The system allows a consumer to shortcut through a call queue to reach a human agent faster. For phone or voice-based calls that require a consumer wait on hold, the system can give that consumer an accurate estimate of the wait time and allow them to skip all or some of it. It does this by using automated processes to proactively dial and wait in those call queues, measuring their time in queue. A new consumer making an incoming call can then join the call queue occupied by of those automated processes, shortcutting the consumer past all or some of the wait time.

Disclosed is a voice message exchange system and method for improving communication between an inmate and a third party by enabling the inmate to leave a message when a call is not answered and further allowing the third party who receives the message to reply with a message to the inmate. Additionally, outside parties that meet the institution's requirements can leave messages for inmates at any time. The present invention can be used as an add-on to legacy inmate call management systems or incorporated internally into an inmate call management system. The system also provides monitoring, controlling, recording, and billing means.

The present invention relates to a method and a network device for setting up a voice call. The invention further relates to computer programs and computer program products comprising computer readable medium having the computer programs stored thereon. In a first aspect of the invention a method of setting up a voice call between a first party and a second party is provided. The method comprises acquiring information pertaining to at least one detected state of at least one of the first and the second party, determining whether the acquired information pertaining to the at least one detected state of the at least one of the first and the second party satisfies at least one criterion of a scheduling policy for setting up the voice call; and if so causing the voice call to be set up between the first party and the second party.

A call is setup between an originating device (A) and a terminating device (B), which both have access to a public land mobile network (131, 132) and a mobile data network (121, 122). The originating and terminating devices device (A; B) include a respective software-implemented call handling tool (SWA; SWB) configured to assist a user in placing and receiving calls. Bridge nodes (140) are connected to the mobile data network (121, 122), the public land mobile network (131, 132) and a server node (110), which also is connected to the mobile data network (121, 122). In response to a call-setup command from a user of the originating device (A), the software-implemented call handling tool (SWA), on one hand, sends a call-setup request (1) to the server node (110); and on the other hand, makes a first call (2) to a first bridge node (140) over the public land mobile network (131) using a first telephone number (#1). The call-setup request (1) indicates an identity of the terminating device (B), and the first telephone number (#1) is stored in the originating device (A). Based on the call-setup request (1) and the first call (2), the server node (110) sets up a call between the originating and terminating devices (A; B) over a conference bridge (145) in the first bridge node (140), plus possibly another bridge node if the devices (A; B) are located relatively remote from one another.

An integrated voicemail system is described that provides visual voicemail that overcomes the shortcomings associated with a user having to dial into a voicemail system and navigate through a menu of options using conventional voice and/or standard DTMF signaling-based browsing capabilities. The visual voicemail instead provides, via a client device of the user's choice, a visual presentation of a user's voicemails along with state information of the voicemails. The visual presentation of the voicemails includes a user interface that allows a user to control or manipulate voicemails from the client device, where the manipulation includes playing, pausing, rewinding, fast-forwarding, deleting, and changing a state of each voicemail. The visual voicemail also eliminates the need for a user to periodically call-in to the enterprise voicemail system in order to check for voicemail messages as the messages can be automatically delivered to the user's client device.

Provided is a voice gateway-based communication method applied to a voice gateway and a mobile terminal which are in communication. The voice gateway includes at least two communication links and is capable of establishing communication between the communication links and an external communication network, and the at least two communication links correspond to different communication numbers. The mobile terminal can communicate with outside through the voice gateway, and one mobile terminal can use a plurality of different communication links on the voice gateway to complete voice or data service communication. The communication selection of the mobile terminal is expanded to a greater extent by the voice gateway, which increases the selections of the mobile terminal during communication. That is to say, one mobile terminal can use more numbers to carry out voice communication or data service communication, which satisfies the subscriber's requirement for using a plurality of different numbers.

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and apparatus for providing a communications service in a communications network are disclosed. For example, the method monitors a conference call, detects a triggering event during the conference call registered for a particular user, wherein the particular user is not a participant in the conference call, and notifies the particular user of the triggering event.

A group call is setup between one originating device (A) and at least two terminating devices (B, C), which each has access to a public land mobile network (131, 132, 133) and a mobile data net-work (121, 122, 123). The originating and terminating devices (A, B, C) include a respective software-implemented call handling tool (SWA, SWB, SWC) configured to assist a user in placing and receiving group calls. Bridge nodes (141, 142, 143) are connected to the mobile data network (121, 122, 123), the public land mobile network (131, 132, 133) and a server node (110), which, in turn, also is connected to the mobile data network (121, 122, 123). In response to a call-setup command from a user of the originating device (A), the software-implemented call handling tool (SWA), on one hand, sends a call-setup request (1) to the server node (110); and on the other hand, makes a first call (2) to a first bridge node (141) over the public land mobile network (131) using a first telephone number (#1) stored in the originating device (A). The call-setup request (1) indicates an identity of the terminating devices (B, C). Based on the call-setup request (1) and the first call (2), the server node (110) sets up a call between the originating and terminating devices (A, B, C) over a conference bridge (146) in the first bridge node (141), plus possibly other bridge nodes (147, 148) depending on where the devices (A, B, C) are located relative to one another.

A method for establishing communication between a first communication device (110) of a first communication network (180) and a second communication device (120a, 120b) of a second communication network (160) is disclosed. In one embodiment, a service provider (130) receives a message indicative of an intention of the first device to call the second device. A communication provider (140) in communication with the service provider establishes a communication channel with the second device via the second network based on the message received at the service provider and connects the communication channel established between the communication provider and the second device with another communication channel established in response to an incoming call from the first device to the communication provider via the first network. The establishment of the communication channel between the communication provider and the second device is initiated before establishment of the other communication channel is completed.

A system and method for determining an order in which to communicate with a list of numbers and/or addresses for a particular contact is disclosed. Each caller that communicates with the contact may specify a different order for the contact's various phone numbers and other addresses. A communication management system may then automatically dial the numbers or use messaging addresses to initiate data communications in the specified order when the initiating party attempts to communicate with the contact. The order may specify simultaneous and/or sequential use of numbers or addresses. Alternatively or additionally, the communication management system may dynamically and/or automatically determine the communication order or a portion thereof. The automatic determination of the order may be based on a communication history or communication receiving of the initiating party. In some arrangements, the order may be partially manually defined and partially automatically defined.