SE517986C2 - Procedure at telecommunications networks - Google Patents

Abstract

Method in a telecommunication network where a subscriber calls a freephone number which is recognised at the local exchange and forwarded/connected to the SSP of the transit exchange. The call is detected as an IN-call; when the SCP detects that this is a call to the ACD-service, a welcome message and a menu is played, on receipt of the keying of the customer the call is momentarily parked and by means of an SCP2, the call is identified as a call to a customer ACD and a distribution to the right answering group is executed according to one or more alternatives, e.g. reception area, time/date, customer identification.

Description

l5 20 25 30 517 986 == 'IN uses an existing network, but is logically different from this. By logical sign is meant that IN has its own network structure which is located on top of the telecommunications network. The communication between nodes in IN takes place with regard to the physical connections that the telecommunications network offers. All this means that IN is independent of the network it operates on. It does not matter if the underlying network is broadband, ISDN or a packet network. IN can thus be said to be independent of which access network is currently being used.

The reason why IN was developed was partly that the operator could develop its own competitive services with its own specific technical solutions to optimally utilize the existing network, and partly that the market required the development of services to achieve a better degree of utilization of the capacity in the existing networks.

The integration of telephony and computer systems places great demands on the structure and communication between the equipment existing in the telephone network and the user's equipment.

Furthermore, the publication WO, A1, 95/04 436 shows a way of communicating data between two (network terminations) without having to connect a call.

Technical problem.

An overriding problem with the present invention is to create a more efficient system structure for computer telephony solution for geographically distributed activities and at the same time use the network architecture existing in the network in a more flexible way so as to obtain more efficient call control and its realization in the public network.

ACD - or Automatic Call Distribution - is a telecommunications service 10 15 20 25 30 IOOQQQ 517 986 3 that has been in the digital office switches in many years, where calls are distributed automatically in an \ intelligent 'way.

ACD is also used as a term for all call handling in a so-called Call center, ie a place where you have a large concentration of incoming and / or outgoing telephone traffic (booking center, telephone sales, etc ..).

Every company really wants to handle all incoming calls and handle them in an optimal way (all calls are answered and answered by the right person). However, this is not possible in all situations. The reasons for this are that there are variations in traffic intensity, that not all administrators can handle all types of cases or that some administrators also have other tasks than answering the telephone.

Handling incoming telephone traffic can be seen as a number of problems as follows: l.there are currently more calls than can be handled 2.there can be permanently more calls than can be handled 3.a1all administrators cannot handle all different types of case 4.the administrator who handles a type of case is not as suitable for this 5.all administrators do not sit in the same physical workplace 6. administrators can sit outside the company, e.g. home.

Technical solution.

The technical solution is stated in the claims.

IIIIOÛ l0 15 20 25 30 o nuooo. o O-ÛIÛ. ÜÜÜ-II 517 986 V '4 Advantages.

The present invention improves the public telecommunications network and makes it more customized.

Furthermore, the invention creates a solution that provides new opportunities to create cost-effective computer telephony solutions for geographically distributed businesses.

- Calls can be distributed to answering places for different places.

- Effective call control - all staff in a distributed organization can receive calls.

- Computer-integrated telephony - customer information can be presented to the administrator before the call is answered. - Monitoring and statistics functions enable efficient management and business planning.

- Cost linked to service content and traffic volume.

List of figures Fig. 1 shows the state of the art.

Fig. 2 shows the system solution according to the invention.

Fig. 3 shows the interface to the customer.

Detailed description.

To facilitate understanding of the present invention, an explanation of abbreviations is used. 10 15 20 25 30 oøøoio lcolto 517 sas .Äs'.ä. 5 SSP - standard SSP.

SCP - conventional SCP based on AX-10.

AST-DR - conventional phrase machine for playing phrases.

Used here for playback of general messages, welcome phrases, menu trees and for receiving DTMF numbers from the A-subscriber.

SCP2 - General UNIX computer that is both an SDP and an SCP2.

IV - Infovox 3000, used as a message server, stores and plays messages that callers can leave if a) they choose to do so if the queue is considered too long or b) if the selected function or the entire service is closed.

RAS - A Remote Access Server used to transport signaling information from operators' terminals to SCP2's LAN backbone if a router connection is not cost effective. Can be used for both modem and ISDN connections.

RT - IP router used to transport signaling information from the operators' terminals to SCP2's LAN backbone when there are many operators gathered in one place and / or if the customer already has a WAN infrastructure for their terminals.

DB - The customer's database / application server that talks to the OP applications via a DDE interface, not necessary for the service to work.

PASTEL - Telephony hardware that supports TAPI, all hardware with TAPI support can be used.

Modem - Used for distributed workstations, ISDN can also be used when suitable hardware is available.

