Dynamically adaptable real-time customer experience manager and/or associated method

• US 9,922,350 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Software AG
• Original Assignee: Software AG
• Inventors: Smith, Gareth
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHITAYEWOLDETADI, BERHANU
• Application Number:
  US14/332,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20160019608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 709206-245
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0616 in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

Certain example embodiments relate to a dynamically adaptable real-time customer experience manager and/or associated method. Electronic messages are received from different source systems. Each message has an associated message type. Metadata is dynamically and programmatically developed for each received message based on an extensible set of scoring scenarios. The metadata includes at least one metric that is comparable across messages of different types for assessing relative priorities. A determination is made as to where in a queue of pending messages each received message is to be inserted, based on the metadata. A complex event processing query is executed on the queue to dynamically identify a pending message therein that is to be delivered. The identified pending message is subjected to pre-programmed distribution scenarios to identify which possible communication channel(s) that identified pending message is to be sent. The identified pending message is forwarded to the identified communication channel(s) for sending.

Claims

1. A computer-mediated electronic message distribution method, comprising:

receiving electronic messages from a plurality of different source systems, each said received message having an associated message type;

dynamically and programmatically developing metadata for each said received message based on an extensible set of scoring scenarios, the metadata including at least one metric that is comparable across messages of different message types in assessing relative priorities of such messages, the extensible set of scoring scenarios being stored to a first non-transitory computer readable storage medium and being computer-executable;

determining where in a queue of pending messages each said received message is to be inserted, based on the metadata associated with the respective messages;

responsive to and based on the determining, inserting each said received message into the queue of pending messages;

executing, in connection with at least one processor, a complex event processing (CEP) query on the queue of pending messages, including the at least one inserted message based on the determination, to dynamically identify a pending message therein that is to be delivered;

subjecting the identified pending message that is to be delivered to a plurality of pre-programmed distribution scenarios to identify which of a plurality of possible communication channels that identified pending message is to be sent, the pre-programmed distribution scenarios being stored to a second non-transitory computer readable storage medium and being computer-executable; and

forwarding on the identified pending message to the identified communication channel(s) for sending.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each said scoring scenario includes a prioritized list of rules, implemented as program logic, in which rules with higher relative priorities override rules with lower relative priorities, the scoring scenarios specifying what metadata is to be developed for each received message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each said scoring scenario is programmable to consider and operate on original metadata that accompanies received messages, the original metadata specifying a message type, message source, target destination, requested prioritization, time-to-live value, and/or proposed trigger, associated with each received message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein each said scoring scenario is programmable to consider and operate on one or more operational parameters stored external to the associated prioritized list of rules that define the scoring scenarios.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising deriving at least some of the metadata from a data dictionary that is separate from the extensible set of scoring scenarios, the data dictionary including mappings between properties and values, as well as abstractions over at least some different values.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the deriving comprises making inferences about original metadata that accompanies received messages based on lookups to the data dictionary.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the CEP query, in dynamically identifying the pending message that is to be delivered, takes into account pre-stored customer preferences and/or customer history information, the customer history information indicating recent activity information for at least one identified customer and recently sent messages for the at least one identified customer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the CEP query, in dynamically identifying the pending message that is to be delivered, takes into account a feed of activities being undertaken by at least one customer to whom messages are being sent.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the CEP query, in dynamically identifying the pending message that is to be delivered, takes into account a customer inclination feed indicative of how appropriate it is to send a message to the at least one customer at a current time, the customer inclination feed incorporating actively and/or passively sensed data directly from the at least one customer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the customer inclination feed is expressed as a numerical value along a linear scale.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the CEP query, in dynamically identifying the pending message that is to be delivered, takes into account pre-stored customer profile and history information, if known;

a feed of activities being undertaken by at least one customer to whom messages are being sent; and

a customer inclination feed indicative of how appropriate it is to send a message to the at least one customer at a current time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of where in the queue of pending messages each said received message is to be inserted comprises generating a normalized numerical value for each said received message as a function of attributes of the associated metadata, the attributes including priority, message time-to-live, and source system.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the priority attribute is selected from a first predefined list of priorities, the message time-to-live attribute is used as a weighting factor such that shorter message time-to-live attribute values result in higher priorities than longer message time-to-live attribute values, and the source system attribute is selected from a second predefined list of priorities.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the CEP query is executed each time:

a new message is received, an activity feed update is received, and an internal timer event is triggered.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising ensuring that received messages are held within the queue for at least a predetermined minimum amount of time;

unless a given received message is to be sent immediately, in which case the message bypasses the queue and is forwarded on for sending.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a given message is received from an organization over a first channel and is to be sent to a customer over a second channel, the first and second channels being different from one another.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages are received from a plurality of different organizations and are directed to a plurality of different individuals.

