Abstract:
A multimedia router has code executable on the router from storage on a machine readable medium coupled to the router, the code providing routing functions, and a routing point identified in the router code for establishing at least one non-voice communications session between two or more communications appliances enabled for non-voice communications. During a voice call established between a calling party and one of the two or more communications appliances, the routing point is invoked from the called communications appliance by issuance of a non-voice routing request to establish at least one non-voice communications session between the called communications appliance and another of the two or more communications appliances.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/582,921, filed on Oct. 21, 2009, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is in the field of telephony communications including data network telephony, of which Internet protocol network telephony is a subset, and pertains particularly to methods and apparatus for synchronizing multimedia requests during call distribution within a communications center. 
     2. Discussion of the State of the Art 
     In the field of telephony communications, call centers have evolved into multimedia communications centers where agents using a variety of real-time media handle service and sales requests. Agents of a communications center are typically equipped with a local area network (LAN)-connected computer having a graphic user interface (GUI) and a telephone handset or headset for conducting voice calls. Agents may also engage customers using instant messaging and other real-time text messaging services, Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), and real-time chat applications. 
     Various types of customer engagement campaigns may be practiced in a communications center environment. Customers calling into the center may do so through telephone networks such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), wireless carrier networks, and from the Internet network. Voice calls may be answered by interactive voice response (IVR) attendant and be pre-screened before routing those calls requiring live assistance to an appropriate queue for connecting to live agents. 
     In a state-of-the-art communications center it is desired that revenue loss caused by customer dropout from queue while waiting for live assistance is kept to a minimum. However, certain types of campaigns require interface by a first agent followed by transfer to a second agent to finish call processing. One example would be that of an outbound contact campaign where live agents are used to qualify connected leads (customers connected by voice) for transaction closers (also live agents). Outbound connections are routed internally as inbound calls, but from a business perspective carry a higher priority than cold inbound calls because of a higher probability that an agent will be able to successfully resolve them. 
     A problem exists in such a scenario as described above where the first agent must find a second agent to which to transfer the qualified caller to finish a transaction. The caller must be placed on hold in many instances to wait for a second agent to become available and connect. As a result, a certain percentage of these callers drop out of queue while on hold waiting for an agent. 
     Therefore, what is clearly needed is a system and methods for enabling calls in progress with live agents to be transferred or otherwise serviced by second agents without requiring these calls to be placed on hold while second agents are found to finish transactions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The problem stated above is that it is desirable to retain callers in conversation with an agent while waiting for an available agent to take a call transfer or to conference in with the caller and original agent in a call center routing system, but many of the conventional means for transferring calls and securing a second agent for conferencing, such as single media routing routines, also facilitate a certain percentage of lost revenue due to callers dropping out from queue during the wait for an available second agent. The inventors therefore considered functional components of a call-center routing system, looking for elements that exhibit interoperability that could potentially be harnessed to provide call transfer and consult services for connected callers but in a manner that would not create a predictable amount of revenue loss due to calls dropped while waiting for the second agent to become available. 
     The success of every call center sales campaign depends in part on the proficiency of live agents generating transactions, one by-product of which is profit for the center. Most such call centers employ telephone routing systems with interaction queues to manage the incoming transaction flow from the customer access channels including outbound contacts converted into valuable inbound calls, and call routing and queuing systems are typically a part of such apparatus. 
     The present inventor realized in an inventive moment that if, at the point of need during a live interaction, a caller could remain engaged with the original agent while a second agent is found to accept a call transfer or call consult request, more profit for the campaign might result. The inventor therefore constructed a unique routing system for a call center system that allowed agents requiring assistance from a second agent to resolve a transaction by call transfer or call consult to initiate routing requests for such services while maintaining the current connection with the caller. A significant increase in revenue results, with no impediment to call flow or call handling proficiency created. 
     Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention, a multimedia router is provided and includes code executable on the router from storage on a machine readable medium coupled to the router, the code providing routing functions, and a routing point identified in the router code for establishing at least one non-voice communications session between two or more communications appliances enabled for non-voice communications. During a voice call established between a calling party and one of the two or more communications appliances, the routing point is invoked from the called communications appliance by issuance of a non-voice routing request to establish at least one non-voice communications session between the called communications appliance and another of the two or more communications appliances. 
