Cross channel real time awareness framework

• US 9,384,490 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Anchala, Arvindeep Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen, Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US13/352,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.44, 705/26.1, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Techniques and equipment for enabling a cross-channel real time awareness framework for capturing and storing transaction data in real time for a user via an interface in a first channel of an enterprise are described. The stored transaction data are made accessible to a second channel of the enterprise for processing transaction requests received from the user via an interface in the second channel, and, if desired, modify an interactive process flow associated with the interface in the second channel.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

communicating by a processor of a server computer with a processor of a device operated by a user, to provide an automated service interface through a first interactive channel of an enterprise having a plurality of interactive channels for interaction with customers of the enterprise, the automated service interface including a plurality of user interface elements enabling the user to initiate at least one transaction related to shopping for a product or service offered to the user by the enterprise;

detecting, by the processor of the server computer in communication with the device, user interaction with at least one user interface element from the plurality of user interface elements of the automated service interface;

capturing, by the processor of the server computer, transaction data in real time for the user based on the detected user interaction with the automated service interface of the first interactive channel;

determining, by the processor of the server computer, if the user has a unique global identifier identifying the user across the plurality of interactive channels of the enterprise;

upon determining that the user does not have the unique global identifier, generating, by the processor of the server computer, a unique global identifier and associating the generated unique global identifier with the captured transaction data;

sharing, by the processor of the server computer, in real time the transaction data captured for the user in the first interactive channel with a processor or a computer associated with at least one second interactive channel of the enterprise, the captured transaction data and the associated unique global identifier,

wherein;

the shared transaction data is used by the second interactive channel for processing a transaction request from the user in the second interactive channel, the transaction request allowing the user to continue shopping for the product or service which includes the user performing transactions for purchasing the product or service and the user performing other transactions other than purchasing the product or service,

at least one of the first interactive channel and the second interactive channel is a web based channel through which the user virtually interacts with the enterprise by using the device, and

at least one of the first interactive channel and the second interactive channel is different from the web based channel,

the sharing step including receiving, by a processor of an enterprise computer terminal of the different interactive channel operated by an employee of the enterprise, the shared transaction data; and

the method further comprising a step of displaying, by the enterprise computer terminal, the shared transaction data to the employee in a manner allowing the employee to use the shared transaction data to physically interact with the user in transactions for the user purchasing the product or service and for the user performing the other transactions other than purchasing the product or service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharing step comprises:

storing the captured transaction data to a data store of the enterprise, the captured transaction data stored in association with the unique global identifier identifying the user across the plurality of interactive channels of the enterprise; and

activating a data service for enabling the stored transaction data to be used by the second interactive channel of the enterprise for processing the transaction request from the user in the second interactive channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the captured transaction data includes a record of the user'"'"'s interactions with the plurality of user interface elements of the automated service interface of the first interactive channel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one user interface element from the plurality of user interface elements is encoded with an activity identifier associated with the user interface element of the automated service interface, and the capturing step further comprises:

receiving a beacon signal including the activity identifier associated with the user interface element; and

storing in a data store of the enterprise the activity identifier from the received beacon signal as part of the record of user interactions in association with the unique global identifier associated with the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing of the transaction request received from the user in the second interactive channel of the enterprise comprises:

determining whether to modify at least a portion of an interactive process flow of the second interactive channel based on the transaction data for the user captured in the first interactive channel; and

in response to determining to modify the portion of the interactive process flow, providing a customized version of the interactive process flow based on the captured transaction data for the user, the customized version of the interactive process flow having customized options or prompts for the user relative to a default version of the interactive process flow.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein providing the customized version of the interactive process flow includes at least one of:

presenting a fewer number of options in the customized version of the interactive process flow relative to the default version of the interactive process flow,

presenting an option or notice from the default version of the interactive process flow in a more emphasized manner, or

presenting a new option or prompt that is related to the transaction initiated by the user in the first interactive channel and that is not part of the default version of the interactive process flow that otherwise would be presented to the user.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein in response to determining that the transaction request from the user in the second interactive channel is being made in order to complete the transaction initiated in the first interactive channel, the customized version of the interactive process flow provided to the user in the second channel includes options enabling the user to complete the transaction initiated in the first interactive channel.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

capturing initial conversion metrics for the default version of the interactive process flow, based on a first set of transaction requests from the user and other enterprise users using the default version of the interactive process flow in the second interactive channel of the enterprise;

capturing new conversion metrics for the customized version of the interactive process flow, based on a second set of transaction requests from the user and the other enterprise users using the customized version of the interactive process flow;

comparing the initial conversion metrics with the new conversion metrics; and

determining whether the customized version of the interactive process flow produces improved conversion metrics based on the comparison.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction request from the user in the second interactive channel of the enterprise is a confirmation request for confirming completion of the transaction initiated by the user in the first interactive channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique global identifier is an identifier associated with an account for the user in the enterprise.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing step further comprises:

determining whether the unique global identifier is available at the user'"'"'s device to identify the user when the transaction data is captured; and

at least one of;

in response to determining that the unique global identifier is not available at the user'"'"'s device, generating the unique global identifier for the user, and storing the generated unique global identifier at the user'"'"'s device; and

in response to determining that the unique global identifier is available at the user'"'"'s device, determining whether the unique global identifier at the user'"'"'s device is valid based on an expiration date associated with the unique global identifier, generating a new unique global identifier for the user in response to determining that the unique global identifier at the user'"'"'s device is not valid, and replacing the unique global identifier at the user'"'"'s device with the new unique global identifier.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interactive channel is a Web channel, the unique global identifier that is available at the user'"'"'s device is stored in a cookie file for a web browser executed at the user'"'"'s device, the automated service interface of the Web channel being accessible to the user via the web browser, and the second interactive channel is a different one of an interactive voice response channel, a handset channel, a physical retail store channel, an automated kiosk channel, a live-person chat channel, an automated chat channel or a telesales channel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the transaction data captured for the user in the Web channel corresponds to an interactive process flow for completing a transaction, and the interactive process flow is presented to the user as a sequence of web pages via the web browser.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying web pages from the sequence of web pages that were browsed by the user via the web browser, based on the captured transaction data associated with the transaction; and

