Customer relationship management system and operation method thereof

• US 20020010705A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kang, Chang Won, Kim, Jeong Ha, Kim, Sun Joo, Oh, Jin Seok, Kwak, Hee Chul, Kim, Pan Ju, Bae, Young Pyo, Jo, Yeong Seok, Park, Sang Kap, Han, Min Sook, An, Seong Nam, Park, Jeong Yeol, Kang, Sung Guen, Choi, Yoon Woo
• Granted Patent: US 6,981,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Disclosed is a customer relationship management system and operation method thereof that enables a technician to seize the customer'"'"'s satisfaction and sensitivity with respect to respective service providers, perform reception of the corresponding customer based on the seized information, register the seized information in a database, and perform a service using a proper reception for the corresponding customer after confirming the sensitivity of the customer. According to the customer relationship management system and operation method, the customer can directly select the technician, and thus remove the uneasy feeling caused by a strange visitor. Also, by confirming again the customer'"'"'s satisfaction with the service after completion of the service providing, the reliability of the service with respect to the customer is improved.

Claims

1. A customer relationship management system comprising:

a database for storing various kinds of sensitivity information classified by customers and encoded, behavior pattern information determined in correspondence with the encoded sensitivity classification, and information on service request particulars; and

a server network constructed to include an information collection server for collecting information according to the service request particulars or satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the service from respective customers, and an information transfer server for selectively transferring the information stored in the database to terminals of respective technicians.

2. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the database is stored at least one of introduction information of the respective technicians and information on a serviceable time, and the server network further includes a service progress confirming server for updating a current progress state by continuously confirming the current progress state of the respective technician.

3. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server network further includes an information extraction server for extracting information on a specified technician proper for the customer'"'"'s service request particulars among the information on the respective technicians stored in the database based on the customer'"'"'s service request particulars, and providing the information on the specified technician to the customer.

4. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server network further includes a service performance confirming server for receiving particulars of service performance completion from the technician'"'"'s terminal, and registering the particulars of service performance completion in the database.

5. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a message transfer server for transferring a message for confirming the service satisfaction to the terminal of a specified customer if service providing to the specified customer is completed.

6. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the message transfer server is at least one of a server for transferring the message prepared as an e-mail and a server for performing a message service used in a mobile communication network.

7. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terminal of the technician is a portable personal digital assist (PDA), portable personal computer, individual personal computer, or portable wire/radio phone, which can receive information from the information transfer server through various kinds of communication networks such as on-line message receiving space assigned to the corresponding technician, or search and register the service-related information by directly accessing the information transfer server.

8. A method of operating the customer relationship management system comprising:

a first operation step of a server network confirming service request particulars and a sensitivity of a customer if a customer'"'"'s access for a service request is confirmed;

a second operation step of the server network obtaining reception information for a classified type corresponding to the confirmed sensitivity of the customer;

a third step of the server network receiving the service request of the corresponding customer as performing a reception based on the obtained reception information; and

