CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUESTS

• US 20100074427A1
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: CESARIO, James C. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 7,889,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.120
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

A method of establishing a telecommunication service over a communication network between a user and a telecommunications services agent using a computer terminal. The method includes providing information regarding the telecommunication service to the user, by the agent interacting with a customer service application. The method also includes retrieving information regarding complementary services that are related to the telecommunication service, by the agent interacting with the customer service application, and describing the retrieved information regarding the complementary services to the user. The method further includes automatically checking, by the customer service application, to determine if a computer terminal entry has been made by the agent indicating that the user has acknowledged receiving the information regarding complementary services, and establishing the telecommunication service for the user only when the customer service application indicates that the user has acknowledged receiving the information regarding the complementary services.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a telecommunication service over a communication network between a user and a telecommunications services agent using a computer terminal, the method comprising:

providing information regarding the telecommunication service over the communication network to the user, by the agent interacting with a customer service application using the computer terminal;

retrieving information regarding complementary services that are related to the telecommunication service, by the agent interacting with the customer service application;

describing the retrieved information regarding the complementary services to the user over the communication network;

automatically checking, by the customer service application, to determine if a computer terminal entry has been made by the agent indicating that the user has acknowledged receiving the information regarding complementary services; and

establishing the telecommunication service for the user only when the customer service application indicates that the user has acknowledged receiving the information regarding the complementary services.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

preventing the agent from establishing the telecommunication service for the user, when the customer service application indicates that the user has not acknowledged receiving the information regarding the complementary services.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer service application includes an interactive protocol that instructs the agent as to what specific information regarding the complementary services should be described to the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the interactive protocol includes the use of check boxes.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the interactive protocol includes the use of pull down menus.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the telecommunication service is a private line service, and the complementary services include a privacy screening service that enables a user to screen incoming calls.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information regarding the privacy screening service includes a description of how the privacy screening service provides a subscriber with an option to block all unidentified calls.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein information regarding the privacy screening service includes a description of how a subscriber to the private line service and the privacy screening service can prevent calls from a caller'"'"'s private number to the subscriber from being completed automatically, unless the caller authorizes that the caller'"'"'s telecommunication service to override the privacy of the caller'"'"'s private number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the complementary services includes billing information associated with the complementary services.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the telecommunication service includes billing information associated with the private line telecommunication service.

11. A computer readable storage medium that stores computer executable instructions for establishing a telecommunication service over a communication network between a user and a telecommunications services agent using a computer terminal, the medium comprising:

a providing segment that provides information regarding the telecommunication service over the communication network to the user, by the agent interacting with a customer service application using the computer terminal;

a retrieving segment that retrieves information regarding complementary services that are related to the telecommunication service, by the agent interacting with the customer service application;

a describing segment that describes the retrieved information regarding the complementary services to the user over the communication network;

a checking segment that automatically checks, by the customer service application, to determine if a computer terminal entry has been made by the agent indicating that the user has acknowledged receiving the information regarding complementary services; and

an establishing segment that establishes the telecommunication service for the user only when the customer service application indicates that the user has acknowledged receiving the information regarding the complementary services.

12. The medium of claim 11, further comprising:

a preventing segment that prevents the agent from establishing the telecommunication service for the user, when the customer service application indicates that the user has not acknowledged receiving the information regarding the complementary services.

13. The medium of claim 11, wherein the customer service application includes an interactive protocol that instructs the agent as to what specific information regarding the complementary services should be described to the user.

14. The medium of claim 11, wherein the telecommunication service is a private line service, and the complementary services include a privacy screening service that enables the user to screen incoming calls.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein information regarding the privacy screening service includes a description of how the privacy screening service provides a subscriber with an option to block all unidentified calls.

16. The medium of claim 14, wherein information regarding the privacy screening service includes a description of how a subscriber to the private line service and the privacy screening service can prevent calls from a caller'"'"'s private number to the subscriber from being completed automatically, unless the caller authorizes that the caller'"'"'s telecommunication service to override the privacy of the caller'"'"'s private number.

17. A computer terminal for establishing a telecommunication service over a communication network between a user and a telecommunications services agent using the computer terminal, the computer terminal comprising:

an agent interface that permits the agent to provide information regarding the telecommunication service over the communication network to the user, by the agent interacting with a customer service application using the computer terminal;

a memory that permits the agent to retrieve information from the memory regarding complementary services that are related to the telecommunication service, by the agent interacting with the customer service application;

a display that displays the retrieved information and permits the agent to describe the retrieved information regarding the complementary services to the user over the communication network; and

a processor that automatically checks, using the customer service application, to determine if a computer terminal entry has been made by the agent indicating that the user has acknowledged receiving the information regarding complementary services,

wherein the processor permits the agent to establish the telecommunication service for the user only when the customer service application indicates that the user has acknowledged receiving the information regarding the complementary services.

18. The computer terminal of claim 17, wherein the processor prevents the agent from establishing the telecommunication service for the user, when the customer service application indicates that the user has not acknowledged receiving the information regarding the complementary services.

19. The computer terminal of claim 17, wherein the customer service application includes an interactive protocol that instructs the agent as to what specific information regarding the complementary services should be described to the user.

20. The computer terminal of claim 17, wherein the telecommunication service is a private line service, and the complementary services include a privacy screening service that enables the user to screen incoming calls.