Machine assisted system for processing and responding to requests

Abstract

A system is disclosed in which a caller may provide certain information during a call to an interactive voice response unit, prior known information about the caller may be stored in a computerized database, and an agent terminal may access the information in the database and collected at the interactive voice response unit, during the call, such that information collected from the caller before arriving at the agent does not have to be recollected from the caller by the agent.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A system for responding to requests, said system comprising: 
 an IVR for identifying a requestor and for querying said requester for relevant information;    an unit of work record, for attaching said relevant information to said unit of work record;    a routing switch in communication with said IVR;    a database including information relative to said requester, said database also in communication with said routing switch such that information from both said IVR and said database can be combined and forwarded;    a device in communication with said routing switch, for distributing the relevant information and the database information exiting the routing switch; and    a receiver adapted to receive said relevant information and said database information from said device during said call and for responding to said requests.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said IVR has the ability to recognize and respond to human speech.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said receiver is a computer terminal at a live agent's desktop.