Electronic customer service and rating system and method

• US 7,065,494 B1
• Filed: 06/25/1999
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CXT Systems, Inc. (Quest Patent Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nicholas D. Evans
• Inventors: Evans, Nicholas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Application Number:
  US09/344,795
• Time in Patent Office: 2,552 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705 7- 10, 705/14, 705/26, 705/40, 370/352, 370/248, 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 709/225, 709/227, 707/10
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method and system of receiving, storing, and delivering customer comments, including qualitative and quantitative feedback, over a communications network, such as the Internet. Also, the present invention relates to a method and system of rating and ranking companies, including individual merchants and both buyers and sellers, and their products and services based upon comments received and then awarding the companies points based upon their rating.

Claims

1. A method of providing customer service interactions and rating of customer service via a communications network, comprising:

accessing an interactive website by a customer;

inputting by the customer to the interactive website;

sending by the customer, over the communications network to the interactive website, a comment and a customer service rating by the customer corresponding to a content entered in the step of inputting, the comment and the customer service rating relevant to a customer service provider;

receiving the comment and the customer service rating at a storage operable in conjunction with a host server of the interactive website;

storing the comment and the customer service rating in the storage;

manipulating the comment and the customer service rating in the storage;

deriving a customer service points score reflecting the comment and the customer service rating, as well as other information and inputs to the storage, including inputs by pluralities of different ones of the customer, relevant to the customer service provider;

notifying the customer service provider that the comment is in the storage;

making the interactive website accessible to the customer service provider at a geographic location remote from the storage;

viewing the rating on the interactive website by the customer service provider at the geographic location;

viewing the comment on the interactive website by the customer service provider at the geographic location;

inputting by the customer service provider, to the interactive website, a response to the comment;

storing the response in the storage; and

accessing the interactive website by the customer to view the response;

wherein the steps of inputting and sending by the customer, of receiving the comment and the customer service rating, of notifying the customer service provider, and of inputting by the customer service provider of the response are each performed in substantially real time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the customer that the response to the comment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the step of notifying the customer or the step of notifying the customer service provider comprises sending an e-mail.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

embedding a hyperlink into the e-mail; and

accessing the interactive website via the hyperlink, to view the comment.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

enabling the customer service provider to register at the interactive website;

registering by the customer service provider; and

preventing the customer service provider from performing the steps of viewing the rating, viewing the comment and inputting by the customer service provider the response, unless the customer service provider has first successfully completed the step of registering.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

accessing by the customer to view the response, in substantially real time.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising pluralities of the steps of receiving the comment and the customer service rating, notifying the customer service provider, and inputting by the customer service provider of the response, and accessing by the customer to view the response, are each performed in substantially real time.

8. A system for providing a customer service intermediary between at least one consumer communication device and a customer servicer communication device across a communication network, comprising:

a processor;

a memory device coupled to said processor;

a communication device coupled to said processor and said memory device, that enables communication via the communication network;

a database that is stored and updated in said memory device; and

an application program that is executed by said processor from said memory device comprising;

first code, responsive to a query from the consumer communication device via said communication device, that instructs said communication device to make accessible by the consumer communication device an interactive website suitable for input of a comment and a rating at the consumer communication device, the comment being deliverable to the communication device coupled to the processor and the memory;

second code, responsive to receiving the comment and the rating at said communication device, that stores the comment and the rating into said database;

third code, responsive to receiving the comment and the rating at said communication device, that instructs said communication device to send a notification to the customer servicer communication device;

fourth code, responsive to receiving the comment and the rating at said communication device, that calculates a point score corresponding to the rating and others of the rating then stored in said database; and

fifth code, responsive to a query from other than said communication device, that makes accessible the point score as having then been calculated and also makes accessible the comment and any other comments in the database;

wherein the first code, the second code and the third code each operate in substantially real time.

9. The system of claim 8, the application program further comprising:

sixth code, responsive to a query from the customer servicer communication device via said communication device, that instructs said communication device to forward a notice of said comment to the customer servicer communication device;

seventh code, responsive to a registration submitted by the customer servicer communication device via said communication device, that makes operable the eighth and ninth codes;

eighth code, responsive to a query from the customer servicer communication device via said communication device, that instructs said communication device to authorize access by the customer servicer communication device to the comment; and

ninth code, responsive to operation of the eight code, that allows the customer servicer communication device to respond to the comment.

10. The system of claim 9, the application program further comprising:

tenth code, responsive to operation of the ninth code, that instructs said communication device to forward any response from operation of the ninth code to the consumer communication device.

11. A method of providing an interactive customer service system operable via a computer network, comprising:

providing a website communicably connected to the computer network;

communicably connecting a customer device over the computer network, to the website;

inputting a comment by the customer device to the website over the computer network;

providing the website with a notification director;

directing a notification by the notification director, to a customer service provider, in response to the step of inputting the comment;

receiving the notification by the customer service provider;

registering by the customer service provider to view the comment via communications over the computer network by a customer service provider device, communicably connected to the computer network;

viewing the comment by the customer service provider device by communicative connection over the computer network to the website;

inputting a response at the customer service provider device relevant to the comment;

sending the response to the customer device, via the website and the computer network;

wherein the steps of inputting the comment, directing the notification, receiving the notification, viewing the comment, inputting the response, and sending the response are all performed in substantially real time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method allows real time interactive communications between the customer device and the customer service provider device over the computer network.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

determining a point score for the customer service provider, based on pluralities of the comment and the response by varied pluralities of the customer device respecting the customer service provider; and

displaying the point score for the customer service provider on the website, accessible over the computer network.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

determining a rank for the customer service provider against criteria; and

displaying the rank for the customer service provider on the website, accessible over the computer network.