Method and apparatus for managing workplace services and products

• US 20020128891A1
• Filed: 02/14/2001
• Published: 09/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zywave, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Workplace Helpline LLC
• Inventors: McSherry, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,464,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

A small group of service providers, including specialists in various workplace issues, provides workplace services and products, such as human resource, legal, tax, accounting, environmental, financial, regulatory, governmental, technological, medical, consulting and marketing services to a large group of employer clients by using a database of information concerning the employers and their contacts. Each contact is assigned a unique ID code. When a situation arises that requires workplace resource services, a contact places a telephone call to a predetermined “helpline” telephone number. A specialist answers the call and receives the unique ID code from the contact. Alternatively, the contact may send an e-mail message from a web site that requires the ID code to access it. In either case, when the received ID code is entered into the database, information concerning the client is displayed to the specialist. This client-specific information allows the specialist to tailor advice to the specific question raised by the contact. Both the questions raised by the contact and the response given by the specialist are placed into predefined categories by the specialist at the time that the response is made. The call, the response and these categories are then stored in the database for later reference.

Claims

1. A method for managing workplace services provided to a plurality of users, the method comprising:

(a) creating a database containing, for each of the plurality of users, user background information and user identifying information;

(b) establishing a communication session between the plurality of users and a specialist in order that the specialist can provide workplace issue assistance to the users wherein, during each communication session, the specialist receives user identifying information from a user, uses the received identifying information to access and retrieve client background information for that user from the database and uses the background information to provide assistance to the user; and

(c) storing in the database information concerning each communication session between a user and the specialist and adding the stored communication session information to the client background information for the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication session is a telephone call.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication session is an e-mail message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises:

(a1) using a workplace resources office to contact each of the plurality of users and to obtain background information for each user;

(a2) connecting the workplace resources office to the database in order to store the background information.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the workplace resources office is connected to the database via a network.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the network is the Internet.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the user identifying information is a unique personal ID code.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the workplace resources office assigns the personal ID code to each of the plurality of users.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises:

(a3) establishing a web site connected to the database by the Internet; and

(a4) using the web site to collect the background information from each of the plurality of users.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the web site assigns a personal ID code to each of the plurality of users.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the specialist is connected to the database via the Internet and wherein in step (b) the specialist obtains the user identifying information verbally from the user, enters the user identifying information into the database via a web interface and receives the user background information via a web browser.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein in step (c) the specialist assigns the communication session information to one of a plurality of predefined categories and the assigned category is stored with the communication session information and the user background information.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

(d) performing a query on information in the database and generating a report from the query.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the query is performed on category information in the database.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(e) using a workplace resources office to generate a templated web site that is accessible by the plurality of users via the Internet.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

(f) publishing workplace issue information on the templated web site by sending the workplace issue information from the database to the templated web site.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the communication session is a telephone call.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the communication session is an e-mail message.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:

a workplace resources office that contacts each of the plurality of users and obtains background information for each user; and

a communication link connecting the workplace resources office to the database in order to store the background information.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the workplace resources office is connected to the database via a network.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the network is the Internet.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the user identifying information is a unique personal ID code.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the workplace resources office assigns the personal ID code to each of the plurality of users.

25. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:

a web site connected to the database by the Internet; and

a mechanism that connects each of the plurality of users to the web site in order to collect the background information from each of the plurality of users.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the web site assigns a personal ID code to each of the plurality of users.

27. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a web interface connecting the specialist to the database via the Internet so that the specialist can obtain the user identifying information verbally from the user, enter the user identifying information into the database via a web interface and receive the user background information via a web browser.

28. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the specialist uses the knowledge management system to assign the communication session information to one of a plurality of predefined categories and to store the assigned category with the Ace communication session information and the user background information.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 further comprising:

a mechanism that performs a query on information in the database and generates a report from the query.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the query is performed on category information in the database.

31. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:

a publication mechanism that generates a templated web site that is accessible by the plurality of users via the Internet.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the publication mechanism publishes workplace issue information on the templated web site by sending the workplace issue information from the database to the templated web site.

17. Apparatus for managing workplace services provided to a plurality of users, the apparatus comprising:

a database containing, for each of the plurality of users, user background information and user identifying information;

a communication mechanism that establishes a communication session between the plurality of users and a specialist in order that the specialist can provide workplace issue assistance to the users wherein, during each communication session, the specialist receives user identifying information from a user, uses the received identifying information to access and retrieve client background information for that user from the database and uses the background information to provide assistance to the user; and

a knowledge management system that stores in the database information concerning each communication session between a user and the specialist and adding the stored communication session information to the client background information for the user.

33. A computer program product for managing workplace services provided to a plurality of users, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, including:

program code for creating a database containing, for each of the plurality of users, user background information and user identifying information;

program code for establishing a communication session between the plurality of users and a specialist in order that the specialist can provide workplace issue assistance to the users wherein, during each communication session, the specialist receives user identifying information from a user, uses the id received identifying information to access and retrieve client background information for that user from the database and uses the background information to provide assistance to the user; and

program code storing in the database information concerning each communication session between a user and the specialist and adding the stored communication session information to the client background information for the user.

34. The computer program product of claim 33 wherein the communication session is a telephone call.

35. The computer program product of claim 33 wherein the communication session is an e-mail message.

36. The computer program product of claim 33 wherein the program code for creating a database comprises:

program code operable at a workplace resources office for contacting each of the plurality of users and obtaining background information for each user;

program code for connecting the workplace resources office to the database in order to store the background information.

37. The computer program product of claim 36 wherein the workplace resources office is connected to the database via a network.

38. The computer program product of claim 37 wherein the network is the Internet.

39. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for managing workplace services provided to a plurality of users, the computer data signal comprising:

program code for creating a database containing, for each of the plurality of users, user background information and user identifying information;

program code for establishing a communication session between the plurality of users and a specialist in order that the specialist can provide workplace issue assistance to the users wherein, during each communication session, the specialist receives user identifying information from a user, uses the received identifying information to access and retrieve client background information for that user from the database and uses the background information to provide assistance to the user; and

program code storing in the database information concerning each communication session between a user and the specialist and adding the stored communication session information to the client background information for the user.