System and method for providing automated database assistance to financial service operators

• US 7,454,373 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2002
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Dommer, Lisa Marie, Hora, Rajesh
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, JAGDISH
• Application Number:
  US10/136,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,392 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

A financial customer support system provides an integrated gateway to a service operator fielding financial service calls via a call center or other facility. Service attendants taking calls via an automatic call distributor or other channels have access to a workstation communicating with the transaction server, which in turn has access to multiple information sources for mutual fund families, tax and other information. Because the attendants at the call center or other service site need not resort to printed information or need to correlate information from multiple sources, responsiveness is increased and quality of information is improved. Different levels or hierarchies may be clicked through or accessed according to particular client requests.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to support information in substantially real-time, comprising the following steps:

receiving, by a customer service representative, at least one inquiry from a customer over a communications link;

receiving, in response to the at least one inquiry, a request from a client computer associated with the customer service representative for support information relating to the at least one inquiry, the request being transmitted over a computer network;

displaying an information system home page to the client computer system, the information system home page comprising at least the following options;

a fund search option and a reports option;

receiving, from the client computer, a request for a selected one of the fund search option and the reports option;

retrieving content relating to the selected one of the fund search option and the reports option from at least one information source associated with the computer network;

displaying the content relating to the selected one of the fund search option and the reports option to the client computer; and

relaying portions of the content relating to the selected one of the fund search option and the reports option to the customer in response to the inquiry, wherein if the request is for the reports option, further comprising;

receiving, from the client computer, a report type selection relating a general report format, the report type selection comprising at least one of the following;

an exportable spreadsheet type, a single fund HTML type, and a multi-fund HTML type;

generating a report of at least one fund consistent with the received report type selection; and

displaying the report to the client computer over the computer network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications link is a telephone system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications link is a computer network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the client computer, a request for the selection of the fund search option;

receiving, from the client computer, fund identification elements for enabling retrieval of fund-specific information relating to a selected fund;

retrieving fund-specific content relating to the selected fund from the at least one information source associated with the computer network;

displaying the retrieved fund-specific content to the client computer; and

relaying portions of the fund-specific content relating to the customer over a communications link in response to the inquiry.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the fund search option includes a text entry box for receiving user input of fund identification elements.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the fund search option includes a drop-down menu of available funds.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein searchable fund identification elements include at least the following:

fund name, CUSIP number, and fund ticker symbol.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of retrieving fund-specific content relating to the selected fund from the at least one information source associated with the computer network, further comprises the step of displaying a fund information web page to the client computer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the fund information web page includes at least the following information:

general fund information;

dividend and capital gains information;

fund performance information;

fund portfolio breakdown information;

fund portfolio statistics information;

sales charges and commissions information; and

minimum investments information.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a fund information web page including a fund historical performance option;

receiving a selection of the fund historical performance option;

receiving a date range selection;

retrieving, from the at least one information source, historical fund information for the selected date range selection; and

displaying, to the client computer, the historical fund information for the selected date range selection.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a fund information web page including a fund historical name changes option;

receiving a selection of the fund historical name changes option;

retrieving, from the at least one information source, a listing of any name changes associated with the selected fund; and

displaying, to the client computer, the listing of any name changes.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the client computer, fund identification elements for identifying the at least one fund to be reported;

retrieving fund-specific content relating to the at least one fund from the at least one information source associated with the computer network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the client computer, an exportable spreadsheet report type selection;

displaying a date range request to the client computer;

receiving a date range for the generated report; and

generating a report of the at least one fund for the received date range in exportable spreadsheet format.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the client computer, an single fund HTML report type selection;

displaying a fund and class identification request to the client computer;

receiving fund and class identification from the client computer; and

generating a report for the selected fund and class in HTML format.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the client computer, an multi-fund HTML report type selection;

displaying a fund and class identification request to the client computer for all funds to be reported;

receiving fund and class identification from the client computer for all funds to be reported; and

generating a report for the selected funds and classes in HTML format.