     In one embodiment the two or more communications appliances are one or a mix of fixed and or mobile telephones, computing appliances or a combination thereof. In one embodiment the routing request is queued and then, if no appliances are ready to take a voice call, routed to one of a plurality of enabled communications appliances wherein the average handling time for the current transaction being handled at the appliance is close to or has exceeded a limit, and therefore probable to become shortly available. 
     In a preferred embodiment, upon the routing request being accepted, a transaction server enabled with session initiation protocol (SIP) establishes as the non-voice communication session, one of an instant message session, a chat session, a file sharing session, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment the established voice call is a one of an analog voice call or a VoIP call. 
     In one embodiment data about the call and/or the calling party is forwarded to the accepting communications appliance from the requesting communications appliance over the non-voice session established. In one embodiment, after establishment of the non-voice communication session, the router transfers the voice session from the called communications appliance to the communications appliance connected to the called communications appliance via the non-voice session. In another embodiment the non-voice session established between the called communications appliance and the other of two or more communications appliances is a consulting session and the voice session is not transferred. 
     In one embodiment in the event of call transfer, after the establishment of the voice transaction between the calling party and the accepting communication appliance, the original voice transaction is terminated. In one embodiment as a result of the non-voice communications session established between the called communications appliance and the accepting communications appliance, a second non-voice communications session is established between the caller operating a SIP-enabled appliance and the accepting communications appliance. 
     In one embodiment the caller remains connected to the called communications appliance in voice session while interacting with the accepting communications appliance over the second non-voice communications session. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a method for soliciting engagement of a party to a voice communications session in progress between a calling party and one of two or more communications appliances is provided comprising steps for (a) receiving at a router a request for establishment of a non-voice communications session from the called communications appliance during the voice session, (b) routing the request to a selected one of the two or more communications appliances, and (c) establishing a non-voice communications session between the requesting communications appliance and the selected one of the two or more communications appliances upon the request being accepted at the selected communications appliance. 
     In one aspect of the method in step (b), the selection is made upon determining current or near term availability of a communications appliance, near term meaning that the appliance is currently engaged in a voice session. In one aspect the method includes a step (d) for conveying or causing conveyance of information about the caller and voice session in progress to the accepting communications appliance over the non-voice session. 
     In a preferred aspect of the method, in step (c) a transaction server enabled with session initiation protocol (SIP) establishes as the non-voice communication session, one of an instant message session, a chat session, a file sharing session, or a combination thereof. In one aspect the two or more communications appliances are one or a mix of fixed and or mobile telephones, computing appliances, or a combination thereof. 
     In one aspect where information about the caller or call is conveyed to the accepting communications device in step (d), the conveyance of information occurs while the calling party is in conversation with an agent operating the called communications appliance while a second agent operating the appliance connected to the called appliance via non-voice session is completing a transaction with another caller. 
     In one aspect the method includes a step (d) for transferring the voice session in progress between the calling party and the called communications appliance to the communications appliance connected by non-voice session to the called appliance. In another embodiment the method includes a step (d) for establishing a non-voice session between the caller and the communications appliance connected in non-voice session at step (c) while the caller is connected in voice session to the original communications appliance. In one aspect of the method in step (c) information sharing over the non-voice session is performed between a calling campaign application and a sales application. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is an architectural view of a communications network  100  supporting multimedia synchronized call distribution to live resources according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a process flow chart illustrating steps  200  for initiating a consult request for a call transfer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a first and second agent terminal involved in a call transfer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a call flow diagram illustrating session setup and teardown using SIP according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a process flow chart illustrating steps  500  for synchronizing routing routine with SIP services according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present inventors provide a unique multimedia call distribution system that allows connected callers to be transferred from original agents to second agents to aid in call resolution, reducing or eliminating dropout. The system and methods for practicing the present invention are described in enabling detail using the following examples, which may represent more than one embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 1  is an architectural view of a communications network  100  supporting multimedia synchronized call distribution to live resources according to an embodiment of the present invention. Communications network  100  includes a wide area network (WAN)  101 , a public-switched-telephone-network (PSTN)  102 , and a wireless carrier network (WN)  103 . A communications center environment (CCE) is illustrated in this example and includes, among other communications center equipment, an agent campaign group (CG)  104  and an agent sales group (SG)  105 . Each agent group, CG  104  and SG  105  is supported by a communication center LAN  106  provided within the communications center environment. 
