MULTI-MODAL MOBILE CUSTOMER CARE SYSTEM

• US 20130094647A1
• Filed: 03/09/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mauro, David Andrew, Raman, Vijay R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,992,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• 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 3/5141 Details of processing calls and other types of contacts in an unified manner unified messaging in packet-switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0042 where the data service is a text-based messaging service H04M7/0054 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service

Abstract

Customer service and/or care providers generally have multiple communications channels (i.e., modes of communications, such as an Internet webpage, live agent telephones, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system) of communication with which a customer may interact with the customer service provider. Currently, customers must select the communications channel by guessing which communications channel would best accommodate the customer'"'"'s purpose/need for communicating with the customer service provider. In some scenarios, the customer may select the wrong communications channel because the selected channel is not able to service the customer'"'"'s need. In another scenario, the customer may select a channel that is more cumbersome to service the customer'"'"'s particular need than another channel of the customer service provider. Embodiments of the present invention provide an interface that integrates the multiple channels of the customer service provider and recommends a channel based on an identification of a customer service need of the customer.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with a customer care provider having multiple channels of communication, the method comprising:

providing an interface to a customer, the interface integrating a plurality of communications channels using respective media from a customer to the customer care provider;

determining a customer service need of the customer based on a state of the interface; and

recommending a communications channel for the customer to communicate with the customer care provider based on the customer service need of the customer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein recommending the communications channel includes automatically selecting a channel by which the customer is to communicate with the customer care provider.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining capabilities of each of the plurality of communications channels of the customer care provider; and

wherein recommending the at least one of the plurality of communications channels includes selecting the at least one of the plurality of communications channels based on a combination of the customer service need and the capabilities of each of the plurality of communications channels of the customer care provider.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein recommending the communications channel further includes matching the capabilities of at least one of the plurality of communications channels with the customer service need of the customer.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein recommending the communications channel is based on at least one of the following:

customer preference, history of use, complexity of the customer service need, ease of use of the at least one of the plurality of communications channels.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein recommending a communications channel includes recommending a different communications channel of the plurality of communications channels in response to a change in state of a communications channel currently employed by the customer.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein recommending a communications channel includes recommending the different communications channel in response to a change in the customer service need of the customer.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising transferring identification and authorization information of the customer to the different communications channel state upon or after switching to the different communications channel.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein recommending a different communications channel further includes directing the customer directly to a component of the different communications channel capable of servicing the customer service need of the customer.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a one-time security Personal Identification Number (PIN) to the customer for secure access to the different communications channel.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface includes at least one of the following:

a graphical user interface, visual display, and audio interface.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of communications channels includes at least one of the following:

an interactive voice response (IVR) system, electronic email, text messaging service and internet.

13. A method for facilitating multiple modes of communications between a first party and a second party, the method comprising:

providing an interface to a first party, the interface supporting multiple modes of communications between the first party and the second party, the multiple modes of communications associated with respective channels;

based on the first party'"'"'s interaction with the interface using a first mode of communications determining whether to activate a channel with a second mode of communications and, in an event the first and second modes of communications have related states causing the second mode of communications to initialize to a state corresponding to the state of the first mode of communications.

14. A system for communicating with a customer care provider having multiple channels of communication, the system comprising:

an interface configure to integrate a plurality of communications channels using respective media from a customer to the customer care provider;

a determining module configured to determine a customer service need of the customer based on a state of the interface; and

a recommending module configured to recommend a communications channel for the customer to communicate with the customer care provider based on the customer service need of the customer.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the recommending module is further configured to automatically select a channel by which the customer is to communicate with the customer care provider.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the determining module is further configured to determine the capabilities of each of the plurality of communications channels of the customer care provider;

and

wherein the recommending module is further configured to select the at least one of the plurality of communications channels based on a combination of the customer service need and the capabilities of each of the plurality of communications channels of the customer care provider.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the recommending module is further configured to match the capabilities of at least one of the plurality of communications channels with the customer service need of the customer.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the recommending module is configured to recommend the at least one of the plurality of communications channels based on at least one of the following:

customer preference, history of use, complexity of the customer service need, ease of use of the at least one of the plurality of communications channels.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the recommending module is wherein the recommending module is further configured to recommend a different communications channel of the plurality of communicators channels in response to a change in state of a communications channel currently employed by the customer.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the recommending module is further configured to recommend the different communications channel in response to a change in the customer service need of the customer.

21. The system of claim 19 further comprising a transferring module configured to transfer identification and authorization information of the customer to the different communications channel upon or after switching to the different communications channel.

22. The system of claim 17 wherein the recommending module is further configured to direct the customer directly to a component of the different communications channel capable of servicing the customer service need of the customer.

23. The system of claim 19 further comprising a security module configured to provide a one-time security Personal Identification Number (PIN) to the customer for secure access to the different communications channel.

24. The system of claim 14 wherein the interface includes at least one of the following:

a graphical user interface, visual display, and audio interface.

25. The system of claim 14 wherein the plurality of communications channels includes at least one of the following:

an interactive voice response (IVR) system, email, text messaging service, and internet.

26. A system for facilitating multiple modes of communications between a first party and a second party, the system comprising:

an interface configured to support multiple modes of communications between the first party and the second party, the multiple modes of communications associated with respective channels;

based on the first party'"'"'s interaction with the interface using a first mode of communications a determining module is configured to determine whether to activate a channel with a second mode of communications and, in an event the first and second modes of communications have related states causing the second mode of communications to initialize to a state corresponding to the state of the first mode of communications. 10

27. A computer readable medium having computer readable program codes embodied therein for communicating with a customer care provider having multiple channels of communication, the computer readable program codes including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

provide an interface to a customer, the interface integrating a plurality of communications channels using respective media from a customer to the customer care provider;

determine a customer service need of the customer based on a state of the interference; and

recommend a communications channel for the customer to communicate with the customer care provider based on the customer service need of the customer.

28. A computer readable medium having computer readable program codes embodied therein for facilitating multiple modes of communications between a first party and a second party, the computer readable program codes including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

provide an interface to a first party, the interface supporting multiple modes of communications between the first party and the second party, the multiple modes of communications associated with respective channels;

based on the first party'"'"'s interaction with the interface using a first mode of communications, determine whether to activate a channel with a second mode of communications and, in an event the first and second modes of communications have related states causing the second mode of communications to initialize to a state corresponding to the state of the first mode of communications.