Automated assistance for customer care chats

• US 9,635,176 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: [24]7.ai, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 24/7 Customer Incorporated
• Inventors: Cooke, Charles Richard, Griesmer, Stephen J., Beattie, Jr., James Gordon, Hossain, Monowar, Lewis, Steven H., Rudman, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Vostal, O. C.
• Application Number:
  US14/739,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20150281447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 37926502
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/558 Databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4933 with operator assistance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5133 Operator terminal details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

A system for providing automated assistance to an agent includes a database that stores an automated assistance session in association with a client terminal. The automated assistance session comprises communications between the client terminal and an agent terminal during a communication session. The automated assistance session is restored in response to a connection being reestablished with the client terminal after the client terminal disconnects during the communication session. A client communication is received from the client terminal, and a plurality of statements is determined based on the client communication and the communications of the automated assistance session stored in the database. The statements are configured to be manually selected by an agent or automatically selected by an automated agent. The automated agent is engaged for automatically selecting one of the statements in response to a predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A system for providing automated assistance, comprising:

a display;

a processor;

a database that stores an automated assistance session in association with a client terminal, the automated assistance session comprising communications between the client terminal and an agent terminal during a communication session; and

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

detecting when the client terminal is unexpectedly disconnected from a network during the communication session;

detecting when a network connection is reestablished with the client terminal;

restoring the automated assistance session m response to a connection being reestablished with the client terminal via a network;

after the automated assistance session is restored, receiving a client communication from the client terminal via the network;

determining a plurality of statements based on the received client communication and also based on the communications of the automated assistance session stored in the database before the client terminal was unexpectedly disconnected from the network; and

displaying the plurality of statements on the display, each of the plurality of statements configured to be both manually selected by an agent and to be automatically selected by an automated agent;

engaging the automated agent for automatically selecting one of the plurality of statements in response to a predetermined condition, wherein the predetermined condition comprises any of an elapse of a predetermined period of time and an inactivity of the agent; and

transmitting the one of the plurality of statements to the client terminal in response to being automatically selected by the automated agent.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the communications of the automated assistance session include a previous agent communication, the previous agent communication being transmitted by the agent to the client terminal during the communication session, and

the plurality of statements is determined based on the client communication and the previous agent communication.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the communications of the automated assistance session include a dialogue between the agent and the client terminal, and

the plurality of statements is determined based on the client communication and the dialogue.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the automated agent is configured to automatically select the one of the plurality of statements based on a frequency of use of the plurality of statements.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein the plurality of statements is displayed on the display in a list based on the frequency of use of the plurality of statements.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the automated agent is configured to automatically select the one of the plurality of statements based on a history of selection of the plurality of statements by the agent.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition includes an input being received from the agent.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plurality of statements is configured to be edited by the agent.

9. A method for providing automated assistance, comprising:

storing, in a database, an automated assistance session in association with a client terminal, the automated assistance session comprising communications between the client terminal and an agent terminal during a communication session;

detecting when the client terminal is unexpectedly disconnected from a network during the communication session;

detecting when a network connection is reestablished with the client terminal;

restoring the automated assistance session in response to a connection being reestablished with the client terminal via a network session;

after the automated assistance session is restored, receiving a client communication from the client terminal via the network;

determining, by a processor, a plurality of statements based on the received client communication and also based on the communications of the automated assistance session stored in the database before the client terminal was unexpectedly disconnected from the network; and

displaying, on a display, the plurality of statements, each of the plurality of statements configured to be both manually selected by an agent and to be automatically selected by an automated agent;

engaging the automated agent for automatically selecting one of the plurality of statements in response to a predetermined condition, wherein the predetermined condition comprises any of an elapse of a predetermined period of time and an inactivity of the agent; and

transmitting the one of the plurality of statements to the client terminal in response to being automatically selected by the automated agent.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein

the communications of the automated assistance session include a previous agent communication, the previous agent communication being transmitted by the agent to the client terminal during the communication session, and

the plurality of statements is determined based on the client communication and the previous agent communication.

11. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein

the communications of the automated assistance session include a dialogue between the agent and the client terminal, and

the plurality of statements is determined based on the client communication and the dialogue.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the automated agent is configured to automatically select the one of the plurality of statements based on a frequency of use of the plurality of statements.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having an executable computer program for providing automated assistance that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

storing, in a database, an automated assistance session m association with a client terminal, the automated assistance session comprising communications between the client terminal and an agent terminal during a communication session;

detecting when the client terminal is unexpectedly disconnected from a network during the communication session;

detecting when a network connection is reestablished with the client terminal;

restoring the automated assistance session in response to a connection being reestablished with the client terminal via a network;

after the automated assistance session is restored, receiving a client communication from the client terminal via the network;

determining a plurality of statements based on the received client communication and also based on the communications of the automated assistance session stored in the database before the client terminal was unexpectedly disconnected from the network; and

displaying the plurality of statements on a display, each of the plurality of statements configured to be both manually selected by an agent and to be automatically selected by an automated agent;

engaging the automated agent for automatically selecting one of the plurality of statements in response to a predetermined condition, wherein the predetermined condition comprises any of an elapse of a predetermined period of time and an inactivity of the agent; and

transmitting the one of the plurality of statements to the client terminal in response to being automatically selected by the automated agent.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 13, wherein the communications of the automated assistance session include

a previous agent communication, the previous agent communication being transmitted by the agent to the client terminal during the communication session, and

the plurality of statements is determined based on the client communication and the previous agent communication.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 13, wherein the communications of the automated assistance session include a dialogue between the agent and the client terminal, and

the plurality of statements is determined based on the client communication and the dialogue.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 13, wherein the automated agent is configured to automatically select the one of the plurality of statements based on a frequency of use of the plurality of statements.