Abstract

A method of automatically returning calls to callers (18) who have recorded a message in an ACD mail (22C) controlled message bin (22D) of a voice response unit (22) in response to a stored announcement in an announcement table (22B) selected in accordance with call statistics in a statistics table (22A) from an automatic call distributor (12) to provide the caller with queue information when no agent stations (14) are available. In one mode of operation (FIG. 4), the recorded voice message in queue is automatically provided to an agent when one becomes available in the same manner as an incoming call except an indication is given to the agent station (14) that the incoming call is, in fact, a prerecorded message which requires a cell back. The agent must obtain the telephone number from the recorded voice message and then input the multidigit number to place a return call. In other modes of operation (FIGS. 5 and 6), DTMF tones (D) recorded with the voice message are employed to enable the agent to auto dial the return call in response to the recorded message. In one of these other modes of operation (FIG. 6), the calls are automatically placed by an ACD control computer (20) and connected to an available agent station (14) the same as an original incoming call when answer detection occurs. If no answer detection occurs within a predetermined time limit, then the recorded message is returned to the queue on a preselected priority basis, and after a preselected number of unsuccessful attempts, the number and related information is printed on a printer (32) and removed from storage in the message bin (22D).