Method and system for responding to inquiries from users

• US 7,739,609 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshida, Ryo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ulrich; Nicholas S
• Application Number:
  US11/612,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: 705/9
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method for responding to inquiries from a user by a response support system. A request displaying a second screen is received from a user terminal of the user in which a first screen is being displayed. An inquiry destination of the response support system is identified in the first screen. Screen data pertaining to the second screen and containing an operation object is retrieved. The second screen is configured to be sent to the inquiry destination in response to an operation performed on the operation object by the user. Screen transition information containing screen identifiers of screens previously displayed by the user terminal, including the first screen, is retrieved. The second screen is assembled by inserting the retrieved screen data and the retrieved screen transition information into the second screen. The assembled second screen is sent to the user terminal.

Claims

1. A method for replying to inquiries received from users of an information provision site having a plurality of screens as a customer service, using a web server comprising a web page recording unit for recording each of a plurality of image data in association with identification information of the plurality of screens and a history recording unit;

and a reception server comprising an image recording unit in association with identification information of the plurality of screens, comprising;

recording contact addresses on the web server of predetermined operators responsible for responding to inquiries for a model of a user computer terminal;

receiving from the user computer terminal in which a first screen is being displayed, a request for displaying a second screen including an operation object for making an inquiry;

wherein if the user computer terminal is a mobile phone, displaying on a display of the user computer terminal an intensity of radio waves from a base station, an indication of received inquiry messages and current time at the top of the display, and a web page received from the web server in the middle of the display;

generating screen transition information from identification information of the first screen;

obtaining model information regarding the user computer terminal that sent the request for displaying the second screen;

retrieving screen data pertaining to the second screen, said retrieved screen data comprising the operation object for making the inquiry;

inserting the screen transition information and the obtained model information into the retrieved screen data;

updating the screen transition information with identification information of the second screen;

recording an updated screen transition information in the history recording unit;

sending the screen data pertaining to the second screen to the user computer terminal;

starting an inquiry message in response to operation of the operation object from the user computer terminal;

wherein the updated screen transition information and model information are inserted into the inquiry message;

further editing the inquiry message using an editing screen by manually editing a body field of the inquiry message from the user computer terminal;

sending the inquiry message to the reception server;

acquiring a display image and a screen transition diagram corresponding to identification information contained in the updated screen transition information included in the inquiry message in response to the reception of the inquiry message by the reception server and displaying the image and the screen transition diagram that associates the plurality of screens with their transition;

adding a list of frequently asked inquiries with responses to the inquiry message prior to forwarding the inquiry message to one of the predetermined operators; and

forwarding the inquiry message to one of the predetermined operators.