Method and apparatus for routing call agents to website customers based on customer activities

• US 7,330,873 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2002
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshida, Yoichi, Galvin, James P., Pulito, Brian, Solie, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Zarni
• Application Number:
  US10/226,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-219, 719/314, 706/10, 379/365.01
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing

Abstract

A system for allowing call center agents to initiate text chat, audio and/or video communication, as well as collaborative browsing with potential customers visiting web pages includes a customer monitoring applet that monitors the behavior of the customer via the web browser and sends information to a router process, the information including information identifying the customer, the web page location, status of a transaction, etc. The router process uses the information supplied to it from the customer monitoring applet, as well as information on one or more available agent processes to determine which call agent would be appropriate to initiate contact with the potential customer. The router process transmits the information identifying the customer to the selected agent process for presentation to the agent. The agent can monitor the status of the customer, as well as other customers, and send a request to initiate communication, if appropriate. The router process uses a customer status database and an agent status database to determine which agent is appropriate for a particular customer.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a processor, memory and network interface and being operatively coupled over a computer network to one or more web browsers processes, a method comprising:

(A) receiving information from a monitoring process executing in association with one of the web browser processes, the information identifying the web browser process and at least a portion of a web site to which said one web browser process is connected;

(B) determining from the information identifying the web browser process, which of a plurality of on-line agent processes should establish a communication connection with the web browser process;

(C) transmitting the information identifying the web browser process to said one agent process; and

(D) establishing a communication connection between the web browser process and said one agent process using over the computer network the information identifying the web browser process, while the web browser process is connected to the web site.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication connection between the web browser process and said one agent process comprises any of a text chat, real-time audio, real-time video, and collaborative browsing communication connection.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the information identifying the web browser process comprises any of customer id, web page URL, TypeOfGoods, Customer status, and Current Agent information.

4. A computer program product for use with a computer system operatively coupled over a computer network to one or more web browsers processes, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having embodied therein program code comprising:

A) router program code for receiving information from a monitoring process executing in association with one of the web browser processes, the information identifying the web browser process and at least a portion of a web site to which said one web browser process is connected;

B) program code for determining from the information identifying the web browser process, which of a plurality of on-line agent processes should establish a communication connection with the web browser process;

C) program code for transmitting the information identifying the web browser process to said one agent process; and

D) program code for establishing a communication connection between the web browser process and said one agent process over the computer network using the information identifying the web browser process, while the web browser process is connected to the web site.

5. An apparatus for use with a computer system having a processor and network interface and being operatively coupled over a computer network to one or more web browsers processes, the apparatus comprising:

(A) a memory for maintaining information associated with a plurality of on-line agent processes;

(B) program logic for receiving information from a monitoring process executing in association with one of the web browser processes, the information identifying the web browser process and at least a portion of a web site to which said one web browser process is connected;

(C) program logic for determining from the information identifying the web browser process, and information associated with a plurality of on-line agent processes which of the plurality of on-line agent processes should establish a communication connection with the web browser process; and

(D) program logic for transmitting the information identifying the web browser process to said one agent process, while the web browser process is connected to the web site.

6. In a computer system having a processor, memory and network interface and being operatively coupled over a computer network to one or more customer web browsers processes, a method comprising:

(A) maintaining, in the memory, information associated with a plurality of on-line agent processes;

(B) receiving information from a monitoring process executing in association with one of the customer web browser processes, the information identifying the web browser process and at least a portion of a web site to which said one web browser process is connected;

(C) determining from the information identifying the web browser process, and information associated with a plurality of on-line agent processes which of the plurality of on-line agent processes should establish a communication connection with the web browser process, while the web browser process is connected to the web site; and

(D) transmitting the information identifying the web browser process to said one agent process.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the information identifying the customer web browser process comprises any of customer id, web page address, type of goods, customer status, and current agent information.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the information identifying the one of the agent processes comprises any of agent skill area, agent skill level and agent availability.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the information identifying one of the agent processes comprises the agent skill level and wherein B further comprises:

(B1) comparing the agent skill level with the customer status.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the the information identifying one of the agent processes comprises the agent skill area and wherein B further comprises:

(B1) matching a value of agent skill area with one of the type of goods and the web page address.

11. A computer program product for use with a computer system operatively coupled over a computer network to one or more web browsers processes, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having embodied therein program code comprising:

A) router program code for receiving information from a customer process executing in association with the web browser process, the information identifying the customer process and at least a portion of a web site to which the associated web browser process is connected;

B) program code for determining from the information identifying the customer process, which of a plurality of on-line agents is appropriate to render assistance to the customer process, while the web browser process is connected to the web site; and

C) program code for transmitting the information identifying the customer process to agent program code.

12. In a computer system having a processor, memory and network interface and being operatively coupled over a computer network to a router process and capable of executing a collaborative communication process and a web browser process, a method comprising:

(A) monitoring a web site accessed by a the web browser process;

(B) forwarding to the router process information identifying the web browser process and at least a portion of the web site to which the web browser process is connected, while the web browser process is connected to the web site.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein the information identifying the web browser process comprises any of customer id, web page address, type of goods, customer status, and current agent information.

13. A computer program product for use with a computer system operatively coupled over a computer network to a router process and capable of executing a collaborative communication process and a web browser process, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having embodied therein program code comprising:

(A) program code for monitoring a web site accessed by a the web browser process;

(B) program code for forwarding to the router process information identifying the web browser process and at least a portion of the web site to which the associated web browser process is connected, while the web browser process is connected to the web site.

14. In a computer system having a processor, memory and network interface and being operatively coupled over a computer network to a router process and one or more customer systems executing a communication process and a web browser process, a method for offering assistance comprising:

(A) receiving the information identifying the customer system from the router process; and

(B) initiating a communication connection with the customer system over the computer network, while the customer system is connected to a web site, using the communication process and the information identifying the customer system.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein (B) comprises:

(B1) initiating a text chat communication connection with the customer system.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein (B) comprises:

(B1) initiating a collaborative browsing communication connection with the customer system.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein (B) comprises:

(B1) initiating a real-time audio communication connection with the customer system.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein (B) comprises:

(B2) initiating a real-time video communication connection with the customer system.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

(C) transmitting to the router process data identifying other customer systems with which a collaborative communication connection is currently established.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the information identifying the customer browser process comprises any of customer id, web page URL, TypeOfGoods, Customer status, and Current Agent information.

21. A computer program product for use with a computer system operatively coupled over a computer network to a router process and one or more customer systems executing a collaborative communication process and a web browser process, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having embodied therein program code comprising:

(A) program code for receiving the information identifying the customer system from a router process; and

(B) program code for initiating a communication connection with the customer system over the computer network, while the customer system is connected to a web site, using the collaborative communication process and the information identifying the customer system.