Patent ID: 8175257

Claim:
A method for reducing the wait time of a caller in an automatic call distribution system, comprising: receiving a first voice call from a phone of a caller; receiving an indication from the phone of the caller that the caller desires to speak with one of a plurality of agents; placing the received first voice call in a drop-in queue, the first voice call's place in the drop-in queue changing over time; while the caller is waiting to speak with one of the plurality of agents when the first voice call is in the drop-in queue, providing the caller with an option, via the phone of the caller, to schedule a reservation to call back wherein the reservation is independent of the first voice call's place in the drop-in queue, wherein if the caller schedules the reservation, the first voice call's place in the drop-in queue is no longer maintained; upon receiving a second voice call from the caller based on the reservation, placing the second voice call in a reservation queue if the plurality of agents are busy, the second voice call placed in the reservation queue irrespective of the first voice call's place in the drop-in queue; and connecting the second voice call with an agent of the plurality of agents, the second voice call connected with the agent irrespective of the first voice call's place in the drop-in queue.