Method and system for providing assistance via video

• US 9,760,892 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bourguignon, Lindsay, Jensen, Eric, Mashek, Kristina, Morrison, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Laekemariam, Yosef K
• Application Number:
  US12/250,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20090153646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,256 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401, 348 141, 348 1411, 348 E7081, 348 E7082, 379 8813, 379 9321, 379158, 37920501
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/251 where a voice mode or a visual mode can be used interchangeably
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/257 remote control of substation user interface for telephonic services, e.g. by ISDN stimulus, ADSI, wireless telephony application WTA, MExE or BREW
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

A system, device, and method for providing assistance to a user may include initiation of a video and/or text chat session as an audio telephone call between a terminal operated by the user and a call host, establishment, by the call host, of an audio connection between the user terminal and call host for the audio telephone call, a routing, by the call host, of the audio telephone call to a terminal of a human agent, the routing depending on a type of assistance requested by the user, and the user terminal and the agent terminal establishing a video connection and/or a text chat connection between the user terminal and the agent terminal after the audio telephone call is accepted by the agent terminal.

Claims

1. A method for providing assistance related to a consumer device to a user via video, comprising:

initiating a video chat session as an audio telephone call between a user terminal operated by the user and a call host, the user terminal connected to a video camera that includes a first image sensor and a second image sensor;

establishing, by the call host, an audio connection between the user terminal and the call host for the audio telephone call;

routing, by the call host, the audio telephone call to a first agent terminal of a first human agent with a first vector directory number (VDN), the routing depending on a skill required for providing a type of assistance of the consumer device requested by the user; and

the user terminal and the first agent terminal establishing a video connection between the user terminal and the first agent terminal after the audio telephone call is accepted by the first agent terminal;

wherein the video connection is maintained in parallel with an audio connection between the user terminal and the first agent terminal;

wherein after the audio and video connections are established, providing the assistance to the user terminal, including real-time technical support related to the consumer device operated by the user such that the video connection transmits a real-time view of the consumer device that is captured by the first image sensor of the video camera along with a real-time view of the user that is captured by the second image sensor of the video camera;

wherein, if the first VDN is non-responsive, the audio telephone call is routed to at least a second VDN and a third VDN; and

wherein, if the first VDN, second VDN, and third VDN are all non-responsive, the audio telephone call is routed to a default VDN associated with a general care agent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a video of the consumer device for display to the first agent.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a text chat connection between the user terminal and the first agent terminal in conjunction with the video connection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a real-time video of the first agent for display at the user terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the real-time agent video is also displayed to the first agent.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a real-time video of the user for display to the first agent.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the real-time user video is also displayed to the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiation of the video chat session is contingent upon the user terminal being unlocked by an administrator of the user terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating the video chat session after a predetermined period of user inactivity.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the human agent accesses a knowledge database located at the call host, such that the human agent at least one of researches or diagnoses a technical issue.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a call management server of the call host is updated with the research and/or diagnosis of the technical issue by the first agent.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first image sensor or the second image sensor is adjustable such that the video captures images of sufficient resolution to enable the first agent to observe graphics appearing on a display of the consumer device.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer device is connectable to the user terminal such that the call host receives consumer device data.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the video chat session is initialized only by the call host such that the user operating the terminal is required to receive authorization.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to initialization of the video chat session, the user operating the user terminal unlocks the terminal.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein unlocking the user terminal includes at least one of inputting a security code and entering in a telephone number associated with the consumer device.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the assistance to the user terminal includes testing, via a communication network, the consumer device.

10. A system for providing assistance related to a consumer device to a user via video, comprising:

a call host configured to receive incoming telephone calls;

a user terminal operated by the user and configured to initiate a video chat session as an audio telephone call with the call host, the user terminal connected to a video camera that includes a first image sensor and a second image sensor; and

a plurality of human agent operated terminals in communication with the call host;

wherein;

the call host is configured to establish an audio connection between the user terminal and the call host for the audio telephone call and route the audio telephone call to a first agent terminal of a first human agent using a first vector directory number (VDN), the routing depending on a skill required for providing a type of assistance of the consumer device requested by the user; and

responsive to the first agent terminal accepting the routed telephone call, the first agent terminal and the user terminal are configured to establish a video connection between the user terminal and the first agent terminal, wherein the video connection is maintained in parallel with an audio connection between the user terminal and the first agent terminal;

