WO1998039904A1

WO1998039904A1 - 'return to prior agent' feature in multi-destination call delivery services

Info

Publication number: WO1998039904A1
Application number: PCT/SE1998/000382
Authority: WO
Inventors: James Murray; Andre Poulin; Luc Bijeau
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 1997-03-07
Filing date: 1998-03-03
Publication date: 1998-09-11
Also published as: AU6643898A

Abstract

Within a wireline, wireless or private branch exchange telephone environment, an appropriate call multi-destination call delivery service (such as extension phone, hunt group, or call forwarding) is provided (110). In connection with providing that service to incoming calls, the calling party identification of a caller is saved (112) in a list and associated with a terminal identification number for an agent who subsequently answers the incoming call. In addition, when the incoming call is first received (100), the calling party identification (102) of the caller is compared (104) to the saved list of calling party identifications. If a match is found (106), indicating that a prior incoming call from that caller has been received, the multi-destination call delivery service (110) is by-passed. The stored associated terminal identification number for the agent who previously handled that prior incoming call is then retrieved (116) and used to specify a call delivery destination for the current incoming call back to that agent terminal (118).

Description

"RETURN TO PRIOR AGENT" FEATURE IN MULTI-DESTINATION CALL DELIVERY SERVICES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to telephone networks and, in particular, to the efficient provision of multi-destination call delivery services, such as extension phone, hunt group or call forwarding, with respect to repeat (follow-up) calls. Description of Related Art

It is common for a business to assign a single directory number (often referred to in the art as a "pilot" number) as the primary number to be used by callers in making voice telecommunications contact with that business. A number of agents (or operators) are then used to field incoming telephone calls made to the pilot number. Transfer of incoming calls to individual ones of the agents is effectuated through the use of a multi-destination call delivery service (such as extension phone, hunt group or call forwarding) implemented by either the telephone service provider or the business itself (often through the use of a private branch exchange ~ PBX). Such services in general respond to an incoming call by potentially alerting one or more telecommunications agent terminals, and then through connecting the call to the agent terminal which answers. For the extension phone call delivery service, in particular, an incoming call results in the simultaneous alerting of plural agent terminals. Any of the alerted agent terminals may then answer the call. In a business implementation of this service, an "automatic privacy" feature is activated following an agent answering of the call to lock out all of the non-answering agent terminals from further participating in the call. For the hunt group call delivery service, an incoming call prompts the scanning of an agent terminal identification list followed by the alerting of an identified idle one of the agent terminals found on that list. The call is then through connected when the agent with the idle terminal answers. If no agent terminals are idle, a voice mail message may be left or the incoming call is placed on hold in a queue for subsequent answering, and the caller is provided with an appropriate recorded announcement.

The availability of plural agent telephones with the use of extension phone, hunt group or call forwarding delivery services provides a business with an effective and efficient means for delivering and responding to incoming calls. Operation of these services is not, however, entirely satisfactory. Callers are very familiar with the limitations and restrictions associated with the use of such services. For example, a caller may spend an unacceptable amount of time on hold waiting for an agent to become available to answer a call. This problem may be solved in most cases by increasing the number of agents available to answer incoming calls dialed to the pilot number, or by allowing the caller to leave a voice mail message requesting a call back. Another problem that has to date eluded an acceptable solution arises when a caller needs to make two or more calls to the pilot number concerning related subject matter. Using conventional extension phone, hunt group or call forwarding delivery service operation, it is unlikely that a subsequently made (follow-up) incoming call will be directed to and answered by the same agent as the previously made incoming call. This unnecessarily forces the caller to reiterate the reason for calling as well as the nature and content of the previously made incoming call in the context of the current call. This further increases the risk that the related subject matters of the calls will be handled by the plural agents involved in an inconsistent and perhaps contradictory manner.

There is a need then for a feature implemented within a multi-destination call delivery service operation (such as extension phone, hunt group or call forwarding) to direct an incoming follow-up call to the same agent terminal as had answered a previous incoming call from the same party.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Telephone calls dialed to a pilot number associated with a plurality of agent terminals are received and directed to an available agent terminal for answering by means of an appropriate multi-destination call delivery service. For each incoming call, the calling party identification of the caller is automatically saved (or manually saved at the agent's instruction) and associated with a terminal identification for the agent who answers the call. Furthermore, at the time each incoming call is initially received, the calling party identification of the caller is compared to the saved calling party identifications. If there is a match, indicating that a prior incoming call from that caller has been received, the multi-destination call delivery service is by-passed. The stored associated terminal identification for the agent who previously handled that prior incoming call is then retrieved and used to specify a call delivery destination for the current incoming call back to that agent terminal.

