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

• US 9,866,694 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2016
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• 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 (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Dutta, Siddhartha
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US15/269,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20170078487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 37926509, 37926505, 37926511, 379242, 37926512, 37926513
• 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:

a computing system receiving one or more items of information from a user, wherein the one or more items of information are received via a first communication session that uses a first type of communication channel;

the computing system detecting an interruption in the first communication session;

the computing system determining that one or more missing items of information have not been received from the user;

the computing system causing a request for the one or more missing items of information to be sent to the user via a second communication session that uses a second type of communication channel; and

the computing system receiving the one or more missing items of information from the user via the second type of communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises:

the computer system populating one or more fields in a form using the one or more items of information supplied by the user; and

the computer system determining the one or more missing items of information based on empty fields of the form.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer system receiving a unique identifier from the user; and

based on the unique identifier, the computer system storing, in a database, the one or more items of information in association with the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the user transitioning from the first type of communication channel to the second type of communication channel, the computer system using the one or more items of information to populate a form associated with the second communication session.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer system providing the one or more items of information to a service representative associated with the second communication session.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

the computer system selecting the service representative based on the one or more items of information supplied by the user in the first communication session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of communication channel is a web channel, and wherein the second type of communication channel is a voice channel.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

receiving one or more items of information from a user, wherein the one or more items of information are received via a first communication session that uses a first type of communication channel;

detecting that the user has terminated the first communication session;

determining that one or more missing items of information have not been received from the user;

causing a request for the one or more missing items of information to be sent to the user via a second communication session that uses a second type of communication channel; and

receiving the one or more missing items of information from the user via the second type of communication channel.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the detecting, storing the one or more items of information supplied by the user in a database based on an identifier associated with the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the user transitioning to the second type of communication channel, retrieving, based on the identifier, the one or more items of information from the database; and

providing the one or more items of information to the user via the second type of communication channel.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

causing the user to be transitioned to a third type of communication channel and providing the one or more item of information to the user via the third type of communication channel.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a telephone number to the user for contacting a service representative as a third type of communication; and

displaying the one or more items of information to the service representative.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing, to the user, a webpage that includes a plurality of service representatives and an estimated waiting time for each one of the plurality of service representatives.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the first type of communication channel is a web channel, and wherein the second type of communication channel is a mobile channel.

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

receiving one or more items of information from a user that are usable to populate a form, wherein the one or more items of information are received via a first type of communication channel;

receiving a request from the user to transition from the first type of communication channel to a second type of communication channel;

determining that one or more items of information to complete the form are missing;

requesting the one or more missing items of information from the user to be sent via the second type of communication channel; and

receiving the one or more missing items of information from the user via the second type of communication channel.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise

storing the one or more items of information in a database using a unique identifier supplied by the user;

and

using the unique identifier to retrieve the one or more items of information for populating the form.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

selecting a representative based on the one or more items of information supplied by the user via the first type of communication channel; and

displaying the one or more items of information to the representative.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing, to the user, an estimated waiting time for each type of communication channel; and

allowing the user to select the second type of communication channel based the estimated waiting time associated with the second type of communication channel.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first type of communication channel is selected from the group consisting of a voice type, a chat type, an email type, and a smartphone-application type.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, the second type of communication channel is a telephone channel.