Systems and methods for state awareness across communication channels and statefully transitioning between communication channels

• US 9,451,091 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: III Holdings 1, LLC
• Inventors: Dutta, Siddhartha
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US14/954,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20160088158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.09, 379/265.05, 379/265.11, 379/242, 379/265.12, 379/265.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/06 using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass networks security protocols H04L9/40; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5133 Operator terminal details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

A system may provide state awareness across communication channels and statefully transition a user between a source channel and a destination channel. A method may include storing a unique identifier associated with the user and data associated with the user, retrieving the data associated with the user based upon the user identifier and in response to the user entering the destination channel that is different from the source channel, and populating the data associated with the user in the destination channel. The destination channel may include a display of a customer service representative, and the populating may occur automatically. Furthermore, the method may include placing a call to a telephone number associated with the user in response to at least one of: the user answering a requisite number of questions in the source channel and the user requesting a transition to a voice destination channel.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, form information corresponding to one or more fields of a customer service form for a customer service transaction with a service provider, wherein the form information is received from a user via a first type of communication channel;

detecting, by the computing system, an interruption in receiving the form information via the first type of communication channel;

in response to the detecting, the computing system storing the form information that has been received for the customer service transaction; and

in response to determining that the user is in communication with the service provider via a second, different type of communication channel, the computing system;

determining one or more empty fields corresponding to the stored form information for the customer service transaction; and

causing a request for information to populate the one or more empty fields to be sent to the user via the second type of communication channel; and

the computing system receiving information to populate at least one of the one or more empty fields, wherein the information is received from the user via the second type of communication channel in response to the request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a customer service representative of the service provider based on at least a portion of the form information; and

causing at least a portion of the stored form information to be made available to the customer service representative.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of communication channel uses a first communication protocol and wherein the second type of communication channel uses a second, different communication protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the user to be directed to the second type of communication channel in response to determining that the form information includes a threshold amount of information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user to select the second type of communication channel based at least in part on an estimated wait time associated with the second type of communication channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of communication channel is associated with a first application, and wherein the second type of communication channel is associated with a second, different application.

7. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory having stored thereon program instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving form information corresponding to one or more of a plurality of fields of a form associated with an entity, wherein the form information is received from a user via a first type of communication channel, and wherein the form information includes less than an entirety of entries for the plurality of fields included in the form;

detecting an interruption in receiving the form information via the first type of communication channel;

in response to the detecting, storing the form information that has been received;

determining that the user is in communication with the entity via a second, different type of communication channel and that one or more fields in the stored form information are incomplete;

causing a request for information corresponding to the one or more incomplete fields to be sent to the user via the second type of communication channel; and

receiving information to populate at least one of the one or more incomplete fields, wherein the information is received from the user via the second type of communication channel in response to the request.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise initiating the communication with the user via the second type of communication channel.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first type of communication channel and the second type of communication channel is a telephone channel.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise displaying the stored form information to a customer service representative of the entity when the user is in communication via the second type of communication channel.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the first type of communication channel is an Internet channel;

and

wherein the determining that the user is in communication with the entity via the second type of communication channel includes determining that the user is in an active bi-directional communication session via the second type of communication channel.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise directing the user to the second type of communication channel in response to determining that the form information includes a pre-determined amount of information.

13. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving form information corresponding to a customer service form associated with a service provider, wherein the form information is received from a user via a first type of communication channel;

detecting that the user is no longer in communication with the service provider via the first type of communication channel;

based on the detecting, storing the form information that has been received;

determining that the user is in communication with the service provider via a second, different type of communication channel;

determining one or more incomplete fields in the stored form information;

causing a request for information corresponding to the incomplete fields to be sent to the user via the second type of communication channel; and

receiving information to populate at least one of the one or more incomplete fields, wherein the information is received from the user via the second type of communication channel in response to the request.

14. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first and second types of communication channel are selected from the group consisting of voice type, chat type, email type, and smartphone app type.

15. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise associating a unique identifier with the user, and wherein the determining that the user is in communication with the service provider via the second type of communication channel is based on the unique identifier.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the unique identifier is received from the user.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise directing the user to the second type of communication channel in response to at least a portion of the form information.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise, based on the user being in communication via the second type of communication channel, causing at least a portion of the stored form information to be made available to one or more entities associated with the service provider.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the second type of communication channel is a voice channel.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first type of communication channel uses a first communication protocol and wherein the second type of communication channel does not use the first communication protocol.