Control of merchant application by system monitor in virtual contact center

• US 6,650,747 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2000
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Westrich, Robert S., Weber, Roy Philip, Goldman, Shelley B., Wang, Shaoqing Q., Foladare, Mark Jeffrey, Fowler, Kathleen C., Bala, Srinivas
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/490,887
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/265.06, 379/265.07, 379/266.01, 379/265.04, 379/265.03, 379/266.09, 379/309, 709/224, 709/223, 709/317, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/265.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks

Abstract

A virtual contact center (VCC) system includes facilities for full participation by a VCC monitor in a transaction between a customer and a customer service representative (CSR) using virtual network computing (VNC) techniques. A second display system remote from a first computer system actively views and controls the computing desktop at the first computer.

Thus, one or more virtual contact center monitors can simultaneously view a CSR desktop, including windows containing merchant applications. Moreover, use of VNC programs permits a monitor to directly control the selection, display, data entry and interaction with such merchant applications and customer in exactly the same manner, and to the same extent, as a CSR.

Claims

1. In a network-based virtual contact center comprising at least one customer service representative (CSR) station and a contact control server for authenticating CSRs at said CSR stations and for connecting customers to said CSR stations, a method for monitoring and controlling at least one merchant application relating to a transaction between a customer and a CSR at one of said CSR stations, said CSR station comprising a computer having at least one displayable desktop, the method, practiced at a monitor station, comprising

executing a viewer program associated with a server program and a first desktop at said one of said CSR stations,

establishing a first link to said one of said CSR stations to permit display at said monitor station of said first desktop at said one of said CSR stations,

inputting control signals for transmission over said first link to control objects on said first desktop at said one of said CSR stations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said objects on said desktop comprise a voice object relating to voice communications between said customer and said CSR, and wherein said inputting comprises voice inputs.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing a separate voice link between said monitor station and said CSR station bridged to voice communications between said CSR and said customer.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said separate voice link is bridged to at least one voice object on said first desktop.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing comprises specifying an IP address to said viewer program, said viewer program being responsive to said IP address for completing a link to said CSR station.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said establishing further comprises specifying desktop identification for said first desktop to said viewer program, said viewer program being responsive to said desktop identification for completing a link to said first desktop at said CSR station.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said inputting of control signals comprises entering data via a keyboard to supply information to said at least one merchant application.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said inputting of control signals comprises entering selections from possible inputs presented by said at least one merchant application.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising executing a server program associated with a desktop at said monitor station that is accessible by one or more CSR stations.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising

executing a viewer program associated with a server program and each of at least one other desktop at said one of said CSR stations,

establishing a second link to said one of said CSR stations to permit display at said monitor station of said at least one other desktop at said one of said CSR stations,

inputting control signals for transmission over said second link to control objects on said at least one other desktop at said one of said CSR stations.

11. In a network-based virtual contact center comprising at least one customer service representative (CSR) station, at least one monitor station, and a contact control server for authenticating CSRs at said CSR stations and for connecting customers to said CSR stations, a method for facilitating monitoring and control of at least one merchant application relating to a transaction between a customer and a CSR at a first of said CSR stations, said first CSR station comprising a computer having at least one displayable desktop, the method, practiced at said contact control center, comprising

upon successful login of said one of said CSR stations with said contact control server, providing said first of said CSR stations with an IP address and at least one desktop ID identifying respective desktops to be used for running merchant applications involved in transactions with customers,

directing said first of said CSR stations to execute a server program associated with each of said desktops for which desktop IDs have been provided, and

upon successful login of said monitor station with said contact control server, providing said monitor station with information identifying said first of said CSR stations and said IP address and desktop IDs for said first of said CSR stations.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising directing said monitor station to execute a viewer program associated with a server program and at least one of said desktops associated with said desktop IDs for said first of said CSR stations.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising establishing a communications link between a contacting customer and said first of said CSR stations for conducting a transaction between said customer and said first of said CSR stations on a desktop associated with at least one of said desktop IDs.

14. In a network-based virtual contact center comprising at least one customer service representative (CSR) station, at least one monitor station, and a contact control server for authenticating CSRs at said CSR stations and for connecting customers to said CSR stations, a method for facilitating monitoring and control of at least one merchant application relating to a transaction between a customer and a CSR at a first of said CSR stations, said first CSR station comprising a computer having at least one displayable desktop, the method, practiced at said first CSR station, comprising

upon successful login with said contact control server, receiving an IP address and at least one desktop ID identifying respective desktops to be used for running merchant applications involved in transactions with customers,

executing a server program associated with each of said desktops for which desktop IDs have been provided, and

upon successful login of a monitor station running a viewer program corresponding to each of said server programs participating in the linking of said server programs with corresponding viewing programs at said monitor, and

while executing at least one merchant application on at least one of said desktops during a transaction with a customer, receiving information from said monitor to influence the further execution of said merchant applications.

15. In a network-based virtual contact center comprising a set of first client stations comprising at least one client station and a contact control server for authenticating first clients at respective ones of said client stations, and for selectively connecting other client stations to said first client stations, a method for monitoring and controlling at least one application relating to a communication between at least one first client station and another client station, said first client stations comprising a computer having at least one displayable desktop, the method, practiced at a monitor station connected in said network, comprising

executing a viewer program associated with a server program and at least a first desktop at said first client stations,

establishing a first link to said first client stations to permit display at said monitor station of said at least a first desktop at said one of said first client stations,

inputting control signals for transmission over said first link to control objects on said first desktop at said first client stations.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said objects on said at least a first desktop comprise a voice object relating to voice communications between said one of said first client stations and said other client station.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said objects on said at least a first desktop comprise a non-voice object relating to communications between said one of said first client stations and said other client station.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said non-voice object is a data message object.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said data message is an e-mail message.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said data message is an instant messaging message.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein said data message is a chat message.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein said object is a voice chat message.