     CG  104  includes a plurality of individual agent terminals or stations  125  ( a - n ). Each campaign terminal includes, in this example, a LAN-connected computing appliance and a telephone handset. SG  105  includes a like plurality of individual agent terminals or stations  123  ( a - n ). Each sales terminal includes, in this example, a LAN-connected computing appliance and a telephone handset. In this example the term terminal refers to an individual destination point for a routed call rather than a single communications device. Each agent terminal in CG  104  or in SG  105  may include multiple communications devices. The depiction of a computer having a GUI and a telephone handset is exemplary only. Laptops, personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, fax machines, and the like may all be included as potential communications devices within an agent terminal. 
     Handsets illustrated within agent terminals  122  ( a - n ) and agent terminals  123  ( a - n ) are connected to a central telephone switch (CS)  113  maintained within the communications center environment. CS  113  may be a private branch exchange (PBX) connected internally within in the center to all of the agent handsets. In one embodiment all of the handsets are PBX telephones adapted to handle VoIP calls and are further enabled to practice session initiation protocol (SIP), which is a well-known communications protocol for enabling peer-to-peer data and voice sessions between participating terminals or end devices. CS  113  may be a soft switch instead of a hardware switch without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In this example the communications center environment is represented by all of the communications and routing equipment having LAN support of LAN  106 . 
     CS  113  is enhanced for computer telephony integration (CTI) by way of a CTI processor  115  connected to the switch by a CTI link. CTI processor is connected to LAN  106  and provides call-processing intelligence to CS  113 . CS  113  is connected to a local telephone switch (LS)  112  in the telephone network by a telephone trunk  124 . LS  112  may be an automated call distributor (ACD), a PBX, or another type of call processing switch. LS  112  may represent a last stop for telephone calls destined for CS  113  and internal call distribution. LS  112  may accept calls from PSTN  102 . LS  103  may also accept calls from WN  103  through appropriate network gateway (not shown). LS  112  may also accept calls from WAN  101 . 
     In this example an IVR unit  114  connected to CTI processor  115  and to switch  113  intercepts callers registered at switch  113 . IVR  114  is used to prescreen callers for self-service channels and for live interaction channels. Inbound interaction requests may include direct inbound interactions and inbound interactions that were solicited through a proactive campaign such as an outbound contact campaign. Other proactive campaigns such as Web-based proactive invitation may also be practiced in this example without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     An outbound contact server (OCS)  116  is provided within the CCE and is connected to LAN  106  and to CTI processor  115 . OCS  116  includes a digital storage medium internal thereto or otherwise accessible thereto for storing the data and software required to enable server function. In this example the CCE is running an outbound calling campaign using OCS  116 , which is adapted to dial out and connect to customers from a customer list. Customers that answer outbound calls are connected to IVR  114  for initial processing and then routed to available agents in CG  104  for transaction setup and qualification. The CCE includes a queue system (QS)  121  connected to LAN  106 . Queue system  121  includes an agent interaction queue (AIQ)  127  for CG  104  and an AIQ for SG  105 . Calls that require live assistance are routed to AIQ  127  initially to wait for an available campaign agent from CG  104 . QS  121  may include a separate sales request queue (SRQ)  129 . SRQ  129  is adapted to queue requests for sales assistance generated from agents in CG  104  whom are in direct communication with customers. In one embodiment AIQ for SG  105  is a priority ordered queue wherein sales requests take priority over general unsolicited inbound interactions in the queue at certain times or on a continuous basis. 
     LAN  106  is enabled in this example for transfer control protocol over Internet protocol (TCP/IP) and other Internet protocols. LAN  106  supports a routing server (RS)  119  within the CCE that is adapted to serve routing strategies to requesting machines and or software clients. RS  119  includes a digital storage medium (not shown) internal thereto or otherwise accessible thereto for storing the data and software required to enable server function. LAN  106  supports a statistics server (SS)  117  adapted to serve current real-time statistics about the CCE such as estimated waiting time (EWT) in queue, average handling time (AHT) of a call by an agent or group of agents, and other like statistics. Server  117  may also maintain current statistics on agent availability for all agents working within the CCE. Server  117  includes a digital storage medium internal thereto or otherwise accessible thereto for storing the data and software required to enable server function. 