18. A message manager computer system, comprising:

processing resources including at least one processor; and

a plurality of computer-mediated interfaces to respective electronic message source systems over which electronic messages are receivable;

wherein the processing resources are configured to cooperate with the plurality of interfaces and control the message manager computer system to at least;

receive electronic messages from ones of the electronic message source systems, each said received message having an associated message type;

dynamically and programmatically develop metadata for each said received message based on an extensible set of scoring scenarios, the metadata including at least one metric that is comparable across messages of different message types in assessing relative priorities of such messages, the extensible set of scoring scenarios being stored to a first non-transitory computer readable storage medium of the message manager computer system and being computer-executable;

determine where in a queue of pending messages each said received message is to be inserted, based on the metadata associated with the respective messages;

responsive to and based on the determining, insert each said received message into the queue of pending messages;

dynamically identify a pending message in the queue of pending messages, including the at least one inserted message based on the determination, that is to be delivered;

subject the identified pending message that is to be delivered to a plurality of pre-programmed distribution scenarios to identify which of a plurality of possible communication channels that identified pending message is to be sent, the pre-programmed distribution scenarios being stored to a second non-transitory computer readable storage medium of the message manager computer system and being computer-executable; and

forward on the identified pending message to the identified communication channel(s) for sending.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the message manager computer system to at least dynamically re-order the pending messages in the queue of pending messages upon the occurrence of predefined events.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the predefined events correspond to activities including a new message being received and an activity feed of user activities being updated.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the message manager computer system to at least execute a query on the queue of pending messages to dynamically identify a pending message therein that is to be delivered.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the query is a complex event processing (CEP) query.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the CEP query, in dynamically identifying the pending message that is to be delivered, is programmed to take into account:

(a) pre-stored customer preferences and/or customer history information, the customer history information indicating recent activity information for at least one identified customer and recently sent messages for the at least one identified customer;

(b) a feed of activities being undertaken by at least one customer to whom messages are being sent; and

/or (c) a customer inclination feed indicative of how appropriate it is to send a message to the at least one customer at a current time, the customer inclination feed incorporating actively and/or passively sensed data directly from the at least one customer.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the CEP query is executed each time:

a new message is received, an activity feed update is received, and an internal timer event is triggered.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein each said scoring scenario includes a prioritized list of rules, implemented as program logic, in which rules with higher relative priorities override rules with lower relative priorities, the scoring scenarios specifying what metadata is to be developed for each received message.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein each said scoring scenario is programmable to consider and operate on original metadata that accompanies received messages, the original metadata specifying a message type, message source, target destination, requested prioritization, time-to-live value, and/or proposed trigger, associated with each received message.

27. The system of claim 18, further comprising a data dictionary that is separate from the extensible set of scoring scenarios, and wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the message manager computer system to derive at least some of the metadata from the data dictionary based on mappings between properties and values, as well as abstractions over at least some different values, stored to the data dictionary.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the determining of where in the queue of pending messages each said received message is to be inserted comprises generating a normalized numerical value for each said received message as a function of attributes of the associated metadata, the attributes including priority, message time-to-live, and source system.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the priority attribute is selected from a first predefined list of priorities, the message time-to-live attribute is used as a weighting factor such that shorter message time-to-live attribute values result in higher priorities than longer message time-to-live attribute values, and the source system attribute is selected from a second predefined list of priorities.

30. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing a program comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to at least:

receive electronic messages from a plurality of different source systems, each said received message having an associated message type;

dynamically and programmatically develop metadata for each said received message based on an extensible set of scoring scenarios, the metadata including at least one metric that is comparable across messages of different message types in assessing relative priorities of such messages;

determine where in a queue of pending messages each said received message is to be inserted, based on the metadata associated with the respective messages;

responsive to and based on the determining, insert each said received message into the queue of pending messages;

execute a query on the queue of pending messages, including the at least one inserted message based on the determination, to dynamically identify a pending message therein that is to be delivered;

subject the identified pending message that is to be delivered to a plurality of pre-programmed distribution scenarios to identify which of a plurality of possible communication channels that identified pending message is to be sent; and

forward on the identified pending message to the identified communication channel(s) for sending.