KR20000047532A - Method and system for reducing telephone costs for calls to service providers - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls directed to a receiving end by a subscriber. Low-cost data communication lines such as the Internet are provided in parallel with public telephone networks and telephone calls are routed through the less expensive of the data communication lines and telephone networks. The present invention presents a particular application for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls directed by the subscriber to the receiving side via an Automatic Call Distribution System (ACD). In such applications, an Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) is provided locally to subscribers to receive customer requests over regular telephone lines at low rates. The need for attention is directed to the ACD, which maintains a queue of calls waiting for attention from the IVR over the low-cost data communication line. The ACD notifies the IVR when a request reaches a location in the queue, and reroutes the call from the IVR to the ACD over a regular telephone line.

Description

Method and system for reducing telephone costs for calls to service providers

Field of invention

The present invention relates to the provision of services via telephone.

Background of the Invention

Computer and telephone integration is generalized to various types of service providers who provide toll-free service numbers and handle queries using an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Is going. 1 shows an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) generally known for routing a subscriber's service query via a toll-free service number. As soon as the toll-free service number is dialed, the calling party 10 is switched by the local central office switch 11 to a service control point (SCP) 12 which is common to many service providers. The service control point 12 cross-references the dialed number in the lookup table to process the call based on the lookup table data. The lookup table may return the actual number to which the call is actually connected by the PSTN 13 to the remote central office switch 14.

Most calls of this kind end in the call center 15 which provides some kind of product support or service sale. Typically, caller 10 is provided with an interactive voice response 16 in the form of a voice menu that lists and lists various options. The subscriber can select the desired option by pressing one or more buttons on the telephone keypad. By such means, the initial handling of subscriber inquiries can be automated to reduce personal costs for service providers.

After accepting the user query, IVR 16 transfers control of the call to automatic call distribution point (ACD) 17. ACD 17 fields the subscriber's inquiry and then internally directs the call to the customer service representative who is most qualified to handle it. If the customer service agent is busy, add a query to the queue of ongoing calls to a group of customer service agents, where any one of them is suitable for providing the requested service. When this happens, the subscriber is often in "on hold" until one of the internal lines to the appropriate customer service agent is freed. This may take a very significant time depending, for example, on the number of subscribers waiting for the same customer service agent, the number of service agents suitable to handle the inquiry and the time duration of each inquiry. Although the subscriber may wait a few minutes before connecting to the correct destination; The typical average time for initial processing of subscriber inquiries by interactive voice response amounts to one minute.

Certainly, it is foreseen that the cost of the connection will increase in proportion to the wait time, as long as the subscriber must wait in the queue idle before his query can be handled by the service provider. However, it is irksome that this "waiting" cost is based on the same high tariff as a long distance connection, and if these costs can be reduced, the billed party, typically service There will be major improvements to providers.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for reducing the overall cost per unit of telephone calls destined for a receiving party via an automatic call distribution system (ACD).

1 is a block diagram functionally illustrating a typical prior art telephone system for routing service queries through a toll-free number.

2 is a block diagram functionally illustrating a telephone system according to the present invention for routing service queries via a toll-free number.

3A and 3B are flow diagrams illustrating the major steps involved in the various configurations of the system shown in FIG.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

11 ... Local Central Office (CO) Switch

14 ... Destination Central Office (CO) Switch

15 ... Call Center Delegate

25 ... Local Central Office (CO) Switch

28 ... Destination Central Office (CO) Switch

22 ... Call Center Delegate

24 ... Local IVR

29 ... IP Data Network

32 ... remote ivr

This object is in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.

(A) Have an Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) locally available to subscribers to receive customer requests over regular telephone lines at low rates;

(B) instruct a request for attention from the IVR through a low-cost data communication line to the ACD keeping a queue of calls waiting for attention;

(C) the ACD notifies the IVR when the request arrives at a predetermined position in the queue,

(D) realized by re-routing the call from the IVR to the ACD via the regular telephone line.

At a more fundamental level, the inventive concept includes the reality that any telephone call includes the media that make up the content of the message to be carried and the request signal to alert or alert the recipient and that they do not have to be routed along the same channel. Is based. In particular, a data communication network, such as the Internet, is used in parallel with a regular telephone line to route a request signal that does not require a high quality communication line while routing media requiring a high quality communication line through a regular telephone line. May be used.

In the present invention, in step (b), a signal is transmitted to the receiving side, and only in step (d), it is found that the actual data is carried to the receiving side. That is, the initial signaling is carried from the local IVR to the ACD via the data communication network while the media is routed through the regular telephone network only when the receiver indicates that it is ready (or nearly ready) to receive the media. . During the time between initiating a signal to the local IVR in step (b) and delivering the media to the ACD in step (d), the subscriber is kept on hold. However, during this time interval, which may be several minutes, the cost of maintaining the connection between the subscriber and the receiver is very low since the request signal is carried over the low-cost data communication network.