     LAN  106  supports an Internet protocol router (IR)  118 . IR  118  provides connection for the CCE to the Internet represented herein by WAN  101  and also by an Internet backbone  107 . IR  118  has connectivity to the Internet via an Internet access line  111 . Internet backbone represents the lines, equipment, and access points that make up the Internet network as a whole. Therefore, there are no geographic limitations to the practice of the present invention. Internet backbone  107  supports a Web server (WS)  109  adapted to contain and serve Websites including Web pages upon request using a request response protocol. WS  109  may be hosted by a Web services provider or by the CCE. In one embodiment WS  109  includes a corporate Web site leveraged by an organization contracting with the CCE to provide call center services. In this embodiment visitors may access the Web site of the company and may initiate both self service and live treatment through the Web site interface (typically a single Web page or form). 
     Potential customers may access WS  109  and the mentioned company or corporate Web site from anywhere in the Internet, from WAN  101 , which may be a corporate network, or from a wireless carrier network such as WN  103 . One with skill in the art will recognize the ambiguity relative to the physical boundaries of disparate networks and that bridging between these networks provided seamless transition of communications and data from one network to another. 
     LAN  106  supports a transaction server (TS)  120  enabled for SIP. TS  120  has a direct connection over a separate digital network to RS  119 . TS  120  is adapted to set up live interactive sessions between potential customers and agents working within the CCE environment according to instruction served by RS  119 . TS  120  includes a digital storage medium internal thereto or otherwise accessible thereto for storing the data and software required to enable server function. In this embodiment TS  120  is enhanced with SIP and may serve in some embodiments as an SIP proxy server. Other digital call control and setup protocols may be used in place of SIP in this example such as H.323 protocol without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The inventor chooses SIP for multimedia session setup and teardown because of versatility and simplicity. 
     In this embodiment agent terminals  125  ( a - n ) in CG  104  have campaign applications installed one application per at each agent terminal. In this example they are computer desktop applications however in other embodiments they may be installed on other devices in addition to or instead of on a LAN connected PC such as on a SIP-enabled cellular telephone or SIP-enabled PBX phone connected to the network. Campaign applications  125  ( a - n ) are adapted to facilitate resource application and agent proficiency in communication with customers and in initiating consult requests to agents in sales when their services are required. Also in this embodiment agent terminals  123  ( a - n ) in SG  105  have sales applications installed one application per at each agent terminal. Sales application s  123  ( a - n ) are adapted to facilitate resource application and agent proficiency in communication with customers and in receiving consult call requests from agents in CG  104  and when accepted, data about pending transactions and information about the customers receiving the transaction assistance. 
     In one embodiment the CCE characterized by all of the described equipment and functionality supported by LAN  106  relies on a pure SIP environment for all live communication. In this case all communications devices are SIP enabled and have appropriate universal resource identifiers (URIs) for SIP and interaction routing purposes. A typical SIP URI for a SIP-enabled telephone might be of the form sip: username:password@host:port. 
     In practice of the present invention in one embodiment, inbound voice calls resulting from outbound campaign activity arrive at CS  113  for internal routing. From a business point of view, these inbound calls resulting from proactive solicitation activity are a higher priority than unsolicited inbound traffic, which may or may not require live assistance. Pre-solicited inbound calls are routed to AIQ CG  127  to wait for available agents working terminals  122  ( a - n ) in CG  104 . These callers have accepted an outbound call and have agreed to talk with a campaign agent. EWT of queue  127  is controlled so that it is relatively short in duration to discourage any callers from dropping out of queue while waiting for a campaign agent. In one embodiment agents in CG  104  do not answer unsolicited inbound calls, in part to ensure agent availability for these higher priority pre-solicited interactions. 
