Customer satisfaction system and method

• US 20050216363A1
• Filed: 01/12/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bergman, Barbara von, Vaccarelli, Vincent P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,778,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls

Abstract

A customer satisfaction system, includes a query module for automatically sending queries to customers as to problems with goods or services provided by a provider according to a predetermined schedule and for receiving responses from customers to the queries; an analysis module for analyzing responses from customers and for sending responses indicating a problem to a problem solver for resolution; and at least one problem solver for responding to customer problems, for generating solutions to customer problems and for transmitting solutions to customers; wherein, upon transmission of a solution to a customer problem to a customer, the query module sends a query to the customer requesting verification that the problem has been solved.

Claims

1. A customer satisfaction system for allowing a provider of goods or services to sense and respond to problems from a plurality of customers of the provider, comprising:

a query module, wherein the query module is configured to;

automatically send, over a communications network, according to a predetermined schedule, queries to customers as to problems with goods or services provided by the provider, and

receive responses, via the communications network, from customers to the queries;

an analysis module, wherein the analysis module is configured to;

analyze responses from customers to identify customer problems,

send responses with identified customer problems, over the communications network, to a problem solver for resolution,

receive solutions from problem solvers via the communications network,

upon receipt of a solution to an identified problem from a problem solver, cause the query module to send to the customer, via the communications network, a request for verification that the identified problem has been solved,

maintain the response with the identified customer problem as unsolved until receipt of verification from the customer that the identified customer problem has been solved; and

a storage database for storing queries sent to customers, responses received from customers and solutions generated by problem solvers;

wherein the provider can access the storage database to identify problems identified by customers and solutions provided by problem solvers.

2. The customer satisfaction system of claim 1, further comprising a report generator module, wherein the report generator module is configured to generate a report of queries sent, responses received, problems identified and solutions generated.

3. The customer satisfaction system of claim 1, wherein a query sent to a customer from the query module includes a survey having an interactive icon for problems and an interactive icon for no problems.

4. The customer satisfaction system of claim 3, wherein responsive to a customer interaction with the interactive icon for problems, the query module sends a customer survey to the customer, wherein the customer survey includes spaces for the customer to describe a problem.

5. The customer satisfaction system of claim 1, wherein the analysis module includes a pattern recognition system for analyzing customer problems.

6. The customer satisfaction system of claim 1, wherein an identified problem sent to a problem solver from the analysis module includes information describing the identified problem and priority information.

7. The customer satisfaction system of claim 1, further comprising a problem solver module, wherein the problem solver module is configured to display, for each assigned problem solver, a problem solver list comprising a listing of all identified problems and their status to the assigned problem solver.

8. The customer satisfaction system of claim 7, wherein the problem solver module is further configured to display a problem ticket update page, wherein the update page includes spaces for the problem solver to input solution information.

9. A method for allowing a provider of goods or services to sense and respond to problems from a plurality of customers of the provider over a communications network, comprising:

automatically sending, over a communications network, according to a predetermined schedule, queries to customers as to problems with goods or services provided by the provider;

receiving responses, via the communications network, from customers to the queries;

analyzing responses from customers to identify customer problems,

sending responses with identified customer problems, over the communications network, to problem solvers for resolution,

receiving solutions from problem solvers via the communications network,

upon receipt of a solution to an identified problem from a problem solver, sending to the customer, via the communications network, a request for verification that the identified problem has been solved, and

maintaining the response with the identified customer problem as unsolved until receipt of verification from the customer that the identified customer problem has been solved; and

storing queries sent to customers, responses received from customers and solutions generated by problem solvers in a storage database;

wherein the provider can access the storage database to identify problems identified by customers and solutions provided by problem solvers.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating a report of queries sent, responses received, problems identified and solutions generated.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a query sent to a customer includes an interactive icon for problems and an interactive icon for no problems.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein responsive to a customer interaction with the interactive icon for problems, sending a customer survey to the customer, wherein the customer survey includes spaces for the customer to describe a problem.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the analysis step includes using a pattern recognition system for analyzing customer problems.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein an identified problem sent to a problem solver includes information describing the identified problem and priority information.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying, for each assigned problem solver, a problem solver docket comprising a listing of all identified problems and their status to the assigned problem solver.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying, for the assigned problem solver, a problem ticket update page, wherein the update page includes spaces for the problem solver to input solution information.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the communications network comprises the Internet.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the communications network comprises an intranet.