Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method of processing messages received in an asynchronous communication system. In some embodiments, the method includes analyzing interactions on a digital communication channel, determining that the interactions have paused for an amount of time, analyzing content of the interactions to determine an estimate of the amount of time, updating a state of the agent to release the agent for the estimated amount of time, and setting a timer that will automatically change the state of the agent back to an occupied state for the interactions at a future time that aligns with an expiration of the timer.

Abstract: A call from a caller to a called party is forwarded to an answering service. A cadence of the call is determined, and an agent is selected to answer the call. To select the agent, a cadence of the selected agent is determined, and the determined cadence of the selected agent is matched to the determined cadence of the call. In particular, the called party has a geographic location associated therewith, and the selected agent has a cadence that matches a cadence associated with the determined geographic location. Contact between the selected agent and the call is then effectuated. The matched cadence is expected to heighten a connection the caller perceives from the selected agent.

Abstract: Various examples are directed to systems and methods for detecting fraud. A financial institution system may receive, from a transaction device, a transaction authorization request describing a transaction to be drawn on an account of a user. The financial institution system may also receive, from the user computing device, environmental data describing an environment of the user and determine that the environmental data indicates an anomalous condition. Based at least in part on the determining, the financial institution system may decline the transaction.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are described for efficient resource management using mobile devices and wearable devices. A server determines an event causing unavailability of a center in a distributed network. The server determines an expected demand for service from the distributed network during an upcoming time period and identifies a mobile device and a wearable device associated with each staff member assigned to work at one of the plurality of centers that is available. The server retrieves location data from the mobile device and biometric data from the wearable device. The server identifies staff members capable of working and initiates a communication to the mobile device associated with each staff member capable of working. The server receives a response from the mobile device indicating whether the staff member has accepted and determines whether the expected demand from the distributed network during the upcoming time period is satisfied.

Abstract: A method of user authentication is disclosed. The method is performed at a server device having one or more processors and memory for storing programs to be executed by the one or more processors. The method includes receiving, from a first terminal device, a service request including identification information of the user. The method includes generating a verification code in response to the service request. The method also includes establishing, based on the identification information of the user, a voice communication with a second terminal device in response to a failure of sending a non-voice message including the verification code to the user in a non-voice communication method. The method further includes sending, during the voice communication and to the second terminal device, a voice message including the verification code such that the user uses the verification code to authenticate the service request at the first terminal device.

Abstract: Systems and methods of routing calls may include receiving a plurality of calls, and for each of the plurality of calls, determining a threshold time that may be a maximum service time for the call, estimating an expected service time for the call, comparing the threshold time with the expected service time for the call, and assigning the call into one of a plurality of queues based upon the comparing. The method of routing may further include prioritizing the plurality of queues based upon the expected service time for each call in each of the plurality of queues, directing each call in a first queue of the plurality of queues to a first group of agents, and providing a callback prompt to each call in a second queue of the plurality of queues, wherein a priority of the first queue is higher than a priority of the second queue.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for extracting actionable information from emails in a completely unsupervised manner with no need for the data to be labeled (i.e., the systems and methods do not a human to identify unlabeled or relabeled emails). Changes in the email structure are automatically incorporated to learn new templates through the novel concept of sub-templates. The systems and methods incorporate the minor variations in email structure seamlessly, without needing to introduce new templates. Email templates are computed as permutations of multiple sub-templates in the email, which allows the systems and methods to handle variations in email structure seamlessly and highly efficiently. These systems and methods are extendable to any domain using structured emails, and improve the efficiency of the systems that receive and act on information contained in emails.

Abstract: A system is provided for routing transactions to individual ones of a group of agents, comprising, a queue wherein transactions to be routed are placed, a transmission facility sending invitations to interact with a transaction from the queue to agents, and a router routing transactions from the queue to individual agents who accept the invitation.

Abstract: A transaction is received in a contact center. The transaction can be an email, an incoming call, an outgoing call, a video call, a text message, and/or the like. A best agent is determined to handle the transaction. A time is determined for the best agent to handle the transaction. The time can be based on a projected time that the agent will be able to handle the transaction, based on a callback time or any criteria. A schedule of the best agent is searched. The schedule of the best agent contains a movable event. A movable event can be any event that can be rescheduled, such as a break. When it is determined that the time for the best agent to handle the transaction is during and/or close to the movable event, the movable event is rescheduled to allow the best agent to handle the transaction.

