System and method for telemarketing through a hypertext network

• US 6,134,318 A
• Filed: 03/19/1997
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Neil, Joseph Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US08/820,195
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 379/266.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/432 Arrangements for calling a subscriber at a specific time, e.g. morning call service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• 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 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

Abstract

A system and method for providing telemarketing services through a hypertext network that interconnects a telemarketing server system with a customer computer and an agent computer. The telemarketing server accepts a telemarketing request from the customer, and forwards the request to the agent if the agent is available, and to a queue if the agent is not available. When an agent receives a request, communications are either established between the customer and agent at once, or else scheduled for a later time. Telemarketing functions are implemented separately from media transport functions through a hypertext network such that the need for geographic centralization of telemarketing agents is eliminated.

Claims

1. A telemarketing server for use in a telemarketing system for providing telemarketing services through the Internet that interconnects agents and customers, said telemarketing server comprising a server system that accepts a request for telemarketing services from a customer through the Internet, and forwards the telemarketing request through the Internet to an appropriate agent if an appropriate agent is available, and to a queue if an appropriate agent is not available.

2. The telemarketing server of claim 1, wherein said telemarketing server comprises an agent database that stores agent information.

3. The telemarketing server of claim 1, wherein said telemarketing server comprises a customer database that stores customer information.

4. The telemarketing server of claim 1, wherein said telemarketing server comprises a system performance database that stores historical telemarketing performance of said system.

5. The telemarketing server of claim 1, wherein said server has stored therein an agent page for providing to an agent to which said server system forwards a telemarketing request through the hypertext network.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an supervisor page composed by said telemarketing server system and provided to a supervisor through the Internet at the supervisor'"'"'s request, said supervisor page comprising real-time information on the performance of said telemarketing system.

7. A telemarketing system on the Internet comprising:

a. an agent client coupled to the Internet;

b. a telemarketing server system coupled to the Internet, said telemarketing server system accepting a telemarketing request from said customer through the Internet, and routing said telemarketing request through the Internet to said agent if an appropriate agent is available, and to a queue if an appropriate agent is not available.

8. The telemarketing system of claim 7, further comprising a supervisor client coupled to the Internet, said telemarketing server system sending real-time and historical telemarketing system configuration and performance reports to said supervisor at the request of said supervisor.

9. The telemarketing system of claim 7, said telemarketing server system comprising a database storing information about said agent and said customer, said telemarketing server system providing said agent information to said supervisor and said customer information to said agent through the Internet.

10. A method for providing telemarketing services through the Internet that interconnects agents and customers, comprising the steps of:

a. receiving a request for telemarketing service through the Internet from a customer having a customer telecommunications address;

b. forwarding said request through the Internet to an appropriate agent having an agent telecommunications address if the appropriate agent is available, and to a queue if the appropriate agent is not available; and

c. facilitating the establishment of communications between the agent and the customer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein facilitating the establishment of communications between the agent and the customer comprises the steps of:

a. sending the customer telecommunications address to the agent;

b. facilitating communications between the agent and the customer at the request of the agent.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein facilitating the establishment of communications between the agent and customer comprises the steps of:

a. transmitting the agent telecommunications address to the customer; and

b. facilitating the establishment of communications between the agent and the customer at the request of the customer.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein facilitating the establishment of communications between the agent and customer comprises the step of scheduling the communication by exchanging messages between the customer and agent over the the Internet.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein facilitating the establishment of communications between the agent and customer comprises the step of scheduling the communication by exchanging voicemail messages between the customer and agent over the public switched telephone network.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

a. recording in a database the time at which a telemarketing request is received from a customer; and

b. recording in a database the time at which the status of an agent changes.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of reporting historical and real-time telemarketing system performance information to a supervisor at the request of the supervisor.

17. A system for providing telemarketing services through the Internet interconnecting agents and customers, comprising:

a. means for receiving a telemarketing request from a customer;

b. means for forwarding said telemarketing request through the Internet to an appropriate agent if said appropriate agent is available, and to a queue if said appropriate agent is not available;

c. means for establishing communications between said customer and said agent.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for storing and retrieving real-time and historical information about the performance of said system.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for reporting said real-time and historical information to a supervisor.

20. A system for telemarketing over the World Wide Web, comprising:

a. a customer client computer coupled to the World Wide Web through a browser;

b. an agent client computer coupled to the World Wide Web through a browser; and

c. a telemarketing server coupled to the World Wide Web, wherein the telemarketing server receives a request for telemarketing services from said customer client computer, sends the request through the World Wide Web to said agent client computer, and wherein said agent client computer provides telemarketing services through the World Wide Web to the customer client computer.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the request for telemarketing services from said customer client computer includes a request for information about a product for sale.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the telemarketing services provided by the agent client computer to the customer client computer through the World Wide Web includes providing information about the requested product.