System and method for smart scripting call centers and configuration thereof

• US 20050086220A1
• Filed: 07/27/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John L. Coker, Kevin R. Nix, Matthew S. Malden
• Original Assignee: John L. Coker, Kevin R. Nix, Matthew S. Malden
• Inventors: Nix, Kevin R., Coker, John L., Malden, Matthew S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,467,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/015 Providing customer assistance, e.g. assisting a customer within a business location or via helpdesk
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

User configurable and reconfigurable scripting, methods of scripting, and systems for scripting for call centers, technical support centers, and marketers. Scripts are interactive tools that guide a telemarketer, a sales person, or a technical support technician through a telephone call with a customer. Scripts are characterized by going on to particular subsequent questions as a function of the customer'"'"'s answer to a previous question.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating interaction between a customer and a service provider, said system being configurable and comprising a set of reusable components said system further comprising a script and an associated database, wherein

a) said script comprises a hierarchical set of structured pages,

b) at least one of said one or more pages comprising a structured set of questions,

c) at least one of said questions having user responses, and

d) at least one of said user responses causing the system to either

i) link to an associated database, or

ii) link to another question in the script.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said reusable components comprise objects, data, public functions, and private functions, and wherein said public functions can be accessed through derived classes of objects.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said reusable components comprise routines, subroutines, and functions, pass data through global variables to local variables therein, and are accessed through calls.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said link to an associated database is a query.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the output of the database is a link to another question in the script.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the output of the database is data related to the interaction.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the link to another question in the script is a link to another question in another page in the script.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said system further comprises computer program code for facilitating interaction between a customer and a service provider, said computer program code comprising a script and an associated database, wherein said computer program code causes the system to:

a) present a question to a user;

b) receive a response from the user; and

c) branch to link to

i) the associated database or

ii) to another question

 

in response to the user'"'"'s response to the question.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the computer program code causes a query of the associated database.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer program code causes the database to output a link to another question in the script.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer program code causes the database to output data related to the interaction.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the computer program code cause a link to another question which is in another page in the script.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein said computer program code comprises base objects containing data, public functions, and private functions, and said computer program code is configured to utilize additional classes of objects inheriting properties of said base objects.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein said computer program code comprises functions, routines, and subroutines, containing data, global variables, and local variables, and said computer program code is configured to utilize additional calls calling said functions, routines, and subroutines.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer comprises is configured to verify one or more of the absence of unreachable pages, unreachable questions, and missing answer branches, and the presence of pages called by the script and translations.

16. A method of configuring software adapted for facilitating interaction between a customer and a service provider utilizing a script and an associated database, said method calling a set of reusable components, and wherein

a) said script comprises a hierarchical set of structured pages,

b) at least one of said one or more pages comprising a structured set of questions,

c) at least one of said questions having user responses, and

d) at least one of said likely responses causing the software to either

i) link to an associated database, or

ii) link to another question in the script,

said method comprising the steps of:

a) presenting a question to a user;

b) receiving a response from the user; and

c) branching in response to the user'"'"'s response to the question to link to

i) the associated database, or

ii) to another question.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising querying the database through the said link to the associated database is a database query or a database entry.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the output of the database is a link to another question in the script.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the output of the database is data related to the interaction.

20. The method of claim 16 comprising linking to another page in the script (11).

21. The method of claim 16 comprising creating derived objects and calling a set of reusable base objects, data, public functions, and private functions.

22. The method of claim 16 comprising verifying one or more of the absence of unreachable pages, unreachable questions, and missing answer branches, and the presence of pages called by the script and translations.