Preferred customer service representative presentation to virtual universe clients

• US 8,423,478 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2008
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Finn, Peter G., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Katz, Neil A., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Plucinski, Jami A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bahl, Sangeeta
• Application Number:
  US12/108,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 715/706, 715/757, 715/751, 705/1.1, 705/304
• US Class Current: 705/304
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

The present invention is directed to presenting customer service representatives to a virtual universe client. A method for presenting a customer service representative (CSR) to a virtual universe client includes obtaining a preference(s) of the virtual universe client, and then presenting a virtual universe customer service representative (CSR) to the virtual universe client, based on the preference that was obtained. The invention allows virtual universe clients (“clients”), or customers, to experience consistent interaction quality with virtual universe CSR'"'"'s, based on the client'"'"'s stated preferences and/or interaction history in immersive support centers. This provides for consistency in the CSR experience for the client in that a virtual universe CSR may be staffed by varying human presences “behind” the avatar.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a customer service representative to a virtual universe client, comprising:

obtaining a preference of the virtual universe client, the preference designating one of a plurality of visual or aural features of the virtual universe client;

constructing by a computer device, in response to the obtaining, a customized customer service representative (CSR) having a feature corresponding to the preference, the customized customer service representative being associated with an entity other that the virtual universe client; and

presenting, by the computer device, the CSR to the virtual universe client;

wherein the CSR is presented for the virtual universe client to interact with whenever the virtual universe client performs a particular activity in the virtual world that involves interaction with the entity;

wherein a different CSR having different preference-based features is presented for the virtual universe client to interact with whenever the virtual universe client performs a different activity in the virtual world that involves interaction, the different activity including at least one of a different type of transactions or a transaction with a different entity; and

wherein a second different CSR having other different preference-based features is presented for a different virtual universe client to interact with whenever the different virtual universe client performs the particular activity in the virtual world that involves interaction with the entity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a previous transaction of the virtual universe client.

3. The method of claim 1, the presenting comprising adjusting at least one of a visual or aural aspect of the virtual universe CSR based on the preference.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the visual aspect is at least one selected from a group consisting of:

clothing, race, sex, hair, height, weight, and occupation.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the aural aspect is at least one selected from a group consisting of:

voice, accent, dialect, volume, vocabulary, and language structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference is derived from an activity of the virtual universe client.

7. The method of claim 1, the presenting comprising displaying the virtual universe CSR based on at least one of:

client profile data, client creating a preference, or historical interaction with avatars.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the virtual universe CSR upon entrance of the virtual universe client into a region.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference is customizable by the virtual universe client.

10. The method of claim 1, the presenting further comprising presenting a personality trait of the virtual universe CSR.

11. The method of claim 1, the presenting further comprising presenting a mannerism of the virtual universe CSR.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mannerism is at least one selected from a group consisting of:

a body gesture, a facial gesture, an arm movement, a walking movement, a head movement, and a smile.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual universe CSR is independent of a real-life CSR manning the virtual universe CSR.

14. A system for presenting a customer service representative to a virtual universe client, comprising at least one computer device that performs a method, comprising:

obtaining a preference of the virtual universe client, the preference designating one of a plurality of visual or aural features of the virtual universe client;

constructing, in response to the obtaining, a customized customer service representative (CSR) having a feature corresponding to the preference, the customized customer service representative being associated with an entity other that the virtual universe client; and

presenting the CSR to the virtual universe client,

wherein the CSR is presented for the virtual universe client to interact with whenever the virtual universe client performs a particular activity in the virtual world that involves interaction with the entity;

wherein a different CSR having different preference-based features is presented for the virtual universe client to interact with whenever the virtual universe client performs a different activity in the virtual world that involves interaction, the different activity including at least one of a different type of transactions or a transaction with a different entity; and

wherein a second different CSR having other different preference-based features is presented for a different virtual universe client to interact with whenever the different virtual universe client performs the particular activity in the virtual world that involves interaction with the entity.

15. The system of claim 14, the method further comprising storing a previous transaction of the virtual universe client.

16. The system of claim 14, the method further comprising presenting the virtual universe CSR upon entrance of the virtual universe client into a region.

17. The system of claim 14, the presenting further comprising presenting a personality trait of the virtual universe CSR.

18. The system of claim 14, the presenting further comprising presenting a mannerism of the virtual universe CSR.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the virtual universe CSR is independent of a real-life CSR manning the virtual universe CSR.

20. A program product stored on a computer readable storage device, which when executed, presents a customer service representative to a virtual universe client, the computer readable medium comprising program code for:

obtaining a preference of the virtual universe client, the preference designating one of a plurality of visual or aural features of the virtual universe client;

constructing, in response to the obtaining, a customized customer service representative (CSR) having a feature corresponding to the preference, the customized customer service representative being associated with an entity other that the virtual universe client; and

presenting the CSR to the virtual universe client,

wherein the CSR is presented for the virtual universe client to interact with whenever the virtual universe client performs a particular activity in the virtual world that involves interaction with the entity;

wherein a different CSR having different preference-based features is presented for the virtual universe client to interact with whenever the virtual universe client performs a different activity in the virtual world that involves interaction, the different activity including at least one of a different type of transactions or a transaction with a different entity; and

wherein a second different CSR having other different preference-based features is presented for a different virtual universe client to interact with whenever the different virtual universe client performs the particular activity in the virtual world that involves interaction with the entity.

21. The program product of claim 20, the program code further comprising storing a previous transaction of the virtual universe client.

22. The program product of claim 20, the program code further comprising presenting the virtual universe CSR upon entrance of the virtual universe client into a region.

23. The program product of claim 20, the program code further comprising presenting a personality trait of the virtual universe CSR.

24. The program product of claim 20, the program code further comprising presenting a mannerism of the virtual universe CSR.

25. A method for deploying an application for presenting a customer service representative to a virtual universe client, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure having at least one computer device performing a method, comprising;

obtaining a preference of the virtual universe client, the preference designating one of a plurality of visual or aural features of the virtual universe client;

constructing by the computer device, in response to the obtaining, a customized customer service representative (CSR) having a feature corresponding to the preference, the customized customer service representative being associated with an entity other that the virtual universe client; and

presenting by the computer device the CSR to the virtual universe client,

wherein the CSR is presented for the virtual universe client to interact with whenever the virtual universe client performs a particular activity in the virtual world that involves interaction with the entity;

wherein a different CSR having different preference-based features is presented for the virtual universe client to interact with whenever the virtual universe client performs a different activity in the virtual world that involves interaction, the different activity including at least one of a different type of transactions or a transaction with a different entity; and

wherein a second different CSR having other different preference-based features is presented for a different virtual universe client to interact with whenever the different virtual universe client performs the particular activity in the virtual world that involves interaction with the entity.