System and method for seminar reservations

• US 20020178086A1
• Filed: 05/09/2002
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
• Inventors: Keller, Amy D., Eaton, Martin, Margeson, Jaye A., Eaton, Malcolm
• Application Number:
  US10/142,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178086A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

The present invention is a seminar reservations system and method including at least a central reservations engine and an employee interface where the various engines and interfaces are configured to transmit, receive, and store seminar-related information. The employee interface allows employees to review, schedule, and cancel seminars directly without live operator assistance. The present invention also includes a system and method for additional interfaces including a call center interface for assisting employees with reservations processes, a client administration interface for scheduling seminars and managing employee user access to the reservations system, and a master administration interface for managing client interaction with the reservations system.

Claims

1. A seminar reservations system for facilitating seminar scheduling for a client comprising:

a central reservations engine configured to facilitate interactions with seminar-related information;

an administration interface configured to facilitate interactions with seminar-related information wherein said administration interface is operated by an administrator; and

an employee interface configured to facilitate interactions with seminar-related information wherein said employee interface is operated by a user; and

wherein said central reservations engine transmits seminar-related information comprising at least one seminar offered by said client to said employee interface and receives seminar-related information from said employee interface comprising at least one command to reserve said seminar for said user; and

wherein said administration interface receives said seminar-related information and is further configured to conduct survey-related processes on said seminar-related information to generate survey-related data.

2. The seminar reservations system of claim 1 wherein said seminar-related information received by said administration interface comprises at least one of the following:

said at least one seminar offered by said client and said command to reserve said seminar for said user.

3. The reservations system of claim 1 wherein said seminar-related information received by said central reservations engine further comprises at least one of the following:

user location information, seminar topic information, seminar date information, and seminar time information.

4. The reservations system of claim 1 wherein said survey-related data comprises information including at least one of the following:

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar offerings;

user preferences concerning seminar topics;

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar locations;

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar dates; and

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar times.

5. The reservations system of claim 1 wherein said central reservations engine is further configured to receive at least one of the following commands from said employee interface:

a cancellation command instructing said central reservations engine to cancel a specified seminar reservation for said user;

an update profile command instructing said central reservations engine to transmit user profile data to said employee interface; and

a command to enroll said user on an interested later list further instructing said central reservations engine to notify said user as a specified seminar of interest become available.

6. A seminar reservations system for facilitating seminar scheduling for a client comprising:

a central reservations engine configured to facilitate transmission, reception, and storage of seminar-related information;

an employee interface configured to facilitate transmission and reception of seminar-related information wherein said employee interface is operated by a user; and

a call center interface configured to facilitate transmission and reception of seminar-related information wherein said call center interface is operated by an operator;

wherein said central reservations engine transmits seminar-related information comprising at least one seminar offered by said client to said employee interface and to said call center interface and wherein said central reservations engine receives seminar-related information from said call center interface comprising at least one command to reserve said seminar for said user.

7. The seminar reservations system of claim 6 wherein said call center interface is configured to characterize a customer assistance transaction with at least one of the following characterizations:

made reservations;

added to interested later;

added to wait list;

added guest;

hang-up;

call back;

cancelled reservation;

updated profile;

seminar unavailable; and

technical difficulties.

8. The reservations system of claim 6 wherein said seminar-related information received by said central reservations engine further comprises at least one of the following:

user location information, seminar topic information, seminar date information, and seminar time information.

9. The reservations system of claim 6 wherein said central reservations engine is further configured to receive at least one of the following commands from said call center interface:

a cancellation command instructing said central reservations engine to cancel a specified seminar reservation for said user;

an update profile command instructing said central reservations engine to view user profile data; and

a command to enroll said user on an interested later list instructing said central reservations engine to notify said user as a specified seminar of interest become available.

10. The seminar reservations system of claim 6 further comprising an administration interface configured to facilitate transactions with seminar-related information wherein said administration interface is operated by an administrator and wherein said administration interface receives said seminar-related information and is further configured to conduct survey-related processes on said seminar-related information to generate survey-related data.

11. The seminar reservations engine of claim 10 wherein said seminar-related information received by said administration interface comprises at least one of the following:

said at least one seminar offered by said client and said command to reserve said seminar for said user.

12. The reservations system of claim 10 wherein said survey-related data comprises information including at least one of the following:

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar offerings;

user preferences concerning seminar topics;

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar locations;

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar dates; and

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar times.

14. The seminar reservations system of claim 13 wherein said seminar-related information received by said client administration interface comprises at least one of the following:

said at least one seminar offered by said client and said command to reserve said seminar for said user.

15. The reservations system of claim 13 wherein said survey-related data comprises information including at least one of the following:

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar offerings;

user preferences concerning seminar topics;

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar locations;

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar dates; and

user preferences concerning upcoming seminar times.

16. The reservations system of claim 13 wherein said seminar-related information received by said central reservations engine further comprises at least one of the following:

user location information, seminar topic information, seminar date information, and seminar time information.

17. The reservations system of claim 13 wherein said central reservations engine is further configured to receive at least one of the following commands from said employee interface:

a cancellation command instructing said central reservations engine to cancel a specified seminar reservation for said user;

an update profile command instructing said central reservations engine to view user profile data; and

a command to enroll said user on an interested later list instructing said central reservations engine to notify said user as a specified seminar of interest become available.

18. The reservations system of claim 13 wherein said client administration interface is further configured transmit at least one of the following information to said central reservations engine:

new seminar locations information;

new seminar offerings information; and

new user information.

13. A seminar reservations system for facilitating seminar scheduling for a client comprising:

a central reservations engine configured to facilitate transmission, reception, and storage of seminar-related information;

an employee interface configured to facilitate transmission and reception of seminar-related information wherein said employee interface is operated by a user; and

a client administration interface configured to facilitate transmission and reception of seminar-related information wherein said client administration interface is operated by an administrator;

wherein said central reservations engine receives seminar-related information from said client administration interface comprising at least one seminar offered by said client; and

wherein said central reservations engine transmits seminar-related information to said employee interface comprising at least one seminar offered by said client; and

wherein said central reservations engine receives seminar-related information from said employee interface comprising at least one command to reserve said seminar for said user; and

wherein said client administration interface receives said seminar-related information and is further configured to conduct survey-related processes on said seminar-related information to generate survey-related data.

19. A seminar reservations system for facilitating seminar scheduling for a client comprising:

a central reservations engine configured to facilitate transmission, reception, and storage of seminar-related information;

an employee interface configured to facilitate transmission and reception of seminar-related information wherein said employee interface is operated by a user;

a call center interface configured to facilitate transmission and reception of seminar-related information wherein said call center interface is operated by an operator;

a client administration interface configured to facilitate transmission and reception of seminar-related information wherein said client administration interface is operated by an administrator; and

a master administration interface configured to facilitate transmission and reception of seminar-related information wherein said master administration interface is operated by a master administrator;

wherein said central reservations engine receives seminar related information from said master administration interface comprising the identification of at least one user authorized to access the seminar reservations engine; and

wherein said central reservations engine receives seminar-related information from said client administration interface comprising at least one seminar offered by said client; and

wherein said central reservations engine transmits seminar-related information to at least one of said employee interface and said call center interface comprising at least one seminar offered by said client; and

wherein said central reservations engine receives seminar-related information from at least one of said employee interface and said call center interface comprising at least one command to reserve said seminar for said user.