Apparatus and method for providing customer service

• US 6,978,307 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2001
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Goldstein, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): EDELMAN, BRADLEY E
• Application Number:
  US09/909,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/223, 709/227, 709/205, 709/204, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management

Abstract

An apparatus of the present invention establishes a real-time communication session with a remote communication device in order to enable a customer service representative at the remote communication device to diagnose an operational problem associated with the apparatus. The foregoing apparatus utilizes a communication interface, an input interface, and logic. The communication interface is configured to establish a real-time communication session with a remote communication device. The input interface is configured to receive a request for contacting a customer service representative and to receive input data from a user of the apparatus during the established communication session. The logic is configured to transmit, to the communication interface and in response to the request, a command signal instructing the communication interface to establish the real-time communication session. The logic is further configured to transmit, during the real-time communication session, the input data to the remote communication device via the communication interface. The apparatus is configured to perform at least one non-telephonic function, and the remote communication device is configured to interface the input data with a customer service representative, thereby assisting the customer service representative to diagnose an operation problem associated with the apparatus in performing the non-telephonic function.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating to customer service representatives in real-time, comprising:

a communication interface configured to establish a real-time communication session with a remote communication device in response to a user request for contacting a customer service representative;

an input interface configured to receive input data from a user of said apparatus during said established communication session; and

logic configured to transmit, during said real-time communication session, said input data to said remote communication device via said communication interface, said logic further configured to automatically retrieve a product identifier in response to said user request and to transmit said retrieved product identifier to a remote routing device, said product identifier identifying at least a component of said apparatus,

wherein said remote routing device is configured to route said input data to said remote communication deviced based on said product identifier, and wherein said remote communication device is configured to interface said input data with a customer service representative, thereby assisting said customer service representative to diagnose an operational problem associated with said apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said input data is voice data, and wherein said input interface includes a microphone configured to detect the user'"'"'s speech and to convert said speech into said voice data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said logic is configured to retrieve predefined contact information from memory within said apparatus in response to said request, said contact information sufficient for enabling said communication interface to establish said communication session with said remote communication device, said logic configured to provide said contact information to said communication interface in response to said request, wherein said communication interface is configured to utilize said contact information to establish said communication session.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a lens; and

a conversion mechanism configured to convert light received by said lens into digital data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said routing device is configured to select said remote communication device and to communicatively couple said remote communication device to said communication interface based on said product identifier.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said logic is further configured to retrieve data from memory within said apparatus and to transmit said retrieved data to said remote communication device via said communication interface during said real-time communication session, said retrieved data indicative of an operational state of said apparatus, wherein said remote communication device is configured to interface said retrieved data with said customer service representative thereby assisting said customer service representative to diagnose said operational problem based on said retrieved data.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said logic is configured to transmit said retrieved data to said remote communication device in response to a request transmitted from said remote communication device.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said logic is configured to change said operational state based on commands received from said remote communication device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said logic is configured to automatically select said product identifier for transmission to said routing device based on whether said component is being used when said user request is received by said apparatus.

10. A method, comprising:

detecting, at an electric apparatus, a request for contacting a customer service representative;

storing a product identifier in said electrical apparatus prior to said detecting, said product identifier identifying at least a component of said electrical apparatus;

establishing a real-time communication session between said electric apparatus and a remote communication device in response to said detecting;

enabling a customer service representative at said remote communication device to diagnose an operational problem associated with said electrical apparatus by transmitting data indicative of said operational problem from said electric apparatus to said remote communication device during said real-time communication session; and

automatically transmitting said stored product identifier from said electrical apparatus to a routing device in response to said detecting thereby causing said routing device to route said data to said remote communication device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said data is voice data.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said electric apparatus includes a lens, said method further comprising capturing an image via said lens.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

retrieving data from memory within said electric apparatus, said retrieved data indicative of an operational state of said electric apparatus; and

transmitting said retrieved data from said electric apparatus to said remote communication device during said communication session.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said transmitting is performed in response to a command transmitted from said remote communication device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising changing said operational state based on a command transmitted from said remote communication device to said electric apparatus.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying an image of said retrieved data via said remote communication device.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising diagnosing said operational problem based on said retrieved data and said data indicative of said operational problem.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein said component comprises an aplication for performing at least one task, said method further comprising:

determining that said application is running when said request is detected by said detecting; and

selecting said product identifier based on said determining.

19. A method, comprising:

detecting, at an electrical apparatus, a request for contacting a customer service representative;

storing a product identifier in said electrical apparatus, said product identifier identifying at least a component of said electrical apparatus;

selecting a remote communication device based on said product identifier;

establishing, based on said selecting, a real-time communication session between said electric apparatus and said remote communication device in response to said detecting;

inputting data to said electric apparatus during said communication session; and

transmitting said input data to said remote communication device during said communication session, thereby enabling a customer service representative at said remote communication device to diagnose, based on said input data, an operational problem associated with said electrical apparatus.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said input data is voice data and wherein said inputting includes:

detecting speech at said electric apparatus; and

converting said speech into said voice data.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said electric apparatus includes a lens and wherein said method further comprises:

receiving light via said lens; and

converting said light into digital data.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

retrieving data from memory within said electric apparatus, said retrieved data indicative of an operational state of said electric apparatus; and

transmitting said retrieved data from said electric apparatus to said remote communication device during said communication session, thereby enabling said customer service representative at said remote communication device to diagnose, based on said retrieved data, said operational problem.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising modifying said operational state of said electric apparatus based on a command transmitted from said remote communication device to said electric apparatus.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining that said component is being used when said request is detected by said detecting; and

selecting said product identifier based on said determining.

25. A method for communicating with customer service representatives, comprising:

storing, at an electrical apparatus, a product identifier identifying at least a component of said electrical apparatus;

receiving, at said electrical apparatus, a user request for contacting a customer service representative;

automatically retrieving said product identifer in response to said user request;

transmitting, from said electrical apparatus, data indicative of an operational problem associated with said electrical apparatus; and

automatically routing said data to a remote communication device based on said product identifier retrieved by said retrieving.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining whether said component is being used by a user of said electrical apparatus when said user request is received by said receiving; and

automatically selecting said product identifier based on said determining,

wherein said routing is based on said selecting.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining whether an application is running on said electrical apparatus when said user request is received by said receiving; and

automatically selecting said product identifier based on said determining,

wherein said routing is based on said selecting.