Electronic communication work flow manager system, method and computer program product

• US 20070226340A1
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Linz, Teresa, Pamintuan, Kimberly, Torres, Randolph, Hastings, Roy
• Granted Patent: US 8,868,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

The present invention provides systems, methods and a computer program product for the management of electronic work items by providing uniform methodology across an enterprise. Work items are electronically received by an organization and routed to available users depending upon the business rules of the organization and certain parameters of the work items. Service level commitments may be assigned, tracked and reported as capturing standard reporting across the enterprise specifically with respect to electronic work items.

Claims

1. A method for processing a work item using an electronic workflow manager comprising:

electronically receiving a work item;

automatically and electronically acknowledging receipt of the work item to a designated party;

determining one or more certain parameters from or about the work item;

applying the one or more certain parameters to a set of business rules;

if said certain parameters comport with said set of business rules, then;

determining from said set of parameters one or more users for processing said work item, where each of said users are assigned to a team and said team belongs to a center of a business enterprise;

determining if any of said one or more users are available and routing said work item to an available user;

if none of said one or more users are available, then holding said work item in an electronic queue until at least one of said one or more users become available; and

routing said work item to said available one or more users for processing said work item in accordance with said business rules;

if said certain parameters do not comport with said set of business rules, then;

routing said work item to an electronic queue for unidentified work items.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying said set of business rules such that said certain parameters of said certain work item in said electronic queue for unidentified work items comports with said business rules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said work item is one of an electronic message, an order for services, an order for a device, or an order for services and a device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more certain parameters from or about the work item include one or more of an Internet domain from which the work item originated, an email address from which the work item originated, and key words, phrases or codes contained within the work item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically and electronically acknowledging receipt of the work item to a designated party comprises sending an email message to the originator of the work item.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning the work item a service level commitment based on a timeframe for processing the work item, monitoring the work item and its assigned service level commitment and reporting the work item if it is in jeopardy of not meeting its assigned service level commitment or has missed its assigned service level commitment.

7. A method for processing a work item using an electronic workflow manager comprising:

electronically receiving a work item;

automatically and electronically acknowledging receipt of the work item to a designated party;

determining one or more certain parameters from or about the work item;

applying the one or more certain parameters to a first set of business rules and if said certain parameters comport with said first set of business rules, then routing said work item to a first electronic queue, and if said certain parameters do not comport with said first set of business rules, then routing said work item to an electronic queue for unidentified work items;

applying the one or more certain parameters to a second set of business rules and if said certain parameters comport with said second set of business rules, then routing said work item to a second electronic queue, and if said certain parameters do not comport with said second set of business rules, then routing said work item to an electronic queue for unidentified work items;

applying the one or more certain parameters to a third set of business rules and if said certain parameters comport with said third set of business rules, then routing said work item to a third electronic queue to await processing by an available customer service representative, and if said certain parameters do not comport with said second set of business rules, then routing said work item to an electronic queue for unidentified work items.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising modifying said first set of business rules such that said certain parameters of said certain work item in said electronic queue for unidentified work items comports with said first set of business rules.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising modifying said second set of business rules such that said certain parameters of said certain work item in said electronic queue for unidentified work items comports with said second set of business rules.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising modifying said third set of business rules such that said certain parameters of said certain work item in said electronic queue for unidentified work items comports with said third set of business rules.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said work item is one of an electronic message, an order for services, an order for a device, or an order for services and a device.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein said one or more certain parameters from or about the work item include one or more of an Internet domain from which the work item originated, an email address from which the work item originated, and key words, phrases or codes contained within the work item.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically and electronically acknowledging receipt of the work item to a designated party comprises sending an email message to the originator of the work item.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising assigning the work item a service level commitment based on a timeframe for processing the work item, monitoring the work item and its assigned service level commitment and reporting the work item if it is in jeopardy of not meeting its assigned service level commitment or has missed its assigned service level commitment.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein said first electronic queue is associated with a center that comprises a portion of a business enterprise.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said second electronic queue is associated with a team that comprises a portion of the center.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said third electronic queue is associated with the customer service representative that comprises a portion of the team.

18. A system operating on one or more computing devices for electronically managing the workflow of one or more work items in a business enterprise, said system comprised of:

an import server, wherein said import server receives the one or more work items that are sent to the business organization and stores said one or more work items at least momentarily on a database;

a routing engine, wherein said routing engine discerns information from and about each said one or more work items, applies at least one set of business rules to said information, and based upon said information comporting with said at least one set of business rules said routing engine determines which of one or more available users to route each said one or more work items, and if said information does not comport with said at least one set of business rules then said routing engine routes each said one or more work items to an unidentified work item electronic queue; and

an application server, wherein the application server services one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) such that said one or more work items routed to said one or more available users are displayed to said one or more available users and said one or more available users may interact with and process said one or more work items on discrete and consolidated bases.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprised of a templates and auto-acknowledgment module that acknowledges receipt of a work item by the business organization to a designated party and further is configured to provide for an available user to electronically communicate with the designated party.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the electronic communication with the designated party is via email using pre-existing templates.

21. The system of claim 18 further comprising a tracking module, wherein said one or more work items are assigned a service level commitment based on a timeframe for processing the work item, said tracking module monitors the one or work items and their assigned service level commitments and provides alerts if any one of said one or more work items are in jeopardy of not meeting its assigned service level commitment or has missed its assigned service level commitment.

22. The system of claim 18 further comprising a reporting module, wherein said reporting module is configured to provide discrete and cumulative statistical reports on the one or more work items received by the business organization, the processing of the one or more work items by the system, and the one or more users of the system.

23. The system of claim 18 further comprising a business applications module that is configured to interface with business applications of the business organization such that actions taken in response to the one or more work items by the business applications may be tracked and reported by the system.

24. A computer program product, comprising:

a memory having computer readable code embodied therein, for execution by a computing device, for processing one or more work items using an electronic workflow manager, said code comprising;

a) executable code for electronically receiving a work item;

b) executable code for automatically and electronically acknowledging receipt of the work item to a designated party;

c) executable code for determining one or more certain parameters from or about the work item;

d) executable code for applying the one or more certain parameters to a set of business rules;

e) executable code for determining if said certain parameters comport with said set of business rules, and if they do then;

f) executable code for determining from said set of parameters one or more users for processing said work item, where each of said users are assigned to a team and said team belongs to a center of a business enterprise;

g) executable code for determining if any of said one or more users are available and routing said work item to an available user;

h) executable code for determining if none of said one or more users are available, then holding said work item in an electronic queue until at least one of said one or more users become available and routing said work item to said available one or more users for processing said work item in accordance with said business rules; and

i) executable code for determining if said certain parameters do not comport with said set of business rules, and then routing said work item to an electronic queue for unidentified work items.