The present invention relates to a method for routing communications in a telecommunications network comprising a first telephony user device and a server system. The method includes at the first telephony user device: receiving instructions to initiate communications with a contact associated with an address; initiating communications via a channel within the telecommunications network to a local address for the server system; and transmitting information associated with the contact address to the server system via the telecommunications network. A communications action is performed in relation to the contact at the server system. Other methods, devices, systems and networks for routing communications are disclosed.

Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium for dynamic contact information assignment. A method includes: identifying a pool of telephone numbers; assigning the telephone numbers to a pool manager; allocating by the pool manager, subsets of the telephone numbers to a plurality of allocators, each allocator responsible for allocating telephone numbers to an associated group of content sponsors; determining a first allocation of a first subset, the first allocation being distributed among the content sponsors associated with a first allocator, creating first pools each associated with a respective one of the content sponsors associated with the first allocator; reclaiming one or more telephone numbers from a pool of the first pools; and assigning ones of the reclaimed telephone numbers by the first allocator into either other pools of the first pools or back to the pool manager for allocation to other allocators.

The present invention provides a telecom control function in a communication terminal. The telecom control function is configured to receive call indicia when a call tag in a software entity, such as an application or electronic document, is selected by a user of the communication terminal. The call indicia provides information associated with a remote party with which a call is being requested by the user. The telecom control function may use the call indicia along with user indicia obtained from the user and indirectly establish a call with the remote party using a telephony terminal other than the communication terminal. If the communication terminal includes a telecommunication client capable of supporting a call, the telecom control function may instruct the telecommunication client to directly initiate the call with the remote party using the call indicia.

A first call from a caller to a called party is forwarded to an agent at an answering service. A notification is received from the agent that a level of seriousness of the first call has become dire, and a second call is established between the agent and a crisis service having a crisis counselor that can provide assistance to the caller. The agent is connected into the second call only when the crisis counselor has acknowledged being available, and the second call is joined with the first call. The crisis counselor and the caller are allowed to speak directly by way of the joined calls, so that the crisis counselor can address the caller and attempt to convince same to avoid any activity that would be harmful thereto.

A method for connecting a website user to a contact center includes: establishing a communication channel between a user and an agent of the contact center, the communication channel comprising a voice communication channel; establishing a supplemental channel between the user and the contact center for exchanging data between the user and the contact center; and storing the data exchanged in the supplemental channel in association with the communication channel.

A telephony client application may dynamically generate call links to trigger calls from a web page. The telephony client application may detect web browsing activity on a personal computer and analyze incoming page data for text elements indicating contact numbers. Upon identification of possible contact numbers, the page data may be enhanced or modified to include links to trigger a call to the contact number. The web browser may display the enhanced page. If the user selects one of the links, the telephony client application may send a request, to a service provider, to initiate communication with the selected contact number. In some configurations, a user may specify preferences for selecting a preferred phone number to originate the call. Accordingly, calls may be placed with a click on an enhanced web page from a desktop as if the user is placing a call from a mobile phone.

In one embodiment, the method of processing telephony sessions includes: communicating with an application server using an application layer protocol; processing telephony instructions with a call router; and creating call router resources accessible through a call router Application Programming Interface (API). In another embodiment, the system for processing telephony sessions includes: a call router, a URI for an application server, a telephony instruction executed by the call router, and a call router API resource.

An objective is to provide a call center system operable in accordance with various signaling specifications without causing an automatic call distributor to cope with the various signaling specifications. A call-originator terminal 101 includes a virtual call device 105 transmitting a different signal to a call center 100 from signaling. The call center 100 includes an automatic call distributor 118 selecting a terminal in a call-center-terminal group 102 upon receiving the signal from the virtual call device 105. In addition, the call-originator terminal 101 and the call center 100 include respective telecommunication-device control devices 107, 115, giving, to either one of the call-destination terminal 113 selected by the automatic call distributor 118 and the call-originator terminal 101, a telecommunication device ID of the other terminal, and causing the one terminal to start signaling for transmitting an actual call to the other terminal based on the telecommunication device ID.

The present disclosure is directed to syncing data related to voice calls via dynamically assigned virtual phone numbers. A system receives a voice call entry from a content provider. The system access a lot data structure to parse the log data structure. The system matches a device identifier of the voice call entry with a device identifier of the log entry. The system determines that a predetermined threshold is satisfied by a time or duration of the log entry. The system retrieves a virtual phone number from the log entry. The system performs a lookup to determine a content item impression identifier. The system stores data provided via the voice call entry.

A method and apparatus for a computer-implemented technique for maximizing customer satisfaction and first call resolution, including converting telephone calls into online chats, while minimizing cost is provided. Techniques for incorporating analytics as applied to customer data into particular strategies for call deflection, targeting particular individuals to increase chat acceptance rate, and computing a customer's wait time are also provided.