16. A system for providing access to support information in substantially real-time, comprising the following steps:

an information center for receiving at least one inquiry from a customer over a communications link;

a client computer associated with a customer service representative and operatively connected to the information center, the customer service representative responsive to the at least one inquiry;

a transaction server operatively connected to the client computer over a computer network for receiving, in response to the at least one inquiry, a request from the client computer for support information relating to the at least one inquiry;

the transaction server includes means for displaying an information system home page to the client computer system, the information system home page comprising at least the following options;

a fund search option and a reports option,

the transaction server includes means for receiving, from the client computer, a request for a selected one of the fund search option and the reports option;

the transaction server includes means for retrieving content relating to the selected one of the fund search option and the reports option from at least one information source associated with the computer network;

the transaction server includes means for displaying the content relating to the selected one of the fund search option and the reports option to the client computer; and

means for relaying to the customer portions of the content relating to the selected one of the fund search option and the reports option to the customer in response to the inquiry, wherein the transaction server further comprises;

means for receiving, from the client computer, a request for the selection of the reports option;

means for receiving, from the client computer, fund identification elements for identifying at least one fund to be reported;

means for receiving, from the client computer, a report type selection relating to a general report format, the report type selection comprising at least one of the following;

an exportable spreadsheet type, a single fund HTML type, and a multi-fund HTML type;

means for retrieving fund-specific content relating to the at least one fund from the at least one information source associated with the computer network;

means for generating a report of the at least one fund consistent with the received report type selection; and

means for displaying the report to the client computer over the computer network.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the communications link is a telephone system.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the communications link is a computer network.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the transaction server further comprises:

means for receiving, from the client computer, a request for the selection of the fund search option;

means for receiving, from the client computer, fund identification elements for enabling retrieval of fund-specific information relating to a selected fund;

means for retrieving fund-specific content relating to the selected fund from the at least one information source associated with the computer network;

means for displaying the retrieved fund-specific content to the client computer; and

means for relaying portions of the fund-specific content relating to the customer over a communications link in response to the inquiry.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the fund search option includes a text entry box for receiving user input of fund identification elements.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the fund search option includes a drop-down menu of available funds.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein searchable fund identification elements include at least the following:

fund name, CUSIP number, and fund ticker symbol.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for retrieving fund-specific content relating to the selected fund from the at least one information source associated with the computer network, further comprises means for displaying a fund information web page to the client computer.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the fund information web page includes at least the following information:

general fund information;

dividend and capital gains information;

fund performance information;

fund portfolio breakdown information;

fund portfolio statistics information;

sales charges and commissions information; and

minimum investments information.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for displaying a fund information web page including a fund historical performance option;

means for receiving a selection of the fund historical performance option;

means for receiving a date range selection;

means for retrieving, from the at least one information source, historical fund information for the selected date range selection; and

means for displaying, to the client computer, the historical fund information for the selected date range selection.

26. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for displaying a fund information web page including a fund historical name changes option;

means for receiving a selection of the fund historical name changes option;

means for retrieving, from the at least one information source, a listing of any name changes associated with the selected fund; and

means for displaying, to the client computer, the listing of any name changes.

27. The system of claim 16, wherein the transaction server further comprises:

means for receiving, from the client computer, an exportable spreadsheet report type selection;

means for displaying a date range request to the client computer;

means for receiving a date range for the generated report; and

means for generating a report of the at least one fund for the received date range in exportable spreadsheet format.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the transaction server further comprises:

means for receiving, from the client computer, a single fund HTML report type selection;

means for displaying a fund and class identification request to the client computer;

means for receiving fund and class identification from the client computer; and

means for generating a report for the selected fund and class in HTML format.

29. The system of claim 16, wherein the transaction server further comprises:

means for receiving, from the client computer, a multi-fund HTML report type selection;

means for displaying a fund and class identification request to the client computer for all funds to be reported;

means for receiving fund and class identification from the client computer for all funds to be reported; and

means for generating a report for the selected funds and classes in HTML format.