The present disclosure relates generally to the fields of telephony and communication systems.
To save money, many business enterprises implement some sort of authorization system to control and/or restrict the placement of telephone calls by their employees. For example, forced authorization codes (FACs), which require a caller to enter a valid authorization code prior to extending calls to classes of dialed number, are commonly used in private branch exchange (PBX) systems to regulate the types of calls that certain users can place (e.g., international calls and external toll calls). In such a system, a user placing a call needs to enter a valid FAC code in order for the call to be extended beyond the PBX. Modern PBX systems typically implement this feature by having an administrator set the FAC codes in the system, and then distribute these codes to selected users that have a legitimate business need to place an international or toll call.
One problem with the FAC approach to regulating toll calls is that the authorization rights are statically assigned to users, which, often times, is counter productive. For example, in a large organization or enterprise a number of employees normally have no need to place long distance or international calls as part of their normal work. The system administrator may therefore block or restrict their ability to place these types of calls. Occasionally, however, a blocked employee may need to place such a call in the course of performing their work duties. In such cases, the use of statically assigned FACs does not work very well. That is, the FAC feature in existing PBX systems lacks the flexibility to allow a normally restricted employee (one without access to a valid FAC) to place certain international or toll calls in special situations.
The present disclosure will be understood more fully from the detailed description that follows and from the accompanying drawings, which however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown, but are for explanation and understanding only.
In the following description specific details are set forth, such as device types, system configurations, communication methods, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, persons having ordinary skill in the relevant arts will appreciate that these specific details may not be needed to practice the present invention.
According to one embodiment, a mechanism is provided for a PBX system that allows persons without access to a valid FAC to dynamically seek the permission from a set of pre-designated supervisors/managers who can authorize (or deny) the call based on information provided regarding the purpose of the call. In other embodiments, the PBX system may generally comprise any communications node capable of the implementing the functions described herein.
FAC module 12 stores the FACs and associated call route patterns. RAM module 14 associates certain route patterns with particular remote users/supervisors or sets of supervisors that may be contacted to authorize or deny a toll call placed by a person or user from a telephone device 19 within the organization. By way of example,
Practitioners in the art will appreciate that modules 54 may be implemented in software, hardware, or firmware components, and, in certain embodiments, may be connected to PBX 11 as separate components, rather than being incorporated within system 11.
In one implementation, IVR unit 57 may comprise a telephony script or a navigation menu module that may prompt a caller to state his identity, client matter number, the purpose or reason for his call, etc., and also to notify a third party supervisor that an outgoing call requires authorization. IVR unit 57 is typically embodied in one or more software or firmware modules with code that executes on one or more processors of subsystem 51. In other embodiments, IVR unit 57 may include dedicated processors that perform various tasks, such as speech processing, verification, and recognition. It is appreciated that PBX system 11 may also include a variety of other devices (e.g., controllers, EEPROMs, specialized processors, etc.) not shown in
Referring again to
When a person in the organization who does not have a FAC places a toll call, the route pattern of that call is associated with a particular supervisor or set of supervisors, each of which may have a preferred mode of communications. For instance, RAM 14 may identify that the appropriate communications mode for a particular supervisor is IM. Thus, when the system refers the call to that supervisor for authorization, an IM message may pop up on the display screen of the supervisor's PC with a message such as “X is trying to reach Y. Please press the ‘Authorize’ button on the screen if call needs to be extended or press the ‘Deny’” button if call is to be dropped”. In such an embodiment, the IM client may automatically generate and display the “Authorize” and “Deny” buttons. Alternatively, the supervisor may type the word “authorize” followed by an authorization code, etc., or “reject”. In one embodiment, if the supervisor denies the call then he may also type in a reason for denying the call. This reason may then be played back to the user (caller). If the particular supervisor is not logged in, or does not respond to the IM message within pre-specified timer, then system may take a default action, e.g., deny the call, or attempt to contact another supervisor in the set.
Alternatively, PBX 11 may identify that the appropriate communications mode for a particular supervisor is via a telephone number. In this case, system 11 may place a telephone call to the remote supervisor and play an IVR message that asks the supervisor to either authorize or reject the call. Remote party can then authorize or reject using DTMF digits (such as #11 to authorize and #12 to reject) or using recognizable speech responses, e.g., by saying “authorize” or “reject”. In one embodiment, the supervisor may state the reason for denying the call, which reason is then played back to the user (caller). Again, if the supervisor does not answer the call, then system may take a default action or attempt to contact another supervisor in the set.
