Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02485238 1998-07-21
ELECTRONIC MESSAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
This application is divided from Canadian Patent Application Serial No.
2,301,664, filed July 21, 1998.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic message management system
and method, and more particularly, to an electronic message storage, tracking,
management, and response method and system.
The number of internet users continues to grow at an astounding rate.
Accordingly, Internet Web sites have become an important way to communicate
with
customers. Internet Web sites are being used to send electronic message
inquiries to
customer service departments of many companies. Accordingly, as with
traditional
telephone customer service departments, customers expect timely responses to
their e-
mail inquiries.
An analysis was performed on the proficiency of companies in responding to
e-mail inquiries received through their Web site. The study found that:
17% of the companies responded via e-mail;
27% of the companies did not respond to the e-mail inquiries;
8% responded via the U.S. postal service; and
48% of the companies did not have any mechanism for accepting e-
mail inquiries.
Additionally, of the small percentage of companies actually responding to e-
mail inquiries, many of those companies took 3-4 weeks to respond to e-mail
inquiries, with many of the inquiries never being answered. Many popular Web
sites
generate tens of thousands of hits, and thousands of email inquiries, per
month. As
the popularity of the Internet increases, the number of e-mail inquiries sent
will
continue to increase.
At the present time, electronic message inquiries are handled manually by
customer service departments. In other words, the e-mail is sent directly to a
customer
service Mail server. The e-mail message inquiries are then read by a customer
service
representative who
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is assigned to respond to the e-mail inquiries. The customer service
representative may either
respond to the message or may refer the message to another customer service
representative
who is more qualified to answer the inquiry. Currently, the process of
forwarding the
messages to responsible customer service representatives (CSRs) is
accomplished manually. -
In other words, either the forwarding CSR clicks the "forward" button to send
the message to
the responsible CSR or the e-mail inquiry is actually printed out and
physically handed to the
responsible CSR. The responsible CSR then responds to the e-mail inquiry.
This manual process of responding to electronic messages results in a lack of
electronic message management and a failure to provide any type of quality
assurance on the
message responses. For example, in a traditional system, once an e-mail
inquiry is received at
the designated mail server a customer service representative may access that e-
mail message
by using any known e-mail program (e.g. Eudora). If the customer service
representative
cannot answer the message, he must refer that inquiry to another CSR that can
answer the
question. With these known systems, the CSR must "manually" forward the
inquiry to
another responsible CSR able to take the inquiry. The e-mail is "manually"
forwarded, for
example, by designating the e-mail address of the responsible CSR and clicking
the "forward"
button in the mail program. bnce the responsible CSR receives the forward
inquiry, he or she
may respond to the inquiry.
Accordingly, these traditional system are not well suited to handle a large
load of
electronic message inquiries. The manual forwarding of inquiries to
responsible CSRs may
take a considerable amount of time when there are thousands of inquiries and
where there are
many different CSRs (e.g. one to take billing inquiries, one to take technical
support
inquiries, one to take dealer locator inquiries). The time needed to initially
read each
message, to determine who the responsible CSR is, to determine the location of
the
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responsible CSR, and to forward the message to the responsible CSR for
response, results in
long response times.
Additionally, these traditional systems do not provide any efficient means to
provide
quality assurance and electronic message tracking. For example, once the
responsible CSR
responds to the message, it is sent to the customer without being reviewed for
appropriate
content. This lack of quality control may result in inappropriate, or
inaccurate, responses
being sent to customers and accordingly, damage to valuable customer
relations.
Additionally, in these known systems, the manual forwarding. of electronic
message
inquiries to responsible CSRs results in a lack of message status tracking.
Iri these known
electronic messaging systems it is virtually impossible to administer the
status of the
electronic message inquiries, to determine what the inquiries were about, who
the responsible
CSR is, which inquiries have been responded to, and which inquiries are still
in need of
attention. For example, as an illustration, assume that in one week Company
"Fortune 500"
receives 100,000 e-mail inquiries. Assume that the e-mail messages were
distributed as
follows:
25,000 messages were sent to 100 different technical support CSRs;
25,000 messages were sent to 100 different billing CSRs;
25,000 messages were sent to 100 different product CSRs;
5,000 messages were sent to 20 different dealer locator CSRs; and
20,000 messages were sent to 100 general CSRs.
With traditional e-mail messaging systems, the only way that these different
CSRs can
obtain access to the appropriate e-mail inquiry is to either:
1.) manually forward the e-mails to the responsible CSR;
2.) print out the e-mail message and physically deliver it to the responsible
CSR; or
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3.) have the original e-mail message sent directly to the different e-mail
addresses of
each CSR.
