Integrated customer communications computer system and process for implementing same

• US 8,645,248 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HSBC Technology & Services Incorporated (HSBC Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: HSBC Technology & Services Incorporated (HSBC Holdings plc)
• Inventors: Roselli, Paris F., Lesandro, Ronald M., Hayes, Martin, Antognoli, Michael R., Gemma, Richard A., Parsons, Neil T., Tangtrakul, Atakorn, Diwan, Anil
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital, Pierre
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raab, Christopher J
• Application Number:
  US13/282,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20120179677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 707/736, 715/235, 715/253
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An integrated customer communications computer system is configured to provide outbound customer communications. The communications computer system generates documents associated with the communications in a predefined format, in real-time or in batch, by merging templates comprising static data received from a template repository, dynamic data received from at least one component of an account opening system, and static content for the templates received from a content repository. The communications computer system includes a communication manager, a plurality of transmission channels, an interface for managing the templates and the content, and a document repository. Various embodiments are described, including a computer implemented method of providing customer communications using an integrated customer communications component and/or module.

Claims

1. An integrated customer communications computer system, comprising:

at least one computer database; and

a communications computer system, in communication with said at least one database and at least one component of an account opening system, and configured to provide outbound customer communications,

wherein the communications computer system generates documents associated with the communications in a predefined format, in real-time or in batch, by merging templates comprising static data received from a template repository, dynamic data received from said at least one component of the account opening system, and static content for the templates received from a content repository, and

wherein the communications computer system includes;

a communication manager, comprising;

a communication controller receiving, recording, sending, and processing at least one of communication requests and history requests from the at least one component of the account opening system, and transmitting communications responsive thereto;

a document manager managing documents associated with the communications; and

a communication history component maintaining a record of the communications transmitted, including at least one of date, time, channel, and content, and saving the record to a communication history database;

a plurality of transmission channels for transmitting the communications;

an interface for managing the templates and the content; and

a document repository storing, retrieving, and managing storage of the documents

wherein the interface for managing the templates is configured to provide a user functionality to create, preview, edit, maintain and delete communication templates for different channels, define what data items are included in the communication, insert dynamic variables that vary by at least one of channel and communication type, define a source of the dynamic data for the communication, and make deployments to various environments for validation.

2. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system transmits the documents to at least one of the channels via a communication link.

3. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system transmits the documents to at least one of multiple channels and multiple recipients.

4. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system receives channel preferences for the communication from a customer data management system.

5. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communication requests comprise individual communication requests and batch communication requests.

6. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 5, wherein the communication manager further comprises a batch handler managing batch communications responsive to the batch communication requests.

7. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communication requests are for at least one of a new document to be generated by the communications computer system and an existing document to be retrieved from said at least one database.

8. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system is configured to determine when more than one communication for the same recipient is transmitted by the same communication method, and when the more than one communication is transmitted by the same communication method, the communications computer system groups the communications together into one communication.

9. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system provides logs of the communications to a customer contact history database.

10. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein said document repository manages the storage of the documents by setting a configurable maximum storage period at a document level.

11. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system converts a saved document to a different format for transmission.

12. The integrated customer communications module of claim 1, wherein said communication history component maintains and configures the communication history to be searchable by at least one of customer, communication type, channel, and date.

13. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system provides the communications automatically, responsive to a predetermined configurable trigger event or alert.

14. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system is configured to capture metrics data regarding messages sent, delivered, bounced, opened, and clicked, and transmit the metrics data to a computer intelligence system to generate reports at aggregate and detailed customer level views.

15. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system further includes an interface that is configured to provide a user functionality to manage communications;

access, retrieve, and view the stored documents;

view the communication history; and

view metrics and request reports.

16. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein said communication controller receives the at least one of communication requests and history requests from at least one of a front end application, an application processing engine, and a product or service system.

17. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 16, wherein said communication controller is configured to route the communication requests to a predetermined channel for distribution.

18. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 16, wherein the front end application executes at least one of a free format portlet to transmit a free format communication, and a communication history portlet enabling a user to search the transmitted communications for review and resend to the same transmission channel.

19. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system transmits the documents to a third party system, including at least one of a print service provider, an SMS provider, and an email provider.

20. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communication requests include a request type, a message ID, a message version, a product type, a document type, a channel ID, customer data, and account information.

21. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communication requests comprise information regarding what documents are to be sent, the dynamic data required to generate the documents, the document formats, the delivery channels, and the data required by the delivery channels.

22. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system is configured to determine when the data required by the delivery channels is not provided in the communication request, and when the data required by the delivery channels is not provided in the communication request, the communications computer system retrieves the data from the at least one component of the account opening system.

23. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system further includes a message handler providing an interface to external applications.

24. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications computer system is configured to transmit the communications using the dynamic data and the templates to an automated teller machine (ATM).

25. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein said interface for managing the templates and the content is configured to be accessible to a user based on entitlements.

26. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein said interface for managing the templates and the content is configured to provide the user functionality to request the communications, wherein said user functionality to request the communications comprises functionality to:

select the template comprising at least one of header, footer, marketing, body, and web links;

select a milestone comprising at least one of validate identity, decisioning, product configuration, funding, and boarding/fulfillment;

select at least one of a message type, a brand, a line of business description, a language, a layout, and a channel; and

enter the content and select images to be included in the document,

and wherein the communications computer system is configured to display, responsive to the user selection, the template specific for the selected channel and layout.

27. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein said interface for managing the templates and the content is configured to interface with a content management application to retrieve a channel layout template, generate the content, apply the content to the template, and transmit the communication to the customer.

28. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein said interface for managing the templates and the content is configured to receive input from a user comprising at least one of text, images, layout, and templates, and to deploy content control files comprising user entered content and images in a predetermined format responsive to the channel to a content and template host server.

29. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 28, wherein said content and template hosting server is configured to be accessible to local interfaces of different geographical locations for managing the templates and the content.

30. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1, wherein said communication controller is configured to receive inbound communications from a plurality of channels.

46. The integrated customer communications computer system of claim 1,

wherein said communication controller receives, records, sends, and processes the communication requests and history requests from the at least one component of the account opening system, and transmits the communications responsive thereto, and

wherein the communication history component maintains a record of the communications transmitted, including the date, the time, the channel, and the content, and saves the record to the communication history database.

31. A computer implemented method of providing integrated customer communications, comprising:

generating documents associated with the communications in a predefined format, in real-time or in batch, by merging templates comprising static data received from a template repository, dynamic data received from at least one component of the account opening system, and static content for the templates received from a content repository, wherein said generating comprises;

receiving, recording, sending, and processing at least one of communication requests and history requests from the at least one component of the account opening system, and transmitting communications responsive thereto;

managing documents associated with the communications; and

maintaining a record of the communications transmitted, including at least one of date, time, channel, and content, and saving the record to a communication history database;

transmitting the communications via one or more transmission channels;

managing the templates and the content; and

storing, retrieving, and managing storage of the documents,

wherein he managing the templates comprises creating, previewing, editing, maintaining and deleting communication templates for different channels, defining what data items are included in the communication, inserting dynamic variables that vary by at least one of channel and communication type, defining a source of the dynamic data for the communication, and making deployments to various environments for validation.

32. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising transmitting the documents to at least one of multiple channels and multiple recipients.

33. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising managing batch communications responsive to batch communication requests.

34. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising determining when more than one communication for the same recipient is transmitted by the same communication method, and when the more than one communication is transmitted by the same communication method, grouping the communications together into one communication.

35. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising providing logs of the communications to a customer contact history database.

36. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising generating the documents associated with the communications automatically, responsive to a predetermined configurable trigger event or alert.

37. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising capturing metrics data regarding messages sent, delivered, bounced, opened, and clicked, and transmitting the metrics data to a computer intelligence system to generate reports at aggregate and detailed customer level views.

38. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising at least one of managing communications;

accessing, retrieving, and viewing the stored documents;

viewing the communication history; and

viewing metrics and request reports.

39. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising transmitting the documents to a third party system, including at least one of a print service provider, an SMS provider, and an email provider.

40. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising determining when the data required by the delivery channels is not provided in the communication request, and when the data required by the delivery channels is not provided in the communication request, retrieving the data from the at least one component of the account opening system.

41. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising transmitting the communications using the dynamic data and the templates to an automated teller machine (ATM).

42. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising requesting the communications, wherein said requesting the communications comprises:

selecting the template comprising at least one of header, footer, marketing, body, and web links;

selecting a milestone comprising at least one of validate identity, decisioning, product configuration, funding, and boarding/fulfillment;

selecting at least one of a message type, a brand, a line of business description, a language, a layout, and a channel; and

entering the content and select images to be included in the document.

43. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, wherein the managing the templates and the content comprises interfacing with a content management application to retrieve a channel layout template, generate the content, apply the content to the template, and transmit the communication to the customer.

44. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, wherein the managing the templates and the content comprises receiving input from a user comprising at least one of text, images, layout, and templates, and deploying content control files comprising user entered content and images in a predetermined format responsive to the channel to a content and template host server.

45. The computer implemented method of providing customer communications of claim 31, further comprising receiving inbound communications from a plurality of channels.