In one embodiment, when a call is referred to a particular supervisor for authorization review, he may explicitly forward the decision-making authority over that call to another supervisor. The new supervisor receiving the forwarded call may or may not be included RAM 14. Basically, the supervisor is transferring his authority to someone else for just that one call or instance. For example, in the case where a software engineer is making a call to a customer, his manager (who has been configured as the supervisor) may transfer the authority to allow or reject that call to his technical leader who is dealing with that customer's cases. If the new supervisor (e.g., the technical leader) is not in the RAM, then the system may try various communication modalities or use a presence server to contact the new supervisor. In another embodiment, the supervisor may set up a preference in the PBX system such that all authorization requests related to customer ABC or case number XYZ be forwarded to his technical lead for authorization.
In the case a supervisor who is contacted to authorize a particular call, and who is logged onto a PC that is running an IM client or tool, PBX system 11 may dynamically seek out the supervisor and contact him via an IM message that pops up in a window on the screen of his PC. By way of example,
Note field 75 may be utilized by the caller/user to communicate special information related to the call, or to present a specific request to the reviewing supervisor. In this example, note field 75 includes a user request for a consultation in order to explain the specific purpose or reason for the call. The supervisor may accept the request for a consultation with the caller, James Smith, by pressing or selecting (e.g., clicking) icon or button 73. Alternatively, the supervisor can consult with the caller's direct supervisor, John Jones, by clicking on button 74 in order to determine whether the call should be authorized. In different embodiments, consultations may be implemented in the GUI by another pop-up window that provides for IM communication, or, alternatively, by initiating a phone call form the supervisor to a phone number of the person with whom a consultation is desired.
In still other embodiments, note field 75 may be eliminated entirely, leaving the decision to consult with the caller (or his direct supervisor) solely in the hands of the supervisor via GUI window 70. For instance, the supervisor may click on button 73 to automatically establish a voice session with the caller (e.g., via either a standard call offer or a barge-in) in order to converse with the caller to determine the reason for the call.
Window 70 also includes buttons 71 & 72 for respectively approving or denying the call. In this example, buttons 71 & 72 may be clicked on or selected at any time by the supervisor. For instance, if the supervisor is convinced that the outbound call should be allowed, he may simply click on approval button 71. In one embodiment, clicking 72 may also bring up a dialog box or field to allow the supervisor to enter a reason for denial. In another embodiment, window 70 already has a dialog box to allow the supervisor to enter a reason for denying the call.
In yet embodiment, telephone device 25 may also be configured to have a text field where the user may enter his reason(s) for requesting approval (e.g., customer no., case no. etc.) using the alphanumeric key pad.
It is appreciated that different embodiments may execute different routines/approaches for establishing communications between the user and the selected meeting participant. For instance, in one embodiment, the softkeys of a user's telephone device might be automatically configured to provide the caller with the option of directing the call to a particular supervisor. In another embodiment, the caller is provided with the option (at the time of placing the call) of specifying the contact details (e.g., IM or phone number) of the supervisor who will decide whether to authorize that call. In another embodiment, rather than have the system automatically select an alternative supervisor from the set or pool of available supervisors in the event that the first or primary supervisor is unavailable, the system prompts the caller to enter the contact details of an alternate supervisor who can authorize placement of the call.
PBX system 11 may also be configured in a variety of ways to achieve different specific functions or implement certain features. In one embodiment, the system includes a mapping to a particular set of supervisors based on the time of day. For example, if someone is placing a call at 11 p.m. from a site in California, the system may automatically route the call to a set of supervisors located in another time zone, e.g., India, where supervisors are working normal business hours, and thus are available to authorize or deny the call. In other words, the system may implement various selection rules for routing calls to an appropriate pool of supervisors.
In another embodiment, the system provides a mechanism where a line owner of a telephone device can set a supervisory number (e.g., the owner's mobile phone) for outbound calls on the line. When activated, any call from the line automatically results in the system placing a call to line owner seeking permission or authorization for the call. Line owner then has the option to authorize or reject the call. This embodiment is useful in scenarios outside of a traditional business organization, such as where a father purchases a cell phone for his teenage daughter, but wants to control limit the number or type of calls she can place. Similarly, a store manager may want to restrict his employees from placing international or long distance calls, allowing such calls only after receiving a notification from the system asking for permission whenever an employee attempts to place an international or long distance call.