The present invention may be implemented in connection with any type of multi-destination call delivery service (such as extension phone, hunt group or call forwarding). Furthermore, the present invention may be implemented in a number of telephone environments, including wireline, wireless, and private branch exchange.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the present invention may be acquired by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of a "return to prior agent" feature implemented within a multi-destination call delivery service operation; FIGURE 2 is a block diagram of a private branch exchange (PBX) environment configured to implement the "return to prior agent" feature of the present invention; FIGURE 3 is a block diagram of a wireline telephone network environment configured to implement the "return to prior agent" feature of the present invention; and FIGURE 4 is a block diagram of a wireless telephone network environment configured to implement the "return to prior agent" feature of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to FIGURE 1 wherein there is shown a flow diagram illustrating the operation of a "return to prior agent" feature implemented within a multi-destination call delivery service operation. In step 100, a current incoming call dialed by a calling party (A-party) to a pilot directory is received. The pilot directory number is associated with a plurality of agent terminals in accordance with a given multi-destination call delivery service. An identification of the calling party is then determined in step 102. This information may be obtained, for example, from the calling party identification data sent along with the set-up of the incoming call. Such data is generally referred to in the art as the caller ID or the A-number identification information, and is available in both wireline, wireless and private branch exchange (PBX) calling environments. The calling party identification for the received incoming call is then compared in step 104 to a stored party-agent list. The party-agent list stores an identification of a calling party for a previously received incoming call associated with (i.e., linked to) an identification of an agent terminal which handled that prior incoming call. In decision step 106, a determination is made as to whether the calling party identification for the current incoming call matches a calling party identification for a previously received incoming call. If not (branch 108), the current incoming call is delivered in step 110 to an available one of the agent terminals in accordance with the conventional call delivery procedures implemented by a given operating multi-destination call delivery service. Such a service may comprise an extension phone or hunt group call delivery service operation, as well as a multi-leg (sequential or simultaneous) call forwarding operation, implemented in either a wireless, wireline or private branch exchange environment. The identification of the agent terminal to which the current incoming call is delivered is then stored (step 112) in the party-agent list in association with the determined calling party identification. If, on the other hand, there is a match (branch 114), the identification of the agent terminal which handled a prior incoming call from that same calling party is extracted from party-agent list storage (step 116). The current incoming call is then delivered in step 118 to the agent terminal having the extracted identification, in essence bypassing the multi-destination call delivery service. From step 110 or step 1 18, a determination is made by decision step 120 as to whether automatic storage is active. If yes, the party-agent list is then automatically updated by storing the identification of agent terminal to which the current incoming call is delivered in association with the determined calling party identification (step 112). If auto storage is not active, a determination is next made in decision step 122 as to whether the subscriber (or perhaps the agent) entered a service code indicative of a desire to store the identification information. If a service code is received, the party-agent list is then updated by storing the identification of agent terminal to which the current incoming call is delivered in association with the determined calling party identification (step

1 12). If no service code is received by step 122, or following the storage of the identification information in step 112, the process returns (step 124) back to await reception of a next incoming call. In the event a connection cannot be established with the preferred agent terminal (step 118), notification is provided to the caller, and the appropriate multi-destination call delivery operation (step 110) is executed to determine an alternate agent terminal for call delivery.

It may be desirable to limit the amount of time that the "return to prior agent" feature is available to a calling party with respect to the follow-up call. For example, a caller may speak with an agent concerning a particular issue, and it is assumed that the caller would make a follow-up call on that issue within a certain time period. If an incoming call were then received after that time period expires it is assumed that the call relates to a different issue. Accordingly, the party-agent list is periodically scanned to remove expired calling party identification entries and prevent activation of the return to prior agent feature after the expiration of the certain time period following a last received incoming call from that calling party.

