System for coordinating communications via customer contact channel changing system using call centre for setting up the call between customer and an available help agent

• US 5,884,032 A
• Filed: 09/25/1995
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pragmatus Telecom LLC (Pragmatus, LLC)
• Original Assignee: The New Brunswick Telephone Co.Ltd.
• Inventors: Kierstead, Bruce Edward, Bateman, Thomas Howard, Lockett, John Alan, Curry, Timothy Lee, Mersereau, Laurie Edward, Ouellette, Robert James, Noble, William Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Application Number:
  US08/532,537
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155, 395/156, 395/157, 395/158, 395/159, 395/160, 395/161, 395/700, 395/200.36, 395/200.57, 395/200.34, 379/88.19, 379/900, 379/40, 379/9, 379/203, 379/201, 379/202, 379/265, 379/266, 379/216, 379/209, 370/356
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• 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 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• 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 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 : for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 : Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 : Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 : Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13152 : Callback
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

This invention (The Customer Contact Channel Changer) enables the integration of different Customer Contact Channels such as live call center ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) agents, ADSI (Analog Display Services Interface) enhanced IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems and WWW (World Wide Web) servers. The world wide web servers are used to allow customers with computer equipment to access information from an organizations databases in a self service mode. Frequently these customers have questions best answered by human ACD agents. With this invention the connection between the customer with the question and the agent with the answer is done quickly and efficiently with both parties sharing screens of common information. Also control is retained by the customer to make the call happen when they want it.

Claims

1. A system for providing help to a customer having a customer telephone with a customer telephone number and connected to a public switched telephone network, and having a display and a processing platform connected to the Internet, the system comprising:

a WWW server connected to the Internet for presenting a first WWW page to said display of said processing platform, said page including a remote help request option which may be selected by said customer;

a plurality of help agent computers connectable to said WWW server each having a respective help agent telephone connectable to said public switched telephone network, each help agent computer and help agent telephone being assigned to a respective live help agent;

said WWW server also being for receiving a remote help request and subsequently for presenting to said display of said processing platform a second WWW page containing a help request form, and for receiving a completed help request form containing said customer telephone number from said processing platform;

a call centre in communication with said WWW server to which said WWW server can communicate said completed help request form, the call centre comprising an automatic call distributor for placing a telephone call between an available one of said agent telephones and the customer telephone over the PSTN as a function of the help request form;

the system including means for automatically presenting said first WWW page on the computer associated with said available one of said agent telephones and for bridging the call between said agent telephone and said customer telephone when the customer answers the telephone whereby said first WWW page is present on said agent'"'"'s computer when a telephone link between the agent telephone and customer telephone is completed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the request form further comprises a field for filling in a customer preferred time for call-back and wherein the call centre further comprises means for recording the requests and associated preferred call-back times, and is adapted to place calls at specified times according to the times in the recorded requests.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for transferring the request to the call centre is one of TCP/IP HHTP or E-mail.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein said means for automatically presenting said first WWW page on the computer comprises means for including a universal resource locator of the WWW page from which the customer selected live help in said help request form, and for forwarding this to said computer associated with said available one of said agent telephones.

5. A system for providing help to a customer having a display connected to a processing system which is connected to the Internet and displaying a first WWW page and a customer telephone having a handset and connected to a public switched telephone network, the system comprising:

a WWW server connected to the Internet for presenting said page on said display through said processing system, and for receiving a help request from said customer including the customer telephone number;

a plurality of help agent computers connectable to said WWW server each having a respective help agent telephone connectable to said public switched telephone network, each help agent computer and help agent telephone assigned to a respective live help agent;

a call centre in communication with said WWW server to which said WWW server can communicate said help request, the call centre comprising a switch for ringing the customer telephone with a distinctive ring and for detecting when the customer picks up the handset and for then placing a call to an available one of said help agent telephones.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the request form further comprises a URL indicating the WWW page from which the customer has requested help and with which the agent computer can be set up at the same WWW page.

7. In a communications system comprising a server connected to the Internet, customer premises equipment in a remote customer premises comprising a customer computer connectable to the Internet and a customer telephone having a telephone number and connected to a public switched telephone network in a remote customer, a call centre and a plurality of help agent workstations each comprising a help agent computer and a help agent telephone connectable through the public switched telephone network to the customer telephone, a method for the customer to obtain help in relation to a WWW page having a URL (universal resource locator) from the server displayed by the customer computer comprising the steps:

a) the call centre monitoring the agent telephones for availability;

b) the customer selecting a remote help option from the WWW page;

c) the customer'"'"'s computer preparing a help request form comprising the customer telephone'"'"'s number and the URL;

d) the system transferring the help request form to the call centre;

e) the call centre setting up a call over the public switched telephone network between the customer telephone and an available one of the agent telephones;

f) the call centre passing the URL to the agent computer; and

g) the agent computer displaying the WWW page identified by the URL.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the request form further comprises a field for filling in a customer preferred time for call-back and wherein the call centre attempts to set up the call at the customer preferred time for call-back.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein the help request is transferred from the customer computer to the call centre through TCP/IP HTTP or E-mail.

10. The method according to claim 7 wherein a message is sent back to the customer with an anticipated wait time when no live agent is available for immediate help.

11. The method according to claim 7 in which the help channel is a live agent workstation comprising a computer and telephone, wherein the agent'"'"'s computer is also provided with customer relevant information through the use of a caller identification system to identify the customer'"'"'s telephone number which is then used to query a customer database for the customer relevant information.

12. The method according to claim 11 in which the agent is further provided with a URL indicating from which page the customer has requested help and with which the agent can set up the agent computer at the same page.

13. The method according to claim 12 in which the URL is provided to the agent by the step of the server sensing which URL is being read from all customer connections, and performing a look-up into a database to determine corresponding CLIDs, and correlating CLIDs as they come in with the URL.

14. The method according to claim 7 wherein a message is sent back to the customer with an anticipated wait time when no live agent is available for immediate help.

15. The method according to claim 7 wherein the step of the customer'"'"'s computer preparing a help request form comprises receiving a telephone number input by the customer.

16. The method according to claim 7 wherein the step of the customer'"'"'s computer preparing a help request form is done automatically by the customer computer.

17. In a communications system comprising a server connected to the Internet, customer premises equipment in a remote customer premises comprising a customer computer connectable to the Internet and a customer telephone having a telephone number and connected to a public switched telephone network, a call centre and a plurality of help agent workstations each comprising a help agent computer and a help agent telephone connectable through the public switched telephone network to the customer telephone, a method for the customer to obtain help in relation to a WWW page having a URL (universal resource locator) from the server displayed by the customer computer comprising the steps:

a) the customer selecting a remote help option from the page;

b) the customer computer signalling a telephone switch to ring the customer telephone with a normal ring or a distinctive ring in response to the customer selecting the help option;

c) the telephone switch dialling the call centre automatically when the customer the picks up the handset; and

d) the call centre transferring the call to an available one of said help agent telephones.

18. The method according to claim 17 in which the call centre maintains a list of calls to be placed, and places the calls in the order in which the help requests were received.

19. The method according to claim 18 in which an outbound dialing system automatically maintains the list and places the calls.