Calls for which pre-authorization is requested are placed in queue 21, while current calls are placed in queue 22. One of the set of designated supervisors may authorize a call in queue 21 before the time the call is actually placed. The authorization is attached to the called number by the system along with the associated caller number and scheduled time of the call. For instance, an employee may request authorization for a call to a customer located in Japan with the call being scheduled next week at around 8 p.m. (e.g., +5 minutes) local time. An appropriate supervisor is then notified of the call by the system well in advance of the scheduled call time window. If the supervisor approves the call, the employee can call the customer at the scheduled time.
Once the supervisor has been contacted and the call information is before the supervisor (e.g., via a GUI window or IVR playout), the supervisor is presented with the option of consulting with the caller or caller's direct supervisor (block 87). Because in most cases the decision to allow or deny a call is primarily based on the purpose or reason for the call, the supervisor may opt of a consultation to allow either the caller or the caller's supervisor to elaborate on the business purpose for making the call (block 88). In some cases consultation is unnecessary, as the purpose may be clearly evident from the information already provided to the supervisor. In other cases, the supervisor may summarily deny the call without consultation due to a change in business priorities, cost-cutting concerns, new business plans, changing customer relations protocols, etc. In still other instances, the supervisor may forward his decision-making authority to another person.
Whatever the case, at some point the supervisor makes a decision (block 89), and the call is either connected (block 90) or dropped (block 91). In certain embodiments, the supervisor may ignore the call such that after a predetermined time period where no decision has been made, the system automatically makes a default decision, i.e., either approve or deny depending on the default setting. In some embodiments the supervisor may also provide a reason for declining the call.
It should be further understood that elements of the present invention may also be provided as a computer program product which may include a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which may be used to program a computer (e.g., a processor or other electronic device) to perform a sequence of operations. Alternatively, the operations may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnet or optical cards, or other type of machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.
Additionally, although the present invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, numerous modifications and alterations are well within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4472833 | Turrell et al. | Sep 1984 | A |
4805210 | Griffith, Jr. | Feb 1989 | A |
4825465 | Ryan | Apr 1989 | A |
5008884 | Yazawa et al. | Apr 1991 | A |
5200994 | Sasano et al. | Apr 1993 | A |
5206905 | Lee et al. | Apr 1993 | A |
5220599 | Sasano et al. | Jun 1993 | A |
5249223 | Vanacore | Sep 1993 | A |
5341413 | Hori et al. | Aug 1994 | A |
5349642 | Kingdom | Sep 1994 | A |
5402490 | Mihm, Jr. | Mar 1995 | A |
5432844 | Core et al. | Jul 1995 | A |
5493608 | O'Sullivan | Feb 1996 | A |
5521969 | Paulus et al. | May 1996 | A |
5537470 | Lee | Jul 1996 | A |
5568540 | Greco et al. | Oct 1996 | A |
5608786 | Gordon | Mar 1997 | A |
5615213 | Griefer | Mar 1997 | A |
5623537 | Ensor et al. | Apr 1997 | A |
5754630 | Srinivasan | May 1998 | A |
5794218 | Jennings et al. | Aug 1998 | A |
5878124 | Griesmer et al. | Mar 1999 | A |
5905448 | Briancon et al. | May 1999 | A |
5912674 | Magarshak et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
5937040 | Wrede et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
5943611 | Moelne | Aug 1999 | A |
5974142 | Heer et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
5978450 | McAllister et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
5991392 | Miloslavsky | Nov 1999 | A |
5999599 | Shaffer et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6044081 | Bell et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6122347 | Borland | Sep 2000 | A |
6137862 | Atkinson et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6167043 | Frantz | Dec 2000 | A |
6259405 | Stewart et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6271764 | Okamura | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6285750 | Branchman et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6298324 | Zuberec et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6324271 | Sawyer et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6333980 | Hollatz et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
