Computers and Technology

Voice Mail

A method for establishing voice communications between a computer user and an agent, the computer user being associated with a user computer and a telephone number of a telephone associated with the computer user, the method comprising the steps of establishing a computer data base accessible by the user computer, prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer database, transmitting the call request from the computer data base to a telephone switching system; and automatically establishing voice communications between the agent and the computer user by the telephone switching system in response to the call request.

The method wherein the step of transmitting the call request comprises the step of transmitting the call from the computer data base over the Internet. Transmitting the call request from the computer data base over the Internet further comprises the steps of:packeting the call request; and transmitting it by e-mail. Establishing a computer data base accessible by the computer user further establishes a Web page and wherein the step of prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer data base further comprises the step of displaying a "call me" button when the computer user accesses the Web page.

User

The telephone switching system includes a telephone computer automatically dialing the telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user receiving the call request at a telephone computer associated with the agent; and dialing the telephone number by the telephone computer based on the call request. The method further comprising the steps of:detecting when the computer user answers the computer telephone; and connecting the agent to the answered computer telephone. The automatically dialing telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user comprises the steps of:sending a dial request command from a telephone computer to an automatic call distributor associated with the agent in response to the call request received from the computer data base.

The steps of receiving the call request comprises the step of prompting the computer user to enter the telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user. Establishing a computer data base accessible by the computer user further establishes a Web page and wherein the step of prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer data base further comprises the step of displaying a "call me" button when the computer user accesses the Web page.