     CTI processor  115  may request transaction service from SIP-enabled TS  120 , which consults with RS  119  for routing strategy for each call registered as CS  113  and represented in queue  127  that has been determined by IVR  114  to require live assistance. When an agent such as an agent working at terminal  122   c  becomes available, the next call at the top of queue  127  is routed to that agent. SIP-enabled TS  120  is responsible for setting up the SIP voice session and for tearing it down at conclusion of the session. A SIP session may be set up between CS  113  and the agent computing appliance or at the telephone of terminal  122   c  in this example. The SIP session may be setup in this case between CS  113  and the telephone handset of agent terminal  122   c  of CG  104 . The telephone may in certain embodiments, register a ringing event and data about the call and caller will appear on the agent&#39;s desktop in the appropriate campaign application. 
     In this example the campaign agent qualifies the caller for a transaction with one of the sales agents of SG  105 . Agents in SG  105  may be working normal unsolicited inbound traffic along with campaign traffic. Therefore, there may be periods of time during peak traffic where all of the agents of SG  104  are busy handling live transactions. During the conversation between the caller and the campaign agent working terminal  122   c  in this example, the caller may agree to a sales transaction. However, rather than putting the caller on hold to wait for an agent from SG  104  to become available in the case that there are no ready agents available to work the transaction, the campaign agent with the aid of the campaign application installed on the computing appliance, initiates an SIP request for sales consultation with a live agent from group  105 . 
     In one embodiment the SIP request is an IM chat request deposited in a specialized queue SRQ  129  and SIP-enabled TS  120  processes the request from queue based on instruction from RS  119 . In one embodiment all SIP requests for sales consultation from a live agent of SG  105  are sent directly to TS  120  where they are processed normally as an SIP request. A routing point is defined as a point in a process where a routing decision may be required. In this case the overall process is concluding a campaign call with a sales transaction facilitated by a second agent skilled in that purpose. The routing point occurs in the process if the caller verbally agrees to the prospect of engaging a second agent. In this case the sales consult request is initiated by the campaign agent manually and the routing point is defined within the routing code on RS  119 . 
     TS  120  consults with RS  119  for routing strategy. RS  119  consults SS  117  for current availability statistics for agents working terminals  123 ( a - n ). In a case where all of the agents are currently unavailable for voice interaction, the routing strategy picks the agent with a predicted least amount of handling time left in a current transaction compared to other agents who are busy handling transactions. RS  119  serves a routing instruction for the request for consult to TS  120 , which sets up an IM channel between the initiating campaign agent working terminal  122   c  and the target sales agent, such as one working terminal  123   a  for example. 
     The target sales agent receives a chat request for a consult call from the original campaign agent while the caller is still in a voice session with the campaign agent. The sales agent can accept the IM chat session without interrupting the flow of the current transaction in which he or she may be engaged. The sales agent may be asked to accept a call transfer or a “conference in” using voice so that the sales agent may assist with or may take over the transaction from the campaign agent. All of the information relative to the call in progress and the caller may be conveyed to the agent through the IM session coupled with a file sharing session or capability also enabled through the session or enabled in a parallel session using a file sharing application in addition to the IM application. Some applications enable both file share and data transfer over the same SIP session. In one embodiment transfer of caller information and relevant data concerning the pending transaction is an automated function of routing so that when the SIP session between the campaign agent and the sales agent is established the relevant data is transferred from the appropriate storage database and from the call itself (data attached to call). 
     In a situation where the connected outbound calls take priority over direct, unsolicited inbound calls, the sales agents receiving IM requests for consulting may be required to engage these callers to assist in or to perform transactions before taking the next unsolicited inbound calls waiting in queue. Predictive routing strategy always selects a busy sales agent that has the least amount of estimated handling time left for handling their current transaction. In this way the current transactions can be finished without interruption and the priority calls coming into the campaign group do not have to wait in queue to wait for a sales agent to become available. 
       FIG. 2  is a process flow chart  200  illustrating steps for initiating a consult request for a call transfer according to an embodiment of the present invention. At step  201  an outbound call connected to a caller is queued for an available agent from a campaign group such as CG  104  of  FIG. 1 . In this step the caller data and intent of the call may be displayed on the GUI of the computing appliance associated with the agent terminal of the agent selected to receive the call. 
     At step  202  the campaign agent takes the call. In one embodiment outbound calls are paced in frequency of dialing according to the availability statistics for the campaign agents working the queue. At step  203  the connected caller verbally agrees to a sales transaction. In one embodiment the IVR qualifies the caller for transaction and the campaign agent performs some preliminary processing, which must be performed before the transaction can move forward. 
