A system or a method may be provided that automatically distinguishes between a hold status and when someone live is talking on the phone. For example, the caller's phone may detect when the call holding has ended and a customer service representative is now actually on the line. The phone may alert the user to pick up the call at that time, such as utilizing a call-back mechanism. In an embodiment, the system may analyze and learn the various call holding music or recordings of call centers. The system may detect when the call holding music or recording ends in a telephone call and may alert the user.

Automated monitoring of a voice communication session, when the session is in an on hold status, to determine when the session is no longer in the on hold status. When it is determined that the session is no longer in the on hold status, user interface output is rendered that indicates that the on hold status of the session has ceased. In some implementations, an audio stream of the session can be monitored to determine, based on processing of the audio stream, a candidate end of the on hold status. In response, a response solicitation signal is injected into an outgoing portion of the audio. The audio stream can be further monitored for a response (if any) to the response solicitation signal. The response (if any) can be processed to determine whether the end of the on hold status is an actual end of the on hold status.

The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product of managing telephone interactions of a user and an agent. In an embodiment, the present invention includes determining when a user telecommunications device is no longer in an on-hold state based on electronic signals transmitted from an agent telecommunications device, in response to the determining, receiving speech of an agent from the agent telecommunications device, in response to the receiving, transmitting an alert message to the user telecommunications device, in response to the receiving, monitoring for at least one indication that the user is about to speak with the agent, in response to the monitoring not resulting in the at least one indication, transmitting at least one utterance corresponding to the user to the agent telecommunications device, and in response to the monitoring resulting in the at least one indication, conducting a smooth transition to the user.

A method of handling telephone on-hold music, provided by a second party to a first party on a telephone connection between the first and the second party, includes detecting on-hold music, and providing, while on-hold music is detected, and to the first party, content from a source that is independent from the second party. A length of the most recently received audio signal originating from the second party is continuously stored. When on-hold music is no longer detected, voice information is retrieved from the stored length of the most recently received audio signal, providing, to the first party, content from a source that is independent from the second party is stopped, and the retrieved voice information is reproduced to the first party, wherein a time offset that corresponds to a time period required for detection of on-hold music is present.

The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product of managing telephone interactions of a user and an agent. In an embodiment, the present invention includes determining when a user telecommunications device is no longer in an on-hold state based on electronic signals transmitted from an agent telecommunications device, in response to the determining, receiving speech of an agent from the agent telecommunications device, in response to the receiving, transmitting an alert message to the user telecommunications device, in response to the receiving, monitoring for at least one indication that the user is about to speak with the agent, in response to the monitoring not resulting in the at least one indication, transmitting at least one utterance corresponding to the user to the agent telecommunications device, and in response to the monitoring resulting in the at least one indication, conducting a smooth transition to the user.

The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product of managing telephone interactions of a user and an agent. In an embodiment, the present invention includes determining when a user telecommunications device is no longer in an on-hold state based on electronic signals transmitted from an agent telecommunications device, in response to the determining, receiving speech of an agent from the agent telecommunications device, in response to the receiving, transmitting an alert message to the user telecommunications device, in response to the receiving, monitoring for at least one indication that the user is about to speak with the agent, in response to the monitoring not resulting in the at least one indication, transmitting at least one utterance corresponding to the user to the agent telecommunications device, and in response to the monitoring resulting in the at least one indication, conducting a smooth transition to the user.

A virtual queuing system includes a server connected to a call center. The call center includes an automatic call distributor and a firewall. The server maintains virtual queues. User interfaces enqueu a call by a user of the call center to the virtual queues via the server. An application programming interface interfaces the user interfaces to the server. A virtual queuing connector module connects the automatic call distributor of the call center to the application programming interface across the firewall of the call center via requests or pulls initiated by the virtual queuing connector module. The virtual queuing connector module and the automatic call distributor are operated inside the firewall. The server, the application programming interface, and the user interfaces are operated outside the firewall. When a call is up, the call is connected as a prioritized call, assigned to a reserved IVR channel, and put through first.

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.

While a first UE is engaged in an active call with a third UE, the first UE may receive an incoming call from a second UE. An option is presented on a display of the first UE to place this incoming call on hold. In response to receiving touch input selecting the option to place the second UE on hold, one or more communications may be sent to the second UE on hold, such as interactive or non-interactive video or audio. As a result, the call experience may be enhanced. In particular, the user of the first UE may no longer incur the stress that comes with either having to flip back and forth between calls or make a decision whether to decline an incoming call. And the user of the second UE may be more likely to wait on hold until the first call has ended.

A captioned telephone service (CTS) system provides a CTS system which includes a CTS server, a user device, and a user application where the CTS system provides a call resumption alert module to the user such that the call resumption alert module sends an alert to the user to assist the user in re-engaging with the phone call when the call has resumed from the peer device after being on hold. The call resumption alert module provides a timer mode, any text mode, and specific text mode, of which the user can select one or more modes. Alternatively, the call resumption alert module may include a call resumption checking module and an alert module. The call resumption checking module checks whether the phone call resumed from the peer device, and the alert module generates an alert upon receiving a call resumption message from the call resumption checking module.