SECURE CUSTOMER SERVICE PROXY PORTAL

• US 20110110364A1
• Filed: 04/26/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Five9, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Five9, Inc.
• Inventors: Margulies, Edwin Kenneth, Katz, Joseph, Fried, Lance
• Granted Patent: US 8,755,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking messaging within social networks H04L51/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

A portal system for secure, aggregated and centralized management and access of disparate customer service and social networking environments is disclosed. A user interface provides multiple, parameter-based automated service scripts, each configured to utilize customer information. The scripts link to vendor-specific, scenario-specific, and social networking-specific interfaces that have common user interface elements. Shared and dedicated reverse automation gateways are configured to emulate the step-by-step self-service aspects of web sites and interactive voice response systems. The portal system eliminates or reduces inbound toll-free telephone charges for vendor contact centers and additionally links the same to social networking systems.

Claims

1. A communications portal system for one or more contact centers each having an associated interface to service functionalities, comprising:

a network gateway connectable to a user device over a first telecommunications link and to a first one of the contact centers over a second telecommunications link;

a reverse automation subsystem connected to the network gateway and including one or more executable scripts, a first one of the executable scripts being specific to a first interface associated with the first one of the contact centers, the first one of the contact centers being receptive to and at least partially regulated by outputs generated by the first one of the executable scripts; and

a user interface aggregation matrix transforming inputs from the user device to unified inputs for the one or more executable scripts.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first one of the executable scripts is programmed to hold a position in a queue for the contact center on behalf of a user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first one of the executable scripts is receptive to outputs generated from the contact center, the responses being transmitted to the user device through the network gateway via the first telecommunications link.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the responses transmitted to the user device are in a predetermined format particular to the user device.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the responses are transmitted to the user device in real-time.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the responses are transmitted to the user device in non real-time.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second telecommunications link is an emulated inbound toll free network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more contact centers are behind an enterprise firewall; and

the communications portal system are connected to the one or more contact centers from outside the enterprise firewall.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a profile associated with a user and being defined by one or more personas each including configuration attributes for each of the executable scripts;

wherein the first one of the executable scripts is at least partially regulated by the configuration attributes with respect to the particular user to which the persona profile is associated.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a first one of the configuration attributes is selected from a group consisting of:

an account identifier, contact identifiers, a user device identifier, and an external account identifier.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein a second one of the configuration attributes defines an extent to which the first one of the configuration attributes is transmitted to the first one of the contact centers.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a security module connected to the network gateway and the reverse automation subsystem, access to the executable scripts being restricted thereby prior to authentication by a user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the authentication includes transmitting a biometric identifier from the user device to the security module.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the security module calls back does voice authentication

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database in communication with the reverse automation subsystem and the user interface aggregation matrix, data associated therewith being stored in the database.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a media server connected to the network gateway, the media server including one or more multimedia content transferable to the user device for playback thereon.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the multimedia content is selected from a group consisting of:

call progress sounds, music on hold, and status messages.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second telecommunications links is selected from a group consisting of:

a public switched telephone network (PTSN), and an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is selected from a group consisting of:

a web browser, a smart phone, a telephone, a Voice over IP-based telephone, and a set-top television box.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein a one of the contact centers is selected from a group consisting of:

a business website, an interactive voice response (IVR) system, and a social networking website.