Method for providing learning courses via a service center supporting a variety of products

• US 9,336,687 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teletech Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Teletech Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Exeter, Gershwin Allson Lamont, Vesey, Nancy Rush, Sharpe, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frisby, Kesha
• Application Number:
  US13/270,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20130089848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 434/322, 434/323, 434/350, 709/217, 705/1.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

A service center receives a request from a remote device for accessing a learning course describing operations of a product that has been registered with the service center. In response to the request, a media stream representing the learning course is transmitted to the remote device to allow a user of the remote device to navigate the learning course, without requiring the user to directly access a training facility of a product provider associated with the registered product. User interaction with the learning course is tracked and analyzed to generate an analysis result, where the analysis result is utilized to generate or identify a subsequent learning course specifically tailored to the user. The analysis result is transmitted to the product provider to allow the product provider for the purpose of determining customer satisfaction.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing media content, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server having a processor and a memory, a request from a remote device for accessing a learning course describing operations of a product that has been acquired by a user of the remote device and registered with and stored in a product asset store associated with the user of the server, wherein the product asset store is maintained in a persistent storage device of the server, the product assets store storing product information of one or more products the user has registered with the server, wherein the server maintains a plurality of product asset stores for a plurality of users for their respective registered products, wherein the remote device is a mobile device and the request is received from a mobile application running within the mobile device;

extracting, by a course rendering module executed by the processor, a course identifier from the request, wherein the course identifier includes a machine-readable code that was obtained by scanning the machine-readable code on the registered product using a scanner of the remote device;

identifying, by the course rendering module, a learning course from a plurality of learning courses stored in a course database of the server based on the course identifier, without having the user to specifically provide detailed information about the learning course, wherein each of the plurality of learning courses is identified by a respective machine-readable code, wherein at least one of the learning courses includes a plurality of course segments, each being identified by a unique machine-readable code, and wherein identifying a learning course from a plurality of learning courses comprises searching in the course database by matching the extracted machine-readable code against a plurality of machine-readable codes representing the plurality of learning courses to identify a course segment having a machine-readable code matching the extracted machine-readable code;

transmitting, by the course rendering module, a media stream representing the learning course to the remote device to allow a user of the remote device to navigate the learning course, without requiring the user to directly access a training facility of a product provider associated with the registered product, wherein one or more options are presented to allow the user to initiate a further action during navigating the learning course, including initiating a live communication session with a support agent;

tracking, by a tracking module executed by the processor, user interaction with the learning course, including periodically receiving user interactive data from the mobile application and storing the user interactive data in a learning tracking store of a user database on the server;

performing, by an analysis module executed by the processor, analysis on the user interactive data in the learning tracking store;

generating, by the analysis module, an analysis result, wherein the analysis result is utilized to generate or identify a subsequent learning course specifically tailored to the user; and

transmitting the analysis result to the product provider associated with the registered product for the purpose of determining customer satisfaction.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the request for accessing a learning course, receiving, at the server, a login request from the mobile application;

transmitting login information to the mobile device to present a plurality of login options to the user, including a username/pas sword login option, a voice login option, and an image login option; and

in response to login credential received from the mobile application representing one of the username/password, voice, and an image captured by the mobile device at the server, authenticating the user by comparing the received credential with a corresponding one previously registered with a user database of the server and stored in a user profile of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein authenticating the user comprises:

receiving first credential from the mobile application for logging into the server via a first login option;

authenticating the user based on the first credential, generating an authentication result;

accessing a user login preference from a user profile of the user to determine whether a second login option is required based on the authentication result;

in response to determining that the second login option is required, transmitting second login information to the mobile application requesting the second login option; and

in response to receiving second credential received from the mobile application, authenticating the user using the second login option based on the second credential.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the course rendering module, a functional capability of the remote device based on the request, including at least one of a geographic location of the remote device, display resolution, network bandwidth, or processing power;

rendering, by the course rendering module, the learning course to a format that is suitable to be presented at the remote device at the point in time; and

storing the functional capability in a user profile in the user database of the server to render subsequent learning courses suitable to be presented at the remote device in the future.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

in response to ending of the learning course, transmitting, by a survey system, a survey inquiry to the remote device to determine whether the user is satisfied with the learning course; and

presenting at least one option available to the learning course if the user is unsatisfied with the learning course.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to a first option selected by the user, identifying by a support service system an available agent based on expertise of the agent in relation to the learning course the user has indicated dissatisfaction with;

establishing a communications session between the user and the agent using a communications channel that is preferred by the user and available to the agent; and

transmitting user information of the user, product information of the registered product, and tracking data of the learning course to the agent to allow the agent to provide a live support service to the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein establishing a communications session between the user and the agent using a communications channel that is preferred by the user and available to the agent comprises:

accessing the user profile in the use database associated with the user to determine a first set of communication channels, wherein the first set of communication channels has been previously configured by the user and stored in the user profile as a user preference;