47. An integrated customer communications computer system, comprising:

at least one computer database; and

a communications computer system, in communication with said at least one database and at least one component of an account opening system, and configured to provide outbound customer communications,

wherein the communications computer system generates documents associated with the communications in a predefined format, in real-time or in batch, by merging templates comprising static data received from a template repository, dynamic data received from said at least one component of the account opening system, and static content for the templates received from a content repository, and

wherein the communications computer system includes;

a communication manager, comprising;

a communication controller receiving, recording, sending, and processing at least one of communication requests and history requests from the at least one component of the account opening system, and transmitting communications responsive thereto;

a document manager managing documents associated with the communications; and

a communication history component maintaining a record of the communications transmitted, including at least one of date, time, channel, and content, and saving the record to a communication history database;

a plurality of transmission channels for transmitting the communications;

an interface for managing the templates and the content; and

a document repository storing, retrieving, and managing storage of the documents,

wherein said communication controller receives the at least one of communication requests and history requests from at least one of a front end application, an application processing engine, and a product or service system, and

wherein the front end application executes at least one of a free format portlet to transmit a free format communication, and a communication history portlet enabling a user to search the transmitted communications for review and resend to the same transmission channel.

48. An integrated customer communications computer system, comprising:

at least one computer database; and

a communications computer system, in communication with said at least one database and at least one component of an account opening system, and configured to provide outbound customer communications,

wherein the communications computer system generates documents associated with the communications in a predefined format, in real-time or in batch, by merging templates comprising static data received from a template repository, dynamic data received from said at least one component of the account opening system, and static content for the templates received from a content repository, and

wherein the communications computer system includes;

a communication manager, comprising;

a communication controller receiving, recording, sending, and processing at least one of communication requests and history requests from the at least one component of the account opening system, and transmitting communications responsive thereto;

a document manager managing documents associated with the communications; and

a communication history component maintaining a record of the communications transmitted, including at least one of date, time, channel, and content, and saving the record to a communication history database;

a plurality of transmission channels for transmitting the communications;

an interface for managing the templates and the content; and

a document repository storing, retrieving, and managing storage of the documents,

wherein said interface for managing the templates and the content is configured to provide the user functionality to request the communications, wherein said user functionality to request the communications comprises functionality to;

select the template comprising at least one of header, footer, marketing, body, and web links;

select a milestone comprising at least one of validate identity, decisioning, product configuration, funding, and boarding/fulfillment;

select at least one of a message type, a brand, a line of business description, a language, a layout, and a channel; and

enter the content and select images to be included in the document, and wherein the communications computer system is configured to display, responsive to the user selection, the template specific for the selected channel and layout.

49. An integrated customer communications computer system, comprising:

at least one computer database; and

a communications computer system, in communication with said at least one database and at least one component of an account opening system, and configured to provide outbound customer communications,

wherein the communications computer system generates documents associated with the communications in a predefined format, in real-time or in batch, by merging templates comprising static data received from a template repository, dynamic data received from said at least one component of the account opening system, and static content for the templates received from a content repository, and

wherein the communications computer system includes;

a communication manager, comprising;

a communication controller receiving, recording, sending, and processing at least one of communication requests and history requests from the at least one component of the account opening system, and transmitting communications responsive thereto;

a document manager managing documents associated with the communications; and

a communication history component maintaining a record of the communications transmitted, including at least one of date, time, channel, and content, and saving the record to a communication history database;

a plurality of transmission channels for transmitting the communications;

an interface for managing the templates and the content; and

a document repository storing, retrieving, and managing storage of the documents

wherein said interface for managing the templates and the content is configured to receive input from a user comprising at least one of text, images, layout, and templates, and to deploy content control files comprising user entered content and images in a predetermined format responsive to the channel to a content and template host server, and

wherein said content and template hosting server is configured to be accessible to local interfaces of different geographical locations for managing the templates and the content.

50. A computer implemented method of providing integrated customer communications, comprising:

generating documents associated with the communications in a predefined format, in real-time or in batch, by merging templates comprising static data received from a template repository, dynamic data received from at least one component of the account opening system, and static content for the templates received from a content repository, wherein said generating comprises;

receiving, recording, sending, and processing at least one of communication requests and history requests from the at least one component of the account opening system, and transmitting communications responsive thereto;

managing documents associated with the communications; and

maintaining a record of the communications transmitted, including at least one of date, time, channel, and content, and saving the record to a communication history database;

transmitting the communications via one or more transmission channels;

managing the templates and the content;

storing, retrieving, and managing storage of the documents; and

requesting the communications, wherein said requesting the communications comprises;

selecting the template comprising at least one of header, footer, marketing, body, and web links;

selecting a milestone comprising at least one of validate identity, decisioning, product configuration, funding, and boarding/fulfillment;

selecting at least one of a message type, a brand, a line of business description, a language, a layout, and a channel; and

entering the content and select images to be included in the document.