System and method for performing follow up based on user interactions

• US 8,738,732 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LivePerson Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LivePerson Incorporated
• Inventors: Karidi, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheema, Umar
• Application Number:
  US11/360,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,014 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A system and method for follow up management comprising determining if a user has an unexpired repository record, extracting information from the repository record associated with the user; and acting on instructions stored in the repository record. The method is practiced on a system for managing online interaction comprising a business rules engine a follow up repository, and a follow up engine.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a cookie relating to a visitor of a website, wherein the cookie includes information indicating whether one or more repository records exist;

determining, on a computing device, if a repository record exists based on the information stored in the cookie, the repository record including follow-up information describing a follow-up action to take based on an activity of the visitor during a prior visit to the website, wherein information stored in the repository record is different from the information stored in the cookie;

retrieving, on the computing device, the repository record from a database;

extracting, on the computing device, the follow-up information from the repository record;

performing the follow-up action described by the extracted follow-up information in the repository record; and

generating a revised repository record when one or more activities of the visitor are detected on the website, wherein the revised repository record includes new follow-up information, and wherein the revised repository record is stored in the database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the repository record is expired.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

extracting an expiration date from the cookie;

determining whether the expiration date is met; and

retrieving the repository record when the expiration date has not been met.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

extracting an expiration date from the cookie;

determining that the expiration date has not been met;

determining that an expired repository record exists based on the expiration data not being met; and

erasing the expired repository record.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the repository record is created during the prior visit to the website.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the repository record is created a period of time after the prior visit to the website.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the follow-up action includes setting a system variable, setting a display variable, opening a communication channel, or opening an engagement channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the follow-up action includes providing a chat to the visitor or providing a popup to the visitor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the repository record is stored in the database subject to a deletion characteristic.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

erasing the repository record based on the deletion characteristic.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the deletion characteristic includes a time-based database partition.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions configured to cause the processor to perform operations including;

receiving a cookie relating to a visitor of a website, wherein the cookie includes information indicating whether one or more repository records exist;

determining if a repository record exists based on the information stored in the cookie, the repository record including follow-up information describing a follow-up action to take based on an activity of the visitor during a prior visit to the website, wherein information stored in the repository record is different from the information stored in the cookie;

retrieving the repository record from a database;

extracting the follow-up information from the repository record;

performing the follow-up action described by the extracted follow-up information in the repository record; and

generating a revised repository record when one or more activities of the visitor are detected on the website, wherein the revised repository record includes new follow-up information, and wherein the revised repository record is stored in the database.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium contains further instructions configured to cause the processor to perform operations including:

determining whether the repository record is expired.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium contains further instructions configured to cause the processor to perform operations including:

extracting an expiration date from the cookie;

determining whether the expiration date is met; and

retrieving the repository record when the expiration date has not been met.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium contains further instructions configured to cause the processor to perform operations including:

extracting an expiration date from the cookie;

determining that the expiration date has not been met;

determining that an expired repository record exists based on the expiration data not being met; and

erasing the expired repository record.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the follow-up action includes setting a system variable, setting a display variable, opening a communication channel, or opening an engagement channel.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the follow-up action includes providing a chat to the visitor or providing a popup to the visitor.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the repository record is stored in the database subject to a deletion characteristic.

19. A computer-program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive a cookie relating to a visitor of a website, wherein the cookie includes information indicating whether one or more repository records exist;

determine if a repository record exists based on the information stored in the cookie, the repository record including follow-up information describing a follow-up action to take based on an activity of the visitor during a prior visit to the website, wherein information stored in the repository record is different from the information stored in the cookie;

retrieve the repository record from a database;

extract the follow-up information from the repository record;

perform the follow-up action described by the extracted follow-up information in the repository record; and

generate a revised repository record when one or more activities of the visitor are detected on the website, wherein the revised repository record includes new follow-up information, and wherein the revised repository record is stored in the database.

20. The computer-program product of claim 19, further including instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

determine whether the repository record is expired.

21. The computer-program product of claim 20, further including instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

extract an expiration date from the cookie;

determine whether the expiration date is met; and

retrieve the repository record when the expiration date has not been met.

22. The computer-program product of claim 20, further including instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

extract an expiration date from the cookie;

determine that the expiration date has not been met;

determine that an expired repository record exists based on the expiration data not being met; and

erase the expired repository record.

23. The computer-program product of claim 19, wherein the follow-up action includes setting a system variable, setting a display variable, opening a communication channel, or opening an engagement channel.

24. The computer-program product of claim 19, wherein the follow-up action includes providing a chat to the visitor or providing a popup to the visitor.

25. The computer-program product of claim 19, wherein the repository record is stored in the database subject to a deletion characteristic.