Free calls (usually access number 020) are often a basic component for building a call center, telephone-based customer service. Free call makes it possible 10 15 20 25 30 517 øas 5§ = '. 6 to have a single number for several answering places. This fact, as well as the fact that you can make free calls for free, facilitates communication for a call center. In free calls, you can, through a number of network control functions, direct calls to a free call number to several different answering stations, which means that companies that have the number can use their resources (staffing, equipment) more efficiently.

In the network today, the free call logic is controlled from a pair of SCPs that communicate with SSPs that are at the transit level in the network. Figure 1 shows the current solution for free calls. on to the switching station's SSP, which asks the SCP what it should connect the call to. In SCP, there is then a program that is written precisely for the current service with control parameters that, for example, depend on the geographical location, time, call distribution, load, etc. Today's IN solution is built for services that have been developed "once for all" and not for services that change, for example, 37 times a day. This solution is by nature very static.

Depending on how these control parameters are set or pre-programmed for the customer who subscribes to the call center service, the call is diverted.

The conversation can e.g. connected to a PBX located at, for example, a telephone bank that has connected its company's administrative support system to the said PBX. This allows you to connect calls and screenshots, with data about the caller, to the operator who answers the call, who then also has the data information available. 10 15 20 25 30 517 sas. = '7 The invention shows Figure 2 shows an architecture or system solution for an automatic response routing that provides greater flexibility, customer control and status and statistics information. As can be read from the figure, a general computer SCP2 is connected to an SCP (which can be a conventional SCP in today's network). These computers are connected to each other via an INAP protocol. We thus have a solution where ACD logic is placed in a public ACD server and call handling in IN (SCP), whereby the communication takes place via transparent signaling between the ACD server and the client applications.

A subscriber who calls a company (which owns this telecommunications service) usually has a number of questions that he wants answered in the best possible way. The company can optimize this by letting the customer talk to the * right 'person. What is the right person can not often be deduced from the information you It is therefore appropriate (ACD- has about the call before it is answered. To divide the company's administrators into 'departments' groups) that respond to customers' most important needs and which it is possible to distinguish before the call has been answered.

The information you have about the call before it is answered is: 0 A-number, which phone the customer calls from 0 B-number, which number he has dialed. 0 Capture area, where the customer is geographically located. 0 Time / Date / day of the week etc .. 0 Which branches has he visited in the voice menu 0 Which codes has he entered in the voice menu.

In addition, the ACD service is aware of 10 15 20 25 30 0 000010 O nun 517 986: - 0 Which administrators are logged in and ready to receive calls I Which groups are open to traffic I Which groups serve the various administrators and in what priority do they take calls from different groups.

I mm.

All, or parts of, this can be used to distribute calls to groups. The groups must therefore be chosen according to how they can be distinguished. This can vary between different companies.

The ACD service has four interfaces with customers.

As shown in Fig. 3, the customer's customer, the caller, has a telephone interface consisting of keystrokes and interactive voice messages.

The customer's administrator / operators can be connected via a) a regular telephone or b) be connected to the service via a graphical user interface on a computer.

The customer's chief operator is always connected via a computer with a data communication link to the service.

The following happens in chronological order when a customer calls a company that subscribes to the ACD service: The call is detected as an IN call (and a request is sent to SCP about where to connect the call. SCP detects that this is a call to ACD service, possibly plays a welcome message ('Welcome to Future Travel') and a possible menu (* For international press l, For domestic press 2, If you are a VIP customer press 3, 10 15 20 25 30 0 other: 517 refers to etcm '), receives any keystrokes made by the customer, temporarily stops the call and asks SCP2 what it should do.

In SCP2, the call is identified as a call to a customer's ACD and a distribution to the correct answering group (ACD group) is performed according to one or more of the following options: 0 Recording area the call comes from (using A-number) 0 Time of day and or date 0 Dependent on identification provided by the customer via voice menus 0 Based on the dialed number or parts thereof 0 Based on load sharing between ACD groups In a voice menu you can also let a customer choose to: 0 Wait in line with no handset placed. 0 Leave A number (if not ANI). 0 Leave a voicemail message and hang up, the ACD operator can then call when he has time. 0 Get connected to the company's operator.

While standing in line, the customer is continuously notified that he is standing in line. When an operator is free in the selected ACD group (queue), the call is set up.

If there is no queue for the ACD group but instead several vacant operators, one of them is selected according to free time, occupancy index or priority over other operators.

The operator's task is to serve (answer calls from) the ACD groups to which he / she belongs according to the chief operator's configuration. 000010 000000 10 15 20 25 30 I notes: 517 986 ï '10 There are two main variants of operator connection in the prototype: l) PC operator; ACD operator with PC signaling with the service and 2) DTMF operator; ACD operator with only a standard analogue telephone with DTMF.