p1 accessing a client database associated with the product provider of the registered product to determine a second set of communication channels, wherein the second set of communication channels has been previously configured by an administrator of the product provider; and

comparing the first set and the second set of communication channels to select the communication channel used for the live communication session, wherein the selected communication channel exists in both the first set and the second set of communication channels.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to a second option selected by the user, identifying, by a self-support system, an article of a knowledgebase server based on the tracking data of the learning course, wherein the article describing a possible solution associated with a particular segment of the learning course that the user is accessing; and

transmitting a link referencing the identified article to the remote device to allow the user to access the identified article of the knowledgebase server via the link, wherein the identified article includes a control button that allows the user to initiate a live communication session with an agent by activating the control button.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising in response to an activation of the control button of the identified article, establishing, by a support service system, a communications session between the user and an agent to enable the agent to conduct a live session with the user to resolve user'"'"'s concerns, if the user is still unsatisfied in view of the article provided by the knowledgebase server.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a second article based on the live session between the user and the agent; and

publishing the second article on the knowledgebase server.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to a third option selected by the user, identifying, by a community service system, a discussion thread of a social community based on the tracking data of the learning course, wherein the discussion thread discussing a possible solution to a product associated with a particular segment of the learning course that the user is accessing; and

transmitting a link referencing the discussion thread to the remote device to allow the user to participate in the discussion thread via the link.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request from the mobile application indicating for accessing the discussion thread in response to an activation of the link;

in response to the request, accessing a user database associated with the user to obtain a credential associated with the user for accessing the social community, wherein the credential has been previously provided by the user and stored in the user database; and

automatically logging into the social community on behalf of the user without requiring the user to provide the credential at a point in time to enable the user accessing the social community.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a second product that is related to the registered product based on the analysis result;

accessing a product database associated with the server to obtain product information of the second product;

transmitting the product information to the remote device to be recommended to the user by the mobile application, wherein the transmitted product information further includes a link to a second server from which the user can acquire the second product; and

in response to a notification indicating that the user has acquired the second product, automatically registering the second product by storing detailed identifying information of the second product in the product asset store of the user.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for providing training, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server having a processor and a memory, a request from a remote device for accessing a learning course describing operations of a product that has been acquired by a user of the remote device and registered with and stored in a product asset store associated with the user of the server, wherein the product asset store is maintained in a persistent storage device of the server, the product assets store storing product information of one or more products the user has registered with the server, wherein the server maintains a plurality of product asset stores for a plurality of users for their respective registered products, wherein the remote device is a mobile device and the request is received from a mobile application running within the mobile device;

extracting, by a course rendering module executed by the processor, a course identifier from the request, wherein the course identifier includes a machine-readable code that was obtained by scanning the machine-readable code on the registered product using a scanner of the remote device;

identifying, by the course rendering module, a learning course from a plurality of learning courses stored in a course database of the server based on the course identifier, without having the user to specifically provide detailed information about the learning course, wherein each of the plurality of learning courses is identified by a respective machine-readable code, wherein at least one of the learning courses includes a plurality of course segments, each being identified by a unique machine-readable code, and wherein identifying a learning course from a plurality of learning course comprises searching in the course database by matching the extracted machine-readable code against a plurality of machine-readable codes representing the plurality of learning courses to identify a course segment having a machine-readable code matching the extracted machine-readable code;

transmitting, by the course rendering module a media stream representing the learning course to the remote device to allow a user of the remote device to navigate the learning course, without requiring the user to directly access a training facility of a product provider associated with the registered product wherein one or more options are presented to allow the user to initiate a further action during navigating the learning course, including initiating a live communication session with a support agent;

tracking, by a tracking module executed by the processor, user interaction with the learning course, including periodically receiving user interactive data from the mobile application and storing the user interactive data in a learning tracking store of a user database on the server;

performing, by the analysis module executed by the processor, analysis on the user interactive data in the learning tracking store;

generating, by the analysis module, an analysis result, wherein the analysis result is utilized to generate or identify a subsequent learning course specifically tailored to the user; and

transmitting the analysis result to the product provider associated with the registered product for the purpose of determining customer satisfaction.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

prior to receiving the request for accessing a learning course, receiving, at the server, a login request from the mobile application;

transmitting login information to the mobile device to present a plurality of login options to the user, including a username/pas sword login option, a voice login option, and an image login option;

in response to login credential received from the mobile application representing one of the username/password, voice, and an image captured by the mobile device at the server, authenticating the user by comparing the received credential with a corresponding one previously registered with a user database of the server and stored in a user profile of the user; and

storing the analysis result in a learning tracking store in the user database of the server to generate or identify subsequent learning courses specifically tailored to the user based on the stored analysis results.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by the course rendering module, a functional capability of the remote device based on the request, including at least one of a geographic location of the remote device, display resolution, network bandwidth, or processing power;

rendering the learning course to a format that is suitable to be presented at the remote device at the point in time; and

storing the remote device functional capability in a user profile in the user database of the server to render subsequent learning courses suitable to be presented at the remote device in the future.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to the learning course ending, transmitting, by a survey system, a survey inquiry to the remote device to determine whether the user is satisfied with the learning course; and