All of these methods would be inefficient for distributing e-mail inquiries to
responsible
CSRs and, accordingly, for the subsequent responding to the 100,000 e-mail
messages.
Additionally, with these known systems, it would be virtually impossible to
provide
any administrative tracking or quality assurance on these 100,000 e-mail
inquiries. Once the
e-mail inquiry has been forwarded to the responsible CSR, administration could
not
efficiently track the status of the inquiry (i.e. responded to or still
pending) or the content of
the responses being sent. In these known systems, the individual CSR would
have to
individually inform administration of the status of each assigned e-mail
inquiry and forward
each response to administration for approval.
As the popularity of the Internet increases, electronic message communication
will
become a standard and indispensable form of communication. Accordingly,
companies need
to implement e-mail conununication with their customers. Additionally, many
companies
are, and will be, receiving thousands of electronic message inquiries per
week. Accordingly,
there is a need for an electron.ic message management system that provides for
the efficient
storage, administration, tracking and reporting of customer inquiries.
Additionally, an
electronic message management system is needed which will allow the generation
of timely
responses to electronic message inquiries. The present invention provides such
an electronic
message management system that provides the following advantages over existing
e-mail
programs:
1.) provides an automatic interface to a structured database for forwarding
all
electronic messages;
2.) provides access to the database by authorized CSRs, from remotely located
computers;
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3.) stores the electronic messages by predetermined attributes (e.g. time the
inquiry
was received, the e-mail address of the customer, the status of the message)
so that the
e-mail inquiries can be retrieved by any, or all, of the attributes;
4.) allows administrators to provide quality assurance reviews on selected
responses
before sending the message to the customer;
5.) provides updates to the interface based on CSR or administrator activities
so that
the status of all electronic messages are current;
6.) provides a list of authorized CSRs that may have access to the electronic
messages
in the interface, and allows customized settings of individual CSR privileges;
7.) provides security against hackers and viruses;
8.) provides a historical record of all electronic messages from each
customer;
9.) interfaces the CSRs to a database containing predefined, standard,
responses for
frequently asked questions;
10.) allows the forwarding of the message to the relevant expert, the database
being
updated to indicate that the message has been referred to an expert;
11.) tracks the responses to all electronic message inquiries and updates the
database
accordingly;
12.) provides the ability to efficiently add additional CSRs, delete CSRs, add
standard
responses, and to provide custom reports;
13.) allows categorization of all electronic inquiries/messages by client-
defined
categories;
14.) allows the reporting of the average response time of responses; and
15.) allows the monitoring of CSRs.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a system for
managing electronic messages received from the Internet or an Intranet. The
system
includes a first programmed digital computer, the first programmed digital
computer
programmed to accept electronic messages, the first programmed digital
computer
programmed with mail server software and a computer readable medium for
storing a
database, the database being operable to store the electronic messages
forwarded by
the first programmed digital computer to the database, the electronic messages
being
stored in the database according to predetermined attributes for tracking the
electronic
messages. The system also includes a second programmed digital computer in
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electrical communication with the database, the second programmed digital
computer
being configured with web server software. The system further includes a third
programmed digital computer in electrical communication with the second
programmed digital computer, the third programmed digital computer being
configured with web browser software, the web browser software being operable
by a
customer service representative (CSR) located at the third programmed digital
computer to communicate with the web server software to cause the second
programmed digital computer to retrieve any of the stored electronic messages
based
on any of the predetermined message attributes.
The third programmed digital computer is configured to allow the customer
service representative to respond to an electronic message that has been
retrieved
from the database.
The system may include a data interface, the data interface being operably
configured to receive database requests from the second programmed computer
and to
convert the database requests into database queries such that the second
programmed
digital computer may retrieve the stored electronic messages from the
database.
One of the predetermined message attributes may include the time the
electronic message was received.
One of the predetermined message attributes may include an e-mail address of
the customer who sent the electronic message.
One of the predetermined message attributes may include the current status of
the electronic message.
One of the predetermined message attributes may include an e-mail address of
the group to which the electronic message was sent.
The database may store the electronic messages and data of CSR privileges.
The data of CSR privileges may include access privileges to the database,
quality assurance privileges and/or CSR passwords.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided an
electronic message management method. The method involves receiving electronic
messages at an electronic network, forwarding the electronic messages to a
database,
storing the electronic messages based on predetermined message attributes for
tracking the electronic messages, interfacing a customer service
representative
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computer to allow electronic access to the electronic messages based on said
predetermined message attributes, and transmitting one of the stored
electronic
messages from the database to the customer service representative.
