Customer Communication System

• US 20170019784A1
• Filed: 07/14/2015
• Published: 01/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ujet, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ujet, Inc.
• Inventors: Janefalkar, Anand
• Granted Patent: US 11,228,906 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

A system for automatic authentication of service requests includes authentication of a remote access device. This authentication may be accomplished automatically prior to text or audio communication between a customer and a service agent. In some embodiments, authentication is accomplished automatically by authentication of the remote access device or accomplished by asking the customer questions. A single authentication of the remote access device may be used to authenticate a service request transferred between service agents. The authentication of the remote device may include, for example, use of a personal identification number, a fingerprint, a photograph, and/or a hardware identifier.

Claims

1. A customer communication system comprising:

a gatekeeper configured to receive digital identification data and to ratify the digital identification data by comparing the digital identification data to previously stored customer authentication data; and

a customer relationship management system configured to receive a customer service request from an access device and to connect the customer service request to an agent interface,

the customer relationship management system including authentication logic configured to authenticate a source of the customer service request using at least two methods, the two methods including;

a) providing questions to the agent interface and ratifying responses to the questions and

b) providing digital identification data received from the source of the customer service request to the gatekeeper and receiving an automated ratification of the digital identification data from the gatekeeper,

the customer relationship management system being further configured to provide secure customer data to the agent interface or grant permission to use the secure customer data, only after the authentication of the source of the customer service request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the gatekeeper is configured to support a plurality of customer relationship management systems.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the gatekeeper is remote from the customer relationship management system and configured to communicate with the customer relationship management system via a computer network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the gatekeeper is configured to provide access to the secure customer data using network access control.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the gatekeeper is configured to provide access to the secure customer data by providing an access key to the customer relationship management system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the access key is a temporary access key usable only during a limited period of time.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital identification data includes fingerprint data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital identification data includes a personal identification number.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital identification data includes image data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital identification data includes a network address.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital identification data includes a mobile equipment identifier.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the authentication logic is further configured to request automatic authentication of the source from the gatekeeper prior to providing the questions to the agent interface.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the authentication logic is further configured to request the digital identification data from the source of the customer service request in response to a request received from the agent interface.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the authentication logic is further configured to automatically re-authenticate the source of the customer service request in response to the customer service request being forwarded.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the authentication logic is further configured to authenticate the source of the customer service request by receiving a session identifier and providing the session identifier to the gatekeeper.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer relationship management system is further configured to provide less secure customer data to the agent interface prior to authentication of the source of the customer service request using the gatekeeper.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein gatekeeper is configured to ratify the digital identification data using an access control of the access device, the access control being configured for logging into the device.

18. An access device comprising:

a display;

a user input;

an input/output configured to initiate communication to a customer relationship management system;

an authentication agent configured to receive an authentication request from a customer relationship management system and to automatically provide digital identification data to a gatekeeper in response to the authentication request, wherein the authentication request includes an identifier of the customer relationship management system;

an access control configured to limit access via the display to the authentication agent; and

a processor configured to execute at least the authentication agent.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the gatekeeper includes an access control on the access device, the access control being configured for logging into the access device.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the digital identification data is provided to the gatekeeper via the customer relationship management system.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the authentication agent is configured to encrypt the digital identification data.

22. A method of managing a customer service request, the method comprising:

receiving the customer service request from a remote access device;

automatically sending an authentication request to the access device;

receiving digital identification data from the access device in response to the authentication request;

providing the digital identification data to a gatekeeper;

receiving from the gatekeeper a ratification of the digital identification data;

providing permission to discuss or access secure customer data, the permission being provided to an agent interface in response to receiving the ratification, the agent interface being configured for audio communication between a customer support agent and the access device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the digital identification data and the audio communication are both communicated over the same communication channel.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the secure customer data is provided to the agent interface only after the ratification of the digital identification data is received.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the secure customer data is provided to the agent interference using a security key received from the gatekeeper.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the digital identification data includes multi-factor identification data.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising storing a session identifier, forwarding the customer service request to a customer relationship management system, and using the session identifier to automatically ratify the access device to the customer relationship management system using the session identifier.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing less secure customer data to the agent interface prior to receiving the ratification of the digital identification data, the less secure customer data being less secure than the secure customer data.

29. A method of managing a customer service request, the method comprising:

receiving the customer service request from a remote access device;

sending an authentication request to the access device;

receiving a ratification of digital identification data, the ratification being generated by comparison of a PIN, password or fingerprint data received from an access control of the access device to previously stored authentication data, the access control being configured for logging into the access device;

providing permission to discuss or access secure customer data, the permission being provided to an agent interface in response to receiving the ratification, the agent interface being configured for audio communication between a customer support agent and the access device.