Control of merchant application by system monitor in virtual contact center
First Claim
1. In a network-based virtual contact center comprising at least one customer service representative (CSR) station and a contact control server for authenticating CSRs at said CSR stations and for connecting customers to said CSR stations, a method for monitoring and controlling at least one merchant application relating to a transaction between a customer and a CSR at one of said CSR stations, said CSR station comprising a computer having at least one displayable desktop, the method, practiced at a monitor station, comprisingexecuting a viewer program associated with a server program and a first desktop at said one of said CSR stations, establishing a first link to said one of said CSR stations to permit display at said monitor station of said first desktop at said one of said CSR stations, inputting control signals for transmission over said first link to control objects on said first desktop at said one of said CSR stations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A virtual contact center (VCC) system includes facilities for full participation by a VCC monitor in a transaction between a customer and a customer service representative (CSR) using virtual network computing (VNC) techniques. A second display system remote from a first computer system actively views and controls the computing desktop at the first computer.
Thus, one or more virtual contact center monitors can simultaneously view a CSR desktop, including windows containing merchant applications. Moreover, use of VNC programs permits a monitor to directly control the selection, display, data entry and interaction with such merchant applications and customer in exactly the same manner, and to the same extent, as a CSR.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. In a network-based virtual contact center comprising at least one customer service representative (CSR) station and a contact control server for authenticating CSRs at said CSR stations and for connecting customers to said CSR stations, a method for monitoring and controlling at least one merchant application relating to a transaction between a customer and a CSR at one of said CSR stations, said CSR station comprising a computer having at least one displayable desktop, the method, practiced at a monitor station, comprising
executing a viewer program associated with a server program and a first desktop at said one of said CSR stations, establishing a first link to said one of said CSR stations to permit display at said monitor station of said first desktop at said one of said CSR stations, inputting control signals for transmission over said first link to control objects on said first desktop at said one of said CSR stations.
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11. In a network-based virtual contact center comprising at least one customer service representative (CSR) station, at least one monitor station, and a contact control server for authenticating CSRs at said CSR stations and for connecting customers to said CSR stations, a method for facilitating monitoring and control of at least one merchant application relating to a transaction between a customer and a CSR at a first of said CSR stations, said first CSR station comprising a computer having at least one displayable desktop, the method, practiced at said contact control center, comprising
upon successful login of said one of said CSR stations with said contact control server, providing said first of said CSR stations with an IP address and at least one desktop ID identifying respective desktops to be used for running merchant applications involved in transactions with customers, directing said first of said CSR stations to execute a server program associated with each of said desktops for which desktop IDs have been provided, and upon successful login of said monitor station with said contact control server, providing said monitor station with information identifying said first of said CSR stations and said IP address and desktop IDs for said first of said CSR stations.
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14. In a network-based virtual contact center comprising at least one customer service representative (CSR) station, at least one monitor station, and a contact control server for authenticating CSRs at said CSR stations and for connecting customers to said CSR stations, a method for facilitating monitoring and control of at least one merchant application relating to a transaction between a customer and a CSR at a first of said CSR stations, said first CSR station comprising a computer having at least one displayable desktop, the method, practiced at said first CSR station, comprising
upon successful login with said contact control server, receiving an IP address and at least one desktop ID identifying respective desktops to be used for running merchant applications involved in transactions with customers, executing a server program associated with each of said desktops for which desktop IDs have been provided, and upon successful login of a monitor station running a viewer program corresponding to each of said server programs participating in the linking of said server programs with corresponding viewing programs at said monitor, and while executing at least one merchant application on at least one of said desktops during a transaction with a customer, receiving information from said monitor to influence the further execution of said merchant applications.
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15. In a network-based virtual contact center comprising a set of first client stations comprising at least one client station and a contact control server for authenticating first clients at respective ones of said client stations, and for selectively connecting other client stations to said first client stations, a method for monitoring and controlling at least one application relating to a communication between at least one first client station and another client station, said first client stations comprising a computer having at least one displayable desktop, the method, practiced at a monitor station connected in said network, comprising
executing a viewer program associated with a server program and at least a first desktop at said first client stations, establishing a first link to said first client stations to permit display at said monitor station of said at least a first desktop at said one of said first client stations, inputting control signals for transmission over said first link to control objects on said first desktop at said first client stations.
Specification