It may further be desirable for the agents and calling parties to exercise some control over the availability and activation of the return to prior agent feature. In this regard, an agent may not want a subsequent call from a certain calling party to be automatically routed back to the agent. The agent may then access the party-agent list to purge calling party identification entries. Similarly, a calling party might want their next incoming call to be handled by an agent other than the prior agent. The calling party may then indicate with a service code a desire for the conventional multi- destination call delivery service to be implemented without use of the return to prior agent feature. Furthermore, in instances where the automatic registration of the calling party identification to the party-agent list is deactivated, an agent may still register a calling party to the list by entering a service code through the terminal during or after the call.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 2 wherein there is shown a block diagram of a private branch exchange (PBX) 200 environment implementing the "return to prior agent" feature of the present invention. The private branch exchange 200 includes a first line interface 202 for connecting to a plurality of outside calling lines 204, and a second line interface 206 for connecting to a plurality of inside calling lines 207 (often referred to as "extensions"). An agent terminal 208 is connected to each of the inside calling lines 207. A switch matrix module 210 is connected to the first line interface 202 and the second line interface 206 via first switch lines 212 and second switch lines

214, respectively. The switch matrix module 210 functions in response to control signals to selectively connect and disconnect certain of the first switch lines 212 to certain of the second switch lines 214, thus effectuating a switched call connection between the outside calling lines 204 and the inside calling lines 207. The first and second line interfaces 202 and 206 are connected by corresponding signaling links 216 and 218, respectively, to a call control module 220. The signaling links 216 and 218 are used to communicate information relating to the detection by the first and second line interfaces 202 and 206, respectively, of activity on the outside calling lines 204 and the inside calling lines 207. The call control module 220 is further connected through a signaling link 222 to the switch matrix module 210. It is over the signaling link 222 that control signals are sent by the call control module 220 to specify switch matrix module 210 operation. The call control module 220 is connected to a service logic module 224 via a signaling link 226. The service logic module 224 implements the calling services and features of the private branch exchange, and instructs the call control module 220 to appropriately control operation of the switch control matrix 210 in effectuating those calling services and features. The service logic module 224 is connected to a database 228 via a signaling link 230. The database 228 stores the data necessary for implementing of the calling services and features. Operation of a private branch exchange 200 like that shown in FIGURE 2 in providing conventional calling services and features (such as multi-destination call delivery services like extension phone call delivery, hunt group call delivery, and multi-leg (sequential or simultaneous) call forwarding) is well known to those skilled in the art, and thus detailed explanation thereof is not provided.

In accordance with the present invention, the private branch exchange 200 is configured to provide a "return to prior agent" feature implemented within a multi- destination call delivery service operation. An incoming call dialed to a pilot number is received by the corresponding private branch exchange 200 over outside lines 204. The first line interface 202 signals the call control module 220 over link 216 with an alert as to that call. A request is then made of the service logic module 224 for the identification of an agent terminal 208 for delivery of the incoming call. Furthermore, in connection with providing the "return to prior agent" feature of the present invention, the first line interface 202 extracts from the call information received with the incoming call delivery over outside lines 204 an identification of the calling party (e.g., caller ID or A-number identification). This identification is passed on to the service logic module 224 via the call control module 220. The service logic module 224 processes the calling party identification in connection with a party-agent list stored in the database 228 to determine whether a prior incoming call from the same calling party was received and routed to an agent terminal 208.

If the answer is yes, the identification of the agent terminal 208 which previously handled an incoming call from this calling party is passed back to the call control module 220 over link 226. The call control module 220 then instructs the switch matrix module 210 to alert the identified agent terminal 208. When the agent answers its terminal 208, the switch matrix module 210 connects the outside line 204 for the incoming call with the inside line 207 connected to the answering agent terminal 208. The call control module 220 is then notified of the connection ending provision of the call delivery service and feature, and the service logic module 224 updates the party-agent list stored in the data base 228 with a record of the call connection for that identified calling party through to the identified agent terminal 208. In the event a connection cannot be established with the preferred agent terminal, notification is provided by the switch matrix module 210 and the service logic module 224 executes the appropriate multi-destination call delivery operation (as discussed in more detail below) to determine an alternate agent terminal 208 for delivery. If the answer to the prior incoming call determination is no, the service logic module 224 executes the appropriate multi-destination call delivery operation to determine the agent terminal 208 for delivery. In an extension phone and simultaneous call forwarding delivery, multiple agent terminals 208 are specified. In hunt group or sequential call forwarding delivery, a specific agent terminal is specified. Appropriate reference as necessary to the database 228 is made by the service logic module in connection with identifying the agent terminal(s) 208 for delivery. This operation is accomplished in a conventional manner well known to those skilled in the art. The identified agent terminal(s) 208 are then passed back to the call control module 220 over link 226. The call control module 220 then instructs the switch matrix module

