METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AUTOMATIC GREETINGS IN A CALL CENTER

A call center includes a message playback unit for playing back a prerecorded greeting during an outgoing call while a call classifier unit within the call center processes an audible signal received from a remote party location. A call processing unit places a call to a remote party location via a communication network to attempt to elicit a desired response from the remote party. The call classifier then processes an audible signal received from the remote party location to determine whether or not the call was answered by a live party. The prerecorded greeting is then played while the call classifier is simultaneously processing the audible signal. If the call classifier determines that the call was answered by a live party, the call processing unit completes a talk path between the remote party location and a local agent at the call center who handles the remainder of the call. The call processing unit will normally wait until the greeting has ended to complete the talk path. If the call classifier determines that the call was not answered by a live party, the call processing unit will terminate the call.