presenting at least one option available to the learning course if the user is unsatisfied with the learning course.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to a first option selected by the user, identifying, by a support service system, an available agent based on expertise of the agent in relation to the learning course the user has indicated dissatisfaction with;

establishing a communications session between the user and the agent using a communications channel that is preferred by the user and available to the agent; and

transmitting user information of the user, product information of the registered product, and tracking data of the learning course to the agent to allow the agent to provide a live support service to the user.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to a second option selected by the user, identifying, by self-support system, an article of a knowledgebase server based on the tracking data of the learning course, wherein the article describing a possible solution associated with a particular segment of the learning course that the user is accessing; and

transmitting a link referencing the identified article to the remote device to allow the user to access the identified article of the knowledgebase server via the link, wherein the identified article includes a control button that allows the user to initiate a live communication session with an agent by activating the control button.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises establishing, by a support service system, a communications session between the user and an agent to enable the agent to conduct a live session with the user to resolve user'"'"'s concerns, if the user is still unsatisfied in view of the article provided by the knowledgebase server.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

generating a second article based on the live session between the user and the agent; and

publishing the second article on the knowledgebase server.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to a third option selected by the user, identifying, by a community service system, a discussion thread of a social community based on the tracking data of the learning course, wherein the discussion thread discussing a possible solution to a product associated with a particular segment of the learning course that the user is accessing; and

transmitting a link referencing the discussion thread to the remote device to allow the user to participate in the discussion thread via the link.

23. A data processing system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a persistent storage device;

an application programming interface (API), executed from the memory by the processor, to receive a request from a remote device for accessing a learning course describing operations of a product that has been acquired by a user of the remote device and registered with and stored in a product asset store associated with the user of the data processing system, wherein the products asset store is maintained in the persistent storage device, the product assets store storing product information of one or more products the user has registered with the data processing system, wherein the data processing system maintains a plurality of product asset stores for a plurality of users for their respective registered products, wherein the remote device is a mobile device and the request is received from a mobile application running within the mobile device; and

a learning system executed by the processor, in response to the request, to extract, by a course rendering module executed by the processor, a course identifier from the request, wherein the course identifier includes a machine-readable code that was obtained by scanning the machine-readable code on the registered product using a scanner of the remote device, identify, by the course rendering module, a learning course from a plurality of learning courses stored in a course database of the data processing system based on the course identifier, without having the user to specifically provide detailed information about the learning course, wherein each of the plurality of learning courses is identified by a respective machine-readable code, wherein at least one of the learning courses includes a plurality of course segments, each being identified by a unique machine-readable code, wherein identifying a learning course from a plurality of learning courses comprises searching in the course database by matching the extracted machine-readable code against a plurality of machine-readable codes representing the plurality of learning courses to identify a course segment having a machine-readable code matching the extracted machine-readable code, to transmit, by the course rendering module, a media stream representing the learning course to the remote device to allow a user of the remote device to navigate the learning course, without requiring the user to directly access a training facility of a product provider associated with the registered product, and to present on the remote device display one or more options to allow the user to initiate a further action during navigating the learning course, including initiating a live communication session with a support agent, wherein the learning system is configured to

track, by a tracking module executed by the processor, user interaction with the learning course, including periodically receiving user interactive data from the mobile application and storing the user interactive data in a learning tracking store of a user database on the data processing system,

perform, by an analysis module executed by the processor, analysis on the user interactive data in the learning tracking store;

generate, by the analysis module, an analysis result, wherein the analysis result is utilized to generate or identify a subsequent learning course specifically tailored to the user, and

transmit the analysis result to the product provider associated with the product for the purpose of determining customer satisfaction.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the learning system is configured to

prior to receiving the request for accessing a learning course, receive, at the data processing system, a login request from the mobile application,

transmit login information to the mobile device to present a plurality of login options to the user, including a username/pas sword login option, a voice login option, and an image login option,

in response to login credential received from the mobile application representing one of the username/password, voice, and an image captured by the mobile device at the data processing system, authenticate the user by comparing the received credential with a corresponding one previously registered with a user database of the data processing system and stored in a user profile of the user,

storing the analysis result in the user profile in the user database of the data processing system to generate or identify subsequent learning courses specifically tailored to the user based on the stored analysis results.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the learning system is further configured to

determine, by the course rendering module, a functional capability of the remote device based on the request, including at least one of a geographic location of the remote device, display resolution, network bandwidth, or processing power,

render the learning course to a format that is suitable to be presented at the remote device at the point in time, and

store the remote device functional capability in a user profile in the user database of the data processing system to render subsequent learning courses suitable to be presented at the remote device in the future.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the learning system is configured to

in response to the learning course ending, transmit, by a survey system executed by the processor, a survey inquiry to the remote device to determine whether the user is satisfied with the learning course, and

present at least one option available to the learning course if the user is unsatisfied with the learning course.