METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING A COMPUTER-TELEPHONY SYSTEM

• US 20100128717A1
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vonage Business Limited (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: NewVoiceMedia Limited (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Phipps, Dan, Pickering, Richard, Unitt, Ashley
• Granted Patent: US 9,679,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6018 Subscriber or terminal logon/logoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention provides a method of operating a computer-telephony system. The method comprises providing computer-telephony support for a plurality of customers. Each customer maintains customer relationship management, CRM data. The CRM data is uploaded from the plurality of customers into a computer-telephony database. The uploading includes transforming the CRM data from an original format maintained by the respective customer into a standardised format for the computer-telephony database. Telephone calls can then be handled using the transformed CRM data in the computer-telephony database.

Claims

1. A method of operating a computer-telephony system, the method comprising:

providing computer-telephony support for a plurality of customers, wherein each customer maintains customer relationship management (CRM) data;

uploading CRM data from the plurality of customers into a computer-telephony database, wherein said uploading includes transforming the CRM data from an original format maintained by the respective customer into a standardised format for the computer-telephony database; and

handling telephone calls by the computer-telephony system using the transformed CRM data in the computer-telephony database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer-telephony database further includes a configuration database describing the CRM data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said transforming is performed in accordance with information in the configuration database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said configuration database includes a web interface, and wherein said information in the configuration database can be provided or modified via the web interface.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising uploading one or more script questions into the computer-telephony database, wherein said one or more script questions are to be used in the handling of telephone calls.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the uploaded CRM data includes spreadsheet data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a call database, wherein information about telephone calls handled by the computer-telephony system is stored into the call database.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising using the stored information about the handling of a previous telephone call to determine the handling of a current call.

9. (canceled)

10. A computer-telephony system for providing computer-telephony support for a plurality of customers, wherein each customer maintains customer relationship management (CRM) data, the system comprising:

a computer-telephony database for storing CRM data from different customers in a standardised format; and

an upload mechanism for uploading CRM data from the plurality of customers into the computer-telephony database, wherein said uploading includes transforming the CRM data from an original format maintained by the respective customer into said standardised format for the computer-telephony database;

wherein the system is configured to handle telephone calls using the transformed CRM data in the computer-telephony database.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a configuration database describing the CRM data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said transforming is performed in accordance with information in the configuration database.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said configuration database includes a web interface, and wherein said information in the configuration database can be provided or modified via the web interface.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said system is configured for one or more script questions to be uploaded into the computer-telephony database for use in the handling of telephone calls.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the uploaded CRM data includes spreadsheet data.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a call database, wherein information about telephone calls handled by the computer-telephony system is stored in the call database.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system is configured to use the stored information about handling of a previous telephone call to determine the handling of a current call.

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. A computer program product for implementing a method of operating a computer-telephony system, the method comprising:

providing computer-telephony support for a plurality of customers, wherein each customer maintains customer relationship management (CRM) data;

uploading CRM data from the plurality of customers into a computer-telephony database, wherein said uploading includes transforming the CRM data from an original format maintained by the respective customer into a standardised format for the computer-telephony database; and

handling telephone calls by the computer-telephony system using the transformed CRM data in the computer-telephony database.