Device and system to facilitate remote customer-service

• US 6,801,619 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Helpcaster Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Helpcaster Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Bae, Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US09/671,680
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/265.09, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/266.01, 379/266.02, 379/266.06, 379/309
• US Class Current: 379/266.01
• 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 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 device and system for providing customer-service over the Internet via remote browser control, text communication and two-way audio/one-way video link is disclosed. A user at a customer workstation accesses the system through a network, such as the Internet. The user is then identified by a queue manager. The queue manager then queries a customer database to determine which operators previously communicated with the user and the nature of the information previously requested. The queue manager then connects the user with operators with which the user previously communicated with. The user communicates with the operators by sending information by means of text, audio and/or video. Generally, video signals will only be sent one way from the operator to the customer. During the idle time while the user is waiting for an operator, the queue manager sends information to the user in the form of text audio and/or video relating to information which the user previously requested. The call can also be transferred from one operator to another over the data network.

Claims

1. A multimedia telecommunication system said telecommunication system connecting a customer with one of a plurality of operators, said system comprising:

a queue management device for connecting said customers to one of said plurality of operators;

a database for storing customer information including an indication of which operators in the pool of operators communicated with specific customers in the past;

wherein upon a customer accessing the multi-media telecommunications system, the queue management device determines which operator in the pool of operators the customer communicated with previously and sends a first signal to the customer identifying the previous operator; and

wherein if the customer has previously communicated with more than one operator, the queue management device determines the previous operator by determining which operator the customer has communicated with the most number of times.

2. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the first signal also comprises an estimate of idle time the customer will be required to wait until the previous operator is available.

3. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the queue management device gives the customer an opportunity to accept or reject the previous operator;

and

wherein when the customer rejects the previous operator, the queue management device will select an alternate operator for the customer.

4. The system as defined in claim 3 wherein the queue management device selects an alternate operator by determining which operators, other than the previous operator, the customer communicated with previously and the queue management device sends a second signal to the customer identifying the alternate operator.

5. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein if the customer has previously communicated with more than one operator, and the operator the customer has communicated with the most number of times is not available, the queue management device determines the previous operator by determining which operator the customer communicated with immediately previously.

6. The system as defined in claim 2 wherein the database includes an indication of information the customer previously requested;

and

wherein during the idle time, the queue management device forwards to the customer information related to the information the customer previously requested.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising communication devices for facilitating communication between operators and the customer.

8. The system as defined in claim 7 wherein the communication devices include a video camera located at an operator workstation permitting video data to be sent from the operator to the customer.

9. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the queue management device determines within the pool of operators a sub-pool of operators which the customer communicated with previously and sends a first signal to the customer identifying the sub-pool of operators;

and

wherein the customer will be placed in a queue to communicate with an operator in the sub-pool of operators.

18. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the queue management device gives the customer an opportunity to accept or reject the previous operator;

and

wherein when the customer accepts the previous operator, the queue management device connects a workstation operated by the customer with a workstation operated by the previous operator.

19. The system as defined in claim 18 wherein once the customer has concluded communicating with the previous operator, the previous operator can return the customer to the queue manager for connection to another operator.

10. A process for connecting a customer with one of a plurality of operators, said process comprising the steps of:

(a) identifying the customer;

(b) determining which operators in the pool of operators the customer communicated with previously; and

(c) if the customer previously communicated with a previous operators, connecting the customer with the previous operator and, if the customer has previously communicated with more than one operator, determining the previous operator by determining which operator the customer has communicated with the most number of times.

11. The process as defined in claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

(d) generating a first signal identifying the previous operator and an estimate of idle time the customer will be required to wait until the previous operator is available;

(e) sending the first signal to the customer, and

(f) giving the customer an opportunity to accept or reject the previous operator.

12. A process as defined in claim 11 further comprising the step of:

(g) if the customer rejects the previous operator, selecting an alternate operator for the customer.

13. The process as defined in claim 12 wherein step (g) of selecting an alternate operator comprises the sub-steps of:

(g1) determining which operators, other than the previous operator, the customer communicated with previously and selecting the alternate operator from other operators the customer communicated with previously;

(g2) generating a second signal identifying the alternate operator and an estimate of idle time the customer will be required to wait until the alternate operator is available; and

(g3) giving the customer an opportunity to accept or reject the alternate operator.

14. The process as defined in claim 10 wherein the step (b) of determining which operators in the pool of operators the customer communicated with previously comprises the sub-step of:

(b1) if the customer has previously communicated with more than one operator, and the operator the customer has communicated with the most number of times is not available, determining the previous operator by determining which operator the customer communicated with immediately previously.

15. The process as defined in claim 10 wherein step (c) of connecting the customer with the previous operator if the customer previously communicated with an operator comprises the sub-steps of:

(c1) if the customer previously communicated with more than one operator, determining within the pool of operators a sub-pool of operators which the customer communicated with previously; and

(c2) placing the customer in a queue to communicate with an operator in the sub-pool of operators.

16. The process as defined in claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

(h) if the customer previously communicated with an operator, determining what information the customer previously requested;

(i) during the idle time, forwarding information regarding the previous information to the customer.

17. The process defined in claim 10 wherein the customer communicates with the operator in a format including at least one of two-way text data, two-way audio data and one-way video data from the operator to the customer.