System and method for smart scripting call centers and configuration thereof

• US 7,467,135 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2004
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nix, Kevin R., Coker, John L., Malden, Matthew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen S
• Application Number:
  US10/900,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20050086220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/102, 707/10, 707/101
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/015 Providing customer assistance, e.g. assisting a customer within a business location or via helpdesk
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The invention provides user configurable and reconfigurable scripting, methods of scripting, and systems for scripting for use by call centers, technical support centers, and marketers. Scripts are interactive tools that guide a telemarketer, a sales person, or a technical support technician through a telephone call with a customer. Scripts are characterized by going on to particular subsequent questions as a function of the customer'"'"'s answer to a previous question.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

one or more computers;

a set of reusable components, wherein said reusable components comprise at least one of objects, data, public functions, and private functions, and wherein said public functions can be accessed through derived classes of objects;

a script; and

an associated database, wherein

said computer system is configured to facilitate an established interaction between a user and a customer,

said computer system is configured to use said reusable components,

said script comprises a hierarchical set of structured pages,

at least one of said structured pages comprising a structured set of questions is presented to said user by the computer system and is presented to said customer by said user,

at least one of said questions having an associated list of likely customer responses, and

at least one of said customer responses being associated with a link to the associated database, and

said link to the associated database is a query resulting in an output of the associated database, wherein said output of the associated database is a link to another question in the script.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said reusable components comprise routines, subroutines, and functions, pass data through global variables to local variables therein, and are accessed through calls.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the output of the database is a link to another question in the script.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein

at least one of said customer responses is associated with a link to another question in the script, and

the associated link to another question in the script is a link to another question in another page in the script.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said system further comprises a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program code for facilitating the established interaction between the user and the customer, said computer program code comprising the script and the associated database, wherein said computer program code causes the system to:

a) present a question to the user;

b) receive a response from the user; and

c) branch by linking to either

i) the associated database or

ii) to another question.

6. The computer system of claim 5 wherein the computer program code causes the query of the associated database.

7. The computer system of claim 6 wherein the computer program code causes the associated database to output the link to another question in the script.

8. The computer system of claim 6 wherein the computer program code causes the associated database to output data related to the established interaction.

9. The computer system of claim 5 wherein the computer program code causes a link to another question which is in another page in the script.

10. The computer system of claim 5 wherein said computer program code comprises base objects containing data, public functions, and private functions, and said computer program code is configured to utilize additional classes of objects inheriting properties of said base objects.

11. The computer system of claim 5 wherein said computer program code comprises functions, routines, and subroutines, containing data, global variables, and local variables, and said computer program code is configured to utilize additional calls calling said functions, routines, and subroutines.

12. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said computer system is configured to verify one or more of the absence of unreachable pages, unreachable questions, and missing answer branches, and the presence of pages called by the script and translations.

13. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a script designer user interface configured to display a logical overview of the script hierarchy, wherein

said logical overview comprises said structured set of questions and links between said questions and said likely customer responses.

14. A method in a computing system, comprising:

configuring software, wherein

said configuring utilizes a set of reusable components called by said software,

said software is configured to facilitate an established interaction between a user and a customer,

said software comprises a script and an associated database,

said script comprises a hierarchical set of structured pages,

at least one of said structured pages comprising a structured set of questions presented to said user by the computing system and presented to said customer by said user,

at least one of said questions having an associated list of likely customer responses, and

at least one of said likely customer responses being associated with a link to the associated database;

presenting a question to a user which the user presents to the customer;

querying the associated database through the link to the associated database, wherein

said querying results in an output of the database, and

the output of the database is a link to another question in the script;

the user receiving a response from the customer; and

the software branching in response to the response from the customer by linking to the associated database or to another question.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the output of the database is data related to the interaction.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising linking to another page in the script.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising creating derived objects and calling a set of reusable base objects, data, public functions, and private functions.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising verifying one or more of the absence of unreachable pages, unreachable questions, and missing answer branches, and the presence of pages called by the script and translations.