Patent ID: 8855291

Claim:
A method of limiting contact to an apparatus including a networked contact center that is hosting a plurality of tenant-based circuits in a data-network environment, the method comprising: receiving a data communication associated with one of the tenant-based circuits at the networked contact center; examining a plurality of contact rate values, including a first contact rate value associated with the tenant-based circuits, responsive to receiving and associated with the data communication, the first contact rate value representing a quantity of contact allowed within a first time interval, and the plurality of the contact rate values representing the quantity of contact within the first time interval and including a threshold number of calls allowed to be routed to a plurality of communication layers within the first time interval, wherein the plurality of communication layers includes at least two of the following layers: a dialed number identification service layer, a platform or cluster layer, a site layer and a carrier layer; determining and indicating with a limiter circuit whether the networked contact center is to accept the data communication based on assessment data that includes the plurality of contact rate values; and providing feedback to the limiter circuit for adjusting the assessment data and thereby changing a basis for the limiter circuit to determine and indicate whether the networked contact center is to accept the data communication.