METHOD, SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR ALLOCATING VIRTUAL UNIVERSE CUSTOMER SERVICE

• US 20100058183A1
• Filed: 09/02/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Sand, Anne R., Walker, Keith R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,296,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Virtual universe customer service representatives axe cloned and assigned as a function of observing customer behavior, retrieving historical data and creating a customer profile Preferential subavatar assignment parameters are determined for a customer as a function of the customer profile, choosing a subavatar from a plurality of subavatars as a function of a correlation of a subavatar performance characteristic with the preferential subavatar assignment parameter and a store objective, and the clone is populated with the chosen subavatar Choosing a subavatar may comprise preferentially rating subavatars and determining an appropriateness threshold as a function of the subavatar assignment parameter, the performance characteristics and the stole objective. Some embodiments reset a threshold in response to time-in-queue or to repetitively observing customer behavior, retrieving customer data, determining a subavatar assignment parameter and choosing a highest-rated available subavatar meeting a revised threshold. Subavatars may comprise automated, customer service representative-controlled and jointly-controlled subavatars.

Claims

1. A method for allocating customer service representatives in a virtual universe, comprising:

defining a virtual universe store comprising an original customer service representative avatar, the store configured to provide a plurality of subavatars, each of the subavatars having a capability of the original avatar and a divergent performance characteristic;

in response to a customer avatar entering the virtual universe store and an unavailability of the original customer service representative avatar, cloning the original customer service representative avatar and assigning the clone to the customer avatar;

observing a behavior of the customer avatar;

retrieving historical customer data from a data store;

creating a customer profile from the observed behavior and the retrieved historical customer data;

determining a preferential subavatar assignment parameter for the customer avatar as a function of the customer profile;

choosing a subavatar from the plurality of subavatars as a function of a correlation of the performance characteristic of the chosen subavatar with the preferential subavatar assignment parameter and a store objective;

populating the assigned clone with the chosen subavatar; and

the populated clone engaging the customer avatar

2. The method of claim 1, wherein choosing the subavatar comprises:

preferentially rating each of the plurality of subavatars;

determining an appropriateness threshold as a function of the preferential subavatar assignment parameter, the subavatar performance characteristics and the store objective;

determining whether at least one of the subavatars meets the appropriateness threshold and is available; and

choosing a highest-rated available subavatar of the at least one available subavatars meeting the appropriateness threshold;

or

if no rated subavatars meet the appropriateness threshold and are available, the clone greeting the customer avatar and informing the customer avatar of a delay in service, and adding the customer to a master queue until any of the rated subavatars meet the appropriateness threshold or a revised threshold and are available.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising setting the revised threshold to qualify an available subavatar rated below the appropriateness threshold for choosing in response to the customer residing in the master queue longer than a maximum time-in-queue time.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

setting the revised threshold by looping repetitively through the observing the customer avatar behavior, the retrieving historical customer data, the creating the customer profile, the determining the preferential subavatar assignment parameter, and the preferentially rating the subavatars;

determining the revised threshold with each loop; and

choosing a highest-rated available subavatar of the at least one available subavatars meeting the revised threshold and available until at least one of the rated subavatars meets the revised threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of subavatars comprise:

a first-type automated subavatar;

a second-type primary subavatar controlled by the original customer service representative avatar, wherein the original customer service representative avatar is controlled by a human; and

a third-type jointly-controlled subavatar controlled by the original customer service representative avatar and the first-type automated subavatar, wherein at least one third-type jointly-controlled subavatar routine is controlled by the first-type automated subavatar; and

wherein the performance characteristic of the chosen subavatar comprises an identification of subavatar type

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether at least one of the subavatars meets the appropriateness threshold and is available is a function of a predicted transaction complexity factor or a predicted transaction revenue value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

observing the behavior of the customer avatar comprises at least one of parsing a customer communication, observing avatar movement relative to a store region, and identifying a movement meaning or movement quality through comparison to a database of known movement meanings or known movement qualities; and

determining the preferential subavatar assignment parameter comprises adjusting a customer priority rating upward or downward as a function of at least one of the parsed customer communication, the observed relative store region avatar movement, the identified movement, and the movement quality

