Abstract: Contact centers strive to match the demands and preferences of their customers with the skills and abilities of the agents who process work items associated with the customers (e.g., contacts). However, the preferred agent may be unavailable, non-existent, backlogged or otherwise ineligible to accept the work item. An agent who is non-preferred but still qualified may be utilized to process the work item, such as an agent with adequate skills with respect to a particular attribute of the work item. Reports for the selection of the non-preferred but qualified agents are provided herein. A contact center may then utilize such reporting to identify underserved areas of their customer base.

Abstract: Devices, systems and methods are disclosed for selecting and sending one of a plurality of responses to a call on a communications device. A user may select a default response or a custom response. When the user receives a call to a communications device, a set of responses is displayed on the communications device to facilitate selection by the user. A response includes a message and a call processing command. A message is in the form of an audio clip, text message, webpage, picture, video, etc. A call processing command is performed along with the message. This plurality of responses can be organized by the user in groups associated with classes of callers, such as friends, family, co-workers, etc. In this manner, the responses available to the user when a call is received changes depending on the caller.

Abstract: Calls placed to a call recipient bypass the terminating messaging system, creating an enhanced message in the call originator's messaging system and delivering the enhanced message using alternate routing information. A caller creates enhanced messages for a call recipient even when the call recipient's messaging system does not support such functionality. The caller also embeds stored content and/or use links in the enhanced messages to allow the message to be modified and/or deleted before it is accessed by the call recipient.

Abstract: A system for detecting motion comprising a first speaker, a first microphone separated from the first speaker by a distance D1, a sound generator, an echo parameter measurement device and an echo parameter monitor, wherein the echo parameter monitor stores two or more sequential echo parameters and generates a motion indicator if the two or more sequential echo parameters indicate a change in an acoustic echo path that exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Methods and systems for customer administered calling controls in an institutional setting comprising receiving customer control information from a customer outside of an institution where the customer control information comprising one or more control mechanisms and providing a resident of the institution, through a telephone network, phone services subject to the one or more control mechanisms.

Abstract: A method and system for improved audio quality in teleconferencing are provided. The method includes analyzing the audio signal of multiple input lines in a teleconferencing system to detect if any two input lines contain substantially the same audio signal with a delay shorter than that of a conventional echo caused by an input line's own audio feedback via a teleconferencing server. The method further includes selecting the input line with the higher amplitude audio signal or the earlier received audio signal when two input lines with substantially the same audio signal are detected.

Abstract: A speaker assembly is provided and may include an outer portion having a plurality of slots. An inner portion may cooperate with the outer portion and may have a positioning lever and an adjustment mechanism slot. The positioning lever may cooperate with one of the plurality of slots. An adjustment mechanism may cooperate with one of the plurality of slots and the adjustment mechanism slot. The adjustment mechanism may slide within the adjustment mechanism slot changing a volume of the speaker assembly when the outer portion moves in relation to the inner portion.

Abstract: Managing an outgoing telephone call includes receiving a request for a telephone call to a first call participant from a second call participant. A list that is specified by the second call participant is accessed. The list specifies users of an electronic communications system for which contact information is maintained. Whether the first call participant is included in the list of users is determined. A group of one or more of the users included in the list of users with which the first call participant is associated is identified when the first call participant is included in the list of users. A rule associated with the identified group that indicates a manner in which electronic communications of the first or second call participants should be handled is accessed, and a manner in which the call should be handled that is in accordance with the accessed rule is identified.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention enables users to avail specialized services using missed calls. In one embodiment, a missed call server on receiving an indication that a missed call has been placed by a user to a phone number, determines the specialized service corresponding to the phone number, and then sends a data to the service provider offering the determined service. The service provider then delivers the specialized service (sought to be availed) to the user. One of the specialized services is the delivery of content to the user. Thus, a user is enabled to access different contents by placing missed calls to the appropriate phone numbers.

Abstract: Integrating digital telephony information with a social platform may include using a processor to create multiple virtual groups for multiple parties connected to a conference telephone call. Clips from the conference telephone call and actions related to the conference telephone call along with bookmarks and timestamps are captured. A social enterprise platform is connected to, and the clips, the actions, the bookmarks and the timestamps are stored within the social enterprise platform. Assigned permissions are synchronized across the social enterprise platform and the telephone conference call for controlling access to the clips and the actions. Multiple media sources are linked together. Context is provided across the linked media sources based on comments, the clips and the actions. The captured clips and the actions obtained from the telephone conference call are integrated with chat history and the linked media sources in the social enterprise platform to accelerate dissemination of information.

