Audio message driven customer interaction queuing system

• US 7,895,283 B1
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Songbird Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: Robert Joseph Hazy
• Inventors: Hazy, Robert Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ibrahim; Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US10/377,444
• Time in Patent Office: 2,913 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-204, 709205-207, 379/67.1, 379/70, 379/88.01
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

This application is for an audio message-driven customer interaction queuing system for retail, help desk or any public web page in a support context, allowing web page visitors to utter questions into a browser-resident recorder application similar to a Walkie-Talkie. These questions then queue along with originating web page information and are distributed to customer service agents. These agents can then research the question, using the web page as reference, and respond with an audio message, played upon the recorder application by the user after some brief service interval. The invention includes client, server and agent elements. The Client resides in a standard browser on a PC. The Client as initially instantiated consists of a Macromedia Flash interface driving an ActiveX control and JavaScript using audio encoding/decoding codecs. The Server consists of Java Servlets, Enterprise Java Beans, a web and application server and generic database technology. The Agent consists of a browser partitioned into areas to accommodate customer URL viewing, Connection Management (to service multiple customers concurrently), and a Client for message playback/record/send functions.

Claims

1. A method of connectionless exchange of electronic messages between a user and a host agent of a customer service center, comprising the steps of:

providing a browser resident client application on a user device, wherein said user'"'"'s browser resident client application comprises a control interface and an input interface;

providing a host server at said customer service center, wherein said host server comprises a first component for retrieval of an audio message from said host server, and a second component for transmitting an audio response message between said server and said user device in either direction;

capturing user input by said input interface of said browser resident client application and providing said user input to said control application;

locally recording and storing the user'"'"'s audio query message spontaneously using the user'"'"'s browser-resident client application on said user device, wherein said user'"'"'s browser-resident client application allows the user to optionally review said recorded audio query message prior to transmission;

transmitting said user input, said recorded audio query message and information of a web page to said host server by said control interface, wherein said web page information identifies the web page that said user was browsing when the audio query message is recorded;

retrieving said recorded audio query message by said first component;

assigning said recorded audio query message along with the information of the web page by said server to a host agent device associated with the host agent of the customer service center, on receipt of said message by said host server;

displaying on said host agent device, said web page retrieved by said host agent using the information of the web page browsed by the user when the audio query message is recorded;

playing back said audio query message by the host agent using an agent client application on said host agent device;

locally recording said audio response message to said audio query message by said host agent on said host agent device using said agent client application while viewing the web page browsed by the user when the audio query message is recorded;

transmitting said recorded audio response message from the agent client application to the user'"'"'s client application by said second component; and

playing back the recorded audio response message of the host agent by the user on the user'"'"'s browser-resident client application;

whereby optionally reviewing the spontaneously recorded audio query message for transmission of said audio query message to the host agent, and recording the audio response message by the host agent while viewing the web page browsed by the user when the audio query message is recorded, provides an enriched user-host agent exchange of audio messages, and reduces user reticence to initiate said exchange of audio messages with the host agent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the exchange of audio messages occurs in a peer-to-peer mode, wherein the audio query message transmitted by the user'"'"'s browser-resident client application routes to a single specific host agent in said peer-to-peer mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent client application is embedded in host agent'"'"'s browser interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s client application resides in said browser on the user device and comprises a graphical user interface, wherein said graphical user interface appears embedded in user visited web pages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the server employs an assignment availability algorithm to distribute the audio query messages to multiple host agents.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the host server employs a product specific assignment algorithm to distribute audio query messages regarding multiple products to host agents, wherein each of said host agents handle audio query messages specific to a product.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user transmits subsequent audio query messages to the host agent before receiving responses to earlier audio query messages.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user leaves a query originating web page and returns to said query originating web page to receive a response to earlier audio query message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more audio query messages of the user are directed to one or more host agents until a satisfactory interaction session is completed or until the interaction session is concluded, thereby providing continuity of service to the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein an unregistered user exchanges electronic messages with the host agents of the customer service.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic messages include, but are not restricted to, audio messages and video messages.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s client application comprises a recorder-player application for recording the audio query message and playing the recorded audio response message.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent client application comprises a recorder-player application for recording the audio response message and playing the recorded audio query message.

12. A method of connectionless exchange of electronic messages between a user and a host agent of a customer service center, comprising the steps of:

providing a browser resident client application on a user device, wherein said user'"'"'s browser resident client application comprises a control interface;

providing a host server at said customer service center, wherein said host server comprises a first component for retrieval of an audio message from said host server, and a second component for transmitting an audio response message between said server and said user device in either direction;

locally recording the user'"'"'s audio query message using the user'"'"'s browser-resident client application on said user device;

transmitting said recorded audio query message of said user to said host server at said customer service center in a store and forward manner by said control interface without establishing a persistent application connection between the user and the host server;

retrieving said recorded audio query message by said first component;

assigning said recorded audio query message by said server to a host agent device associated with the host agent of the customer service center, on receipt of the recorded audio query message by said host server;

receiving and playing back said user'"'"'s recorded audio query message by the host agent using an agent client application on the host agent device;

locally recording said audio response message to said query by said host agent on said host agent device using said agent client application;

transmitting said recorded audio response message from said host agent'"'"'s client application to user'"'"'s client application by said second component; and

playing back the recorded audio response message of the host agent by the client application of the user;

whereby the step of locally recording the audio query message by the user prior to transmission of said audio query message to the host server, and recording the audio response message to said audio query message by the host agent provides an enriched user-host agent exchange of audio messages.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said user client application transmits the audio query message with a query originating web page.

