Abstract: Improved indexing of telephony sessions is achieved by: (a) receiving, during the recording of the telephony session or during a playback of the recording, an indication including parameters which identify a discrete segment of the recording as being of interest; and (b) storing, in an index associated with the recording of the session, an identifier which identifies that discrete segment of the recording.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of handling contacts at a contact center. The method includes the steps of identifying a characteristic associated with a contact received at the contact center, and labeling a contact entity representing the contact with a label identifying the characteristic. In response to receipt of a request from an agent of the contact center to handle the contact based on the label of the contact entity, the contact is assigned to the agent and in response to the agent successfully handling the contact, an agent record associated with the agent, is updated to indicate a proficiency in handling contacts associated with the characteristic.

Abstract: A system for monitoring contact sessions of a contact center. The system comprises a work assignment engine for allocating contacts received at the contact center to resources of the contact center and a monitoring module, arranged to detect an allocation of a contact to a resource to determine a skill requirement of the contact. The work assignment engine is further arranged to fork a session between an originator of the contact and the resource, to a monitor resource, in response to the detected skill requirement satisfying a monitor resource skill requirement.

Abstract: A contact center media server for aurally positioning participants of a contact center transaction at aural positions designated by a contact center agent. The media server includes a communications interface coupled to a controller and adapted to interface with a plurality of voice paths. Each of the voice paths is associated with one of a plurality of participants in a contact center transaction. A three-dimensional (3D) spatializer engine is coupled to the controller and can receive incoming voice signals received over voice paths and corresponding aural position data. The 3D spatializer engine processes the incoming voice signals and generates outgoing voice signals that include signal characteristics that aurally position the first outgoing voice signals at an aural position with respect to the contact center agent indicated by the aural position data.

Abstract: A contact center has an interface with a virtual environment implemented in a computer system. The operation of the contact center includes receiving, from the virtual environment, spatial information relating to the spatial position within the virtual environment of an inhabitant of the virtual environment, and queuing a contact relating to that inhabitant in a queuing system of the contact center. Queuing decisions are based, at least in part, on the spatial information of the inhabitant in the virtual environment.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of allocating calls coming into a call center from a caller location remote from the call center, receiving a call from a caller which includes information from an RFID chip located in close proximity to the caller location; decoding the information from the RFID chip to determine one or more parameters relating to the information; using said one or more parameters to allocate the call from the caller at the call center to ensure calls are handled in accordance with the parameters. This has the advantage of much more efficient management of the of the calls within the call center and ensures that the calls are sent to the agent with the most appropriate skill set.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of allocating calls coming into a call center from a caller location remote from the call center, receiving a call from a caller which includes information from an RFID chip located in close proximity to the caller location; decoding the information from the RFID chip to determine one or more parameters relating to the information; using said one or more parameters to allocate the call from the caller at the call center to ensure calls are handled in accordance with the parameters. This has the advantage of much more efficient management of the of the calls within the call center and ensures that the calls are sent to the agent with the most appropriate skill set.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for delegating a message. An audio message from a prioritized list of audio messages is received by a computing device. The audio message identifies a first sender designated priority and a first recipient prioritization attribute. A delegate for responding to the audio message is determined. A delegation action identifier identifying a delegation action of a plurality of delegation actions is determined. A first delegation action directs a delegate to generate a response and send the response to the sender without notifying a delegator. A second delegation action directs the delegate to generate the response and send the response to both the sender and the delegator. A third delegation action directs the delegate to generate the response and send the response to the delegator.

Abstract: A participant managing system which identifies potential invitees to a conference. A storage means maintains storing records of associations of persons at least one or more key words. During the preparation of the conference the system responds to the user's input of key words by identifying persons. The user is not obliged to make any selection of persons, only a selection of subjects by key words.

Abstract: A semantic contact center management method and system is provided in which the resources of a contact center (including agents and contacts) are represented as resources connected by properties such as skills and shared prior interactions. Contacts are allocated to agents based on the degree of connectedness and the availability of agents, and this provides visual tools to represent the state of the contact center and to enable automated and supervisor intervention.