The optimum for an operator is a PC workplace (PC operator). Then you can take advantage of all the advanced features that the service can offer and get a full overview of the status of the service, groups and operators (not least its own status) DTMF ~ phone can be used (DTMF operator), but is only an option for customers who only wants to use the simplest functions in the ACD service, or who wants to use ACD as an advanced Call-Pickup, Roundup, el.

The PC operator has a workplace consisting of the following: Standard PC (Windows) with modem / PSTN card / ISDN card, telephone / headphone and the Operator application 'OP' When the operator starts the operator application (OP) or from which he wants to log in a dialog box is displayed asking for user ID and password.

After a successful login to the service, the operator can work with the operator application.

An important part of the ACD service contained in SCP2 is that the customer's operators and chief operators can receive information about status changes. The chief operator can configure, control, control and receive updated statistics on most of the service. This is the status of number of incoming, queue times, status of operators (how ongoing, queued calls, IDOOQO 000001 10 15 20 25 30 517 are seen »many are active, who now serves which ACD groups), status of ACD groups etc. This status information is important in a distributed ACD where the operators are not in the same room, may be in different groups, etc .. The importance of information increases with the use of sophisticated algorithms for whom auto-login, which is in ACD groups, thresholds, priorities, etc ..

This status information is collected and signaled to operators and chief operators. This is done because SCP2 contains powerful algorithms and data structures.

SCP2 communicates with the operator terminals (in the form of PCs) via standardized WAN protocols.

The operator terminals in turn control the telephone connection via the industry standard TAPI and communicate with the ACD functions in SCP2 via a Telia-specific protocol on the WAN.

The communication with SCP from SCP2 takes place with an update signal.

You thus have asynchronous bi-directional communication between SCP and external computer.

Communication with SCP can take place from external equipment via update signal asynchronously in both directions with service-unique application protocol spike-back in the update signal.

Communication Operator terminal - SCP2.

The WAN connection between OP and SCP2 can be implemented with different carriers. This link is based on standard communication protocols (TCP / IP) and on standard access in the customer computers (WinSocket). What we have done in the ACD service is to use exactly the same software as the de-facto standard in the computer industry for WAN communication, which means that all ways to connect a computer to the Internet / Intranet can be used to connect a computer to ACD. If the company has a LAN, the computers can be connected via this, a remote workplace can be connected via RAS technology via modem or ISDN. The signaling can take place via public computer networks, 000000 I OOÛOII 10 15 20 25 30 I Ibishi O uvøuvu 517986 '12 private computer networks or entirely in Telia's infrastructure (eg TIPNet). A workplace connected to a PABX with a digital line card can use the data channel in it to transmit this information.

It can be argued that this signaling cannot take place in a public network (security) or in a packet network (no guarantee for when packages are delivered), if this means that such solutions cannot be implemented, solutions can be made in-house without changing the architecture.

The most elegant solution to this is to use ISDN with transparent signaling on the D-channel. If you package TAPI with ISDN duo, you have a complete package with CTI that can be used both in offices, at home and in distributed workplaces, for CTI connection to all IN services, etc.

The client software is based (operator and chief operator) on TAPI (Telephony Application Programming Interface) which means that it is based on an open architecture that is supported by all suppliers and operators. TAPI is an open architecture for CTI that provides opportunities to build in which services you want without this breaking the standard. That is, you can build TAPI support for your services without affecting other vendors' software; a telemarketing program from * SellOnTel Ltd 'can be run on the same machine as ACD OP with the same telephony hardware without any problems.

The TAPI architecture means that you provide a clear interface (TAPI) for what is your own system and what is the customer's, this means that you can sell telephone applications with telephone support (such as ACD) without 000001 10 15 20 25 30 n Utädbb n uuuvvv 517 986 '13 know what the customer's computer system looks like, or that changes are needed in order for the system to work.

The invention is limited only to what is stated in the claims, so the idea of the invention is applicable to all types of communication services which are realized in the network.

Claims (1)

A method of a telecommunication network in which a subscriber dials a 020 number, the local station sensing that it is a free call and forwarding the call to the SSP of the switching station, characterized in that the call Z is detected as an IN call in which a request is sent to SCP about where to connect the call and SCP detects that this is a call to the ACD service and plays a welcome message of the type "Welcome to Future Travel" and a menu "For international press l, For domestic press 2, If you are a VIP customer press 3, etc ”and receive keystrokes as the customer does, park the call temporarily and ask SCP2 what it should do whereby the call in SCP2 is identified as a call to a customer's ACD and a distribution to the correct ACD group is performed as follows: a) Recording area from which the call comes using A-number, b) Time of day and date, c) Depending on identification provided by the customer via voice menus, d) Based on the dialed number or parts thereof, e) Based on load allocation between ACD groups, whereby a chief operator at the customer via computer equipment has the possibility to direct the call to a suitable person or answering group, whereby the communication takes place through the use of ISDN with transparent signaling on the D-channel.