Method and apparatus for managing workplace services and products
First Claim
1. A method for managing workplace services provided by specialists to a plurality of users who are members of an organization by means of a computer system having a memory and connected to a network, the method comprising:
- (a) upon a request from the organization, using personnel in a workplace resources office who are familiar with the workplace services, but are not the specialists to contact the plurality of users and to obtain background information for the plurality of users and the organization;
(b) creating a database in the computer system memory, the database containing, for each of the plurality of users, user background information and user identifying information unique and specific to each user;
(c) connecting the workplace resources office to the computer system and the database via the network in order to store the background information for the plurality of users and the organization obtained by the workplace resources office in the database before a user contacts a specialist;
(d) before one of the plurality of users attempts to obtain specific assistance with any issue unique to their workplace and based on the background information, providing from the workplace resources office to that user, contact information which allows that user to immediately and directly contact a specialist with expertise specific to their unique workplace issues and who is not one of the workplace resources office personnel in order to establish a communication session during which the specialist provides assistance on a specific workplace issue to that user wherein, during each communication session, the specialist receives user identifying information from that user, uses the received identifying information to access and retrieve user background information for that user from the database via the network, which information was previously stored in step (c), and combines the background information with their specific expertise and any additional or corrected information provided by the user to provide specific, live assistance to the user concerning the specific and unique workplace issues; and
(e) storing in the database over the network information concerning each communication session including the unique and specific advice provided to that user by the specialist and adding the unique and specific stored communication session information to the user background information for that user.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A small group of service providers, including specialists in various workplace issues, provides workplace services, such as human resource, legal, tax, accounting, environmental, financial, regulatory, governmental, technological, medical, consulting and marketing services to an organization by using a database of information concerning the organization and its contacts. An initial contact is made by a workplace resources office to the organization to gather background information on the contacts and the organization. The database is then initially populated with this background information. Later, when a situation arises that requires an answer to a specific workplace question, a contact places a telephone call to a specialist. The specialist accesses the database over a network and uses the pre-entered client-specific information to tailor advice to the specific question raised by the contact. The call and the response as categorized by the specialist are then stored in the database for later reference.
60 Citations
47 Claims
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1. A method for managing workplace services provided by specialists to a plurality of users who are members of an organization by means of a computer system having a memory and connected to a network, the method comprising:
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(a) upon a request from the organization, using personnel in a workplace resources office who are familiar with the workplace services, but are not the specialists to contact the plurality of users and to obtain background information for the plurality of users and the organization; (b) creating a database in the computer system memory, the database containing, for each of the plurality of users, user background information and user identifying information unique and specific to each user; (c) connecting the workplace resources office to the computer system and the database via the network in order to store the background information for the plurality of users and the organization obtained by the workplace resources office in the database before a user contacts a specialist; (d) before one of the plurality of users attempts to obtain specific assistance with any issue unique to their workplace and based on the background information, providing from the workplace resources office to that user, contact information which allows that user to immediately and directly contact a specialist with expertise specific to their unique workplace issues and who is not one of the workplace resources office personnel in order to establish a communication session during which the specialist provides assistance on a specific workplace issue to that user wherein, during each communication session, the specialist receives user identifying information from that user, uses the received identifying information to access and retrieve user background information for that user from the database via the network, which information was previously stored in step (c), and combines the background information with their specific expertise and any additional or corrected information provided by the user to provide specific, live assistance to the user concerning the specific and unique workplace issues; and (e) storing in the database over the network information concerning each communication session including the unique and specific advice provided to that user by the specialist and adding the unique and specific stored communication session information to the user background information for that user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 35, 36)
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16. Apparatus for managing workplace services provided by specialists to a plurality of users who are members of an organization by means of a computer system having a memory and connected to a network, the apparatus comprising:
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upon a request from the organization, a mechanism that uses personnel in a workplace resources office who are familiar with the workplace services, but are not the specialists to contact the plurality of users and to obtain background information for the plurality of users and the organization; a database created in the computer system memory, the database containing, for each of the plurality of users, user background information and user identifying information unique and specific to each user; a mechanism that connects the workplace resources office to the computer system and the database via the network in order to store the background information for the plurality of users and the organization obtained by the workplace resources office in the database before a user contacts a specialist; a communication mechanism operable before one of the plurality of users attempts to obtain specific assistance with any issue unique to their workplace that, based on the background information, provides from the workplace resources office to that user, contact information which allows that user to immediately and directly contact a specialist with expertise specific to their unique workplace issues and who is not one of the workplace resources office personnel in order to establish a communication session during which the specialist provides assistance on a specific workplace issue to that user wherein, during each communication session, the specialist receives user identifying information from that user, uses the received identifying information to access and retrieve client background information for that user from the database via the network, which information was previously stored by the mechanism that connects the workplace resources office to the computer system and the database, and combines the background information with their specific expertise and any additional or corrected information provided by the user to provide specific, live assistance to the user concerning the specific and unique workplace issues; and a knowledge management system that, under control of the specialist, stores in the database over the network information concerning each communication session including the unique and specific advice provided to that user by the specialist and adds the unique and specific stored communication session information to the user background information for that user. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 37, 38)
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31. A computer program product for managing workplace services provided by specialists to a plurality of users who are members of an organization by means of a computer system having a memory and connected to a network, and wherein upon a request from the organization, personnel who are familiar with the workplace services, but are not the specialists in a workplace resources office contact the plurality of users to obtain background information for the plurality of users and the organization, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable, program code thereon, including:
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program code for creating a database in the computer system memory, the database containing, for each of the plurality of users, user background information and user identifying information unique and specific to each user; program code for connecting the workplace resources office to the computer system and the database via the network in order to store the background information for the plurality of users and the organization obtained by the workplace resources office in the database before a user contacts a specialist; program code operable before one of the plurality of users attempts to obtain specific assistance with any issue unique to their workplace and based on the background information, for providing from the workplace resources office to that user, contact information which allows that user to immediately and directly contact a specialist with expertise specific to their unique workplace issues and who is not one of the workplace resources office personnel in order to establish a communication session during which the specialist provides assistance on a specific workplace issue to that user wherein, during each communication session, the specialist receives user identifying information from that user, uses the received identifying information to access and retrieve user background information for that user from the database via the network, which information was previously stored by the program code for connecting the workplace resources office to the computer system and the database, and combines the background information with their specific expertise and any additional or corrected information provided by the user to provide specific, live assistance to the user concerning the specific and unique workplace issues; and program code storing in the database information concerning each communication session including the unique and specific advice provided to a user by the specialist and adding the unique and specific stored communication session information to the user background information for the user. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method for managing legal advice and counseling provided by legal experts to a plurality of contact people who are members of an organization by means of a computer system having a memory and connected to the internet, the method comprising:
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(a) upon a request from the organization, using personnel in a workplace resources office who are familiar with the legal advice and counseling, but are not the legal experts to personally contact the plurality of contact people and the organization to obtain background information for the plurality of contact people and the organization; (b) creating a centralized database in the computer system memory, the database containing, for each of the plurality of contact people, contact background information and contact identifying information unique and specific to each contact person; (c) connecting the workplace resources office to the computer system and the database via the internet in order to store the background information for the plurality of contact people and the organization obtained by the workplace resources office personnel in the database before a contact person contacts a legal expert; (d) before one of the plurality of contact persons attempts to obtain specific assistance with any issue unique to their workplace and based on the background information, providing from the workplace resources office to that contact person, contact information which allows that contact person to immediately and directly contact a legal expert with expertise specific to their unique workplace issues and who is not one of the workplace resources office personnel in order to establish a communication session during which the legal expert provides advice on a specific legal issue to that contact person wherein, during each communication session, the legal expert receives contact identifying information from that contact person, uses the received identifying information to access and retrieve contact background information for that contact person and for the organization from the database via the internet, which information was previously stored in step (c), and combines the background information with their specific expertise and any additional or corrected information provided by the user to provide specific, live advice to the contact person concerning the specific and unique legal issues; and (e) storing in the database over the network information concerning each communication session including the unique and specific advice provided to that contact person by the legal expert and adding the unique and specific stored communication session information to the user background information for that contact person and the organization. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification