Method of providing customer services

• US 8,019,646 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TAO Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: TAO Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Lewis-Hawkins, Virginia
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen; Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US12/645,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/14.49, 705/14.51, 705/26.1, 715/758
• US Class Current: 705/14.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

Customer services are provided by storing predetermined trigger information in association with predetermined content. A real-time text chat established over a network between at least one agent device and at least one customer device is monitoring for the predetermined trigger information using a monitoring computer. The predetermined content is automatically forwarded to the at least one customer device when the predetermined trigger information is detected in the monitoring.

Claims

1. A method of providing customer service, comprising:

storing predetermined trigger information that corresponds to predetermined content;

monitoring in real-time via a monitoring computer, a text chat for the predetermined trigger information, wherein the text chat is established over a network between at least one agent device and at least one customer device; and

automatically forwarding the predetermined content to the at least one customer device when the predetermined trigger information is detected in the monitoring and wherein the automatically forwarding the predetermined content is based upon an identity of a customer associated with the at least one customer device and upon an identity of an agent associated with the at least one agent device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an agent and the customer respectively enter and exchange information across the network using the at least one agent device and the at least one customer device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined trigger information is simultaneously routed as part of the text chat to both the monitoring computer and an intended recipient among the agent using the at least one agent device and the customer using the at least one customer device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least part of the text chat involves the monitoring computer exchanging information with the at least one customer device without active involvement of the agent using the at least one agent device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the text chat is displayed on the at least one agent device during the at least part of the text chat when the monitoring computer exchanges information with the at least one customer device without active involvement of the agent using the at least one agent device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one customer device comprises at least one of a computer, a wireless communication device, and a personal digital assistant.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising uploading an action file to the monitoring computer based on the predetermined trigger information being detected in the monitoring.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of automatically forwarding the predetermined content is performed based on an action specified in the action file which is, itself, uploaded to the monitoring computer based on the predetermined trigger information being detected in the monitoring.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically scheduling a subsequent communication session with a customer using the at least one customer device based on detecting the predetermined trigger information in the monitoring.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving, by the monitoring computer, an action file based on detecting the predetermined trigger information in the monitoring.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the action file specifies actions to be performed including automatically forwarding the predetermined content to the at least one customer device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving, by the monitoring computer, a content file based on detecting the predetermined trigger information in the monitoring.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the content file includes the predetermined content that is automatically forwarded to the at least one customer device based on detecting the predetermined trigger information in the monitoring.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined content that is automatically forwarded varies based on a context of the text chat detected by the monitoring computer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarded content is an offer of a product for sale.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising enabling modification of the offer by the customer.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising wherein a profile of a customer using the at least one customer device is provided to the monitoring computer, and the predetermined content forwarded to the customer varies based on the profile of the customer.

18. A tangible computer-readable medium having computer-implementable instructions stored thereon, the instructions when implemented causing one or more computers:

to store predetermined trigger information on a tangible memory, wherein the predetermined trigger information corresponds to predetermined content;

to monitor in real-time a text chat for the predetermined trigger information, wherein the text chat is established over a network between at least one agent device and at least one customer device; and

to automatically forward the predetermined content to the at least one customer device when the predetermined trigger information is detected in the monitoring, and wherein the automatically forwarding the predetermined content is based upon an identity of a customer associated with the at least one customer device and upon an identity of an agent associated with the at least one agent device.

19. A monitoring system for providing customer service, comprising:

a tangible memory configured to store predetermined trigger information that corresponds to predetermined content; and

a monitoring computer configured to monitor in real-time a text chat for the predetermined trigger information, wherein the text chat is established over a network between at least one agent device and at least one customer device;

wherein the monitoring computer is further configured to automatically forward the predetermined content to the at least one customer device when the predetermined trigger information is detected in the monitoring, and wherein the predetermined content is based upon an identity of a customer associated with the at least one customer device and upon an identity of an agent associated with the at least one agent device.