     The transaction in this case is to be performed by a sales agent from a sales group, and it is assumed that the connected outbound calls have priority over any direct unsolicited inbound calls. It is also assumed that sales agents are working normal inbound traffic along with connected out bound calls. At step  204   a  SIP-enabled transaction server responsible for building and tearing down communications sessions calls a routing server analogous to RS  119  of  FIG. 1  to look for an available sales agent that can assist or take over the pending transaction. The routing server relies on statistics to determine availability of a sales agent. 
     At step  205  the system determines if there is an available sales agent ready to assist or to take a call transfer. If there is an agent ready to assist the campaign agent then at step  206  the call may be transferred to the sales agent to complete the transaction or the sales agent may be conference in to assist in the transaction. In this case the caller does not have to wait in queue because there is an idle sales agent ready to assist with the call. In a pure SIP embodiment the transaction server builds the connection for the call transfer or conference call. However, at step  205  there may not be an idle agent ready to engage the caller. That is to say that all sales agents may be currently busy handling transactions. In this case at step  205  it is determined that no agents are available to take the call. At step  207  the campaign agent in voice session with the caller initiates a SIP consult request in an alternate media like an IM chat request, for example. 
     SIP-enabled sales terminals may conduct both chat and voice sessions simultaneously. The request initiated at step  207  may be queued in a priority ordered sales queue wherein the request sits on top of the queue (first out) for processing. In one embodiment a specialized queue may be set up for queuing consult requests when all agents are busy. At step  208  the transaction server processes the request, in one embodiment, and calls the routing server to look for a most available agent. A most available agent is one that at the time of request routing that has the least amount of handling time left for finishing their current transaction considering that there are no idle agents available. 
     Determining the agent that will be first available is a predictive determination since average handling time may differ from agent to agent. In this case the total AHT for the sales group may be used as an indicator value and the agent with the most time in their current session is considered the most available agent or more particularly the agent that will be first available to work on the transaction. If at step  209  through some error no target agent is discovered then the process may loop back one step until a most available agent is identified through analysis of availability statistics. In case of more than one agent having the same AHT left for their current transactions, one of those agent may be randomly selected to receive the consult request. 
     In one embodiment the sales consult request is manually initiated by the campaign agent in session with the caller. In another embodiment as soon as the system determines that there are no idle agents, a consult request connected to that campaign agent is automatically generated on behalf of that campaign agent and current session. When a most available agent is determined at step  209 , the SIP-enabled transaction server routes the consult request at step  210  to the sales agent terminal. The request may be displayed in the sales application running on a LAN-connected computing appliance such as a desktop computer having a GUI. In another embodiment the IM request may be routed to another terminal device like a cellular telephone or a LAN connected PBX enabled for SIP communication and having a URI known to the routing system. The consult request may be a standardized request containing information such as the request initiator ID, the nature of the request if there may be more than one nature, and any other information that can be transferred with the request such as promotional codes or the like to aid in the transaction process. 
     At step  211  the target sales agent is alerted by visual and perhaps audible alert of the consult request received at the terminal. In this step the agent may finish his or her current sales transaction without interruption or distraction. Also in this step the agent may respond to the request by accepting the interaction causing the transaction server to establish the bidirectional IM session between the campaign agent and the sales agent. At step  212  all of the caller and call data required for finishing the transaction successfully may be conveyed to the sales agent over the established media session and may appear in the sales application on the agent desktop. The caller remains in voice session with the campaign agent during the whole process avoiding a wait in queue where there is a risk of call drop out. 
     At step  213  the SIP-enabled transaction server builds a voice session between the caller device (central switch) and the sales terminal so that a voice session is established between the caller and the sales agent. At step  214  the campaign agent may drop off (SIP session termination) leaving the caller to the sales agent for transaction processing. In one embodiment wherein the agent telephones or telephony applications are enabled for conferencing, the campaign agent may remain in session with the caller and the sales agent for training purposes or to assist the sales agent with any information not conveyed electronically to the sales agent. In one embodiment the campaign agent session is necessarily terminated at the same time the session between the sales agent and the caller is established. In one embodiment no voice session is established between the sales agent and the caller directly but the sales agent is patched into the existing session as a silent observer and the established IM session between the agents is used as a coaching channel. In this embodiment the sales agent may type suggestions to the campaign agent which would aid in closing the sale and finishing the transaction. Any data required for this process may be conveyed from the sales agent to the campaign agent of the alternate media session such as IM with file sharing capability, etc. 