Abstract: An electronic device and a direction switching method are described. The electronic device includes a housing having a first end and a second end, an audio input unit and an audio output unit. The electronic device has at least a first working direction and a second working direction, the direction from said first end to said second end is a reference direction when the electronic device is in the first working direction; and the direction from the second end to the first end is the reference direction when the electronic device is in the second working direction, wherein the audio input unit in a working state is located at the second end when the electronic device is in the first working direction; and the audio input unit in the working state is located at the first end when the electronic device is in the second working direction.

Abstract: The technology described in this document can be embodied in an acoustic enclosure for a speaker system disposed in a portion of a vehicle seat. The acoustic enclosure includes a rigid plate configured to be attached to a frame, a first section, and a second section. The rigid plate configured to support a speaker disposed in part within the acoustic enclosure. The first section is constructed from expanded resin, and disposed in contact with the rigid plate. The second section is disposed in contact with the first section, between the second section and the rigid plate. The first and second section together define a housing of the acoustic enclosure that includes at least one cavity configured to accommodate a portion of the speaker.

Abstract: Contact centers employ agents to provide services to customers. In particular, artificial agents are provided that have a rich background and continuing life with the realm of social media. The artificial agent's profile is selected in accord with the profiles of current or prospective customers. As the customers age and progress in life, the artificial agent profile is updated in accord with the customers' changing profiles and similarly ages and progresses in life. When a customer desires to interact with artificial agent, for a purpose provided by a contact center, a human agent may be provided the profile and/or history of the artificial agent so as to impersonate the artificial agent and promote the relationship with the customer.

Abstract: A Family Branch Exchange (FBX) overcomes limitations of conventional residential telephone technology to inexpensively provide more useful and advanced residential telephone services. For example, a method of providing automatic call forwarding comprises receiving, at a service provider system connected to a telephone network and optionally to a data network, a call including dialing information indicating a person to whom the call is to be placed, retrieving, at the service provider system, destination information for the indicated person, and forwarding, from the service provider system, the call to at least one destination indicated by the destination information.

Abstract: A system and method for managing a dynamic call flow during automated call processing is provided. Calls from a plurality of callers into a call center are accommodated through monitored call sessions. A call flow for each call session is managed. Caller characteristics of the caller and physical conditions in relation to the call are evaluated. Those caller characteristics and physical conditions, which are respectively unique among the callers and the calls, are identified. The call flow of each call session is dynamically adjusted by modifying parameters for one or more of the caller characteristics and physical conditions. The caller characteristics, physical conditions, and parameters are stored in a database.

Abstract: One embodiment provides a method for allocating assignments based on workload and physiological stress. The method comprises maintaining a queue of logged-in service representatives, and, in response to receiving a service request for a new assignment, scanning the queue to determine a subset of potential service representatives to assign the new assignment to. A corresponding workload level of each service representative of the subset is the smallest among all service representatives of the queue. For each service representative of the subset, a corresponding anxiety level is determined based on physiological sensor data captured by a wearable tracking device attached to the service representative. The new assignment is assigned to a service representative of the subset, the service representative having a corresponding anxiety level that is the smallest among all service representatives of the subset.

Abstract: Systems and methods for recording a communication session between a customer and an agent of a customer center communication system are provided. In this regard, a representative method comprises: configuring a communication component of the customer center communication system to enable recording of a media stream associated with the communication session; transmitting the media stream over a network based on the configuration of the communication component; receiving the media stream over the network; and recording the received media stream.

Abstract: An apparatus, method and non-transitory computer readable medium for predicting a service level of a call center are disclosed. The method performs operations for predicting a service level of a call center. The operations include collecting call data, agent topic skill data, agent skill level data, agent schedule data and agent attrition rate data, building a discrete event simulation model based on the call data, the agent topic skill data, the agent skill level data, the agent schedule data and the agent attrition rate data, predicting the service level of the call center at a future time based on the discrete event simulation model and recommending a number of agents and a skill mix of agents for each queue in the call center at the future time based on the service level that is predicted based on the discrete event simulation model to achieve a call center service objective.

Abstract: Data used to implement a communications service is managed. A request for a user interface is received over a first communications network from a hosting client. The user interface is sent over the first communications network to the hosting client in accordance with the request. The data used to implement the communications service is received over the first communications network from the hosting client via the user interface. The data used to implement the communications service is forwarded to within a second communications network. The communications service is implemented in the second communications network in accordance with the data.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products route communications according to schedules. When an incoming communication is detected, a schedule is retrieved that is associated with a recipient's address. A time associated with the communication is compared to entries in the schedule. If a match is determined, then an alternate destination may be chosen.