Web based sales presentation method and system with synchronized display

• US 8,881,014 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2009
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kenna, Wayne, Das, Sutapa, Dupeire, Wesley
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shiberou, Mahelet
• Application Number:
  US12/612,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20110107221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: 715/740, 715/753, 715/755
• US Class Current: 715/730
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating web based sales presentations with synchronized display are provided According to one embodiment, a method comprises receiving a request from a sales representative to have an invitation sent to a customer to remotely view a presentation; sending a communication to the customer inviting the customer to view the presentation; storing the presentation at a storage unit associated with a server system; displaying at a first separate computer system of the sales representative, navigational links for selecting a slide of the presentation; in response to the customer selecting a URL included in the communication to the customer, displaying, at a second separate computer system of the customer, the presentation; and synchronizing a display of the presentation at the first separate computer system of the sales representative and the display of the presentation at the second separate computer system of the customer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a processor from a sales representative, a request to send an invitation to a customer for a meeting to view a presentation comprising a plurality of slides, the request comprising contact information for the customer and an identification of the presentation;

sending, by the processor to the customer, the invitation, the invitation comprising a link for accessing the presentation;

recording, by the processor in a database, meeting information about the meeting, the meeting information comprising a meeting identification associated with the meeting and a page indicator associated with the presentation;

in response to sending the invitation to the customer, providing, by the processor to the sales representative, a confirmation notice comprising a link to activate the meeting and start the presentation;

in response to receiving a selection of the link to active the meeting and start the presentation from the sales representative, providing, by the processor to the sales representative, a first sales representative display of the presentation comprising navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation and comprising a first slide of the plurality of slides;

in response to receiving the selection of the link for accessing the presentation from the customer and without requiring the customer to provide login information, providing, by the processor to the customer a first customer display of the presentation comprising the first slide of the plurality of slides and excluding the navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation;

receiving, at the processor from the sales representative, a selection of a navigational link from the navigational links, the navigational link representing a second slide of the plurality of slides;

in response to receiving the selection of the navigational link representing the second slide from the sales representative,

providing, by the processor to the sales representative, a second sales representative display of the presentation comprising the navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation and comprising the second slide of the plurality of slides, and

updating, by the processor, the meeting information associated with the meeting and recorded in the database, wherein updating the meeting information associated with the meeting comprises updating the page indicator to reflect that the sales representative is viewing the second slide of the plurality of slides; and

in response to a function of a first web browser associated with the customer determining that the meeting information associated with the meeting and recorded in the database has changed;

locating, by the processor, the second slide and talking points based on the meeting identification, and

providing, by the processor to the customer, a second customer display of the presentation comprising the second slide of the plurality of slides and continuing to exclude the navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation, wherein locating the second slide and the talking points based on the meeting identification and the page indicator and providing, to the customer, the second customer display of the presentation comprising the second slide of the plurality of slides occur without any action by the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first customer display of the presentation and the second customer display of the presentation are provided to the customer for display, via the first web browser, on a user device associated with the customer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the first customer display of the presentation and the second customer display of the presentation on the user device associated with the customer does not require client software in addition to the first web browser.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first sales representative display of the presentation and the second sales representative display of the presentation are provided to the sales representative for display, via a second web browser, on a user device associated with the sales representative.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying the first sales representative display of the presentation and the second sales representative display of the presentation on the user device associated with the sales representative does not require client software in addition to the second web browser.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing to the sales representative, a form for making the request to send the invitation to the customer, the form comprising a presentation style field, a sales representative identification field, a manager identification field, and a customer email field.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the invitation is sent to the customer via email.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the link for accessing the presentation is a unique uniform resource locator directed to a website.

9. A non-transitory tangible machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a sales representative, a request to send an invitation to a customer for a meeting to view a presentation comprising a plurality of slides, the request comprising contact information for the customer and an identification of the presentation;

recording meeting information about the meeting, the meeting information comprising a meeting identification associated with the meeting and a page indicator associated with the presentation;

sending, to the customer, the invitation, the invitation comprising a link for accessing the presentation;

in response to sending the invitation to the customer, providing, to the sales representative, a confirmation notice comprising a link to activate the meeting and start the presentation;

in response to receiving a selection of the link to activate the meeting and start the presentation from the sales representative, providing to the sales representative, a first sales representative display of the presentation comprising navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation and comprising a first slide of the plurality of slides;

in response to receiving the selection of the link for accessing the presentation from the customer and without requiring the customer to provide login information, providing, to the customer a first customer display of the presentation comprising the first slide of the plurality of slides and excluding the navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation;

receiving from the sales representative, a selection of a navigational link from the navigational links, the navigational link representing a second slide of the plurality of slides;

in response to receiving the selection of the navigational link representing the second slide from the sales representative,

providing a second sales representative display of the presentation comprising the navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation and comprising the second slide of the plurality of slides, and

updating the meeting information associated with the meeting and recorded in the database, wherein updating the meeting information associated with the meeting comprises updating the page indicator to reflect that the sales representative is viewing the second slide of the plurality of slides; and

in response to a function of a first web browser associated with the customer determining that the meeting information associated with the meeting and recorded in the database has changed,

locating the second slide and talking points by executing a program using the meeting identification and the page indicator, and

providing, to the customer, a second customer display of the presentation comprising the second slide of the plurality of slides and continuing to exclude the navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation, wherein locating the second slide and the talking points using the meeting identification and the page indicator and providing, to the customer, the second customer display of the presentation comprising the second slide of the plurality of slides occur without any action by the customer.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a sales representative, a request to send an invitation to a customer for a meeting to view a presentation comprising a plurality of slides, the request comprising contact information for the customer and an identification of the presentation,

sending, to the customer, the invitation, the invitation comprising a link for accessing the presentation,

recording meeting information about the meeting, the meeting information comprising a meeting identification associated with the meeting and a page indicator associated with the presentation,

in response to sending the invitation to the customer, providing, to the sales representative, a confirmation notice comprising a link to activate the meeting and start the presentation,

in response to receiving a selection of the link to activate the meeting and start the presentation from the sales representative, providing, to the sales representative, a first sales representative display of the presentation comprising navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation and comprising a first slide of the plurality of slides,

in response to receiving the selection of the link for accessing the presentation from the customer and without requiring the customer to provide login information, providing, to the customer a first customer display of the presentation comprising the first slide of the plurality of slides and excluding the navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation,

receiving, from the sales representative, a selection of a navigational link from the navigational links, the navigational link representing a second slide of the plurality of slides,

in response to receiving the selection of the navigational link representing the second slide from the sales representative,

providing a second sales representative display of the presentation comprising the navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation and comprising the second slide of the plurality of slides, and

updating the meeting information associated with the meeting and recorded in the database, wherein updating the meeting information associated with the meeting comprises updating the page indicator to reflect that the sales representative is viewing the second slide of the plurality of slides, and

in response to a function of a first web browser associated with the customer determining that the meeting information associated with the meeting and recorded in the database has changed,

locating the second slide and talking points by executing a program using the meeting identification and the page indicator, and

providing, to the customer, a second customer display of the presentation comprising the second slide of the plurality of slides and continuing to exclude the navigational links representing the plurality of slides of the presentation, wherein locating the second slide and the talking points using the meeting identification and the page indicator and providing, to the customer, the second customer display of the presentation comprising the second slide of the plurality of slides occur without any action by the customer.