EP0926614A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and system for activity-responsive telemarketing
Assignee: Nortel Networks Ltd
•
Filing: 1998-12-18
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Granted: —
•
Expires: 2018-12-18
Abstract
Abstract A method of alerting a telemarketing agent of a promotion opportunity in response to activity of a potential customer browsing a public server (46,47) and an apparatus for monitoring the customer activity and alerting the telemarketing agent are described. The apparatus includes a telemarketing analysis server (38), computer telephony hardware (44) and a server (40) for controlling the computer telephony hardware. The apparatus further includes software on the public server for collecting data relating to the activity of potential customers browsing the public server. The data is sent to the telemarketing analysis server which analyzes it to determine when a potential customer's activity satisfies a predefined criteria. If a predefined criteria is satisfied, an alert is forwarded to a telemarketing agent. The telemarketing agent may approach the potential customer in order to promote a sale. The approach to the customer may be a text message that requests whether the user would like assistance or a direct telephone call, depending on the circumstances and knowledge about the customer. The customer may also be sent a message before the telemarketing agent is alerted. This permits the agent to spend all of his time fielding calls. The advantage is the ability to contact potential customers at a time when they are aware of a product or service and interested enough to access a public server relating to the product or service. A further advantage is that customer availability is assured and the public server is enabled to provide interactive personal contact.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael William Petras
- 👤 Douglas Petty
- 👤 Alan Stuart Frank
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 17:28
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G06Q30/0241; G06Q30/0251; G06Q30/0255; G06Q30/0256
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
91 words
A method of alerting a telemarketing agent of a
promotion opportunity in response to activity of a potential
customer browsing a public server, comprising: monitoring the public server to determine if past or
present activity of the potential customer satisfies a
predefined criteria; and sending a message to the telemarketing agent to advise
the telemarketing agent of the promotion opportunity when the
activity of the potential customer satisfies the
predetermined criteria, the message including means for
identifying the potential customer to permit the
telemarketing agent to communicate with the potential
customer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein concurrently
with sending the message to the telemarketing agent, a call
connection is automatically made between the telemarketing
agent and the potential customer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein a message is
sent to the potential customer before a message is sent to
the telemarketing agent, the message sent to the potential
customer including means for permitting the potential
customer to indicate a preference respecting communications
with the telemarketing agent.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein if the
potential customer indicates a preference to communicate with
the telemarketing agent, a call connection is automatically
made between the telemarketing agent and the potential
customer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
83 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein
the public server is monitored by software which is active on
the public server, and (a) the software forwards information
to a telemarketing analysis server for analysis, the
telemarketing analysis server sending the message to the
telemarketing agent when the information satisfies the
predefined criteria or (b) the software examines information
associated with the potential customer and sends the message
to the telemarketing agent when the information satisfies the
predefined criteria.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
65 words
A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein
the message sent to the telemarketing agent contains at least
one of an IP address of the potential customer, a URL of a page on the public server where the
potential customer is active, a priority indicator associated with the potential
customer, and other information known about the customer, such as
frequent purchases or past behaviour.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
42 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 2-6
wherein the message sent to the customer includes a form
inviting communication and the message displays a menu of
options from which the potential customer may select a
preferred type of communication.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
26 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 3-7
wherein the message sent to the potential customer is a
multimedia message or a video recording.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the options
include at least one of opening a text chat window with the
potential customer in order to enable communications and
establishing a voice connection with the potential customer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein on
selecting the option of establishing a voice connection with
the potential customer, the message is examined for a phone
number or an IP address of the potential customer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the
communication request form message permits the potential
customer to enter a telephone number, request a VoIP session
or a text chat session with the telemarketing agent, send an
electronic mail message to the telemarketing agent, or reject
a communications session with the telemarketing agent.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
37 words
A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein
the monitoring comprises maintaining a session activity table
for potential customers who refuse cookies, the records in
the activity table including potential customer
identification and session related data.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the
activity table is periodically scanned to determine whether
any record in the table satisfies a predefined criteria, and
a message is sent to a telemarketing agent if a record in the
activity table satisfies the predefined criteria.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the
predefined criteria comprises an indication that the
potential customer has accessed the public server for a
period of time which exceeds a predefined threshold or an
indication that the potential customer has accessed a
specific page on the public server.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
41 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 12-14
wherein the activity table is periodically scanned to
determine whether any record satisfies a predefined criteria,
and a record is deleted from the activity table if it
satisfies the predefined criteria.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the
predefined criteria is an indication that a predefined time
period has elapsed since the potential customer identified by
the record in the activity table last accessed the public
server.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
79 words
A system for alerting a telemarketing agent of a
promotion opportunity in response to activity of a potential
customer browsing a public server, comprising: monitoring means for monitoring the activity of
potential customers visiting at least one public server to
access information; activity analysis means for determining when the
activity satisfies a predefined criteria; and alerting means for alerting the telemarketing agent when
the activity analysis means determines that the activity of a
potential customer satisfies the predefined criteria.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
47 words
A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the
monitoring means comprises software which is active on the
public server, the software being enabled to examine data
delivered to the public server by a client browser
application used by the potential customer to access the
public server.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
28 words
A system as claimed in claim 18 wherein the data is
extracted from potential customer cookies or from an activity
table maintained for potential customers who refuse cookies.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
54 words
A system as claimed in any one of claims 17-19
wherein the alerting means sends a message that contains
information extracted from a cookie to permit the
telemarketing agent to initiate communications with the
potential client or extracted from an activity table to
permit the telemarketing agent to initiate communications
with the potential client.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
56 words
A system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the
information, if extracted from the cookie, comprises at least
one of the telephone number of the potential customer, an IP
address of the potential customer, and a name of the
potential customer or, if extracted from the activity table,
comprises an IP address of the potential customer.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system as claimed in claim 20 or 21 wherein the
messages forwarded to the telemarketing agent are stored in a
call waiting queue on the telemarketing agent's workstation.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system as claimed in claim 22 wherein the
telemarketing agent is selected before a message is sent to
the potential customer.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
58 words
A system as claimed in claim 22 or 23 wherein the
message forwarded to the telemarketing agent includes at
least one of an IP address of the potential customer, a URL
of a page on the public server which the potential customer
was viewing when the message was sent, and a priority
indicator associated with the potential customer.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
23 words
A system as claimed in any one of claims 22-24
wherein the telemarketing agent can selectively service any
call waiting in the queue.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
48 words
A system as claimed in claim 24 wherein the value
of the priority indicator may be changed by the telemarketing
agent while the telemarketing agent is communicating with the
potential customer or automatically changed by the public
server if the potential customer's activity satisfies a
certain predefined criteria.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
WO1997041673A2
Cited
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