Call center mobile messaging
AssigneeHeyWire, Inc.
InventorsEugene Lee Lew, Vasileios John Gianoukos, Kenneth Norman Heim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system enables communications with a call center via SMS/MMS and provides an additional communications channel to communicate with the call center in addition to voice, Internet email/IM chat and fax. The call center obtains location information and images from a customer using SMS messages and web pages via a messaging hub.
Claims20
A computer-implemented method for enabling a call center to communicate with a mobile device via SMS/MMS/EMS message communication, the method comprising:
- establishing a secure connection between a messaging hub and a call center;
- identifying a call center telephone number;
- provisioning the call center telephone number, the provisioning comprising:
- registering the call center telephone number with the messaging hub having access to a SMSC/MMSC;
- registering the call center telephone number in a database accessible by an SMSC/MMSC with access to a global SMS/MMS network;
- and
- providing an interface between call center operations and the mobile device.
A computer-implemented method for enabling a call center to communicate with a customer via SMS/MMS/EMS message communication, the method comprising:
- identifying a call center telephone number;
- provisioning the call center telephone number, the provisioning comprising:
- provisioning the call center telephone number including routing information into a carrier database directory;
- provisioning the call center telephone number into a messaging hub database directory;
- provisioning the call center telephone number into an industry registration directory database;
- establishing an interconnection between the messaging hub and one of a message mobile aggregator and a mobile carrier for message routing;
- establishing a secure connection between the messaging hub and a call director of the call center;
- receiving a customer message directed to the call center;
- determining whether the received customer message is starting a new conversation;
- in response to determining that there is a new conversation, creating a conversation thread and a corresponding conversation thread token;
- and
- passing the corresponding conversation thread token to a call director.
The computer-implemented method of claim 16 further comprising:
- processing the received SMS message;
- and
- displaying one of:
- the location information of the customer;
- directions to the customer location;
- and
- the image taken by the customer.
A computer-implemented method for enabling a call center to communicate with a mobile device via SMS/MMS/EMS message communication, the method comprising:
- establishing a secure connection to a messaging hub;
- receiving a customer message directed to the call center including a conversation thread token;
- determining whether there is a designated customer service representative (CSR);
- in response to determining that there is no designated CSR:
- designating a CSR to handle the conversation thread;
- updating the corresponding conversation thread token;
- and
- routing the customer message to the designated CSR.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.