Patent ID: 6687241
Filing Date: 2004-02-03
Classification: H04L,H04M

Abstract:
In a communications network, a system for establishing and maintaining communications between a customer and a business having a plurality of call centers over a plurality of communications media, said system comprising:(a) a first means for establishing a first communications link between a customer and a company web server; (b) a second means for tracking available resources at each of said plurality of call centers, said resources including a call center agent having a particular skill set and availability status, said second means further selecting a call center having a qualified agent available to communicate with said customer; (c) a third means for establishing a second communications link between said selected call center and said customer, the second communications link being established at a time specified by said customer; and (d) a premises contact server located at each of said plurality of call centers having means for managing and synchronizing simultaneous IP communications between said web server and said selected call center, and between said web server and said customer, wherein said agent at said selected call center and said customer may each view said first communications link while communicating with each other over said second communications link, and wherein each said premises contact server further includes means for communicating call center event messages including resource availability status to said second means.