The method and apparatus is for contact manipulation and retrieval in a communication system. The method has the steps of: receiving a message having contact information; converting the contact information to contact data having a predetermined searchable format; storing the contact data; and searching the stored contact data. The contact data may be searched for at least one item of information. The apparatus implements the method.

Abstract: The method and apparatus is for converting messages and responses between different formats in a communication system. The method may have in one embodiment the following steps: providing at least one plug-in that implements at least one message format conversion in the communication system; assigning the at least one plug-in to a handicapped agent; and activating the at least one plug-in for the respective handicapped agent for converting received messages in a first format to a second format and for converting responses in the second format to the first format. The apparatus implements the method.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for directing music to agents of an automatic call distributor (ACD) during non-voice dialog communication between the agent and a caller includes a communication processor operatively coupled to the ACD and operatively coupled to the agent terminals. The communication processor is configured to facilitate sending and receiving non-voice dialog communication between the caller and the agent terminal, and to transmit a signal to the ACD indicating that the communication processor received the non-voice dialog communication from the caller. The ACD is configured to select an agent to receive the non-voice dialog communication from the communication processor, and cause the non-voice dialog communication to be routed to the selected agent. A music source is operatively coupled to the ACD such that music from the music source is directed to the selected agent during the non-voice dialog communication between the caller and the agent.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for allocating resources within a call center based upon a predetermined business rule of an enterprise controlling the call center. The method includes the steps of analyzing records from a plurality of call transactions based upon the predetermined business rule, recognizing a correlation among the call transaction records based upon the predetermined business rule and adjusting a resource of the call transactions based upon the recognized correlation and predetermined business rule.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for measuring a call handling efficiency of a call center. The method includes the steps of measuring a touch-point indicia for a call and adding the measured indicia to a touch point history of the call.

Abstract: A method and system for routing incoming calls from callers to agents associated with an automatic call distribution system, where the incoming calls are based on non-voice dialog communication, the method includes the steps of: identifying a plurality of transaction-handling skills representative of skills possessed by the agents in handling the non-voice dialog communication, calculating a skill level possessed by each agent for at least some of the plurality of transaction-handling skills, forming an agent profile for each agent corresponding to the calculated skill levels, assigning a weight to each calculated skill level for each agent, identifying agents who are available to handle the incoming call, selecting an available agent based on the weighted calculated skill levels, and transferring the incoming call to the selected agent.

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.