Softphone

Abstract

A remote agent call center is functional by providing a softphone and agent bridge that allows maintaining an open telephone line to the agent's phone with or without an incoming call being connected. Incoming calls are merged into the agent bridge to allow the agent to conference with the incoming call. The softphone provides call control to allow the agent to transfer, terminate, hold, record, or the like the active call.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A system to allow remote agent call centers, the system comprising:
 an agent workstation;   a softphone;   a telephony switch;   an IVR server;   an agent telephone; and   an agent bridge, wherein   the agent workstation to connect to the softphone,   the softphone to connect to the telephony switch,   the agent telephone to connect to the agent bridge, and   the agent bridge to connect to the softphone, the telephony switch, and the agent telephone, such that   the IVR server transfers the agent telephone to the agent bridge, such that when an incoming call is received at the telephony switch, the telephone switch can connect the incoming call to the agent using the agent bridge and when the incoming call is disconnected, the connection to the agent telephone is maintained.