SEARCH AND CHAT INTEGRATION SYSTEM

• US 20100125592A1
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: James, Constance Landreth, Dauginas, Edward Patton, Monberg, Brooke Kathryn, Suayan, William C.A., Yu, Wenxin
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide systems, methods, and computer program products for providing improved customer service by presenting a customer with an invitation to chat with a customer service associate that is skilled in a subject matter of interest to the customer and is currently available to chat with the customer. For example, in one embodiment, a system is provided having a communication interface configured to receive a search query from a consumer, such as an Internet search query entered into a search field of a web page. The system further comprises a processor operatively coupled to the communication interface and configured to compare information about the search query to one or more rules stored in a memory to determine whether a customer service associate skilled in an area related to the subject matter of the search query is currently available to chat with the consumer over, for example, the Internet.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive a search query from a user; and

a processor operatively coupled to the communication interface and configured to facilitate a chat session based on a comparison of information about the search query to a rule.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information about the search query comprises the search query itself.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the chat session comprises substantially real-time electronic communication.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the chat session comprises communication between the user and a chat agent.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the rule relates at least partially to whether the chat agent is skilled in a subject matter related to the search query.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the rule relates at least partially to whether the chat agent is currently available to chat.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate a search using the search query.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the search query comprises a request to search at least a portion of the Internet.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory device operatively coupled to the processor and comprising the rule stored therein, wherein the processor is configured to compare the information about the search query with the rule, and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether there exists a chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the user-initiated search query based at least partially on a comparison of the information about the search query with the rule.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory device operatively coupled to the processor and comprising the rule stored therein, wherein the processor is configured to compare the information about the search query with the rule, and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether a chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the user-initiated search query is currently available to chat based at least partially on a comparison of the information about the search query with the rule.

11. A system comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive information about a user-initiated search query; and

a processor operatively coupled to the communication interface and configured to determine whether there exists a chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the user-initiated search query.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the user-initiated search query is currently available to chat.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to use the communication interface to communicate information about whether there exists a chat agent in a subject matter related to the user-initiated search query to another device.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a memory device operatively coupled to the processor and comprising a chat agent skill set, wherein the processor is configured to compare the information about a user-initiated search query with the chat agent skill set, and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether there exists a chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the user-initiated search query based at least partially on a comparison of the information about a user-initiated search query with the chat agent skill set.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the memory device provides a substantially real-time representation of at least a portion of the chat agent skill set.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a memory device operatively coupled to the processor and comprising a chat agent availability, wherein the processor is configured to compare the information about a user-initiated search query with the chat agent availability, and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether a chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the user-initiated search query is available to chat based at least partially on a comparison of the information about a user-initiated search query with the chat agent availability.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the memory device provides a substantially real-time representation of at least a portion of the chat agent availability.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a memory device operatively coupled to the processor and comprising a list of subject matters, wherein the processor is configured to determine a subject matter that the search query is related to and compare the subject matter to the list of subject matters, and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether there exists a chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the user-initiated search query based at least partially on a comparison of the subject matter to the list of subject matters.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to initiate a chat between a chat agent and the user if the processor determines that there exists a chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the user-initiated search query.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to initiate the chat by communicating with a chat system configured to send an invitation to the user to join the chat.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to initiate the chat by sending a chat message to a user terminal.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to initiate the chat by sending a chat vendor client to a user terminal, and wherein the chat vendor client is configured to contact a chat vendor.

23. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether there exists a chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the user-initiated search query by comparing the received information about the user-initiated search query to a rule and communicating with a comparison system based on a comparison of the received information about the user-initiated search query to the rule.

24. The system of claim 11, wherein the information about the user-initiated search query comprises the user-initiated search query.

25. The system of claim 11, wherein the information about the user-initiated search query comprises information about the subject matter of the user-initiated search query.

26. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication device is configured to receive the information about the user-initiated search query from a user terminal.

27. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication device is configured to receive the information about the user-initiated search query from a search front end system.

28. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate a search using the information received about the user-initiated search query.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the search comprises a search of materials on at least a portion of the internet.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the processor is further configured to use the communication interface to communicate results of the search to a user terminal.

31. A customer service system comprising:

a server configured to provide a web page having a search field, said search field allowing a user to enter a search query;

a processing device configured to provide the user with an invitation to chat with a particular customer service associate based on the search query entered into the search field.

32. The customer service system of claim 31, wherein the processing device is configured to receive the search query, determine the subject matter of the search query, and determine whether a customer service associate specializing in the subject matter of the search query is currently available to chat with the user.

33. A system for directing a user to a chat session with a chat agent, the system comprising:

a device configured to receive a search query from the user, return a search result to the user based at least partially on the search query, compare the search query to a rule, and present the user with a path to the chat session based at least partially on a comparison of the search query to the rule.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the rule relates at least partially to whether there exists a chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the search query.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the rule relates at least partially to whether the chat agent is available to chat.

36. A method of directing a user to a chat session, the method comprising:

receiving a search query from a user via a computer apparatus;

comparing the search query to information stored in a memory of a computer apparatus; and

using a computer apparatus to present to the user a path to a chat session based at least partially on a comparison of the search query to the information stored in the memory.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

returning a search result to the user using a computer apparatus, said search result comprising information related to the search query.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

performing a search using a computer apparatus, said search comprising a search for information related to the search query.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the chat session comprises substantially real-time communication between the user and a chat agent.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein comparing the search query to information stored in a memory of a computer apparatus comprises:

comparing information about the search query to information about a chat agent skill set; and

determining whether there exists a chat agent skilled in a subject matter related to the search query based at least partially on a comparison of the information about the search query with the information about the chat agent skill set.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein comparing the search query to information stored in a memory of a computer apparatus comprises:

comparing information about the search query to substantially real-time information about chat agent availability; and

determining whether there a chat agent is currently available to chat with the user based at least partially on a comparison of information about the search query to the substantially real-time information about chat agent availability.

42. A computer program product for providing customer service, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a search portion configured for receiving a search query from a customer and returning a search result to the customer based at least partially on the search query;

a chat portion configured for facilitating a chat session, the chat session comprising substantially real-time electronic communication between the customer and a customer service associate; and

a comparison portion configured for comparing the search query to a rule and presenting the customer with a path to the chat session based at least partially on a comparison between the search query and the rule.

43. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the rule is based at least partially on whether a subject matter of the search query at least partially relates to a skill set of a customer service associate.

44. The computer program product of claim 43, wherein the rule is further based at least partially on customer service associate availability.