Patent ID: 8346942

Claim:
A multi-channel, multimedia communication system comprising: a plurality of communication channels, wherein each of the plurality of communication channels is of a different type; a call center resource communicatively coupled with the plurality of communication channels, the call center resource adapted to receive a communication from a caller via at least one of the plurality of communication channels; an automated call distributor resource communicatively coupled with the call center resource, wherein the automated call distributor selects an agent of a company from a plurality of agents for handling the communication based at least in part on information from the communication; and a resource manager, wherein the resource manager provides centralized management of the call center resource and the automated call distributor resource; wherein the call center resource and the automated call distributor resource are shared by a first company and a second company and the plurality of agents comprises agents for both the first company and the second company; and wherein the resource manager maintains information on usage restrictions and class of service for the first company and the second company, so that resources can be allocated based on the usage restrictions and the class of service.