a fourth step of the server network registering the information requested by the customer in a database.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein at the first operation step of the server network, the customer'"'"'s sensitivity is directly confirmed by a receptionist based on predetermined reference particulars during a phone call with the receptionist receiving the customer'"'"'s service request.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein at the first operation step of the server network, the customer'"'"'s sensitivity is confirmed by comparing at least one of a high/low-pitched voice and used words transferred during the customer s service request with predetermined reference particulars of sensitivity classification.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the step of performing a customer'"'"'s sensitivity classification in a manner that if the customer has a good feeling for the corresponding service, the customer is classified into a customer having a positive sensitivity, if the customer has an expected feeling, the customer is classified into a customer having an expected sensitivity, and if the customer has an ill feeling, the customer is classified into a customer having a negative sensitivity.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the customer having the positive sensitivity is a customer having at least one particular among requesting a visit at a convenient time, holding a kind reception, praising the technician, praising the receptionist, praising the corresponding company (or enterprise), and praising products of the corresponding company.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the customer having the expected sensitivity is a customer having at least one particular among requesting a prompt visit, requesting a superior technician, having a sense of authority, intimating, taking pride in an enthusiastic fan of a corresponding company, having a relative employed in the corresponding company, belonging to a livelihood-protection/respect-for-age group, taking pride in old products, requesting inexpensive charges, asking questions about a guaranteed period, having an insufficient understanding, requesting an accurate visit time, supervising through a third party, and withdrawing the service during a technician'"'"'s visit.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the customer having the negative sensitivity is a customer having at least one particular among receiving no visit at a time requested by the customer, having repeated troubles of a product, distrusting a technical ability, being dissatisfied with traveling/repairing charges, being dissatisfied with collection of phone call charges, being dissatisfied with frequent call-disconnection, having difficulty in calling, being impatient in character, taking a promise/confidence seriously, having a hard-grained character, requesting another technician, distrusting products, being dissatisfied with components of the product, having a reception omitted, and having excessive repairing experiences.

15. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

confirming an area where the customer is positioned and time zone for providing the requested service;

obtaining schedule information of technicians in charge of a service field requested by the customer among respective technicians who are allocated with the corresponding area as their service providing area;

extracting information on the technicians who are not pressed in the time zone when the customer wants to receive the service based on the obtained information;

displaying the extracted information on the technicians on a terminal of the corresponding customer, and requesting the customer to select a specified technician from whom the customer hopes to receive the service among the displayed technicians; and

registering in the database information on an additional schedule of the selected technician along with the service request particulars.

16. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second operation step of the server network comprises:

confirming a code of the classified type corresponding to the customer'"'"'s sensitivity;

registering in the database information on the customer'"'"'s service request and information on the confirmed code of the classified type; and

informing the corresponding technician of the registered information and information on reception particulars according to the code of the classified type of the corresponding customer.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein in case that the technician receives from the server network information on the service request particulars of the corresponding customer and the reception particulars according to the code of the classified type of the corresponding customer, the service performing step of the technician includes the steps of:

performing additionally the service according to the customer'"'"'s sensitivity classification simultaneously with performing the service based on the respective information transferred from the server network; and

informing a result of the service to an information collection server after completion of the service.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the server network transfers the respective information to the technician using one among information providing through a PDA, information providing through an e-mail, direct call through a portable phone, indirect information providing such as a voice-mail box and short message service.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the step of informing in advance a visit schedule to the corresponding customer using a phone and so on before the technician, who received the information on the respective service request particulars and sensitivity type of the customer, visits the corresponding customer.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein at the step of informing in advance the visit schedule to the customer, the technician informs the visit schedule based on information on words and behavior knacks determined to cope with the encoded sensitivity classification.

21. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the service performing step of the technician further comprises the step of judging again the customer'"'"'s sensitivity.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the service performing according to the customer'"'"'s sensitivity classification at the service performing step is based on the words and behavior knacks determined to cope with the encoded sensitivity classification.

23. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the information according to the customer'"'"'s sensitivity classification seized by the technician is informed to an information receiving network along with a result of the corresponding service when service completion information is informed.

24. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the operation method of the server network after receiving the information on the completion of the service provided to the customer from the technician comprises the steps of:

confirming the customer'"'"'s satisfaction with the provided service based on an informed result; and

storing again the customer'"'"'s satisfaction information confirmed through the above process.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the step of confirming the customer'"'"'s satisfaction comprises the steps of:

if it is confirmed that the service providing is completed, transferring to the customer a message for confirming the satisfaction with the provided service by searching the information on the corresponding customer; and

if a reply to the transferred message is received from the customer, confirming the satisfaction of the corresponding customer by analyzing contents of the replied message.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the message transferred to the customer includes at least one particular among various kinds of questions, repeated troubles, technician'"'"'s kindness, particulars to be requested to the customer, response to the particulars requested by the customer, and guidance of events.

27. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the message is transferred to the customer using one service of an e-mail or messenger on a typical Internet, or using a short message service on a mobile communication network.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the various kinds of questions included in the e-mail are presented in the form of an inquiry.

29. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising the step of providing a predetermined incentive to the customer if the customer sends a reply in response to the inquiry included in the e-mail.

30. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the message transferring step includes the steps of:

inputting the message to be transferred to the corresponding customer;

selecting a specified data communication network to which the customer subject to the message transfer belongs;

entering a message sender and phone number for reply; and

sending the message to the corresponding customer through the corresponding data communication network.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the message sender is a customer service center having an area where the corresponding customer resides as its jurisdiction area, and the phone number for response is an ARS system of the customer service center for confirming the customer'"'"'s satisfaction or a phone number of a person in charge of the customer service center.

32. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

primarily confirming the satisfaction according to the service providing by making a phone call to the customer before the message for confirming the satisfaction according to the service providing is transferred to the customer after completion of the service performance; and

transferring the message for confirming the satisfaction according to the service providing to the corresponding customer if the phone call is refused or the customer is absent at the step of primarily confirming the satisfaction.

33. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the message transferring step further comprises:

confirming whether any event occurs; and

if it is confirmed that the event occurs, appending a brief explanation of the event to the message to be transferred.

34. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein at the step of storing contents of the message replied from the customer in the corresponding database, the contents of the message are classified into terms according to degrees of satisfaction, and then stored in the corresponding database.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the classified terms according to the satisfaction degrees of the message stored in the database are simple satisfaction, questions about how-to-use and repeated trouble, and impression.

36. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the customer replies to the message using at least one of a phone call, short message service, e-mail service, and ARS service.

37. A customer relationship management system comprising:

a database for storing at least one of introduction information of respective technicians and information on a serviceable time, and information on service request particulars; and

a server network constructed to receive a service request from a customer, recommend the respective technicians for the received service to the corresponding customer, and update the service particulars requested by the customer in a schedule of a specified technician if the specified technician is selected by the customer.

38. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 37, wherein the server network comprises:

an information collection server for collecting information on the particulars of the requested service and information on a present service progress state of the respective technician;

a service progress confirming server for continuously updating the database by continuously confirming the current work progress of the respective technician;

an information transfer server for selectively transferring the information stored in the database to a terminal of the respective service provider; and

an information extraction server for extracting information on a specified technician suitable for the customer'"'"'s service request particulars among information on the respective technician stored in the database based on the customer'"'"'s service request particulars and providing the extracted information to the customer.

39. A method of operating the customer relationship management system comprising:

a first operation step of a server network confirming an area where a customer is located and service providing time if a customer'"'"'s access for a corresponding service request is confirmed;

a second operation step of the server network obtaining schedule information of technicians in charge of a field of the service requested by the customer among the technicians which designate the corresponding area as their service providing area;

a third step of the server network extracting information on the technicians which have time to spare when the customer desires to receive the service based on the obtained information;

a fourth step of the server network displaying information on the respective extracted technicians on a terminal of the corresponding customer, and requesting the customer to select a specified technician from which the customer desires to receive the service among the displayed technicians; and

a fifth step of the server network informing particulars of the service requested by the corresponding customer to the selected technician.

40. The method as claimed in claim 39, further comprising the step of a service progress confirming server of the server network receiving at any time information on a current service progress state from the respective technicians during the progress of the respective steps, and continuously storing the received information in a database.

41. The method as claimed in claim 39, further comprising the step of an information collection server of the server network updating information on a reservation state at a service providing time zone requested by the customer in schedule information particulars of the technician selected by the customer during progress of the fifth step of the server network.

42. The method as claimed in claim 39, further comprising the step of the server network requesting the respective technicians to register respective schedule information before starting schedules of the respective technicians, and registering in a database the registered schedule information in response to the request.

