Abstract: A method for incorporating functions of an automatic call distribution system into an interactive voice answering system wherein the interactive voice response system coupled to an automatic call distribution system is influenced by communication terminal equipment such that a request for reserving an available agent to the automatic call distribution system is communicated. Given the reservation of a requested agent, the allocated communication system is influenced such that the communication terminal equipment is transferred to the reserved agent communication terminal equipment.

Abstract: The method relates to a group (G) of agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE) that are distributed over several communication systems (KS1, 2) of a communication network. If, given an incoming call (ar) in a communication system (KS1), no allocated agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE) is still free for the respective group (G), a resource request (ra) is transmitted to communication systems (KS2) to which agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE) of the same group (G) are connected. Using a response (aw), the addressed communication systems (KS2) indicate whether one of the agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE) is free or whether they are all occupied. After the signaling of a free agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE), the incoming call (ar) is switched to the respective communication system (KS2).

Abstract: Communication system, particularly a telephone communication system. The communication system has a controller (CC, CVSM) and a first central memory (SP, RAM) that accepts messages, particularly voice messages. Instead of a separate tone means that forms user prompting/alerting tone signals and/or control information signals for message exchange protocols, the first central memory (SP, RAM) forms the tone means and contains stored alerting tone signals and/or control information signals for message exchange protocols.