Method and system for providing one-to-one email collaboration

• US 8,190,567 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2005
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Dauer, Martin, Back, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): Mahmoudi, Tony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choi, Michele
• Application Number:
  US11/026,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20060095476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,703 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 709/204, 709/202
• US Class Current: 707/613
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A management application to synchronize e-mails sent or received from one application with e-mail logs of another application. If the groupware application receives an e-mail from a business partner, the e-mail may be stored in communication records maintained by the CRM application. Similarly, if an operator composed and sends an e-mail via the CRM application, the e-mail may be copied to the e-mail records of the groupware application. In managing this synchronization, it is sufficient for the management application to copy an e-mail from one application to the other. No further oversight is required.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

embedding an email transfer activation arrangement in a groupware email application program to transfer an inbound email to a customer relationship management (CRM) application system;

responsive to an activation of the activation arrangement, identifying through a processing device an inbound email in the groupware email application program that has not yet been transferred to the CRM system from the groupware email application program;

accessing, in response to the activation of the activation arrangement, business partner data included in the CRM system;

responsive to the accessing of the business partner data, comparing a sender email address of the identified inbound email to the accessed business partner data to identify a sender business partner in the CRM system associated with the identified inbound email;

responsive to the comparing the sender email address of the identified inbound email to the accessed business partner data, displaying in an interface of the groupware email application a list of business objects associated with the identified sender business partner in the CRM system that is retrieved from the CRM system; and

responsive to selecting a business object from the list of business objects displayed, transferring a copy of the identified inbound email from the groupware email application program to the CRM system, from which the CRM system generates an activity record in the CRM system associated with the selected business object and the identified sender business partner in which a body of the transferred email copy is included in a text field of the activity record, a subject of the transferred email copy is included in a description field of the activity record, a link to the copy of the transferred email is embedded in the activity record, and the identified sender business partner is specified as a business partner in the activity record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the CRM application system is part of an enterprise management system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sender email address of the identified inbound email is compared to an email address book in the CRM system to identify the sender business partner.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transferred copy of the identified inbound email from the groupware application is transferred through a browser via an application programming interface (API).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer occurs at periodic intervals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer occurs at an operator request.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer occurs responsive to activating a transfer button.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein an email is replicated in its entirety during the transfer to the CRM system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the groupware email application includes a navigation bar in which an operator may identify a uniform resource locator (URL) of the CRM application system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying an email as transferred once the copy of the email is transferred to the CRM application system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation of the activation arrangement opens a new window displaying the interface.

12. A memory system having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

execute an email transfer activation arrangement embedded in a groupware email application program to transfer an inbound email to a customer relationship management (CRM) application system;

responsive to an activation of the activation arrangement, identify through a processing device an inbound email in the groupware email application program that has not been transferred to the CRM system from the groupware email application program;

access, in response to the activation of the activation arrangement, business partner data included in the CRM system;

responsive to the accessing of the business partner data, compare a sender email address of the identified inbound email to the accessed business partner data included to identify a sender business partner in the CRM system associated with the identified inbound email;

responsive to the comparing the sender email address of the identified inbound email to the accessed business partner data, display in an interface of the groupware email application a list of business objects associated with the identified sender business partner in the CRM system that is retrieved from the CRM system; and

responsive to selecting a business object from the list of business objects displayed, transfer a copy of the identified inbound email from the groupware email application program to the CRM system, from which the CRM system generates an activity record in the CRM system associated with the selected business object and the identified sender business partner in which a body of the transferred email copy is included in a text field of the activity record, a subject of the transferred email copy is included in a description field of the activity record, a link to the copy of the transferred email is embedded in the activity record, and the identified sender business partner is specified as a business partner in the activity record.

13. The memory system of claim 12, wherein the CRM application system is part of an enterprise management system.

14. The memory system of claim 12, wherein the sender email address of the identified inbound email is compared to an email address book in the CRM system to identify the sender business partner.

15. The memory system of claim 12, wherein the transferred copy of the identified inbound email from the groupware application is transferred through a browser via an application programming interface (API).

16. The memory system of claim 12, wherein the transfer occurs at periodic intervals.

17. The memory system of claim 12, wherein the transfer occurs at an operator request.

18. The memory system of claim 12, wherein the transfer occurs responsive to activating a transfer button.