210 to alert the identified agent terminal(s) 208. When an agent answers an alerted terminal 208, the switch matrix module 210 connects the outside line 204 for the incoming call with the inside line 207 connected to the answering agent terminal 208. The call control module 220 is then notified of the connection ending provision of the call delivery service and feature, and the service logic module 224 updates the party- agent list stored in the data base 228 with a record of the call connection for that identified calling party through to the answering agent terminal 208. In the event a connection cannot be established with one of the specified agent terminal(s) 208, notification is provided by the switch matrix module 210 and the service logic module 224 again executes the appropriate multi-destination call delivery operation to determine an alternate agent terminal(s) 208 for delivery.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 3 wherein there is shown a block diagram of a wireline telephone network 300 environment configured to implement the "return to prior agent" feature of the present invention. The wireline network 300 includes a plurality of interconnected local exchanges 302 (also referred to as service switching points ~ SSPs — 302'). Although only two exchanges 302 or 302' are shown, it will be understood that the network likely includes many more exchanges. In a conventional wireline network, the local exchanges 302 provide not only the resources for performing switching functions, but also the resources for implementing special subscriber services. In an advanced intelligent network (AIN) wireline network, however, the service switching points 302' provide only the switching functionalities. Plural ones of the service switching points 302' are then connected to a service control point (SCP) 304 which provides, in a centralized manner, the resources for implementing special subscriber services. Operation of a wireline network 300 like that shown in FIGURE 3 in providing conventional calling services and features (such as multi-destination call delivery services like extension phone call delivery, hunt group call delivery, and multi-leg (sequential or simultaneous) call forwarding) is well known to those skilled in the art, and thus detailed explanation thereof is not provided.

In accordance with the present invention, the network 300 is configured to provide a "return to prior agent" feature implemented within a multi-destination call delivery service operation. A certain pilot number is associated with one of the local exchanges 302 or SSP 302', and a number of agent terminals 306 for that pilot number are connected to the exchange. An incoming call dialed to the pilot number is routed through the network 300 and received by the associated exchange 302 or SSP 302'. At that point, an identification of the calling party (e.g., caller ID or A-number identification) is extracted from the call information received with the incoming call delivery. An identification is then made of an agent terminal 306 for delivery of the incoming call. This determination is made by the local exchange 302 in the conventional wireline network, or by the service control point 304 in the intelligent network. The calling party identification is processed in connection with a stored party-agent list to determine whether a prior incoming call from the same calling party was received and routed to an agent terminal 206.

If the answer is yes, the identification of the agent terminal 306 which previously handled an incoming call from this calling party is extracted, and used by the local exchange 302 or service switching point 302' to attempt a call delivery. The identified agent terminal 306 is then alerted. When the agent answers the alerted terminal 306, the local exchange 302 or service switching point 302' through connects the received incoming call for delivery to the alerted agent terminal 306. Notification of the connection is made ending provision of the call delivery service and feature, and the stored party-agent list is updated with a record of the call connection for that identified calling party through to the identified agent terminal 306. In the event a connection cannot be established with the preferred agent terminal, notification is provided and the appropriate multi-destination call delivery operation is executed (as discussed in more detail below) to determine an alternate agent terminal 306 for delivery.

If the answer to the prior incoming call determination is no, the appropriate multi-destination call delivery operation is executed to determine the agent terminal 306 for delivery. This process is executed by the local exchange 302 in the conventional wireline network, or by the service control point 304 in the intelligent network in a conventional manner well known to those skilled in the art. In an extension phone and simultaneous call forwarding delivery, multiple agent terminals 306 are specified. In hunt group or sequential call forwarding delivery, a specific agent terminal is specified.