6366651 | Griffith et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6373817 | Kung et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6421544 | Sawada | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6438600 | Greenfield et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6522726 | Hunt et al. | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6526293 | Matsuo | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6542583 | Taylor | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6542586 | Helstab | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6545596 | Moon | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6564261 | Gudjonsson et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
6567508 | Katayama | May 2003 | B2 |
6567848 | Kusuda et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
6587545 | Antonucci et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6587553 | Shaffer et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6587680 | Ala-Laurila | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6643774 | McGarvey | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6647107 | Horrer | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6654455 | Isaka | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6654458 | Saleh | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6665534 | Conklin et al. | Dec 2003 | B1 |
6675216 | Quatrano et al. | Jan 2004 | B1 |
6697457 | Petrushin | Feb 2004 | B2 |
6721401 | Lee et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
6738461 | Trandal et al. | May 2004 | B2 |
6766007 | Dermler et al. | Jul 2004 | B1 |
6769000 | Akhtar et al. | Jul 2004 | B1 |
6771639 | Holden | Aug 2004 | B1 |
6792296 | Van Bosch | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6792297 | Cannon et al. | Sep 2004 | B2 |
6798768 | Gallick et al. | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6798874 | Ohlinger et al. | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6798877 | Johnson et al. | Sep 2004 | B2 |
6799052 | Agness et al. | Sep 2004 | B2 |
6804334 | Beasley et al. | Oct 2004 | B1 |
6816469 | Kung et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6826173 | Kung et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6826194 | Vered et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6839761 | Kadyk et al. | Jan 2005 | B2 |
6847715 | Swartz | Jan 2005 | B1 |
6859776 | Cohen et al. | Feb 2005 | B1 |
6870835 | Chen et al. | Mar 2005 | B1 |
6871212 | Khouri et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6876734 | Summers et al. | Apr 2005 | B1 |
6879586 | Turovsky et al. | Apr 2005 | B2 |
6879685 | Peterson et al. | Apr 2005 | B1 |
6882641 | Gallick et al. | Apr 2005 | B1 |
6898279 | Baker et al. | May 2005 | B1 |
6905414 | Danieli et al. | Jun 2005 | B2 |
6907123 | Schier | Jun 2005 | B1 |
6912275 | Kaplan | Jun 2005 | B1 |
6917672 | Brown et al. | Jul 2005 | B2 |
6918034 | Sengodan et al. | Jul 2005 | B1 |
6928558 | Allahwerdi et al. | Aug 2005 | B1 |
6931001 | Deng | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6934858 | Woodhill | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6940963 | Stumer et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6947417 | Laursen et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6959184 | Byers et al. | Oct 2005 | B1 |
6977993 | Starbuck et al. | Dec 2005 | B2 |
6985745 | Quaid | Jan 2006 | B2 |
6987744 | Harrington et al. | Jan 2006 | B2 |
7031449 | Lundy et al. | Apr 2006 | B1 |
7042989 | Lawson | May 2006 | B2 |
7076041 | Brown et al. | Jul 2006 | B2 |
7085244 | Koskelainen et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7120135 | Kim | Oct 2006 | B2 |
7139370 | Tse | Nov 2006 | B1 |
7162020 | Forte | Jan 2007 | B1 |
7189132 | Nacik et al. | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7213073 | Slavin | May 2007 | B1 |
7275109 | Lee | Sep 2007 | B1 |
7333614 | Jarosinski et al. | Feb 2008 | B2 |
7379471 | Mitsumori et al. | May 2008 | B2 |
7389351 | Horvitz | Jun 2008 | B2 |
7463730 | Katkam et al. | Dec 2008 | B2 |
7466801 | Miller et al. | Dec 2008 | B2 |
7529552 | Cighir et al. | May 2009 | B2 |
7561892 | Huh et al. | Jul 2009 | B2 |
7694138 | O'Gorman et al. | Apr 2010 | B2 |
20010038624 | Greenberg et al. | Nov 2001 | A1 |
20020010008 | Bork et al. | Jan 2002 | A1 |
20020040936 | Wentker et al. | Apr 2002 | A1 |
20020068537 | Shim et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20020077102 | Achuthan et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20020086680 | Hunsinger | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20020090076 | Uppaluru et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20020098831 | Castell et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20020132638 | Plahte et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20020140745 | Allenby et al. | Oct 2002 | A1 |
20020167937 | Goodman | Nov 2002 | A1 |
20020178228 | Goldberg | Nov 2002 | A1 |