Abstract: A method of correlating outgoing electronic communications with received electronic messages includes: sending an electronic message associated with a second party to a first party; subsequently receiving an outgoing electronic communication from the first party by the second party; automatically determining whether the outgoing electronic communication resulted from the electronic message, based on electronically stored information about the sending of the electronic message and about the subsequently received outgoing electronic communication; and if it is determined that the outgoing electronic communication resulted from the electronic message, flagging the outgoing electronic communication to have a different status from outgoing electronic communications not determined to have resulted from an electronic message.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer readable medium for routing an agent to a preferred communications platform comprises accessing a server comprising a routing strategy, wherein the routing strategy consists of a site value, a project identification value, a project load value, and an attribute value of the agent, and wherein the site value takes precedent over the project identification value which takes precedent over the project load value which takes precedent over the attribute value of the agent, and routing the agent to the preferred environment based on a result of the routing strategy.

Abstract: A method for connecting a website user to a contact center agent includes: monitoring user interaction associated with the website user; receiving a call request via the website; identifying an agent or an interactive voice response based on the monitored user interaction; and establishing a communication channel supported by a web browser between the website user and the identified agent or the interactive voice response.

Abstract: A system and method to provide telephonic teleservices management is provided. The system may comprise a session management module used to establish a session with an agent via a telephone of the agent. An agent management module may manage a work state of the agent within a plurality of sequential calls between the agent and a plurality of customers. During the session, the connection with the agent remains established between each of the sequential calls. A hub management module manages a call hub during a call of the plurality of sequential calls between the agent and a customer of the plurality of customers.

Abstract: A method and system for indicating in real time that an interaction is associated with a problem or issue, comprising: receiving a segment of an interaction in which a representative of the organization participates; extracting a feature from the segment; extracting a global feature associated with the interaction; aggregating the feature and the global feature; and classifying the segment or the interaction in association with the problem or issue by applying a model to the feature and the global feature. The method and system may also use features extracted from earlier segments within the interaction. The method and system can also evaluate the model based on features extracted from training interactions and manual tagging assigned to the interactions or segments thereof.

Abstract: Systems and methods for intelligent presence management in a communication routing system are provided. In exemplary embodiments, an inbound communication may be received for a user. The user's presence status is determined and a profile associated with the user is reviewed. Based on rules contained within the profile, appropriate instructions may be generated for routing the inbound communication in accordance with some embodiments. In other embodiments, instructions may be generated to log the user in or out with the communication routing system.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer readable medium for routing an agent to a preferred communications platform comprises accessing a server comprising a routing strategy, wherein the routing strategy consists of a site value, a project identification value, a project load value, and an attribute value of the agent, and wherein the site value takes precedent over the project identification value which takes precedent over the project load value which takes precedent over the attribute value of the agent, and routing the agent to the preferred environment based on a result of the routing strategy.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for routing incoming customer service requests directly to the most appropriate destination within a call center without requiring customer knowledge of a specific telephone number or extension to call and without requiring the customer to select from a series of menus. The receiving location or inbound call center accepts a voice call from a customer. The incoming voice call includes an associated data stream. This data stream is processed by the inbound call center and is used to route the call to the appropriate destination or customer service representative, for example a specific person, a department, a subsidiary, an individual either working within a facility or working outside the facility, a subcontractor and combinations thereof. Additional functionality is provided by including additional data, e.g. data in addition to routing data, along with voice data.