The identified agent terminal(s) 306 is (are) then alerted. When the agent answers the alerted terminal 306, the local exchange 302 or service switching point 302' through connects the received incoming call for delivery to the answering agent terminal 306. Notification of the connection is made ending provision of the call delivery service and feature, and the stored party-agent list is updated with a record of the call connection for that identified calling party through to the answering agent terminal 306. In the event a connection cannot be established with the alerted agent terminal(s), notification is provided and the appropriate multi-destination call delivery operation is re-executed to determine an alternate agent terminal 306 for delivery. Reference is now made to FIGURE 4 wherein there is shown a block diagram of a wireless telephone network 400 environment configured to implement the "return to prior agent" feature of the present invention. The network 400 includes a plurality of interconnected switching nodes 402 commonly referred to as mobile switching centers (MSCs). The mobile switching centers 402 may comprise any one of a number of known telecommunications switching devices, including those commonly used and known in the art for providing either digital or analog cellular telephone service to a plurality of subscriber telephones 404, including agent terminals 404'. The mobile switching centers 402 are connected to a home location register data base 406. The home location register 406 stores information (such as location and service data) concerning the subscriber telephones 404. The mobile switching centers 402 are further connected to a service switching function (SSF) 408 which provides the switching functionality for implementing certain special subscriber services. The service switching function 408 is connected to a service control function (SCF) 410 which directs the switching functionalities performed by the service switching function in effectuating the special subscriber services. Operation of a wireless network 400 like that shown in FIGURE 4 in providing conventional calling services and features (such as multi-destination call delivery services like extension phone call delivery, hunt group call delivery, and multi-leg (sequential or simultaneous) call forwarding) is well known to those skilled in the art, and thus detailed explanation thereof is not provided.

In accordance with the present invention, the network 400 is configured to provide a "return to prior agent" feature implemented within a multi-destination call delivery service operation. A certain pilot number is associated with the home location register 406, and a number of agent terminals 404' for that pilot number operate within the coverage area of the network by communicating through the mobile switching centers 402. An incoming call dialed to the pilot number is routed to (perhaps through the network 400) and received at a gateway mobile switching center 402(1). The mobile switching center 402(1) then recognizes from the dialed pilot number that the incoming call requires special routing functions to be implemented for call delivery. The call is then routed (i.e., forwarded or transferred) to the service switching function 408. At that point, an identification of the calling party (e.g., caller ID or A-number identification) is extracted from the call information received with the incoming call delivery, and a query is made of the service control function 410 to specify a service execution for the call. An identification is then made by the service control function 410 of an agent terminal 404' for delivery of the incoming call. In this regard, the extracted calling party identification is processed in connection with a stored party- agent list to determine whether a prior incoming call from the same calling party was received and routed to an agent terminal 404'.

If the answer is yes, the identification of the agent terminal 404' which previously handled an incoming call from this calling party is extracted, and used by the service switching function 408 to attempt a call delivery. The incoming call is then routed (i.e., forwarded or transferred) to a gateway mobile switching center 402 for the identified agent terminal 404'. For simplification in this example, that gateway mobile switching center 402(1) is assumed to be the same as the gateway for the pilot number, although that need not necessarily be the case. The gateway mobile switching center 402(1) then interrogates the home location register data base 406 with a location request (send routing) message. The location request (send routing) message is processed by the home location register data base 406 to determine the location (i.e., second or serving mobile switching center 402(2)) within the network 400 of the identified agent terminal 404'. Responsive to this interrogation, the home location register 406 signals the serving mobile switching center 402(2) with a routing request (provide roaming) message to prepare for the call. The serving mobile switching center 402(2) then determines the location (for example, location area) of the identified agent terminal 404'. This location may be identified, for example, based on information resulting from a most recent registration of the agent terminal 404', or from a page response. In accordance with this determined location, the serving mobile switching center 402(2) selects an appropriate routing number (for example, a temporary location directory number (TLDN) or a roaming number) for that location. The selected routing number is then returned to the gateway mobile switching center 402(1) via the home location register 406. The incoming call is then delivered (through connected) using the routing number to the serving mobile switching center 402(2) for attempted completion to the identified agent terminal 404'. The identified agent terminal 404' is then alerted. When the agent answers the alerted terminal 404', the serving mobile switching center 402(2) through connects the received incoming call. Notification of the connection and call delivery to the agent terminal 404' is passed through the gateway mobile switching center 402(1) to the service switching function 408. Responsive thereto, provision of the call delivery service and feature is ended, and the stored party-agent list maintained by the service control function 410 is updated with a record of the call connection for that identified calling party through to the identified agent terminal 404'. In the event a connection cannot be established with the preferred agent terminal, notification is provided back to the service switching function 408 and the appropriate multi-destination call delivery operation is executed (as discussed in more detail below) by the service control function 410 to determine an alternate agent terminal 404' for delivery. If the answer to the prior incoming call determination is no, the appropriate multi-destination call delivery operation is executed to determine the agent terminal 404' for delivery. This process is executed by a combination of the service switching function 408 and the service control function 410 in a conventional manner well known to those skilled in the art. In an extension phone and simultaneous call forwarding delivery, multiple agent terminals 404' are specified. In hunt group or sequential call forwarding delivery, a specific agent terminal is specified. The incoming call is then routed (i.e., forwarded or transferred) to a gateway mobile switching center(s) 402 for the identified agent terminal(s) 404'. For simplification in this example, that gateway mobile switching center 402(1) is assumed to be the same as the gateway for the pilot number, although that need not necessarily be the case. The gateway mobile switching center 402(1) then interrogates the home location register data base 406 with a location request (send routing) message for each identified terminal 404'. The location request (send routing) message is processed by the home location register data base 406 to determine the location (i.e., second or serving mobile switching center 402(2)) within the network 400 of the identified agent terminal(s) 404'. Responsive to this interrogation, the home location register 406 signals the serving mobile switching center 402(2) with a routing request (provide roaming) message to prepare for the call. The serving mobile switching center 402(2) then determines the location (for example, location area) of the identified agent terminal(s) 404'. This location may be identified, for example, based on information resulting from a most recent registration of the agent terminal 404', or from a page response. In accordance with this determined location, the serving mobile switching center 402(2) selects an appropriate routing number (for example, a temporary location directory number (TLDN) or a roaming number) for that location. The selected routing number is then returned to the gateway mobile switching center 402(1) via the home location register 406. The incoming call is then delivered (through connected) using the routing number to the serving mobile switching center 402(2) for attempted completion to the identified agent terminal(s) 404'. The identified agent terminal(s) 404' is (are) then alerted. When the agent answers the alerted terminal 404', the serving mobile switching center 402(2) through connects the received incoming call. Notification of the connection and call delivery to the agent terminal 404' is passed through the gateway mobile switching center 402(1) to the service switching function 408. Responsive thereto, provision of the call delivery service and feature is ended, and the stored party-agent list maintained by the service control function 410 is updated with a record of the call connection for that identified calling party through to the identified agent terminal 404'. In the event a connection cannot be established with the preferred agent terminal, notification is provided back to the service switching function 408 and the appropriate multi- destination call delivery operation is re-executed by the service control function 410 to determine an alternate agent terminal(s) 404' for delivery. Although preferred embodiments of the method and apparatus of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS

1 A method for delivering an incoming call dialed to a pilot number associated with a plurality of agent terminals, comprising the steps of storing in a calling party-agent list for previously received incoming calls dialed to the pilot number an identification of the calling party for such calls each associated with an identification of an answering one of the agent terminals, receiving a current incoming call dialed to the pilot number, extracting an identification of the calling party for the current incoming call, comparing the identification of the calling party for the current incoming call with the identifications in the stored calling party-agent list of the calling parties for previously received incoming calls, if there is a match, retrieving the identification of the answering one of the agent terminals associated in the stored calling party-agent list with the matching identification of the calling party, and delivering the current incoming call to the identified agent terminal retrieved from the stored calling party-agent list

2 The method as in claim 1 implemented within a wireless telephone environment

3 The method as in claim 1 implemented within a wireline telephone environment

4 The method as in claim 1 implemented within a private branch exchange telephone environment

5 The method as in claim 1 further including the steps of if there is no match, implementing a multi-destination call delivery service to identify an agent terminal for delivery of the incoming call, and updating the stored calling party-agent list to store the identification of the calling party for the current incoming call in association with the identified agent for delivery.

6. The method as in claim 5 wherein the multi-destination call delivery service comprises an extension phone service.

7. The method as in claim 5 wherein the multi-destination call delivery service comprises a hunt group service.

8. The method as in claim 5 wherein the multi-destination call delivery service comprises a call forwarding service.

9. A method for delivering an incoming call dialed to a pilot number associated with a plurality of agent terminals, comprising the steps of: determining whether a calling party for a current incoming call dialed to the pilot number has been a calling party for a previous incoming call dialed to the pilot number; if yes, identifying a certain one of the plurality of agent terminals that handled the previous incoming call; and delivering the current incoming call to the identified certain one of the agent terminals.

10. The method as in claim 9 further including the step of storing in a calling party-agent list an identification of the calling party for previous incoming calls each associated with an identification of an answering one of the agent terminals.

11. The method as in claim 10 wherein the step of determining comprises the step of comparing an identification of the calling party for the current incoming call with the identifications in the stored calling party-agent list of the calling parties for the previous incoming calls.

12. The method as in claim 10 further including the steps of: if no, implementing a multi-destination call delivery service to identify an agent terminal for delivery of the incoming call; and updating the stored calling party-agent list to store the identification of the calling party for the current incoming call in association with the identified agent for delivery.