In this regard, the present invention can be shortened to the following steps.

(A) providing a low-cost data communication line in parallel with a public telephone network,

(B) identifying a request signal and a media portion within said telephone call to alert said receiving party,

(C) routing the request signal and the media portion independently through the less expensive one of the data communication line and the telephone network.

Preferably, the receiving side is a remote service provider where access is provided via a local low-cost or toll-free number. In general, higher rates apply for connections between service control points and service providers over long distances. Therefore, the present invention allows a service provider to use an alternative connection over a data network (usually the Internet) while providing a normal connection over the telephone. This connection cost is beared by the service provider, thereby creating an immediate cost-benefit to the service provider. However, it is inevitable that the cost of the connection from the IVR to the ACD is reflected in the service provider's service cost, so that the caller also benefits.

These costs are further reduced by using a low-cost connection between the caller and the IVR, making a local advertisement with a revenue that may be used to assist in phone costs.

Thus, due to the proximity of the IVR to the customer, service calls are initially handled through the low-cost, local network. In either case, whether the costs directly burden the service provider or the subscriber, the subscriber benefits because the “tol-free” cost of the service provider is inevitably reflected in his fee. As such, once the call is directed back to the service provider, a high charge proportional to the extended distance to which the connection is now being routed may apply to this connection.

Typically, low-cost communication lines are part of the Internet that allows even long-distance calls to be routed at the unit cost of local calls. As is known, due to the limited bandwidth of the Internet, the Internet is not suitable for real time voice communication. This approach is possible when the calling party does not need to talk to the receiving party by voice, such as when a subscriber is waiting for an attention. During this waiting period, the calling party is not connected to the receiving party, only the IVR ring. Therefore, a connection over a regular telephone line is effective when normal conversation can be maintained.

Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is directed by subscriber 21 (constituting a calling party) to a call center 22 (constituting a receiving party) via an automatic call distribution system (ACD) 23. Functionally present system 20 for reducing the overall cost per unit of established telephone calls. System 20 includes a local interactive voice response system (IVR) 24 connected to a subscriber via a local central office switch 25. In known systems, the local central office switch 25 is dialed to a real number that is automatically dialed to route the subscriber's call across the PSTN 27 to the ACD 23 via the remote central office switch 28. Enable access to the service control point (SCP) 26 for translating the free number. The PSTN 27 constructs a "regular telephone line" to allow the subscriber's call to be treated as a normal telephone call of normal tariff. However, since subscriber 21 initially connects to local IVR 24, the initial handling of inquiries is low, even if call center 22 is remote from subscriber 21 and requires a " trunk call ". The "local call" to which the fee applies.

IP data network 29 (e.g., forming a "low-cost data communication line" that is switched in parallel with the PSTN 27 to the local IVR 24 via a local central office switch 25). Internet) is also provided. IP data network 29 directs (ACD) 23 a request for attention from local IVR 24 to maintain a queue of calls waiting for attention therein. IP data network 29 also directs the call transfer request signal from ACD 23 to local IVR 24 when the request arrives at a place in the queue. The local central office switch 25 reroutes the call from the local IVR 24 to the ACD 23 via the PSTN 27 in response to the call transfer request signal.

Optionally, remote IVR 30 may be coupled to ACD 23 to communicate with local IVR 24 via IP data network 29. In such a case, the local IVR 24 is connected at low cost to the receiving Internet site via the IP data network 29. Instead of providing a conventional voice response, it is now possible to download a menu for selecting the desired extension from the receiving Internet site to the subscriber. As soon as the desired extension is selected, a "connection request message" is sent to the call center 22 via the remote IVR 30 and a "connection request message" queues until the desired extension is available. On the other hand, the visual display menu may be converted into an IVR script for vocalizing to the subscriber 21. In either case, communication to subscriber 21 is low cost since it is via IP data network 29.

3A and 3B show the major operational steps associated with system 20. Thus, the subscriber's call is routed through the IP data network 29 to the local IVR 24 which directs the request for attention to the ACD 23 which maintains a queue of calls waiting for attention. When the request reaches a location in the queue, the ACD 23 notifies the IVR 24, and the call is re-routed from the IVR 24 to the ACD 23 via the PSTN 27 at the normal rate.

Typically, upon receiving the subscriber's inquiry, the ACD 23 associates the call with each request and puts the subscriber in "call waiting". When the request is headed in a queue, ACD 23 forwards the call to call center 22 and removes the request from the queue.

Thus, before the point in time where the subscriber's request reaches a pre-programmed location on the ACD queue, it is clear that the subscriber only has a low fee associated with the connection to the IP data network 29. These costs can be subsidized by sending commercials from the local IVR 24 to the subscriber 21 who is connecting to the call center 22.

As noted above, the present invention has the advantage of reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls destined for a receiving party via an automatic call distribution system (ACD).