Abstract: An agent's request for a break is indicated by a pause request and pause code, where the pause code indicates the reason for the break. In one embodiment, a pause request is analyzed to determine if the agent is allowed to request a break associated with the pause code. The pause code may be further analyzed to determine if it is of an unpaid type, in which case the agent is requesting an unpaid break. If the break is of a paid type, then a threshold timer may be started at the beginning of the break that when expires indicates that any remainder of the break is processed as unpaid time. This can be accomplished by noting an event associated with the threshold timer in an agent work history log or by automatically logging off the agent at the expiry of the timer.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer readable medium for routing an agent to a preferred communications platform comprises accessing a server comprising a routing strategy, wherein the routing strategy consists of a site value, a project identification value, a project load value, and an attribute value of the agent, and wherein the site value takes precedent over the project identification value which takes precedent over the project load value which takes precedent over the attribute value of the agent, and routing the agent to the preferred environment based on a result of the routing strategy.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing a graphical depiction of a communication system incorporating multiple call centers distributed around the globe are provided. The user interface can present the graphical depiction in two or three dimensions. In addition, the user interface can provide a view of details concerning the performance of communication system components or events affecting the performance of such components, and can enable a supervisor to manipulate contact center parameters.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program for assessing the quality of a call recipient response during an interactive voice dialog. Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to biometric analysis and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for call center agent quality assurance using biometric technologies. A solution for automated monitoring of call center agents' skill, mood, professionalism and behavior using biometric technologies and for providing appropriate action to improve customer handling and satisfaction is provided. The solution provides an automated method for detecting potential problems and preemptively taking action to provide consistent, quality customer service.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention force a contact center agent to adhere to taking a scheduled break from handling communications for a contact center. In particular, a time corresponding to a start time for a scheduled break is detected and, upon detection, a current state is determined for the agent that indicates whether the agent is available to handle communications. In response to the state indicating the agent is available, the agent's state is automatically set without the agent's intervention to indicate the agent is unavailable to handle communications so that no communications are routed to the agent. At this point, the agent is to take his scheduled break. Accordingly, after a period of time, the agent's state is then automatically set to indicate the agent is available so that the agent's break is over and at least one communication is routed to the agent.

Abstract: An agent's request for a break is indicated by a pause request and pause code, where the pause code indicates the reason for the break. In one embodiment, a pause request is analyzed to determine if the agent is allowed to request a break associated with the pause code. The pause code may be further analyzed to determine if it is of an unpaid type, in which case the agent is requesting an unpaid break. If the break is of a paid type, then a threshold timer may be started at the beginning of the break that when expires indicates that any remainder of the break is processed as unpaid time. This can be accomplished by noting an event associated with the threshold timer in an agent work history log or by automatically logging off the agent at the expiry of the timer.

Abstract: A method and computer readable medium are provided for monitoring customer support sessions based on at least one category associated with the customer support sessions. A request from an administrator for information associated with unresolved support sessions is received. A set of support categories is presented to the administrator. A selection of at least one support category is received from the administrator. A set of first level customer support agent identifiers associated with at least one support session queued under the at least one support category which has been selected is presented to the administrator.

Abstract: A method for discovering customer center information includes receiving a plurality of customer center information from a plurality of respective information sources, and correlating the plurality of customer center information to determine an identity of a customer center agent accessing customer center resources.

Abstract: Exemplary systems and methods for queuing an inbound communication are provided. In exemplary embodiments, the inbound communication is received by a communication server associated with a communication type of the inbound communication. Communication statuses of one or more agents over a plurality of communication types are reviewed to determine available agents. One or more profiles are reviewed to assess applicability of one or more agents to receive the inbound communication, whereby an agent may be applicable to handle more than one inbound communication concurrently as determined by their profile. An appropriate agent is then selected based on the availability and applicability of the one or more agents to which the inbound communication is forwarded.

Abstract: A remote agent call center is functional by providing a softphone and agent bridge that allows maintaining an open telephone line to the agent's phone with or without an incoming call being connected. Incoming calls are merged into the agent bridge to allow the agent to conference with the incoming call. The softphone provides call control to allow the agent to transfer, terminate, hold, record, or the like the active call.

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: Call center agent training is provided on a non-scheduled basis and is characterized as having a duration that is less than a scheduling interval used to schedule the agent for their work shift, as well as schedule other activities in the work shift. The delivery of snippet training content may be triggered by various conditions, including in response to: a request for training originating from the agent, a period of continuous call processing activity of the agent, various agent performance metrics, or probabilistically assigned to an agent in a group. Various parameters may selectively limit provision of a snippet training session. The agents provided with training are placed in an unavailable state prior to the snippet training session, and placed back into an available state afterwards. The snippet training content may be variously structured and can be grouped together to form an e-learning course delivered to the agent.

