Method and apparatus for dynamic and interdependent processing of inbound calls and outbound calls

Claim 2

The method of claim 1 wherein said step of generating statistics comprises; determining the average duration of said inbound calls; and determining the average duration of said outbound calls.

Claim 3

The method of claim 2 wherein said step of generating statistics further comprises: determining the delay period between the arrival of a said inbound call and the arrival of a following said inbound call; and determining the average delay period between said inbound calls.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 wherein said step of generating statistics comprises generating separate statistics for each agent.

Claim 5

The method of claim 4 wherein said step of generating separate statistics comprises: determining the average connection time for inbound calls for each said agent; and determining the average connection time for outbound calls for each said agent.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 wherein said step of adjusting comprises monitoring the number of available agents and said method further comprises terminating a said outbound call in progress if a said inbound call reduces said number of available agents.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 and further comprising: allocating a first group of a plurality of telephone trunks to said inbound calls; allocating a second group of a plurality of telephone trunks to said outbound calls; determining the degree of usage of said first group; and adjusting said first group and said second group in response to said degree of usage.

Claim 8

The method of claim 7 wherein said step of determining said degree of usage comprises: determining the most significant inbound trunk; determining the most significant outbound trunk; and determining the number of unused trunks between said most significant inbound trunk and said most significant outbound trunk.

Claim 9

The method of claim 8 wherein said step of determining said degree of usage further comprises: comparing said number of unused trunks with a window value.

Claim 10

The method of claim 9 and further comprising: calculating said window value based upon said statistics for said inbound calls.

Claim 11

The method of claim 9 wherein said step of adjusting said first group and said second group comprises: increasing the number of said telephone trunks in said first group and decreasing the number of said telephone trunks in said second group if said number of unused trunks is less than said window value; and decreasing the number of said telephone trunks in said second group and increasing the number of said telephone trunks in said first group if said number of unused trunks is greater than said window value.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1 and further comprising: generating statistics concerning each agent of said plurality of agents; and wherein said step of adjusting said rate of placement is responsive to said statistics concerning each agent.

Claim 13

The method of claim 12 wherein said step of generating statistics concerning each agent comprises: determining the average time that each agent is connected to an inbound call; and determining the average time that each agent is connected to an outbound call.

Claim 14

The method of claim 13 wherein said step of adjusting said rate of placement is responsive to whether a said agent is connected to an inbound call or an outbound call.

Claim 15

The method of claim 1 and further comprising: measuring the ring time of each said inbound call; comparing said ring time to a desired value; and wherein said step of selectably connecting comprises connecting said inbound call to an agent only if said ring time exceeds said desired value.

Claim 16

The method of claim 1 and further comprising the steps of: responding to a next inbound call in a manner determined by said statistics for said outbound calls.

Claim 17

The method of claim 16 wherein said step of responding comprises: determining whether the connection of said next inbound call to an available agent will prevent a said outbound call from being quickly connected with an agent; and if so, delaying the answer of said next inbound call.

Claim 18

The method of claim 16 wherein said step of responding comprises: determining whether the connection of said next inbound call to an available agent will prevent a said outbound call from being quickly connected with an agent; and if so, answering said next inbound call and placing said next inbound call on-hold.

Claim 19

The method of claim 16 wherein said step of responding comprises: determining whether the connection of said next inbound call to an available agent will prevent a said outbound call from being quickly connected with an agent; and if so, answering said next inbound call, connecting said next inbound call with a said agent, and terminating a said outbound call.

Claim 20

The method of claim 16 wherein said step of responding comprises: determining whether the connection of said next inbound call to an available agent will prevent a said outbound call from being quickly connected with an agent; and if so, answering said inbound call, and playing a message to the calling party on said next inbound call.

Claim 21

The method of claim 20 wherein said message prompts said calling party to provide a response including an account identifier.

Claim 22

The method of claim 21 and further comprising: decoding said response of said calling party to said message; and adding said calling party to a list of parties to be called.

Claim 23

The method of claim 22 and further comprising: placing a call to said calling party when an agent is available.

Claim 24

The method of claim 1 and further comprising the steps of: obtaining a list of outbound calls to be placed; determining whether a said inbound call eliminates the need to make a corresponding outbound call; and if so, removing said outbound call from said list.

Claim 25

The method of claim 24 wherein step of determining comprises: obtaining an account identifier for said inbound call; and comparing said account identifier for said inbound call with account identifiers corresponding to said outbound calls on said list.

Claim 26

The method of claim 25 wherein said step of obtaining an account identifier comprises: playing a message which prompts the calling party for said inbound call to provide said account identifier; and decoding the response of said calling party to said message.

Claim 27

The method of claim 1 wherein said step of generating statistics comprises the steps of: monitoring the time that a predetermined agent is connected to a call; determining whether said call is an inbound call or an outbound call; if said call is an inbound call then updating statistics for said predetermined agent for inbound calls; if said call is an outbound call then updating statistics for said predetermined agent for outbound calls; performing the above steps for each agent of a plurality of agents; and calculating an estimated time at which each of said agents will become available, based upon said statistics and considering whether each of said agents is currently on a said inbound call or a said outbound call; and wherein said step of adjusting said rate of placement of said outbound calls comprises placing a next outbound call at a time determined by said estimated time for at least one of said agents.