While some specific embodiments have been described, it will be appreciated that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. In particular, it can be appreciated that the present invention is based on the reality that a low-cost data communication network such as the Internet can be used in parallel with a regular telephone line to re-route service requests prior to receiving an attention by the remote side. There will be. More generally, using two parallel communication lines may allow calls to be routed through the less expensive of the two lines.

In the claims that follow, the characters used to designate claim steps are merely used for convenience and do not imply any particular order for performing the steps.

Claims (17)

A method for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls directed by a subscriber to a receiver, (A) providing a low-cost data communication line in parallel with a public telephone network; (B) identifying a request signal and a media portion within said telephone call to alert said receiving party, (C) routing the request signal and the media portion independently through the less expensive one of the data communication line and the telephone network; Method for reducing the overall unit cost of the phone call comprising a. A method for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls directed by a subscriber to a receiver via an automatic call distribution system (ACD), (A) placing an Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) locally at the subscriber in order to receive customer requests over regular telephone lines at low rates; (B) directing a request for an attention from the IVR via a low-cost data communication line to the ACD maintaining a queue of calls waiting for attention; (C) the ACD notifying the IVR when the request arrives at a predetermined position in the queue; (D) re-routing the call from the IVR to the ACD via the regular telephone line. Method for reducing the overall unit cost of the phone call comprising a. The method of claim 2, Performed by the ACD (E) associating the call with each request; (F) placing the subscriber on hold; (G) forwarding the call to the receiving side when the request is first in the queue; (H) removing the request from the queue Method for reducing the overall unit cost of the telephone call further comprising. The method of claim 2, In step (a), (Iii) identifying the ACD by a local access number; (Ii) cross-referring the local access number and a remote access number identifying the receiving party; Method for reducing the overall unit cost of the phone call comprising a. The method of claim 4, wherein The remote access number is an internet URL A method for reducing the overall unit cost of phone calls. The method of claim 2, The (b) step, (Iii) connecting at low cost to the receiving Internet site; (Ii) downloading a menu for selecting a desired extension from the receiving Internet site to the subscriber; (Iii) upon selecting the desired extension, sending a connection request message to the call center; (Iii) queuing the connection request message until the desired extension is available; Method for reducing the overall unit cost of the phone call comprising a. The method of claim 6, In step (iii), (1) accessing a time display menu from the Internet site on the receiving side; (2) converting the visual display menu into an IVR script for the caller to hear; Method for reducing the overall unit cost of the phone call comprising a. The method of claim 2, Prior to step (b) above, (Iii) sending commercials from the IVR to the subscriber to subsidize the connection cost between the subscriber connecting to the receiving side and the IVR. Method for reducing the overall unit cost of the telephone call further comprising. A method of using two parallel communication lines to route signaling and media components of a telephone call independently through the less expensive side while maintaining the same quality of the two communication lines. A system for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls directed to a receiver by a subscriber, (A) low-cost data communication lines in parallel with public telephone networks; (B) a switch for routing said telephone call through the less expensive one of said data communication line and said telephone network; System for reducing the overall unit cost of a telephone call comprising a. A system for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls directed to a receiver by a subscriber through an automatic call distribution system (ACD), (I) an Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) connected to subscribers to receive customer requests over regular telephone lines at low rates; (B) a low-cost data communication line for directing a request for attention from the IVR to the ACD keeping a queue of calls waiting for attention therein; (C) wherein the low-cost data communication line also indicates a call transfer request signal from the ACD to the IVR when the request reaches a location in the queue, (D) a switch responsive to the call transfer request signal for re-routing the call from the IVR to the ACD over the regular telephone line; System for reducing the overall unit cost of a telephone call comprising a. The method of claim 11, The ACD also (E) associate the call with each request; (F) leave the subscriber on hold; (G) when the request is first in the queue, forwarding the call to the receiving side, (H) to remove the request from the queue Constituted System for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls. The method of claim 11, The IVR is also (Iii) identify the ACD by a local access number, (Ii) cross-referring the local access number and a remote access number identifying the receiving party. Constituted System for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls. The method of claim 13, The remote access number is an internet URL A method for reducing the overall unit cost of phone calls. The method of claim 11, The IVR, (Iii) connect to the receiving site's Internet site at low cost; (Ii) downloading a menu for selecting a desired extension from the receiving Internet site to the subscriber, (Iii) upon selecting the desired extension, send a connection request message to the call center; (Iii) queue the connection request message until the desired extension is available. A system for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls that are made up. The method of claim 11, The IVR, A web browser for accessing a time display menu from the receiving Internet site; Converter for converting the time display menu into an IVR script for the caller to hear Containing System for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls. The method of claim 11, The IVR is, A memory for storing advertisements therein, A processor coupled to the memory to send an advertisement to the subscriber to assist in the connection cost between the subscriber connecting to the receiving side and the IVR Containing more System for reducing the overall unit cost of telephone calls.