     On with skill in the art of SIP-enabled communications networks will appreciate that data caused to appear in an agent interface may be transferred from one agent terminal to another over the P2P connection established, or it may be pushed to the target sales agent terminal from another source such as a CRM system or other server-based data storage system. Moreover there are manual, semi-automated, and wholly automated scenarios that can be accomplished without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Using the methods of the present invention, sales agents involved in other duties may be enlisted to process priority interactions without mandating that callers wait in queue for assistance. In one example agents attending a multi-party conference call meeting or multi-party webinar, for example can still be considered available for handling important transactions or for coaching other agents in transacting with customers without serious interruption to their current active sessions. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a first and second agent terminal involved in a call transfer according to an embodiment of the present invention. A campaign agent&#39;s terminal  300 , referred to herein as a first agent terminal is illustrated in this example and is analogous to any of agent terminals  122 ( a - n ) of  FIG. 1 . Terminal  300  is defined as an end destination for an incoming call rather than a single end device. Terminal  300  includes a desktop computer  302  and a telephone handset  303 . Both computer  302  and telephone handset  303  are enabled for SIP communication. Computer  302  is LAN connected and has an SIP URI for routing purposes when a SIP-enabled communications application is running such as IM, a VoIP application or a campaign application nesting one or more communications applications. 
     Telephone handset  303  may be LAN connected or it may be connected directly to a telephone switch. In one embodiment telephone handset  303  may be a PBX phone capable of VoIP voice communication, video and text chat, and file sharing. Other communications equipment hardware and software configurations may exist in this example without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. A sales agent&#39;s terminal  301  also referred to herein as a second agent terminal includes a LAN-connected desktop computer  305  and a telephone handset  306  connected to the LAN or to a central telephone switch whatever the case may be in the CCE. 
     In this exemplary embodiment handset  303  has an active call in progress resulting from proactive contact and connection through an outbound calling campaign or some other proactive activity. This results in an inbound call to the campaign agent in progress on telephone handset  303 . During this conversation, the operating agent initiates an IM chat request  304  for sales consulting provided by a second agent operating, in this case, terminal  301 . Invitation or request  304  may be may be initiated semi-automatically from a pre-prepared template designed to request a sales consulting from a receiving sales agent. The campaign agent may send the request by typing in the appropriate information and hitting the send button similar to many chat communications procedures. 
     In this case the sales agent or second agent operating agent terminal  301  receives the IM request  307  on computer  305 , and it is displayed in plain view and may come with an audible alert so the agent knows exactly when the message is received. In one embodiment the sales agent has an option for accepting or rejecting the request. In this case hitting accept causes an SIP session to be created between the agents&#39; terminals and further messages from the first agent may be generated and sent to the second agent who may respond to the messages. In a more structured campaign environment it may be that receipt of a consult request automatically obliges the second agent to accept and respond to the request in the manner requested such as taking over the transaction or coaching the first agent to handle or complete the transaction. Call/Caller data  308  may also appear on the computer display of the second agent including promotional codes, product/service information, and any other data helpful in resolving the transaction or in assisting the second agent in coaching the first agent. 
     Telephone handset  306  registers a ring event in the case of a call transfer of the call in progress on handset  303  to handset  306 . The IM session between the first and second agent provides information and assurances of assistance for the caller who remains in session with the first agent during the process of setting up and establishing the IM connection between the agent terminals. In the case of a call transfer the first agent may drop out when the second agent is in session with the caller. 
       FIG. 4  is a call flow diagram illustrating session setup and teardown using SIP according to an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment the call consult request sent by a first agent in session with a caller to a second agent results in a call transfer. In a pure SIP embodiment for a next caller in queue, a routing server sends routing instruction A targeting an available campaign agent to take a call. A SIP server, which may be hosted on a transaction server analogous to TS  120  of  FIG. 1  sets up the call legs B of the pending SIP voice session between the server and the switch or SIP-enabled caller device. The SIP server then sets up the call legs C between the Campaign agent&#39;s SIP-enabled terminal and the server resulting in an established voice session D between the caller and the campaign agent&#39;s terminal. 