43. A customer relationship management system comprising:

a database for storing information on various kinds of service particulars provided to respective customers;

a server network for continuously confirming whether performing of a service is completed by confirming the stored information, and confirming a customer'"'"'s satisfaction with the service if the performing of the corresponding service is completed; and

a message transfer server for transmitting a message to a terminal of the corresponding customer for confirmation of the customer'"'"'s satisfaction with the service if the providing of the service is completed.

44. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 43, wherein the message transfer server is at least one of a server for transferring the message prepared as an e-mail and a server for performing a message service used in a mobile communication network.

45. A method of operating the customer relationship management system comprising the steps of:

a server network confirming whether performance of a service requested by a customer is completed;

if it is confirmed that the performance of the service is completed, searching information on the corresponding customer pre-stored in a database, and transferring a message for confirming satisfaction with the provided service to the customer; and

if a response to the message transferred to the customer is obtained, registering contents of the message in the corresponding database.

46. The method as claimed in claim 45, wherein the transfer of the message to the customer is performed using an e-mail on an Internet.

47. The method as claimed in claim 46, wherein the e-mail transferred to the customer for satisfaction confirmation includes at least one among various kinds of questions, repeated troubles, technician'"'"'s kindness, particulars to be requested to the customer, response to the particulars requested by the customer, and guidance of events.

48. The method as claimed in claim 47, wherein the various kinds of questions included in the e-mail are presented in the form of an inquiry.

49. The method as claimed in claim 47, further comprising the step of providing a predetermined incentive to the customer if the customer sends a reply in response to the inquiry included in the e-mail.

50. The method as claimed in claim 45, wherein the message is transferred to the customer using a short message service provided through a mobile communication network.

51. The method as claimed in claim 45, wherein the message transferring step includes the steps of:

inputting the message to be transferred to the corresponding customer;

selecting a mobile communication network of a specified mobile communication service provider to which the customer subject to the message transfer belongs;

entering a message sender and phone number for reply; and

sending the message to the corresponding customer through the mobile communication network of the corresponding mobile communication service provider.

52. The method as claimed in claim 51, wherein the message sender is a customer service center having an area where the corresponding customer resides as its jurisdiction area, and the phone number for response is an ARS system of the customer service center for confirming the customer'"'"'s satisfaction or a phone number of a person in charge of the customer service center.

53. The method as claimed in claim 45, further comprising the steps of:

primarily confirming the satisfaction according to the service providing by making a phone call to the customer before the message for confirming the satisfaction according to the service providing is transferred to the customer after completion of the service performance; and

transferring the message for confirming the satisfaction according to the service providing to the corresponding customer if the phone call is refused or the customer is absent at the step of primarily confirming the satisfaction.

54. The method as claimed in claim 45, wherein the message transferring step further comprises:

confirming whether any event occurs; and

if it is confirmed that the event occurs, appending a brief explanation of the event to the message to be transferred.

55. The method as claimed in claim 45, wherein the step of storing contents of the message replied from the customer in the corresponding database comprises the steps of:

classifying the contents of the message into terms according to degrees of satisfaction; and

storing the terms according to the degrees of satisfaction in the corresponding database.

56. The method as claimed in claim 55, wherein the classified terms according to the satisfaction degrees of the message stored in the database are simple satisfaction, questions about how-to-use and repeated trouble, and impression.

57. The method as claimed in claim 45, further comprising the steps of:

confirming whether the corresponding customer is a new customer or registered customer to secure an e-mail address of the customer; and

if it is confirmed that the customer is the new customer, requesting input of the e-mail address of the customer along with respective information of the customer, while if it is confirmed that the customer is the registered customer, requesting input of additional information on the e-mail.

58. The method as claimed in claim 45, the message reply is received from the customer using at least one among a phone call, short message service, e-mail service, and ARS service.