Customer relationship management system and operation method thereof

• US 6,981,000 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kang, Chang Won, Kim, Sun Joo, Oh, Jin Seok, Kwak, Hee Chul, Kim, Pan Ju, Bae, Young Pyo, Jo, Yeong Seok, Park, Sang Kap, Han, Min Sook, An, Seong Nam, Park, Jeong Yeol, Kang, Sung Guen, Choi, Yoon Woo, Kim, Jeong Ha
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): GODDARD, BRIAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/893,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707 1- 3, 707/104.1, 705/1, 705 8- 11, 705/7, 379/265, 379/266, 715708-709
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Disclosed is a customer relationship management system and operation method thereof that enables a technician to seize the customer'"'"'s satisfaction and sensitivity with respect to respective service providers, perform reception of the corresponding customer based on the seized information, register the seized information in a database, and perform a service using a proper reception for the corresponding customer after confirming the sensitivity of the customer. According to the customer relationship management system and operation method, the customer can directly select the technician, and thus remove the uneasy feeling caused by a strange visitor. Also, by confirming again the customer'"'"'s satisfaction with the service after completion of the service providing, the reliability of the service with respect to the customer is improved.

Claims

1. A customer relationship management system comprising:

a server configured to collect request information concerning a customer request, to collect customer sensitivity information concerning a sensitivity of the customer, and to provide at least one behavioral pattern example to a responding person on how to interact with the customer based on the collected customer sensitivity information,

a display configured to display customer attitude categories including a positive attitude category, a negative attitude category and an expected attitude category with a plurality of codes for each category such that the responding person need only select a respective code based on the collected customer sensitivity information,

wherein the display displays for each selected code the at least one behavioral pattern example, which includes specific language to be used by the responding person when responding to the customer.

2. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a database configured to store the request information, the customer sensitivity information, the at least one behavioral pattern, and personnel information about responding persons that may be selected to respond to the customer request;

a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the customer sensitivity information and the at least one behavioral pattern to at least one selected responding person; and

a service progress confirming server configured to update a current progress state by continuously confirming a current progress state of the responding person.

3. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

an information extraction mechanism configured to extract information on a specified responding person that is best suited to handle the customer'"'"'s request based on the personnel information about the responding persons and customer'"'"'s request, and to provide the extracted information on the specified responding person to the customer.

4. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a service performance confirming mechanism configured to receive performance completion information concerning the customer'"'"'s request from the responding person, and to register the performance completion information in the database.

5. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a message transfer mechanism configured to transfer a message to the customer for confirming the customer'"'"'s request has been satisfactorily handled by the responding person after the customer'"'"'s request has been handled.

6. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the message transfer mechanism is at least one from a server configured to transfer the message prepared as an e-mail and a server configured to perform a message service used in a mobile communication network.

7. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 2, wherein a terminal of the responding person is a portable personal digital assist (PDA), portable personal computer, individual personal computer, or portable wire/radio phone, which can receive information from the transfer mechanism through communication networks including on-line message receiving space assigned to the responding person, or search and register information concerning the customer'"'"'s request by directly accessing the transfer mechanism.

8. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a database configured to store at least one from introduction information about responding persons that may be selected to respond to a customer'"'"'s request and information on a serviceable time, and information concerning the customer'"'"'s request,

wherein the server receives the customer'"'"'s request, recommends at least one responding person for the received customer'"'"'s request, provides the introduction information for the recommended at least one responding person, allows the customer to select a specified responding person from the at least one responding persons, and updates the service particulars requested by the customer in a schedule of a specified responding person if the specified responding person is selected by the customer.

9. The customer relationship management system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

an information collection mechanism configured to collect information concerning the customer'"'"'s request and information on a present response progress state of the selected responding person;

a service progress confirming mechanism configured to update the database by confirming a current work progress of the selected responding person;

an information transfer mechanism configured to selectively transfer the information stored in the database to a terminal of the selected responding person; and

an information extraction mechanism configured to extract information on a specified responding person suitable for the customer'"'"'s request among information on the respective responding person stored in the database based on the information concerning the customer'"'"'s request and to provide the extracted information to the customer.

10. A method of operating a customer relationship management system comprising:

collecting request information concerning a customer request;

collecting customer sensitivity information concerning a sensitivity of the customer;

providing at least one behavioral pattern example to a responding person on how to interact with the customer based on the collected customer sensitivity; and

classifying the sensitivity of the customer in a manner that if the customer has a good feeling for the response, the customer is classified into a customer having a positive sensitivity, if the customer has an expected feeling, the customer is classified into a customer having an expected sensitivity, and if the customer has an ill feeling, the customer is classified into a customer having a negative sensitivity,

wherein each classification includes a plurality of codes for each classification such that the responding person need only select a respective code based on the collected customer sensitivity information, and

wherein the display displays for each selected code the at least one behavioral pattern example, which includes specific language to be used by the responding person when responding to the customer.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

storing in a database the request information, the customer sensitivity information, the at least one behavioral pattern, and personnel information about responding persons that may be selected to respond to the customer'"'"'s request;

transferring the customer sensitivity information and the at least one behavioral pattern to at least one selected responding person; and

confirming the collected customer sensitivity information based on a receptionist'"'"'s conversation with the customer.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the collected customer sensitivity information is confirmed by comparing at least one from a high/low-pitched voice and words used during the customer'"'"'s request with predetermined reference particulars of a sensitivity classification.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the customer having the positive sensitivity is a customer having at least one from requesting a visit at a convenient time, holding a kind reception, praising a responding person, praising a receptionist, praising a company or enterprise related to the customer'"'"'s request, and praising products of the company or enterprise.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the customer having the expected sensitivity is a customer having at least one from requesting a prompt visit, requesting a superiorperson to respond to the customer'"'"'s request, having a sense of authority, intimating, taking pride in an enthusiastic fan of a company related to the customer'"'"'s request, having a relative employed in the company, belonging to a livelihood-protection/respect-for-age group, taking pride in old products, requesting inexpensive charges, asking questions about a guaranteed period, having an insufficient understanding, requesting an accurate visit time, supervising through a third party, and withdrawing the service during the responding persons visit.

15. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the customer having the negative sensitivity is a customer having at least one from receiving no visit at a time requested by the customer, having repeated troubles of a product, distrusting a technical ability, being dissatisfied with traveling/repairing charges, being dissatisfied with collection of phone call charges, being dissatisfied with frequent call-disconnection, having difficulty in calling, being impatient in character, taking a promise/confidence seriously, having a hard-grained character, requesting another responding person, distrusting products, being dissatisfied with components of the product, having a reception omitted, and having excessive repairing experiences.

16. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

confirming an area where the customer is positioned and a time zone for providing a response to the customer'"'"'s request;

obtaining schedule information of possible responding persons in charge of a service field requested by the customer among a plurality of responding persons who are allocated with the corresponding area as their service providing area;

extracting information on the responding persons who are not responding in the time zone when the customer wants to receive the response based on the obtained schedule information;

displaying the extracted information on the responding persons on a terminal of the corresponding customer, and requesting the customer to select a specified responding person from whom the customer wants to receive the response among the displayed responding persons; and

registering in a database information on an additional schedule of the selected responding person along with response particulars concerning the response to the customer'"'"'s request.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

classifying the collected customer sensitivity information into categories;

confirming a code of a classified category corresponding to the customer'"'"'s sensitivity;

registering in the database information concerning the customer'"'"'s request and information concerning the confirmed code of the classified category; and

informing the responding person of the registered information and the at least one behavioral pattern based on the confirmed code.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

responding to the customer'"'"'s request using the registered information and the at least one behavioral pattern; and

informing a result of the response to an information collection server after completion of the service.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising transferring the registered information and the at least one behavioral pattern using a PDA, an e-mail, a direct call with a phone, a voice-mail box or a short message service.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising informing in advance a visit schedule to the customer before the responding person visits the customer.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein when informing in advance the visit schedule to the customer, the responding person informs the visit schedule based on the at least one behavioral pattern determined to cope with the customer'"'"'s sensitivity classification.

22. The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising judging again the customer'"'"'s sensitivity.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein information about the customer'"'"'s sensitivity gathered by the responding person is informed to an information receiving network along with a result of the response to the request when the response is completed.

24. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

informing information about a completion of the response provided to the customer from the responding person;

confirming a recent customer'"'"'s satisfaction with the provided response based on an informed result; and

storing the recent customer'"'"'s satisfaction information.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein confirming the recent customer'"'"'s satisfaction comprises:

if it is confirmed that the response is completed, transferring to the customer a message for confirming the satisfaction with the provided response; and

if a reply to the transferred message is received from the customer, confirming the satisfaction of the customer by analyzing contents of the replied message.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the message transferred to the customer includes at least one from questions, repeated troubles, a kindness of the responding person, particulars to be requested to the customer, the response to the particulars requested by the customer, and guidance of events.

27. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the message is transferred to the customer using e-mail, the Internet, or a short message service on a mobile communication network.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein questions included in the e-mail are presented in a form of an inquiry.

29. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising providing a predetermined incentive to the customer if the customer sends a reply in response to the inquiry included in the e-mail.

30. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein transferring the message comprises:

inputting the message to be transferred to the customer;

selecting a specified data communication network to which the customer belongs;

entering a message sender and phone number for reply; and

sending the message to the customer through the corresponding data communication network.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the message sender is a customer service center having an area where the customer resides as its jurisdiction area, and the phone number for response is an ARS system of the customer service center for confirming the customer'"'"'s satisfaction or a phone number of a person in charge of the customer service center.

32. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

confirming the satisfaction of the customer according to the provided response by making a phone call to the customer before the message for confirming the satisfaction of the provided response is transferred to the customer after the response is completed; and

transferring the message for confirming the customer'"'"'s satisfaction to the customer if the phone call is refused or the customer is absent when confirming the customer'"'"'s satisfaction.

33. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein transferring the message further comprises:

confirming whether an event in the company providing the response occurs; and

if it is confirmed that the event occurs, appending a brief explanation of the event to the message to be transferred.

34. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

classifying the contents of the message into terms according to degrees of satisfaction; and

storing the classified terms.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the stored classified terms are simple satisfaction, questions about how-to-use and repeated trouble, and impression.

36. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the customer replies to the message using at least one from a phone call, a short message service, an e-mail service, and ARS service.

37. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

confirming an area where a customer is located and a service providing time if a customer initiates a request;

obtaining schedule information of possible responding persons in charge of a field of the customer'"'"'s request among responding persons which designate a corresponding area as their providing area;

extracting information on responding persons which have time to spare when the customer desires to receive the response based on the obtained information;

displaying information on the extracted responding persons on a terminal of the customer, and requesting the customer to select a specified responding person from which the customer wants; and

informing information concerning the customer'"'"'s request to the selected responding person.

38. The method as claimed in claim 37, further comprising receiving information on a current response progress state from the selected responded person during the progress of the response, and storing the received information in a database.

39. The method as claimed in claim 37, further comprising updating information on a reservation state at a response providing time zone requested by the customer in schedule information particulars of the selected responding person during progress of the response.

40. The method as claimed in claim 37, further comprising requesting the responding persons to register respective schedule information before starting their schedules, and registering in a database the registered schedule information in response to the request.