     At a point in the conversation where the caller agrees to a transaction, the campaign agent may send a SIP request E to the routing server for consulting a sales agent, the request queued for an available agent in a priority ordered sales queue or in a specialized request queue. The routing server targets F a sales agent or second agent to receive a SIP consult request in an alternate media such as IM chat. The SIP server builds the call legs G between the first terminal of the campaign agent and the server, and the call legs H between the targeted sales agent terminal and the server resulting in an established IM consult call I between the campaign agent and the sales agent. 
     The IM session takes place while the caller is in voice session with the first agent. The consult call may result in a call transfer and if so the SIP server establishes the call legs J between the caller terminal and the server, and the call legs K between the sales agent terminal and the server resulting in voice session L established between the caller and the second agent. When the caller is in session with the second agent, the SIP server terminates the first voice session D by tearing down the call legs M and the call legs N resulting in termination of the session between the caller and the first agent. The second agent can then finish the sales transaction and the campaign agent can take a next call. 
       FIG. 5  is a process flow chart illustrating steps  500  for synchronizing routing routine with SIP services according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step  501  a call is in progress between a campaign agent and a customer. The call proceeds and in step  502  the agent determines if the customer has agreed to a transaction to be completed by a second agent. If at step  502  the customer does not agree to a transaction then the process may end for that customer at step  503  and the campaign agent may subsequently take a next call at step  504  resulting in the state described at step  501  again. If the customer agrees to a transaction at step  502  a SIP request for a consult call may be initiated by the first agent at step  505 . In one embodiment the request is queued in a priority ordered queue for a sales group of agents wherein the consult request takes priority over any other queued requests to be processed. In another embodiment there is a special queue set up for such consult requests. 
     At step  506  the system checks for agent availability. In absence of a completely idle sales agent, agent availability is based on the agent that has the least amount of time left for finishing a current transaction based on an average AHT for the group for the type of transaction. At step  507  if the system determines that no agent is available it may be due to an error as there should be at least one available agent under the given definition of availability so the process may resolve back to step  506  until an agent is identified to receive the consult request. 
     When an available second agent is identified at step  507  based on the lowest time remaining before the current transaction is completed and as compared to the other agents in the same group, the SIP server sets up a consult call between the first and second agents at step  508 . At step  509  a consult session is established in a media other than voice like IM, for example. During the consult session, the caller remains on the line with the first agent. At step  510  data about the caller and call including sales information, promotional codes, etc. may be shared with the second agent. The data may be transferred from the first agent terminal tot the second agent terminal using an SIP data channel coupled with the IM chat session or running parallel to the chat session. In another embodiment this data may be pushed to the agent terminal from some other location like a central database server that records all interactions and associated data. In one embodiment the data shared with the second agent arrives at the agent&#39;s terminal while the agent is still engaged in concluding the current transaction. 
     In the event that the consult call is a request for a call transfer requiring a voice connection between the caller and the second agent, the transaction server initiates the SIP call transfer at step  511 . The trigger for this action may be an indication by the second agent that the consult call requesting the transfer has been accepted. In one embodiment the initiation of the call transfer is an automated SIP service beginning at the termination point of the current voice session the second agent is working on. At step  512  a SIP voice session is established between the caller and the second sales agent. At step  513  the SIP server tears down the original call in progress and the process ends at step  503  for that caller. The campaign agent involved in the original session torn down at step  513  is freed up to accept the next call for processing. 
     With SIP synchronization across the board for session setup and teardown, callers to be transferred to second agents never have to wait in queue for an agent to become available. The time it takes to connect to a second agent is never more than the AHT for a single transaction. This assumes of course that priority is given to the callers that have responded to outbound contact. The frequency of outbound calls can also be paced so that unsolicited inbound traffic is handled within the scope of service objectives of the CCE. 
     It will be apparent to one with skill in the art that the multi-media call distribution system of the invention may be provided using some or all of the mentioned features and components without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will also be apparent to the skilled artisan that the embodiments described above are specific examples of a single broader invention, which may have greater scope than any of the singular descriptions taught. There may be many alterations made in the descriptions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.