Apparatus and methods for multi-mode asynchronous communication

• US 9,172,690 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2014
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Contact Solutions Incorporated
• Inventors: Logan, Paul, Hibbard, Mike, Gray, Joshua, Clements, Vete
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N
• Application Number:
  US14/157,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20140137200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/224, 709/206, 705/4, 380/270, 455/78, 726/21
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5141 Details of processing calls and other types of contacts in an unified manner unified messaging in packet-switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0042 where the data service is a text-based messaging service H04M7/0054 takes precedence

Abstract

A method includes receiving at a host device a first communication associated with a transaction from at least one electronic device included in a set of electronic devices. The host device includes at least a memory, a processor, and a database. The first communication received at a first time and via a first communication mode. The method includes sending a response to the first communication at a second time after the first time and independent of the first time. The host devices receives a second communication associated with the transaction from the at least one electronic device at a third time. The first communication, the response to the first communication, and the second communication are displayable in a persistent record of the transaction regardless of a difference between the first time and the third time.

Claims

1. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive, at a host device and from an electronic device, a first communication associated with a customer service transaction, the first communication being received at a first time, the first communication including biometric data;

authenticate the electronic device based on the first communication;

send, in response to the authenticating and at a second time, a second communication associated with the customer service transaction, the second time being subsequent the first time, the first communication and the second communication being displayable in a persistent record of the customer service transaction regardless of a time duration between the first time and the second time; and

receive, at a third time, a third communication, the third communication being unrelated to the customer service transaction, the third communication being displayable in a record different than the persistent record of the customer service transaction.

2. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive, at the host device and at a fourth time after the second time, a fourth communication associated with the customer service transaction and from the electronic device, the first communication, the second communication and the fourth communication being displayable in the persistent record of the customer service transaction regardless of a time duration between the first time and the fourth time.

3. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the second communication is at least one of a video or an image.

4. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first communication includes an indication of a geographic location of the electronic device, the code to cause the processor to authenticate includes code to cause the processor to authenticate the electronic device based at least in part on the indication.

5. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code to cause the processor to receive the first communication includes code to cause the processor to receive the first communication via a first communication mode,

the code to cause the processor to send includes code to cause the processor to send the second communication via a second communication mode different from the first communication mode.

6. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

complete the customer service transaction at a fourth time subsequent the second time and independent of the first time and the second time.

7. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first communication is associated with a first step of the customer service transaction, the second communication is associated with a second step of the customer service transaction, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to:

store the first communication and the second communication in a memory.

8. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a first electronic device, the code to cause the processor to send includes code to cause the processor to send the second communication to a second electronic device different from the first electronic device.

9. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code to cause the processor to receive the first communication includes code to cause the processor to receive the first communication via a first communication mode including at least one of email, text message, instant message, optical pattern transmission, radio frequency pattern transmission, a mobile device application communication, a website communication or an interactive voice response transmission,

the code to cause the processor to send includes code to cause the processor to send the second communication via a second communication mode including at least one of email, text message, instant message, optical pattern transmissions, radio frequency pattern transmissions, a mobile device application communication, a website communication or an interactive voice response transmission,

the first communication mode being different from the second communication mode.

10. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first communication is asynchronous with the second communication such that the second time is independent of the first time.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a communication module of a host device and at a first time, a first communication associated with a user interaction from an electronic device via a first communication mode, the first communication including biometric data;

authenticating, at an authentication module of the host device, the electronic device based on the first communication;

sending, in response to the authenticating and at a second time, a second communication associated with the user interaction and via a second communication mode different from the first communication mode, the second time being subsequent the first time, the first communication and the second communication being displayable in a persistent record of the user interaction regardless of a time duration between the first time and the second time; and

receive, at a third time, a third communication, the third communication being unrelated to the user interaction, the third communication being displayable in a record different than the persistent record of the user interaction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user interaction is a customer service transaction.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second communication mode includes at least one of a video or an image.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, at the communication module and at a fourth time after the second time, a fourth communication associated with the user interaction and from the electronic device, the first communication, the second communication and the fourth communication being displayable in the persistent record of the customer service transaction regardless of a time duration between the first time and the fourth time.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first communication includes an indication of a geographic location of the electronic device, the authenticating including authenticating the electronic device based on the indication.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

completing the user interaction at a fourth time subsequent the second time and independent of the first time and the second time.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first communication mode includes at least one of email, text message, instant message, optical pattern transmission, radio frequency pattern transmission, a mobile device application communication, a website communication or an interactive voice response transmission,

the second communication mode includes at least one of email, text message, instant message, optical pattern transmission, radio frequency pattern transmission, a mobile device application communication, a website communication or an interactive voice response transmission.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication module implemented in at least one of a memory or a processing device, the communication module configured to receive, from an electronic device and at a first time, a first communication associated with a customer service transaction, the first communication including an indication of a geographic location of the electronic device; and

an authentication module operatively coupled to the communication module, the authentication module configured to authenticate the electronic device based at least in part on the indication,

the communication module configured to send, at a second time and in response to the authentication module authenticating the electronic device, a second communication associated with the transaction, the second time being subsequent the first time, the first communication and the second communication being displayable in a persistent record of the customer service transaction regardless of a time duration between the first time and the second time,

the communication module configured to receive, at a third time, a third communication, the third communication being unrelated to the customer service transaction, the third communication being displayable in a record different than the persistent record of the customer service transaction.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the authentication module is configured to authenticate the electronic device by querying a database using at least the indication to identify a user account.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first communication includes biometric data.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the communication module is configured to receive the first communication via a first communication mode, the communication module configured to send the second communication via a second communication mode different from the first communication mode.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second communication includes at least one of a video or an image.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electronic device is a first electronic device, the communication module is configured to send the second communication to a second electronic device different from the first electronic device.