Abstract: Exemplary systems and methods for queuing an inbound communication are provided. In exemplary embodiments, the inbound communication is received by a communication server associated with a communication type of the inbound communication. Communication statuses of one or more agents over a plurality of communication types are reviewed to determine available agents. One or more profiles are reviewed to assess applicability of one or more agents to receive the inbound communication, whereby an agent may be applicable to handle more than one inbound communication concurrently as determined by their profile. An appropriate agent is then selected based on the availability and applicability of the one or more agents to which the inbound communication is forwarded.

Abstract: A computer telephony system allows a user to control different communications terminals at different times via a second system, external to the computer telephony system. The computer telephony system comprises a plurality of communications terminals each of which has an identifier. The computer telephony system further comprises means for generating a key and for recording internally a mapping linking the key and the identifier of a first communications terminal and means for changing the mapping, on a request by the user, so as to link the key with a second communications terminal. In operation, the key is provided to a second system, external to the computer telephony system and accessible by the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling providers of PSTN toll free services to stagger simultaneous transmission of call setup signaling messages into an IP based teleconference bridge, supported by a VoIP network, by suspending a subset of calls and placing them on hold while placing other calls to be connected to the conference bridge are disclosed. The PSTN network can stagger calls by limiting the number of call setup signaling messages to be sent to the VoIP network within a predefined period of time interval and spread all the calls over multiple of such predefined periods. Prerecorded announcements or music can be played while the calls that have been placed on hold are in queue.

Abstract: Exemplary systems and methods for queuing an inbound communication are provided. In exemplary embodiments, the inbound communication is received by a communication server associated with a communication type of the inbound communication. Communication statuses of one or more agents over a plurality of communication types are reviewed to determine available agents. One or more profiles are reviewed to assess applicability of one or more agents to receive the inbound communication, whereby an agent may be applicable to handle more than one inbound communication concurrently as determined by their profile. An appropriate agent is then selected based on the availability and applicability of the one or more agents to which the inbound communication is forwarded.

Abstract: A routing system includes a router, a statistics server (Stat Server) coupled to the router, receiving, processing and storing statistics related to event handling, and providing information regarding the statistics for use by routing intelligence in the router, and a first proxy data server coupled to the Stat Server and to a second proxy data server at a remote contact center over a network. The system is characterized in that the Stat Server receives event statistics regarding the local queue, and through the coupled first and second proxy data servers, event statistics regarding the remote queue, provides information related to the statistics to the router, and the router determines to route incoming events to local queue or to the remote queue based on the information provided.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for routing incoming customer service requests directly to the most appropriate destination within a call center without requiring customer knowledge of a specific telephone number or extension to call and without requiring the customer to select from a series of menus. The receiving location or inbound call center accepts a voice call from a customer. The incoming voice call includes an associated data stream. This data stream is processed by the inbound call center and is used to route the call to the appropriate destination or customer service representative, for example a specific person, a department, a subsidiary, an individual either working within a facility or working outside the facility, a subcontractor and combinations thereof. Additional functionality is provided by including additional data, e.g. data in addition to routing data, along with voice data.

Abstract: In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, a method using presence information to improve automatic call distribution includes receiving a call for connection with one of a plurality of agents. An indicator of a service level problem is detected, and presence information is used to identify one or more draftable agents that are not in a ready state in response to detecting the indicator. The call is distributed to a selected one of the identified one or more draftable agents.

Abstract: A synchronization manager comprises an instruction execution system. The instruction execution system is configured to identify an initial master application of a plurality of workforce applications that are in communication with a contact center, identify remaining ones of the workforce applications as slave applications, determine a substitute master application hierarchy by prioritizing the slave applications, monitor the initial master application to detect changes to user data, and if changes to the user data in the initial master application are detected, update corresponding user data in the slave applications with the changes to the user data in the initial master application.

Abstract: The application relates to the registration of the identity of a telephone terminal in association with the identity of a computer terminal in a Computer Technology Integration environment CTI-enabled switching apparatus and a registration server interconnected by a CTI-link and a telephony link. A registration method whereby the registration is essentially achieved by using the telephony link to present PIN data inputted using the telephone terminal to the registration server and to identify the from the CTI-link the identity of the telephone terminal which presents the PIN data over the telephony link faces the problem of how to tie in the correct CLI to the correct call. This problem is solved by the application in that the port of telephony link used by the switching apparatus for the call by which the PIN data is transmitted is transmitted in combination with the CLI over the CTI-link.

