Method of providing customer services

• US 7,243,078 B1
• Filed: 09/04/2002
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TAO Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis-Hawkins, Virginia
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen; Nicholas D.
• Application Number:
  US10/233,552
• Time in Patent Office: 1,770 Days
• Field of Search: 715/758, 705/26, 705/500
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method for providing real-time individualized customer support simultaneously to a plurality of customers in a chat-room environment is disclosed. The method monitors the content of chats or conversations between service representatives and customers to automatically formulate product and service offerings and other services to customers in response to the chat content.

Claims

1. A method of providing customer service comprising:

establishing a real-time, on-line chat connection between at least one service device and a least one customer device, both devices capable of entering and exchanging information across the chat connection;

conducting a chat between at least one service representative and at least one customer by exchanging information across the chat connection;

selecting at least one pre-set arrangement of information for delivery from the customer service representative to the customer device;

scrolling out the selected pre-set arrangement of information to the customer device so that the selected pre-set arrangement of information is delivered to the customer device as if being typed by the service representative in real time;

monitoring the information exchanged;

comparing the exchanged information to a predetermined list of information; and

offering a product to the customer based upon the comparison of the exchanged information to the predetermined list of information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer device comprises one of a computer, a wireless communication device, and a personal digital assistant.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing the chat connection between at least one service device and a plurality of customer devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing the chat connection between a plurality of service devices and a plurality of customer devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising offering the product to the customer based upon at least one of the selected pre-set arrangements of information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein offering of the product occurs upon conclusion of the chat.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein offering of the product occurs throughout the duration of the chat.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising scheduling a follow-up action based upon the comparison of the exchanged information to the pre-determined list of information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising confirming the follow-up action with the customer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling modification of the offering by the customer.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving acceptance of the offer from the customer.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the customers participating in the chat; and

obtaining profile information about those customers.

13. The method claim 1, further comprising processing payment of an outstanding bill balance of the customer based upon the comparison of the exchanged information to the predetermined list of information.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the predetermined list of information;

associating information from the predetermined list with a product offering.

15. A method of providing customer service comprising:

establishing a real-time, on-line chat connection between at least one service device and a plurality of customer devices, the devices capable of entering and exchanging information across the chat connection;

conducting a plurality of simultaneous chats among the at least one service representative and the plurality of customers by exchanging information across the chat connection;

delivering at least one pre-set arrangement of information to at least one customer device by scrolling out the pre-set arrangement of information so as to appear as if being typed by the service representative monitoring the information exchanged;

associating the monitored information with each customer;

comparing the exchanged information to a predetermined list of information; and

offering a product to each customer based upon the comparison of the exchanged information to the predetermined list of information and the information associated with each customer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising processing payment of a bill balance for each customer based upon the comparison of the exchanged information to the predetermined list of information and the information associated with each customer.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

identifying each customer participating in the chat; and

obtaining profile information about each customer.