Customer Service System and Method

• US 20070239474A1
• Filed: 04/21/2005
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: QM Group Limited
• Original Assignee: QM Group Limited
• Inventors: Christie, Martin
• Application Number:
  US11/587,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239474A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing

Abstract

A customer service system for matching servers to customers according to service requests made by the customers, includes a user terminal (4) for entering service requests from the customers, a central controller (2) arranged to receive service requests from the user terminal (4), and a database (8) containing data relating to the servers, the data including the current availability of each server. A communications system (12,14,16) enables the central controller (2) to communicate with communication devices (16) carried by the servers. The central controller (2) is constructed and arranged to select a server to respond to each service request according to predetermined criteria, including the availability of the servers, and transmits a call signal via the communications system (12,14,16) to the selected server, so that the server can respond to the customer'"'"'s service request.

Claims

1. A customer service system for matching servers to customers according to service requests made by the customers, the system including a user terminal for entering service requests from the customers, a central controller arranged to receive service requests from the user terminal, a database containing data relating to the servers, said data including the current availability of each server, and a communications system enabling the central controller to communicate with communication devices carried by the servers, wherein the central controller is constructed and arranged to select a server to respond to each service request according to predetermined criteria, said criteria including the availability of the servers, and to transmit a call signal via the communications system to the selected server, so that the server can respond to the customer'"'"'s service request.

2. A customer service system according to claim 1, wherein the database contains data relating to each server'"'"'s competence in responding to requests for different types of service, the user terminal includes means for specifying the type of service that is requested, and the predetermined criteria include the servers'"'"' competence in responding to the specified type of service.

3. A customer service system according to claim 2, wherein the database contains data relating to each server'"'"'s level of knowledge in relation to different products, the specified type of service includes information specifying a particular product, and the predetermined criteria include the servers'"'"' level of knowledge in relation to the specified product.

4. A customer service system according to claim 3, including a server logging unit that is constructed and arranged to enable servers to log in and out of the system.

5. A customer service system according to claim 4, wherein the communications system is constructed and arranged to enable two-way communication between the central controller and the servers.

6. A customer service system according to claim 5, wherein the communication devices carried by the servers are constructed and arranged to enable the servers to indicate their availability or non-availability.

7. A customer service system according to claim 6, wherein the user terminal includes display means for displaying information regarding selected products.

8. A customer service system according to claim 7, wherein the user terminal includes control means for selecting the displayed information.

9. A customer service system according to claim 8, including a plurality of user terminals, each user terminal being associated with a particular product or group of products.

10. A customer service system according to claim 9, wherein the central controller is constructed and arranged to calculate an estimated waiting time in relation to each service request, on the basis of predetermined criteria including the availability of servers.

11. A customer service system according to claim 10, wherein the user terminal includes means for communicating the estimated waiting time to a customer.

12. A customer service system according to claim 11, in which the central controller includes a booking system for booking an appointment with a server in relation to a specific service request.

13. A method of matching servers to customers according to service requests made by the customers, the method including receiving a service request from a customer via a user terminal, interrogating a database containing data relating to the servers, said data including the current availability of each server, selecting a server to deal with each service request according to predetermined criteria, said criteria including the availability of the servers, and transmitting a call signal to the selected server via a communication system, so that the server can respond to the customer'"'"'s service request.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the database contains data relating to each competence in responding to requests for different types of se method includes receiving a request for a specified type of services and selecting a server to respond to each service request according to criteria that include the servers'"'"' competence in responding to the specified type of service.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the database contains date relating to each server'"'"'s level of knowledge in relation to different products, and the method includes receiving a service request including data specifying a particular product, and selecting a server to respond to the service request according to criteria that include the servers'"'"' level of knowledge in relation to the specified product.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the servers log in and out of the system.

17. A method according to claim 16, including two-way communication between the central controller and the servers.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the servers indicate their availability or non-availability via the communications system.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein information regarding selected products or services is displayed on the user terminal.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the displayed information is selected by the user.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein a plurality of user terminals are provided, each user terminal being associated with a particular product or group of products.

22. A method according to claim 21, including calculating an estimated waiting time in relation to each service request, on the basis of predetermined criteria including the availability of servers.

23. A method according to claim 22, including displaying the estimated waiting time on the user terminal.

24. A method according to claim 23, including booking an appointment with a server in relation to specific service requests.