14. A method of connectionless exchange of electronic messages between a user and a host agent of a customer service center, comprising the steps of:

providing a browser resident client application on a user device, wherein said user'"'"'s browser resident client application comprises a control interface;

providing a host server at said customer service center, wherein said host server comprises a first component for retrieval of an audio message from said host server, and a second component for transmitting an audio response message between said server and said user device in either direction;

locally recording the user'"'"'s audio query message using the user'"'"'s browser-resident client application on said user device, wherein said client application allows said user to optionally review said recorded audio query message prior to transmission, and wherein identity of the user is not disclosed;

transmitting said audio query message of said user to said host server at said customer service center in a store and forward manner by said control interface;

retrieving said audio query message by said first component;

assigning said audio query message by said server to the host agent of the customer service center, on receipt of the audio query messages by said host server, without saving said audio query message at the host server and without queuing at the customer service,

providing an agent client application on a host agent device for receiving and playback of said audio query messages;

playing back the user'"'"'s recorded audio query message by said agent client application;

locally recording said audio response to said user by said host agent on said agent client application;

transmitting said recorded audio response message from the host agent'"'"'s client application to user'"'"'s client application by the second component; and

playing back the recorded audio response of the host agent by the user on the user'"'"'s client application;

whereby electronic messages are exchanged between the user and the host agent without disclosing the identity of the user.

17. A method of connectionless exchange of audio messages between a user and a host agent of a customer service center, comprising the steps of:

providing a browser resident client application on a user device, wherein said user'"'"'s browser resident client application comprises a control interface;

providing a host server at said customer service center, wherein said host server comprises a first component for retrieval of an audio message from said host server, and a second component for transmitting an audio response message between said server and said user device in either direction;

locally recording and storing the user'"'"'s audio query message using the user'"'"'s browser-resident client application on said user device, wherein said browser-resident client application allows the user to review said recorded audio query message prior to transmission;

transmitting said recorded audio query message of said user with web page information by said in a store and forward manner to said host server by said control interface, wherein said web page information identifies the web page browsed by said user while recording the audio query message;

retrieving said recorded audio query message by said first component;

assigning said recorded audio query message along with the web page information by said server to a host agent device associated with the host agent, on receipt of said message by said host server, wherein the host server employs an assignment availability algorithm for assigning the audio query message to the host agent, based on expertise of the host agent for responding to the audio query message;

displaying on said host agent device, said web page retrieved by said host agent using the web page information;

playing back said audio query message by the host agent using an agent client application on said host agent device;

locally recording said audio response message to said audio query message by said host agent on said host agent device using said agent client application while viewing the web page;

transmitting said recorded audio response message from the agent client application to the user'"'"'s client application by said second component;

playing back the recorded audio response message of the host agent by the user on the user'"'"'s browser-resident client application; and

generating and transmitting one or more additional audio query messages by the user until a satisfactory audio response message is obtained from said host agent;

whereby said step of obtaining a satisfactory audio response message by the user for said one or more additional audio query messages ensures continuity of service to the user.

18. A method of connectionless exchange of electronic messages between a user and a host agent of a customer service center, comprising the steps of:

providing a browser resident client application on a user device, wherein said user'"'"'s browser resident client application comprises a control interface;

providing a host server at said customer service center, wherein said host server comprises a first component for retrieval of an audio message from said host server, and a second component for transmitting an audio response message between said server and said user device in either direction;

locally recording and storing the user'"'"'s audio query message using the user'"'"'s browser-resident client application on said user device;

anonymously transmitting said recorded audio query message of said user with web page information by said control interface to said host server, wherein said web page information identifies the web page that said user was browsing when the audio query message is recorded;

retrieving said recorded audio query message by said first component;

assigning said recorded audio query message along with the web page information by said server to a host agent device associated with the host agent of the customer service center, on receipt of said message by said host server;

displaying on said host agent device, said web page retrieved by said host agent using the web page information;

playing back said audio query message by the host agent using an agent client application on said host agent device;

locally recording said audio response message to said audio query message by said host agent on said host agent device using said agent client application while viewing the web page;

transmitting said recorded audio response message from the agent client application to the user'"'"'s client application by said second component; and

playing back the recorded audio response message of the host agent by the user on the user'"'"'s browser-resident client application.