System and method for telemarketing through a hypertext network
AssigneeAT&T Corp.
InventorJoseph Thomas O'Neil
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for providing telemarketing services through a hypertext network that interconnects a telemarketing server system with a customer computer and an agent computer. The telemarketing server accepts a telemarketing request from the customer, and forwards the request to the agent if the agent is available, and to a queue if the agent is not available. When an agent receives a request, communications are either established between the customer and agent at once, or else scheduled for a later time. Telemarketing functions are implemented separately from media transport functions through a hypertext network such that the need for geographic centralization of telemarketing agents is eliminated.
Claims29
A telemarketing system on the Internet comprising:
- a. an agent client coupled to the Internet;
- b. a telemarketing server system coupled to the Internet, said telemarketing server system obtaining a telemarketing request from a customer through the Internet, and routing said telemarketing request through the Internet to said agent client if an appropriate agent is available, and to a queue if an appropriate agent is not available;
- and
- c. a supervisor client coupled to the Internet, said telemarketing server system sending telemarketing system information to said supervisor client, said supervisor client comprising a supervisor page for permitting manual adjustment of the queue based at least in part on the telemarketing system information.
A method for providing telemarketing services through the Internet, comprising the steps of:
- receiving a telemarketing request from a customer through the Internet;
- forwarding said telemarketing request through the Internet to an agent client if an appropriate agent is available, and to a queue if an appropriate agent is not available;
- and
- sending telemarketing system information to a supervisor client, said supervisor client comprising a supervisor page for permitting manual adjustment of the queue based at least in part on telemarketing system information.
A telemarketing system on the Internet comprising:
- a. an agent client coupled to the Internet;
- b. a telemarketing server system coupled to the Internet, said telemarketing server system obtaining a telemarketing request from a customer through the Internet, and routing said telemarketing request through the Internet to said agent client if an appropriate agent is available, and to a queue if an appropriate agent is not available, said telemarketing server system comprising a database storing information about said agent and said customer, said telemarketing server system providing at least a portion of said agent information to a supervisor and at least a portion of said customer information to said agent through the Internet.
A method for providing telemarketing services through the Internet, comprising the steps of:
- receiving a request for telemarketing service through the Internet from a customer;
- forwarding said request through the Internet to an appropriate agent if the appropriate agent is available, and to a queue if the appropriate agent is not available;
- facilitating the establishment of communications between the agent and the customer;
- and
- reporting telemarketing system performance information to a supervisor through the Internet.
A system for providing telemarketing services through an Internet interconnecting agents and customers, comprising:
- means for receiving a telemarketing request from a customer;
- means for forwarding said telemarketing request through the Internet to an appropriate agent if said appropriate agent is available, and to a queue if said appropriate agent is not available;
- means for establishing communications between said customer and said agent;
- and
- means for reporting information about the performance of said system to a supervisor through the Internet.
A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform activities comprising:
- receiving a request for telemarketing service through the Internet from a customer;
- forwarding said request through the Internet to an appropriate agent if the appropriate agent is available, and to a queue if the appropriate agent is not available;
- facilitating the establishment of communications between the agent and the customer;
- and
- reporting telemarketing system performance information to a supervisor through the Internet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.