Method and apparatus for intelligent routing of instant messaging presence protocol (IMPP) events among a group of customer service representatives

Abstract

A routing system is provided for intelligent routing of instant messages between clients connected to a data network and customer service representatives connected to the network. The system comprises at least one instant message server and at least one intermediate server connected to and addressable on the network, the intermediate server capable of routing and accessible to the instant message server. Clients connecting to the instant message server through instant message software assert a connection link advertised by the instant message server to establish bi-directional communication between the client machine and the intermediate server. In preferred application, the intermediate server interacts with the client for identification of client and client software. The client request is then routed to an appropriate customer service representative running compatible software according to enterprise rules establishing an active instant message connection between the client and the selected customer service representative.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An Instant Messaging (IM) communication system, comprising:
 an IM server in a communication center, the IM server connected to a public data-packet-network and to a private data-packet-network, the private data-packet-network further connecting computerized workstations used by agents of the communication center; 
 first data storage device storing a set of routing rules for the communication center; and 
 storeda second data storage device storing agent data for the communication center, the data including agent availability and IM capability relative to one or more IM service protocols; 
 wherein the IM server receives IM messages from two or more external IM servers using, wherein the two or more external IM servers use at least two different IM service protocols, via the public data-packet-network, the IM messages representing desired communication between specific clients of the external IM servers and agents of the communication center, consults the communication center routing rules, IM service protocol capabilities the IM capability of the agents, and the stored agent data to select available agents with the needed based on the IM service protocols that is detected to be needed, and establishes IM communication between the specific clients and the selected agents via the private data-packet-network, for exchanging the IM messages between the specific clients and the agents, and 
 wherein the IM server in the communication center, in the event of receiving an IM notification from one of the specific clients, conducts IM communication with the one of the specific clients initiating the notification, elicits information from the one of the specific clients, identifies parameters relating to an IM application used by the one of the specific clients, and uses the elicited information along with the identified parameters relating to the IM application, the agent data, and availability, to determine a capable and available agent with whom to establish the IM communication for the one of the specific clients. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of claim 1 wherein the data-packet network is the Internet network. 
     
     
       3. The system of claim 1 wherein the IM server is in the data-packet-network and connects to the private data-packet-network via a computer-telephony-integration (CTI) processor at the communication center. 
     
     
       4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one of the specific clients initiating the notification is re-directed to the IM server, and the IM server is configured to host the IM communication between the one of the specific clients and the agent. 
     
     
       5. The system of claim 4, wherein the IM server is configured to interact with the one of the specific clients via IM. 
     
     
       6. The system or claim 5, wherein the IM server is configured to emulate interactive voice response technology for eliciting the information from the one of the specific clients. 
     
     
       7. The system of claim 1, wherein the elicited information includes version and brand of an IM application used by the one of the specific clients initiating the notification. 
     
     
       8. The system of claim 1, wherein a particular external IM server selected from the two or more external IM servers is configured to host the IM communication between the one of the specific clients and the agent. 
     
     
       9. The system of claim 8, wherein the IM server interacts with the one of the specific clients through the particular external IM server. 
     
     
       10. The system of claim 1, wherein the IM notification is initiated upon detecting selection of a link accessible to the one of the specific clients.