Method and apparatus for inquiry response via internet

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates generally to customer response networks and in particular to internet based response networks.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Many companies establish and maintain home pages on the Internet's World Wide Web. These home pages may provide an electronic market place to users with a computer, appropriate software and internet access. Companies may set up layered directories that provide information in the form of electronic catalogs or brochures. Often a point of contact such as a telephone number or electronic mail address is provided as a link in the event a user requires more information or has a question for the company.

[0006] Current data services on the Web are interactive in the sense that information content is provided to a user based on keyboard or mouse input from that user. However, this response is limited to pre-programmed or “canned” text, video and/or audio.

[0007] Typically, web pages contain an e-mail address where a potential customer may send a question or ask for more information on a particular subject of interest. A response to such an inquiry may take anywhere from minutes to days. Even then, there is no assurance that the e-mailed inquiry will reach the appropriate person within the company.

[0008] In another scenario, a potential customer may obtain the company's telephone number from the web page or from directory assistance. The potential customer then places a telephone call to the company and may spend an interminable length of time on hold waiting for a customer service representative to become available. If the company number is a WATS line (usually referred to as 800 service), the company incurs a significant cost per minute for the amount of time the customer is in the call waiting queue. On the other hand, if the call is a standard toll call, the customer may incur a significant charge while waiting for his/her call to be routed to an available customer service representative.

[0009] There is accordingly a need for a new method and apparatus to provide queuing capability between a user and a company's representative in order to facilitate the transfer of information in an effective real-time manner.

[0010] As services migrate to higher bandwidth requirements and capabilities there is an increasing demand for interactive audio sessions over the internet itself.

[0011] There is accordingly an additional need for a new method and apparatus to provide an interactive live video session capability between a user and a company's representative in order to facilitate the transfer of information in an effective real-time manner.

[0012] The method and apparatus of the present invention is accomplished by having a customer or user situated at one of many user computer terminals connected to the Internet. The user accesses a company's World Wide Web Internet home page in an Internet session and decides that more information is needed and would appreciate receiving a telephone call from a live customer service representative.

[0013] The user presses an appropriate keyboard or mouse clicks on an appropriately labeled button on the Web page. An automatic call distribution device submits the user's IP address and pertinent information from the session to a customer service queue for routing to the next available customer service representative. A voice call over the Internet is then established. When the call request by the user to the customer service representative is submitted, session control passes back to the web page server and a normal interactive session is resumed. The customer then continues his previous activities while awaiting a voice call from the next available customer service representative over the internet.

[0014] One advantage of the present invention allows the user and customer service representative to conduct an interactive audio session.

[0015] Another advantage of the present invention allows the user and customer service representative to conduct an interactive audio session while not tying up scarce resources waiting for a customer service representative to become available.

[0016] Still another advantage of the present invention is the elimination of the toll charges associated with a separate telephone call over the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

[0017] Further features of the above-described invention will become apparent from the detailed description hereinafter.

[0018] The foregoing features together with certain other features described hereinafter enable the overall system to have properties differing not just by a matter of degree from any related art, but offering an order of magnitude more efficient use of processing time and resources.

[0019] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

[0020] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the apparatus and method according to the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the data network of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the multimedia response server of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart depiction of the methodology of the present invention.

[0025] Referring now to FIG. 1, the data network 100 of the present invention will now be discussed. A customer or user is situated at one of many user terminals 102,106,110,136,138 which may be a personal computer, graphic enhanced mobile device such as a laptop PC, Java phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

[0026] The customer may be connected via an analog or digital (Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) or XDSL) connection to a Class 5 (local telephone switching) office 108, which in turn is connected to a tandem switch 114. Tandem switch 114 is capable of making both local and toll (long distance) telephone connections and is connected through modem 120, direct connection or ISDN 118 connection to Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) interface 128.

[0027] ATM interface 128 is connected to ATM backbone 130. ATM backbone 130 supplies the interconnections and transport mechanisms of the data communications network, or Internet of the preferred embodiment. These transport mechanisms are well known and thus need not be further explained here.

[0028] Customers are also connected through terminals 136,138 to the Internet embodied by ATM backbone 130 through Local Area Network (LAN) 134. LAN direct connectivity is an alternative to dial-up connections.

[0029] A live person acting as a Company's agent or customer service representative is stationed at agent terminal 124. Terminal 124 contains an autodialer which automatically dials a preprogrammed or an entered telephone number from telephone 122. This telephone number is the telephone number of the customer who has entered his/her own telephone number sometime during a Web page access session.