8. The method of claim 7, wherein creating the customer profile from the observed behavior and the retrieved historical customer data is a function of at least one of:

sales history data associated with the customer avatar or a user of the customer avatar;

an inventory of the customer avatar;

a level of establishment of the user or the customer avatar within the virtual universe;

a real-life residence of the user; and

a notoriety of the user or the customer avatar

9. A service fox allocating customer service representatives in a virtual universe, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure configured to;

in response to a customer avatar entering a virtual universe store and an unavailability of an original customer service representative avatar, clone the original customer service representative avatar and assign the clone to the customer avatar, wherein the virtual universe store comprises an original customer service representative avatar and a plurality of subavatars, each of the subavatars having a capability of the original avatar and a diver gent performance characteristic;

observe a behavior of the customer avatar;

retrieve historical customer data from a data store;

create a customer profile from the observed behavior and the retrieved historical customer data;

determine a preferential subavatar assignment parameter for the customer as a function of the customer profile;

choose a subavatar from the plurality of subavatars as a function of a correlation of the performance characteristic of the chosen subavatar with the preferential subavatar assignment parameter and a store objective; and

populate the assigned clone with the chosen subavatar

10. The service of claim 9, wherein choosing the subavatar comprises:

preferentially rating each of the plurality of subavatars;

determining an appropriateness threshold as a function of the preferential subavatar assignment parameter;

the subavatar performance characteristics and the store objective;

determining whether at least one of the subavatars meets the appropriateness threshold and is available; and

choosing a highest-rated available subavatar of the at least one available subavatars meeting the appropriateness threshold;

or

if no rated subavatars meet the appropriateness threshold and are available, the clone greeting the customer avatar and informing the customer avatar of a delay in service, and adding the customer to a master queue until any of the rated subavatars meet the appropriateness threshold or a revised threshold and are available.

11. The service of claim 10, the computer infrastructure further configured to set the revised threshold to qualify an available subavatar rated below the appropriateness threshold for choosing in response to the customer residing in the master queue longer than a maximum time-in-queue time.

12. The service of claim 10, the computer infrastructure further configured to set the revised threshold by:

looping repetitively through the observing the customer avatar behavior, the retrieving historical customer data, the creating the customer profiler the determining the preferential subavatar assignment parameter, and the preferentially rating the subavatars;

determining the revised threshold with each loop; and

choosing a highest-rated available subavatar of the at least one available subavatars meeting the revised threshold and available until at least one of the rated subavatars meets the revised threshold.

13. The service of claim 12, the computer infrastructure configured to determine whether at least one of the subavatars meets the appropriateness threshold and is available as a function of a predicted transaction complexity factor or a predicted transaction revenue value

14. The service of claim 13, the computer infrastructure configured to:

observe the behavior of the customer avatar by at least one of;

parsing a customer communication, observing avatar movement relative to a store region, and identifying a movement meaning or movement quality through comparison to a database of known movement meanings or known movement qualities; and

determine the preferential subavatar assignment parameter by adjusting a customer priority rating upward or downward as a function of at least one of the parsed customer communication, the observed relative store region avatar movement, the identified movement, and the movement quality.

15. The service of claim 14, the computer infrastructure configured to create the customer profile from the observed behavior and the retrieved historical customer data as a function of at least one of:

sales history data associated with the customer avatar or a user of the customer avatar;

an inventory of the customer avatar;

a level of establishment of the user or the customer avatar within the virtual universe;

a real-life residence of the user; and

a notoriety of the user or the customer avatar.

16. A method for allocating customer service representatives in a virtual universe, comprising:

producing computer executable program code;

storing the code on a computer readable medium; and

providing the program code to be deployed and executed on a computer system, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, cause the computer system to;

in response to a customer avatar entering a virtual universe store and an unavailability of an original customer service representative avatar, clone the original customer service representative avatar and assign the clone to the customer avatar, wherein the virtual universe store comprises an original customer service representative avatar and a plurality of subavatars, each of the subavatars having a capability of the original avatar and a divergent performance characteristic;

observe a behavior of the customer avatar;

retrieve historical customer data from a data store;

create a customer profile from the observed behavior and the retrieved historical customer data;

determine a preferential subavatar assignment parameter for the customer as a function of the customer profile;

choose a subavatar from the plurality of subavatars as a function of a correlation of the performance characteristic of the chosen subavatar with preferential subavatar assignment parameter; and