Claim 28

The method of claim 27 and further comprising the steps of: monitoring the arrival time for each said incoming call; generating statistics concerning the rate of arrival of incoming calls; and calculating the estimated time at which a next said incoming call will arrive; wherein said next outbound call is placed only if sufficient agents are projected to be available to handle both said next incoming call and said next outbound call.

Claim 29

The method of claim 27 and further comprising: monitoring the arrival time for each said incoming call; placing on-hold, if an agent is not available, said inbound calls and said outbound calls which are answered; monitoring the on-hold time of each call; generating statistics concerning the rate of arrival of incoming calls; and calculating the estimated time at which a next said incoming call will arrive; wherein said next outbound call is placed only if sufficient agents are projected to be available to prevent said on-hold time from exceeding a predetermined time.

Claim 30

The method of claim 27 and further comprising: monitoring for a new inbound call; and determining whether the connection of said new inbound call to a next available agent will prevent said next outbound call from being quickly connected with a said agent; and if so, cancelling said next outbound call.

Claim 31

A telephone call processing system, comprising: first means for detecting inbound calls; second means for placing outbound calls by seizing selected ones of a plurality of telephone trunks and dialing telephone numbers thereon; third means for providing status information concerning said outbound calls by monitoring signals on said selected ones of said telephone trunks; a plurality of agent work stations, each said agent work station allowing an agent to converse with a connected party and to view information concerning said connected party; switching means for selectively connecting ones of said telephone trunks to ones of said agent work stations; and control means connected to said first means, said second means, said third means, said plurality of agent work stations, and said switching means, for storing information concerning customers, for responding to said first means detecting an inbound call on an inbound trunk by causing said switch to connect said inbound trunk having said inbound call to an available agent work station, and for sending information to said agent work station concerning said customer on said inbound call, for causing an outbound call to be placed on a said outbound trunk by sending a telephone number to said second means, for responding to said third means detecting that said outbound call has been answered by causing said switching means to connect said outbound trunk having said outbound call to an available agent work station, for sending information to said agent work station concerning said customer on said outbound call, for generating statistics concerning said inbound calls and said outbound calls, and for adjusting the rate of placement of said outbound calls in response to said statistics on said inbound calls and said outbound calls.

Claim 32

The system of claim 31 wherein said control means generates statistics concerning said agents, estimates the rate of future inbound calls and availability of a said agent, and causes a next outbound call to be placed if a said agent is projected to be available to be connected to said next outbound call.

Claim 33

The system of claim 31 wherein said control means comprises means for partitioning said plurality of trunks into inbound trunks and outbound trunks.

Claim 34

The system of claim 33 wherein said control means further comprises: a host device for storing said information concerning said customers; and a system controller for receiving said information from said host device for use in placing said outbound calls, for partitioning said plurality of trunks, for responding to said first means detecting said inbound call, for placing said outbound call, for responding to said third means detecting that said outbound call has been answered, for monitoring each agent work station, for maintaining and updating statistics for each agent work station, and for calculating the estimated time; and wherein a predetermined one of said host device and said system controller send said information to said agent work station concerning said customer.

Claim 35

The system of claim 33 wherein said system controller monitors the degree of usage of said inbound trunks which are busy, and repartitions said plurality of said trunks in response to said degree of usage of said inbound trunks.

Claim 36

The system of claim 31 wherein said control means comprises means for determining the average duration of said inbound calls and the average duration of said outbound calls.

Claim 37

The system of claim 36 wherein said control means further comprises means for determining the delay period between the arrival of a said inbound call and the arrival of a following said inbound call and means for determining the average delay period between said inbound calls.

Claim 38

The system of claim 31 wherein said control means designates a first group of said plurality of telephone trunks as inbound trunks, designates a second group of said plurality of telephone trunks as outbound trunks, and adjusts said rate of placement of said outbound calls in response to the degree usage of said first group.

Claim 39

The system of claim 38 wherein said control means changes the number of trunks in said first group and in said second group in response to said degree of usage of said first group.

Claim 40

The system of claim 39 wherein said control means also adjusts said rate of placement in response to the number of trunks in said second group.

Claim 41

The system of claim 38 wherein said control means determines said degree of usage by comparing said number of unused trunks in said first group to a window value.

Claim 42

The system of claim 38 wherein said control means adjusts said rate of placement by monitoring the time that a said agent is connected to a call, determining whether said call is an inbound call or an outbound call, updating statistics for said agent, predicting the time at which each said agent will become available based upon statistics for each said agent and based upon whether each said agent is handling a said inbound call or a said outbound call, and placing a next said outbound call at a time determined by the predicted time at which a said agent will become available.