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US 11,144,929 B1Granted
Interaction history database
AssigneeSprint Communications Company L.P.
InventorsJohn R. Glenn, Keith E. Lawson, Justin T. Leonard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to methods and systems for monitoring customer service channels and directing a customer's interaction with the customer service channels based on previous interaction information. A database may be operable to receive and analyze information from a plurality of customer service channels. The database may be operable to receive, store, analyze, categorize, search, and report the information received from the customer service channels, wherein a customer service system may utilize the information in the database to direct customer interactions.
Claims17
A method for monitoring customer service channels and directing a customer's interaction with the customer service channels based on previous interaction information, the method comprising:
- monitoring, by an agent application of an interaction history database, the interactions of customers with a plurality of customer service channels, wherein the customer service channels comprise a retail store customer service channel, a customer care center customer service channel comprising at least an interactive voice response (IVR) system, and a website customer service channel;
- receiving, by a customer service channel monitoring system, information regarding an interaction by a customer with the retail store customer service channel, the interaction relating to a customer service operation beginning with a start point, where the customer exits the customer service operation at a step subsequent to the start point;
- storing, by the agent application, information from the interaction from the retail store customer service channel to the interaction history database, wherein the information is associated with an identifier for the customer;
- requesting, by the customer service channel monitoring system communicatively coupled to the interaction history database, information from the interaction history database whenever a new interaction is initiated by the customer by providing the customer's identifier to the interaction history database, wherein the new interaction is initiated by the customer in the customer care center customer service channel;
- receiving, from a rules engine, a code indicating that a special treatment is to be followed in handling the new interaction to continue the customer service operation from the retail store customer service channel in the customer care center customer service channel, wherein the code is determined according to the information from the interaction history database;
- and
- modifying, by the customer service channel monitoring system, handling of the new interaction based on the information received from the interaction history database and the code to begin the new interaction by continuing the customer service operation in the customer care center customer service channel from the step subsequent to the start point of the customer service operation, skipping one or more portions of the customer service operation from the start point to the step subsequent to the start point that were previously performed in the retail store customer service channel, wherein the IVR system includes a plurality of customer care call treatment processes that are selected among by the IVR system based on the code received from the interaction history database, the code uniquely corresponding to one of the customer care call treatment processes and indicating the one of the customer care call treatment processes of the IVR system corresponding to the step subsequent to the start point and causing the IVR system to skip the one or more portions of the customer service operation previously performed in the retail store customer service channel from the start point to the step subsequent to the start point.
4 more elements
A method for interacting with a customer via a customer service system, comprising:
- monitoring, by an agent application of an interaction history database, a customer's interactions with a customer service system, wherein the customer service system comprises a plurality of customer service channels comprising at least an interactive voice response (IVR) system;
- receiving, by a customer service channel monitoring system, information regarding an interaction by a customer with a retail store customer service channel, the interaction relating to a customer service operation beginning with a start point, where the customer exits the customer service operation at a step subsequent to the start point;
- storing, by the agent application, information about the interaction from the retail store customer service channel to the interaction history database, wherein the information is associated with an identifier for the customer, and wherein at least part of the information includes the reason for the interaction;
- requesting, by the customer service channel monitoring system communicatively coupled to the interaction history database, information from the interaction history database whenever a new interaction is initiated by the customer by providing the customer's identifier to the interaction history database, wherein the new interaction is initiated by the customer in the customer care center customer service channel;
- if the new interaction occurs within a predefined time period of a previous interaction, asking, by the customer service channel monitoring system, the customer at the beginning of the new interaction if the reason for the new interaction is the same as the reason for the previous interaction;
- receiving, from a rules engine, a code indicating that a special treatment is to be followed in handling the new interaction to continue the customer service operation from the retail store customer service channel in the customer care center customer service channel, wherein the code is determined according to the information from the interaction history database;
- and
- based on the customer's answer to the above question, modifying, by the customer service channel monitoring system, handling of the new interaction based on the information received from the interaction history database and the code to begin the new interaction by continuing the customer service operation in the second of the plurality of customer service channels from the step subsequent to the start point, skipping one or more portions of the customer service operation from the start point to the step subsequent to the start point that were previously performed in the retail store customer service channel, wherein the IVR system includes a plurality of customer care call treatment processes that are selected among by the IVR system based on the code uniquely corresponding to one of the plurality of customer care call treatment processes and received from the interaction history database, the code indicating the one of the customer care call treatment processes of the IVR system corresponding to the step subsequent to the start point and causing the IVR system to skip the one or more portions of the customer service operation previously performed in the retail store customer service channel from the start point to the step subsequent to the start point.
5 more elements
A computer system in communication with a customer service system comprising a plurality of customer service channels and comprising:
- a memory;
- a processor;
- an interaction history database that:
- monitors the interactions of customers with a plurality of customer service channels, wherein the plurality of customer service channels comprise a retail store customer service channel, a customer care center customer service channel comprising at least an interactive voice response (IVR) system, and a website customer service channel;
- receives information regarding an interaction by a customer with a retail store customer service channel, the interaction relating to a customer service operation beginning with a start point, where the customer exits the customer service operation at a step subsequent to the start point;
- stores information from the interaction from the retail store customer service channel, wherein the information is associated with an identifier for the customer;
- and
- reports information based on inquiries;
- and
- an application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor,
- requests information from the interaction history database whenever a new interaction is initiated by the customer by providing the customer's identifier to the interaction history database, wherein the new interaction is initiated by the customer in the customer care center customer service channel;
- receives, from a rules engine, a code indicating that a special treatment is to be followed in handling the new interaction to continue the customer service operation from the retail store customer service channel in the customer care center customer service channel, wherein the code is determined according to the information from the interaction history database;
- and
- automatically modifies handling of the new interaction based on the information received from the interaction history database and the code to begin the new interaction by continuing the customer service operation in the customer care center customer service channel from the step subsequent to the start point of the customer service operation, skipping one or more portions of the customer service operation from the start point to the step subsequent to the start point that were previously performed in the retail store customer service channel, wherein the IVR system includes a plurality of customer care call treatment processes that are selected among by the IVR system based on the code uniquely corresponding to one of the customer care call treatment processes and received from the interaction history database, the code indicating the one of the customer care call treatment processes of the IVR system corresponding to the step subsequent to the start point and causing the IVR system to skip the one or more portions of the customer service operation previously performed in the retail store customer service channel from the start point to the step subsequent to the start point.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.