Text chat

• US 9,077,699 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: James, Constance
• Primary Examiner(s): Trotter, Scott S
• Application Number:
  US12/208,509
• Time in Patent Office: 2,490 Days
• Field of Search: 726/17, 726/27, 726/4, 705/67
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A method and system for determining which online banking customers of a financial institution may be invited to chat with available customer service representatives or agents. Additionally, after a customer is invited to text-chat with a customer service representative or agent, the customer may be allowed to communicate via text-chat with one or more customer service representatives or agents without redundantly inputting the customer'"'"'s identification information, advantageously saving time and improving customer satisfaction.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a user, online banking authentication information for initiating an online banking session, wherein the online banking session comprises at least viewing information within an online banking account of the user;

evaluating, during the online banking session, one or more activities of the user;

determining whether the user is eligible to receive an invitation to text-chat with an agent of a financial institution maintaining the online banking account, wherein determining whether the user is eligible comprises;

identifying, during the online banking session, an activity of the one or more activities of the user for triggering the invitation to text-chat;

determining that the user is associated with a predefined class of users that is eligible to receive the invitation to text-chat with the agent of the financial institution;

automatically presenting, via an interface of the online banking account, a computer processor-initiated invitation to text-chat to the user when the computer processor (a) identifies that the activity of the one or more activities of the user during the online banking session satisfies one or more triggers for presenting the invitation to text-chat and (b) determines that the user is associated with the predefined class of users that are eligible to receive the invitation to text-chat with the agent of the financial institution;

authenticating the user to a text-chat session with the agent of the financial institution based at least partially on determining that a portion of the interface of the online banking account is viewable via a display of the user; and

initiating the text-chat session between the user and the agent based at least partially on the authenticating the user to the text-chat session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying that the user is eligible to text-chat further includes:

determining, based on a data table that includes classification information corresponding to the plurality of service levels, whether the service level corresponding to an at least one account held by the user is eligible to text-chat.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user'"'"'s usage of the online banking service meets the one or more criteria includes determining whether the user visited a particular page of the online banking service.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the particular page is an error page.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the particular web-page is a help or search page.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user'"'"'s usage of the online banking service meets the one or more criteria includes:

determining a location of the user, the location of the user representing a particular page of the online banking service that is currently being displayed to the user by the second computing device; and

determining, based on the determined service level corresponding to the at least one account held by the user and the determined location of the user, a set of rules that govern the treatment of the user, wherein the set of rules establishes the one or more criteria.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of rules allows for inviting the user to text-chat with the customer service representative if the user keeps the particular page of the online banking service open for a pre-determined amount of time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying that the user is eligible to text-chat further includes:

determining a ranking of priority for the at least one account held by the user based on the service level corresponding to the at least one account; and

determining whether the ranking of priority is above a threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the threshold is based at least in part on a comparison between a number of customer service representatives available to text-chat and a number of users eligible to text-chat.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the ranking of priority for the user'"'"'s at least one account held by the user further includes determining a service sublevel, wherein the service sublevel further distinguishes the at least one account held by the user within the determined service level.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the service sublevel is based at least in part on a total number of assets in the at least one account held by the user with the financial institution.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying that the user is eligible to text-chat further includes:

scanning one or more previous chat logs to determine if the user used inappropriate language in a previous chat session; and

determining that the user is not eligible to text-chat based on determining that the user used inappropriate language in the previous chat session.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying that the user is eligible to text-chat further includes:

in response to determining, based on past chat session statistics, that past chat session durations have exceeded a predefined threshold, determining that the user is not eligible to text-chat.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to inviting the user to text-chat, receiving, by the first computing device, an acceptance of the invitation;

verifying, by the first computing device, that the acceptance of the invitation for the text-chat session occurred within authenticated space and while at least a portion of the interface of an online banking account of the user was viewable by the user, wherein the authenticated space is any portion of the user interface of the online banking service which the user can only access or view when the user is successfully authenticated to the online banking system of a financial institution of the user;

connecting, by the first computing device, the user and the customer service representative, to allow the user and the customer service representative to communicate via the text-chat session; and

in response to verifying that the acceptance of the text-chat session is made within the authenticated space, automatically displaying, by the first computing device, account information corresponding to the user'"'"'s account in a window adjacent to the customer service representative'"'"'s text-chat session window, wherein the customer service representative'"'"'s text-chat session window includes an indicator that acceptance of the text-chat invitation occurred within the authenticated space.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by the first computing device, that the user is no longer authenticated during the text-chat session; and

in response to determining that the user is no longer authenticated, allowing, by the first computing device, the text-chat session to continue without requesting the user'"'"'s authentication information.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transferring, by the first computing device, the text-chat from the customer service representative to a second customer service representative; and

allowing, by the first computing device, the text-chat session to continue with the second customer service representative without requesting the user'"'"'s authentication information if it is determined that the transfer meets one or more transfer criteria.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining that the transfer meets the one or more transfer criteria includes determining that the transfer was successfully performed within a predetermined period of time.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by the first computing device, that the user is no longer authenticated during the text-chat session; and

in response to determining that the user is no longer authenticated, requesting, by the first computing device, that the user provide authentication information if it is determined that one or more authentication criteria are met.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein it is determined that the one or more authentication criteria are met if the user is requesting assistance from the customer service representative with transferring assets to a different account, not held by the user.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

receive, from a user, online banking authentication information for initiating an online banking session, wherein the online banking session comprises at least viewing information within an online banking account of the user;

evaluate, during the online banking session, one or more activities of the user;

determine whether the user is eligible to receive an invitation to text-chat with an agent of a financial institution maintaining the online banking account, wherein determining whether the user is eligible comprises;

identifying, during the online banking session, an activity of the one or more activities of the user for triggering the invitation to text-chat;

determining that the user is associated with a predefined class of users that is eligible to receive the invitation to text-chat with the agent of the financial institution;

automatically present, via an interface of the online banking account, a computer processor-initiated invitation to text-chat to the user when the computer processor (a) identifies that the activity of the one or more activities of the user during the online banking session satisfies one or more triggers for presenting the invitation to text-chat and (b) determines that the user is associated with the predefined class of users that are eligible to receive the invitation to text-chat with the agent of the financial institution;

authenticate the user to a text-chat session with the agent of the financial institution based at least partially on determining that a portion of the interface of the online banking account is viewable via a display of the user; and

initiate the text-chat session between the user and the agent based at least partially on the authenticating the user to the text-chat session.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein verifying that the user is eligible to text-chat further includes:

determining, based on a data table that includes classification information corresponding to the plurality of service levels, whether the service level corresponding to an at least one account held by the user is eligible for text-chat.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein determining whether the user'"'"'s usage of the online banking service meets the one or more criteria includes determining whether the user visited a particular page of the online banking service.