populate the assigned clone with the chosen subavatar.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein choosing the subavatar comprises:

preferentially rating each of the plurality of subavatars;

determining an appropriateness threshold as a function of the preferential subavatar assignment parameter, the subavatar performance characteristics and the store objective;

determining whether at least one of the subavatars meets the appropriateness threshold and is available; and

choosing a highest-rated available subavatar of the at least one available subavatars meeting the appropriateness threshold;

or

if no rated subavatars meet the appropriateness threshold and are available, the clone greeting the customer avatar and informing the customer avatar of a delay in service, and adding the customer to a master queue until any of the rated subavatars meet the appropriateness threshold or a revised threshold and are available.

18. The method of claim 17, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, causes the computer system to set the revised threshold by:

looping repetitively through the observing the customer avatar behavior, the retrieving historical customer data, the creating the customer profile, the determining the preferential subavatar assignment parameter, and the preferentially rating the subavatars;

determining the revised threshold with each loop and choosing a highest-rated available subavatar of the at least one available subavatars meeting the revised threshold and available until at least one of the rated subavatars meets the revised threshold.

19. The method of claim 18, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, causes the computer system to:

observe the behavior of the customer avatar by at least one of parsing a customer communication, observing avatar movement relative to a store region, and identifying a movement meaning or movement quality through comparison to a database of known movement meanings or known movement qualities; and

determine the preferential subavatar assignment parameter by adjusting a customer priority rating upward or downward as a function of at least one of the parsed customer communication, the observed relative store region avatar movement, the identified movement, and the movement quality

20. The method of claim 19, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, causes the computer system to create the customer profile from the observed behavior and the retrieved historical customer data as a function of at least one of:

sales history data associated with the customer avatar or a user of the customer avatar;

an inventory of the customer avatar;

a level of establishment of the customer avatar or the user within the virtual universe;

a real-life residence of the user; and

a notoriety of the user or the customer avatar

21. A programmable device comprising:

a processing means;

a memory in communication with the processing means comprising a customer profiler component, a persistence system component, an operator ability rater component and a potential revenue predictor component; and

a network interface in communication with the processing means and the memory;

wherein the processing means is configured to;

in response to a customer avatar entering a virtual universe store and an unavailability of an original customer service representative avatar, clone the original customer service representative avatar and assign the clone to the customer avatar, wherein the virtual universe store comprises an original customer service representative avatar and a plurality of subavatars, each of the subavatars having a capability of the original avatar and a divergent performance characteristic;

observe a behavior of the customer avatar;

retrieve historical customer data from a data store;

create a customer profile from the observed behavior and the retrieved historical customer data;

determine a preferential subavatar assignment parameter for the customer as a function of the customer profile;

choose a subavatar from the plurality of subavatars as a function of a correlation of the performance characteristic of the chosen subavatar with the preferential subavatar assignment parameter and a store objective; and

populate the assigned clone with the chosen subavatar.

22. The programmable device of claim 21, wherein the plurality of subavatars comprises:

a first-type automated subavatar;

a second-type primary subavatar configured to be controlled by the original customer service representative avatar, wherein the original customer service representative avatar is controlled by a human; and

a third-type jointly-controlled subavatar configured to be controlled by the original customer service representative avatar and the first-type automated subavatar, wherein at least one third-type jointly-controlled subavatar routine is controlled by the first-type automated subavatar; and

wherein the performance characteristic of the chosen subavatar comprises an identification of subavatar type.

23. The programmable device of claim 21, wherein the processing means is configured to:

observe the behavior of the customer avatar by at least one of;

parsing a customer communication, observing avatar movement relative to a store region, and identifying a movement meaning or movement quality through comparison to a database of known movement meanings or known movement qualities; and

determine the preferential subavatar assignment parameter by adjusting a customer priority rating upward or downward as a function of at least one of the parsed customer communication, the observed relative store region avatar movement, the identified movement, and the movement quality.

24. The programmable device of claim 23, wherein the processing means is configured to create the customer profile from the observed behavior and the retrieved historical customer data as a function of at least one of:

sales history data associated with the customer or a user of the customer avatar;

an inventory of the customer avatar;

a level of establishment of the customer avatar or the user within the virtual universe;

a real-life residence of the user; and

a notoriety of the user or the customer avatar.