20020181691 | Miller et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20020188755 | Yeom | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20020196928 | Johnson et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20020198004 | Heie et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20030043992 | Wengrovitz | Mar 2003 | A1 |
20030061496 | Ananda | Mar 2003 | A1 |
20030172185 | Dezonno | Sep 2003 | A1 |
20040003070 | Fernald et al. | Jan 2004 | A1 |
20040024640 | Engle et al. | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20040066932 | Seligmann | Apr 2004 | A1 |
20040078334 | Malcolm et al. | Apr 2004 | A1 |
20040078349 | Syrjala et al. | Apr 2004 | A1 |
20040109555 | Williams | Jun 2004 | A1 |
20040121774 | Rajkotia et al. | Jun 2004 | A1 |
20040128350 | Topfl et al. | Jul 2004 | A1 |
20040131206 | Cao et al. | Jul 2004 | A1 |
20040198454 | Chavez et al. | Oct 2004 | A1 |
20040205330 | Godfrey et al. | Oct 2004 | A1 |
20040248586 | Patel et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20050022020 | Fremberg | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050031110 | Haimovich et al. | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050053219 | Pearson | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050059463 | Gilmore et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050069102 | Chang | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050069113 | Suh | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050089053 | Zhu | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20050157708 | Chun | Jul 2005 | A1 |
20050177622 | Spielman et al. | Aug 2005 | A1 |
20050197110 | Hasan et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20050212749 | Marvit | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20050226403 | Lenard | Oct 2005 | A1 |
20050239486 | D'Avello | Oct 2005 | A1 |
20050272413 | Bourne | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20050273333 | Morin et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20050286705 | Contolini et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20060009238 | Stanco | Jan 2006 | A1 |
20060034336 | Huh et al. | Feb 2006 | A1 |
20060035657 | Lim | Feb 2006 | A1 |
20060036857 | Hwang | Feb 2006 | A1 |
20060045252 | Gorti | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20060068731 | Seier | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20060079280 | LaPerch | Apr 2006 | A1 |
20060084414 | Alberth | Apr 2006 | A1 |
20060104218 | Kako | May 2006 | A1 |
20060105790 | Jin et al. | May 2006 | A1 |
20060116175 | Chu | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20060126529 | Hardy | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20060147002 | Desai et al. | Jul 2006 | A1 |
20060206454 | Forstall et al. | Sep 2006 | A1 |
20060221942 | Fruth et al. | Oct 2006 | A1 |
20060239277 | Gallagher | Oct 2006 | A1 |
20070005963 | Eldar et al. | Jan 2007 | A1 |
20070036322 | Goldman et al. | Feb 2007 | A1 |
20070037610 | Logan | Feb 2007 | A1 |
20070064908 | Levy et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
20070112571 | Thirugnana | May 2007 | A1 |
20080123829 | Smith et al. | May 2008 | A1 |
20080146216 | Newman et al. | Jun 2008 | A1 |
20080233924 | Baird et al. | Sep 2008 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1 030 504 | Aug 2000 | EP |
1536645 | Jun 2005 | EP |
1560140 | Aug 2005 | EP |
1731995 | Dec 2006 | EP |
2347593 | Sep 2000 | GB |
2 406 464 | Mar 2005 | GB |
PTCAU9900247 | Apr 1999 | WO |
WO 2006057770 | Oct 2005 | WO |
WO 2005104520 | Nov 2005 | WO |
WO 2006028514 | Mar 2006 | WO |
WO 2006071420 | Jul 2006 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Nigel Ward and Satoshi Nakagawa, “Automatic User-Adaptive Speaking Rate Selection for Information Delivery”, Jun. 25, 2002, (4 pages), University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. |
Jing Zheng, Horacio Franco, and Andreas Stolcke, “Rate of Speech Modeling for Large Vocabulary Conversation Speech Recognition”, May 18, 2001, (5 pages) Speech Technology and Research Laboratory SRI International, http://www.speech.sri.com. |
L.Melscoet, “Alcatel CCweb: Marriage of The Internet With The Call Center The Alcatel Ccweb Enables a Company to Combine Its Web Site and Call Center Into a Powerful Contact Center”, Electrical communication, Alcatel, Brussels, BE, No. 1, 2000, (pp. 43-47). |
D.Steul, “Redefining The Call Center: Customer Service on The Internet”, Alcatel telecommunications Review, Alcatel, Paris Cedex, FR, Mar. 2000, (6 pages). |
How to Build Smart Appliances, Albercht Schmidt, Kristof Van Laerhoven, IEEE Personal Communications, Aug. 2001, pp. 66-71. |
Schulzrinne H et al: “Signaling for Internet telephony” Network Protocols, 1998. Proceedings. Sixth International Conference O N Austin, TX, USA Oct. 13-16, 1998, Los Alamitos, CA, USA, IEEE, Comput. Soc, US LNKD-D0I:10.1109/ICNP.1998.723751, Oct. 13, 1998, pp. 298-307, XP010309377 ISBN: 978-0-8186-8988-8 *p. 303, right-hand colu. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20080118046 A1 | May 2008 | US |