Abstract: In one aspect, communication link established from a communication unit to a communications system. A request message is transmitted from a communication unit to the work connection computer and checked with the aid of a user profile of the communication unit, to verify whether the communication unit has log-on authorization. If the verification of the request message is positive, the request message is forwarded from the network connection computer to the connection handling computer in the form of a modified request message. The modified request message is analyzed by the connection handling computer with the aid of an authentication profile of the network connection computer. Once the modified request message has been positively analyzed and the communication unit has been successfully registered, a response message is transmitted from the connection handling computer to the communication unit.

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: A system of remote computer service including a call center, the Internet and a computer service supporting system. The computer service supporting system receives the requests from the computer and allocates and/or designates corresponding call center for the computer; the present invention also provides a method that the computer sends service request to the computer service supporting system by Internet; the computer service supporting system allocates and/or designates a call center for the computer and relates the computer and the call center by service ID; then, returns the communication means information and the service ID of the call center to the computer; the computer contacts with the call center by the communication means information, and the call center provides the service applied to the computer by using the service ID.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for enhanced extension mobility includes accessing user input indicating either a desire of a user to logon at an endpoint in a private mode according to which the endpoint supports only an extension of the user or a desire of the user to logon at the endpoint in a shared mode according to which the endpoint concurrently supports an extension of the user and one or more other extensions of one or more other users. The method includes configuring the endpoint to support only an extension of the user if the user input indicates a desire of the user to logon at the endpoint in a private mode according to which the endpoint supports only an extension of the user.

Abstract: The Agent Communication Toolbox (ACT) eliminates the burdens to call center managers of manually distributing desk drops and following up with call center agents to determine whether the agents have accessed the desk drops and completed related training. ACT provides distributed communications to the desktop of a call center agent. ACT records access, testing and training by call center agents and produces reports that indicate the understanding and content comprehension of call center agents. ACT provides real-time coaching to call center agents to improve call center agent knowledge, increase first call resolution and the quality of responses provided by the call center agent. ACT also intelligently routes communications based on the location and skills of the call center agent, reducing the volume of communications and network bandwidth requirements.

Abstract: A method for automatic call distribution includes detecting that a first agent is communicating on a first call and detecting that the first call involves a predefined low priority communication. The method includes transitioning the first agent to an on-call ready state based on the first call. The on-call ready state indicates that the first agent is ready to receive an additional call while communicating on the first call.

Abstract: Systems and methods for intelligent presence management in a communication routing system are provided. In exemplary embodiments, an inbound communication may be received for a user. The user's presence status is determined and a profile associated with the user is reviewed. Based on rules contained within the profile, appropriate instructions may be generated for routing the inbound communication in accordance with some embodiments. In other embodiments, instructions may be generated to log the user in or out with the communication routing system.

Abstract: A computer readable medium stores a computer program for interactive training based on a simulated customer interaction. The computer readable medium includes a dialog code segment that provides a predetermined customer portion of a dialog segment from the simulated customer interaction to a trainee. The dialog segment includes the customer portion and at least one predetermined keyword associated with the customer portion. The computer readable medium further includes a response code segment, which receives a response to the customer portion from the trainee, and a determining code segment, which determines whether the response includes the at least one keyword.

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: A method for discovering customer center information includes receiving a plurality of customer center information from a plurality of respective information sources, and correlating the plurality of customer center information to determine an identity of a customer center agent accessing customer center resources.

Abstract: A synchronization manager comprises an instruction execution system. The instruction execution system is configured to identify an initial master application of a plurality of workforce applications that are in communication with a contact center, identify remaining ones of the workforce applications as slave applications, determine a substitute master application hierarchy by prioritizing the slave applications, monitor the initial master application to detect changes to user data, and if changes to the user data in the initial master application are detected, update corresponding user data in the slave applications with the changes to the user data in the initial master application.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for call diversion in a telecommunication network, comprising a data network (1), a voice network (2), for the transmission of speech, a network server (7), for the speech network (2) and a management server (6), for the data network (1). According to the invention, the management server is interrogated about the state of a call from the user terminal (8) to the data network (1) and where an error in said call occurs a call transfer to a stored address is carried out by the network server (7).