wherein after the audio and video connections are established, providing the assistance to the user terminal, including real-time technical support related to the consumer device operated by the user such that the video connection transmits a real-time view of the consumer device that is captured by the first image sensor of the video camera along with a real-time view of the user that is captured by the second image sensor of the video camera;

wherein, if the first VDN is non-responsive, the audio telephone call is routed to at least a second VDN and a third VDN; and

wherein, if the first VDN, second VDN, and third VDN are all non-responsive, the audio telephone call is routed to a default VDN associated with a general care agent.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising an audio-visual capture device in communication with the user terminal, the audio-visual capture device configured to capture a video of at least one of the user and a device operated by the user for transmission as part of the chat session.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the user terminal is configured to transmit a video of the consumer device for display at the first agent terminal.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein a text chat connection is established between the user terminal and the first agent terminal in conjunction with the video connection.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first agent terminal is configured to transmit a real-time video of the agent for display at the user terminal.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first agent terminal is configured to display the real-time agent video.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the user terminal is configured to transmit a real-time video of the user for display at the first agent terminal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the user terminal is configured to display the real-time user video at the user terminal.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the video chat session is initiated contingent upon the user terminal being unlocked by an administrator of the user terminal.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the call host is configured to terminate the video chat session after a predetermined period of user inactivity.

24. The system of claim 10, wherein the human agent accesses a knowledge database located at the call host, such that the agent at least one of researches or diagnoses a technical issue.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein a call management server of the call host is updated with the research and/or diagnosis of the technical issue by the first agent.

26. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first image sensor or the second image sensor is adjustable such that the video captures images of sufficient resolution to enable the agent to observe graphics appearing on a display of the consumer device.

33. The system of claim 10, wherein the assistance to the user terminal includes testing, via a communication network, the consumer device.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions executable by a processor for providing assistance related to a consumer device to a user via video, the instructions configured to cause the processor to perform the steps of:

initiating a video chat session as an audio telephone call between a user terminal operated by the user and a remote computing device, the audio telephone call providing the user with access to an automated menu for selecting a technical issue that the user is experiencing with a consumer device;

establishing, by a call host, an audio connection between the user terminal and the remote computing device for the audio telephone call;

routing, by the call host, the audio telephone call to a second agent terminal of a second human agent with a related skill using a second vector directory number in response to determining that a first human agent having specific skill with the technical issue has not accepted the audio telephone call at a first VDN within a particular wait time; and

the user terminal and the second agent terminal establishing a video connection between the user terminal and the second agent terminal if the audio telephone call is accepted by the second agent terminal;

wherein the video connection is maintained in parallel with the audio connection between the user terminal and the second agent terminal, and wherein after the audio and video connections are established, providing the assistance to the user terminal, including real-time technical support related to the consumer device operated by the user such that the video connection transmits a real-time view of the consumer device;

wherein, if the first VDN is non-responsive, the audio telephone call is routed to at least a second VDN and a third VDN; and

wherein, if the first VDN, second VDN, and third VDN are all non-responsive, the audio telephone call is routed to a default VDN associated with a general care agent.

31. A method for providing assistance related to a consumer device to a user via video, comprising:

initiating a video chat session as an audio telephone call between a terminal operated by the user and a call host, the audio telephone call providing the user with access to an automated menu for selecting a technical issue that the user is experiencing with a consumer device;

establishing, by the call host, an audio connection between the user terminal and the call host for the audio telephone call;

routing, by the call host, the audio telephone call to a second agent terminal of a second human agent with a related skill using a second vector directory number in response to determining that a first human agent having specific skill with the technical issue has not accepted the audio telephone call at a first VDN within a particular wait time; and

the user terminal and the second agent terminal establishing a video connection between the user terminal and the second agent terminal if the audio telephone call is accepted by the second agent terminal;

wherein the video connection is maintained in parallel with an audio connection between the user terminal and the agent terminal;

wherein after the audio and video connections are established, providing the assistance to the user terminal, including real-time technical support related to the consumer device operated by the user such that the video connection transmits a real-time view of the consumer device; and

wherein the assistance to the user terminal further includes testing, via a communication network, the consumer device;

wherein, if the first VDN is non-responsive, the audio telephone call is routed to at least a second VDN and a third VDN; and

wherein, if the first VDN, second VDN, and third VDN are all non-responsive, the audio telephone call is routed to a default VDN associated with a general care agent.