[0030] The telephone call placed by the Customer service agent located at terminal 124 through telephone 122 is switched through tandem switch 116 to class 5 central office 108 to the customer.

[0031] In an alternative embodiment, a customer may be connected through a mobile terminal via a wireless data link provided by a cellular, PCS or other wireless service provider.

[0032] Corporate Web Server 132 is connected to ATM backbone 130 through a direct connection.

[0033] In an alternate embodiment, the corporate Web Server, stationary or mobile, may also be connected via a similar wireless data link interfaced to the Internet.

[0034] Referring now to FIG. 2, Corporate Web Server 200 will now be discussed in further detail. Multimedia response server 210 is connected to the Internet 230 via ATM link 228. ATM link 228 is typically either across a T-3 carrier operating at approximately 44 MHz or is an OC-48 (or higher) Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) connection. The details of such connections are well known and need not be discussed further.

[0035] The T-3 interconnection 228 interconnects with Multimedia Response Server 210 at the communication channel switch 214. Communication channel switch 214 is controlled by Web page server 222. Also connected to communication channel switch 214 are the Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) unit 212, video server 216 and multiple multimedia operator consoles 202,204,206.

[0036] Communication channel switch 214 is a Northern Telecom Magellan, Vector or other suitable switch.

[0037] Web page server 222 operates to supply content to customers who access the Web page, controls connections to and from communication channel switch 214.

[0038] Video server 216 supplies high bandwidth video to customers accessing the Web page through communication channel switch 214.

[0039] Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) 212 unit operates by transferring customer information such as telephone number or Internet Protocol (IP) address and subject of the further information requested into a queue for service by the next available operator stationed at one of the multimedia operator consoles 202,204,206. A customer who is accessing the Web page on the Web server typically mouse clicks on a hot button or link found on the Web page. This link is identified as a channel for selecting a live interactive call-back session with a human operator. Upon availability of the human operator at one of the multiple multimedia operator consoles 202,204,206 the interactive call-back session is initiated over the internet to the IP address previously placed in the queue. Upon the successful connection of the call between the customer service representative and the customer, an interactive audio session over the network is conducted. Upon termination of the interactive audio session, the connection is taken down and the next queued interactive audio session is initiated.

[0040] Multimedia operator consoles 202,204,206 and customer terminals 102,106,110,136,136 are equipped with appropriate multimedia equipment and software. Typical equipment includes commercial off the shelf microphones/headsets with speakers, digital signal processor based peripheral sound cards, and a video camera with its video interface to the terminals and consoles.

[0041] When the customer initiates the interactive multimedia session the content of the customer's screen is accessible by the agent on the multimedia operator console. The session participants in one embodiment are also able to view each other through the video camera output portion of the link and are able to converse audibly to conduct business.

[0042] The customer agent is able to see exactly what the customer is trying to describe and is therefore capable of answering questions and solving problems in a much more time efficient manner without tying up more resources.

[0043] The customer agent is able to diagnose conditions and problems on a customer's computer in real-time or near real-time and can download software to determine configurations, correct errors, modify settings and add or delete software modules as desired. Of course, the multimedia response server automates many of these functions and does not require a human customer agent in many of these situations.

[0044] Referring now to FIG. 3, the methodology 300 of the present invention will now be discussed. The process begins in step 302 with the program Start function. In step 304, the Web server makes the Web page available to customers over the Internet or any other suitable public or private data network.

[0045] A Customer accesses the Web page from his/her computer terminal using the appropriate physical connection and software.

[0046] As an example, if the Web page is for a travel agent, the customer could search for airline flights to a desired destination at a particular time and for a particular price. If the specific parameters defined do not result in a satisfactory result for the customer, or if at any time during a session live human interaction is desired or required, then the customer clicks on the graphical hot button or link (step 306) and optionally is prompted to enter his name, phone number and a description of the subject in question, if this information is not already available. The IP address is transferred in step 308 by an automatic distribution mechanism into a call-back queue via the above described invention and a live call-back session in step 310 is conducted in an effort to satisfy the customer's request. Upon completion of the session, control passes to step 312, Stop.

[0047] Other such embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is readily apparent that the above described invention may be implemented in other types of data networks, public and private, including an intranet or an internet, whereby these terms denote an either an internal network of computers or any internetworking of communication devices. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.