Abstract: A system for monitoring contact sessions of a contact center. The system comprises a work assignment engine for allocating contacts received at the contact center to resources of the contact center and a monitoring module, arranged to detect an allocation of a contact to a resource to determine a skill requirement of the contact. The work assignment engine is further arranged to fork a session between an originator of the contact and the resource, to a monitor resource, in response to the detected skill requirement satisfying a monitor resource skill requirement.

Abstract: A method and system for designating an aural position of an audio stream in a collaboration environment. A plurality of icons corresponding to participants are displayed in a user interface. A moderator may move the icons from a first position in the user interface to a second position in the user interface. Upon moving an icon from a first position to a second position, an aural position identifier corresponding to the second position is generated and sent to a conference processor. The conference processor uses the aural position identifier to generate an outgoing audio stream that aurally positions the audio stream generated by the participant corresponding to the icon at the aural position. The outgoing audio stream is provided to the moderator, who uses a multi-channel capable device to perceive the audio stream at the designated aural position.

Abstract: A participant managing system which identifies potential invitees to a conference. A storage means maintains storing records of associations of persons at least to one or more keywords. During the preparation of the conference the system responds to the user's input of key words by identifying persons. The user is not obliged to make any selection of persons, only a selection of subjects by key words.

Abstract: A collaboration agent for facilitating real-time communications on behalf of a user. The collaboration agent includes a conference bridge that anchors calls to the conference bridge. The collaboration agent uses contextual information associated with the user to manage the real-time communications. The collaboration agent can communicate with other collaboration agents associated with other users.

Abstract: Contacts are managed within a contact centre by representing each contact as a software object which contains skillset and priority identifiers. Contact objects are queued relative to one another by means of references to and/or from the object(s) immediately ahead of and behind each contact. In this way a conventional queue can be dispensed with. Queries can be made to a plurality of contact centres across a network to identify objects matching certain criteria at the top of each local queue. In this way a set of local queues substitutes for a network queue providing increased resilience in the case of the failure of any individual component of the network or of the network itself.

Abstract: A collaboration agent for facilitating real-time communications on behalf of a user. The collaboration agent includes a conference bridge that anchors calls to the conference bridge. The collaboration agent uses contextual information associated with the user to manage the real-time communications. The collaboration agent can communicate with other collaboration agents associated with other users.

Abstract: Contacts are managed within a contact centre by representing each contact as a software object which contains skillset and priority identifiers. Contact objects are queued relative to one another by means of references to and/or from the object(s) immediately ahead of and behind each contact. In this way a conventional queue can be dispensed with. Queries can be made to a plurality of contact centres across a network to identify objects matching certain criteria at the top of each local queue. In this way a set of local queues substitutes for a network queue providing increased resilience in the case of the failure of any individual component of the network or of the network itself.

Abstract: A method for replaying a portion of a multi-party audio interaction to a participant of the audio interaction. A participant of a multi-party audio interaction, such as a conference call or a gaming session, can request a replay of a portion of the audio interaction. A conference processor can provide an outgoing audio stream to the participant that includes a replay audio stream that includes the requested replayed portion of the multi-party audio interaction and a real-time audio stream that includes the ongoing multi-party audio interaction. The replay audio stream can be aurally positioned at an aural position that is different from the real-time audio stream to enhance the participant's ability to distinguish between the two audio streams.

Abstract: A method and system for designating an aural position of an audio stream in a collaboration environment. A plurality of icons corresponding to participants are displayed in a user interface. A moderator may move the icons from a first position in the user interface to a second position in the user interface. Upon moving an icon from a first position to a second position, an aural position identifier corresponding to the second position is generated and sent to a conference processor. The conference processor uses the aural position identifier to generate an outgoing audio stream that aurally positions the audio stream generated by the participant corresponding to the icon at the aural position. The outgoing audio stream is provided to the moderator, who uses a multi-channel capable device to perceive the audio stream at the designated aural position.

Abstract: Statistics relating to the operation of physical, logical and software components of a contact center are generated by or on behalf of the components themselves rather than by a statistics engine based on event notifications from the components. In this way, the locally generated statistical information can be communicated as part of presence information for such components. By subscribing to a presence service for presence information for the components of interest, a statistics service can collect the locally produced statistics coming from each component. This provides a less centralised, more dynamic and adaptable way of managing statistical information in a contact center and provides in addition alternative methods of generating alarms and alerts.