assigning a weight to each of the web pages browsed by the user, wherein a relatively greater weight is assigned to browsed web pages appearing later in the sequence of web pages, the later-appearing web pages corresponding to later steps for completing the transaction, wherein web pages appearing earlier in the sequence may be assigned a weight having a zero or non-zero value.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the different interactive channel includes at least one of a physical retail store channel, a call center channel, a live-person chat channel, a mobile handset channel and other automated channels including an automated Kiosk channel and an automated chat channel.

16. A system, comprising:

a first system including a first processor of a first computer coupled to a network and configured to interact with a processor of a device operated by a user for an enterprise offering goods or services, the first system also being configured to provide a first interactive channel with a first type of user interface for the user;

a second system including a second processor of a second computer coupled to a network and configured to interact with the processor of the device operated by the user for the enterprise, the second system also being configured to provide a second interactive channel with a second type of user interface for the user;

at least one database including memory accessible to the first processor of the first system and the second processor of the second system;

wherein the first processor of the first system is further configured to;

provide the first type of interface at the device of the user through the first interactive channel of the enterprise, the first type of interface including a plurality of user interface elements enabling the user to initiate at least one transaction related to shopping of one or more of the goods or services offered by the enterprise;

detect user interaction with at least one user interface element from the plurality of user interface elements of the automated service interface;

capture transaction data in real time for the user based on the detected user interaction with the automated service interface of the first interactive channel;

determine if the user has a unique global identifier identifying the user across the first interactive channel and second interactive channel of the enterprise;

upon determining that the user does not have the unique global identifier, generate a unique global identifier and associate the generated unique global identifier with the captured transaction data;

store the captured transaction data from the first interactive channel to a data store in the enterprise, the captured transaction data stored in association with the unique global identifier identifying the user across the interactive channels of the enterprise; and

activate a data service for providing the stored transaction data to the second system as shared transaction data; and

wherein the second processor of the second system is further configured to;

receive the shared transaction data and the unique global identifier from the first processor;

receive a transaction request from the user via the second type of user interface in the second interactive channel;

process the received transaction request from the user based on the stored transaction request corresponding to the transaction initiated in the first interactive channel to allow the user to continue shopping for the product or service, and to purchase the product or service, and

wherein at least one of the first interactive channel and the second interactive channel is a web based channel, through which the user virtually interacts with the enterprise by using the device,

wherein at least one of the first interactive channel and the second interactive channel is different from the web based channel; and

wherein the second processor is further configured to display the shared transaction data to an employee of the enterprise in a manner allowing the employee to use the shared transaction data to physically interact with the user in transactions for the user purchasing the product or service and for the user performing the other transactions other than purchasing the product or service.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first type of interface is an automated interface.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the captured transaction data includes a record of the user'"'"'s interactions with the automated service interface of the first interactive channel.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the second processor of the second system is further configured to:

upon reception of the transaction request from the user in the second interactive channel of the enterprise, determine whether to modify at least a portion of an interactive process flow associated with the second type of interface for the second interactive channel, based on the stored transaction data for the user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein second processor of the second system is further configured to, in response to determining to modify the portion of the interactive process flow, provide a customized version of the interactive process flow based on the captured transaction data for the user, the customized version of the interactive process flow having customized options or prompts for the user relative to a default version of the interactive process flow.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the unique global identifier is an identifier associated with an account for the user in the enterprise.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the first processor of the first system is further configured to:

determine whether the unique global identifier is available at the user'"'"'s device to identify the user when the transaction data is captured; and

at least one of;

in response to determining that the unique global identifier is not available at the user'"'"'s device, generate the unique global identifier for the user, and store the generated unique global identifier at the user'"'"'s device;

or

in response to determining that the unique global identifier is available at the user'"'"'s device;

determine whether the unique global identifier at the user'"'"'s device is valid based on an expiration date associated with the unique global identifier;

generate a new unique global identifier for the user in response to determining that the unique global identifier at the user'"'"'s device is not valid; and

replace the unique global identifier at the user'"'"'s device with the new unique global identifier.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the first interactive channel is a Web channel, the unique global identifier that is available at the user'"'"'s device is stored in a cookie file for a web browser executed at the user'"'"'s device, the first type of interface of the Web channel being accessible to the user via the web browser, and the second interactive channel is a different one of an interactive voice response channel, a handset channel, a physical retail store channel, an automated kiosk channel, a live-person chat channel, an automated chat channel or a telesales channel.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the transaction data captured for the user in the Web channel corresponds to an interactive process flow for completing a transaction, and the interactive process flow is presented to the user as a sequence of web pages via the web browser.

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

identify web pages from the sequence of web pages that were browsed by the user via the web browser, based on the captured transaction data associated with the transaction; and

assign a weight to each of the web pages browsed by the user, wherein a relatively greater weight is assigned to browsed web pages appearing later in the sequence of web pages, the later-appearing web pages corresponding to later steps for completing the transaction, wherein web pages appearing earlier in the sequence may be assigned a weight having a zero or non-zero value.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein the different interactive channel includes at least one of a physical retail store channel, a call center channel, a live-person chat channel, a mobile handset channel and other automated channels including an automated Kiosk channel and an automated chat channel.