The predetermined message attributes may include an e-mail address of a
group to which the e-mail message was sent.
The predetermined message attributes may include the status of the electronic
message.
The method may further comprise responding to the transmitted message and
automatically updating the database upon responding to the transmitted message
to
indicate a response has been sent.
The method may further comprise forwarding the transmitted message to an
expert, updating the database, after forwarding the transmitted message to the
expert,
to indicate that the transmitted message has been forwarded to the expert and
formulating a response from the expert.
The method may further comprise providing a response to the transmitted
electronic message, storing the response in the database and retrieving the
stored
response for quality assurance review.
The method may further comprise denying the response and updating the
database to indicate that the response was denied.
The method may further comprise accepting the response and sending the
response to an originating customer.
The method may further comprise storing CSR data in the database and
providing access to the database base on the CSR data.
The method may further comprise storing a list of standard responses in the
database.
The method may further comprise retrieving certain ones of the standard
responses from the database and sending at least one of the standard responses
to an
originating customer of the transmitted electronic message.
In addition to the features mentioned above, objects and advantages of the
present invention will be readily apparent upon a reading of the following
description.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Novel features and advantages of the present invention, in addition to those
mentioned above, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a
reading of
the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings
wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts and in which:
Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the e-mail management system of the
present invention;
Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the
interface between the Web server and the database;
Figure 3 illustrates a flow chart depicting the main operational steps of the
e-
mail management system;
Figure 4A illustrates a flow chart depicting the main steps for accessing and
responding to e-mail messages;
Figure 4B illustrates a flow chart depicting the choices available to a CSR
when handling e-mail messages in the system of the present invention;
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Figure 5 illustrates a flow chart depicting the steps for forwarding a message
to an
expert;
Figure 6 illustrates a flow chart depicting the steps needed for replying to
an e-mail
message;
Figure 7 illustrates a flow chart depicting the steps for providing a quality
assurance
review of e-mail responses;
Figure 8 illustrates a flow chart depicting the steps for administering the e-
mail
system of the present invention;
Figure 9 illustrates a flow chart depicting the steps for requesting a report;
and
Figures 10-34 illustrate example screen shots from various pages of a
preferred
system of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
The preferred system herein described is not intended to be exhaustive or to
limit the
invention to the precise forms disclosed. They are chosen and described to
explain the
principles of the invention, and the application of the method to practical
uses, so that others
skilled in the art may practice the invention.
Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the electronic management system 10 of
the
present invention. The system is preferably comprised of a server 14, a
computer running
mail server software 15, a database 16, and a customer service representative
(CSR) computer
18. (A mail server 15 would not be needed if all electronic messages were
submitted via
Web page forms).
It is preferred that the server 14, the mail server 15, the database 16, and
the CSR
computer 18 be connected by a network. This network, preferably, makes up the
call center
network 10 of the present invention. For example, the network 10 may be an
ethernet
network based on Transfer Connect Protocol/ intemet Protocol (TCP/IP),
although it is
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appreciated that other protocols may be used. The network 10 may also be part
of a Wide
Area Network (WAN). It is also appreciated that the components of the present
system may
be variously arranged. For example, the server 14, acting as a Web server, may
also be
configured as the mail server. However, in the preferred embodiment, as
illustrated in Figure
1, the mail server 15 is a separate computer from the server 14, and linked by
the network.
The server 14 is generally a large capacity computer programmed for
interfacing the
CSR computer 18 and the database 16. The server 14 is preferably a computer
configured, or
programmed, with Web server software. The server 14, configured with Web
server software
(i.e. a"Web server"), serves as an interface between the CSR's computer 18,
configured with
Web browser software, and the database 16.
Typically, the network is connected by a TI line to the .lntemet. Again, it is
preferred
that the server 14 be configured with Web server software with the capability
to store, and
transfer, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) files and/or other scripts. As will
be
discussed, the CSR user interfaces are, preferably, viewed through a Web
browser which
accesses HTML code, or files, stored at the server 14.
The customer's computer 12 is typically a personal computer having a modem for
communicating with the call center network 10 facility, through the Internet.
There are many
advantages of using the Intemet to communicate with the call center network,
e.g., the
customer has access to low cost clients (i.e. Web browsers), and the Web
allows standard user
interfaces and the ability to work across different platforms and
applications.
In the preferred embodiment, the customer sends an electronic message, or
inquiry,
through the Intemet, which finds its way to the mail server 15. (Electronic
messages include,
but are not limited to, e-mail messages). If e-mail, the mail server 15
receives and accepts
the electronic message (if the message is submitted from a Web page form it is
interface
directly to the database 16). The mail server 15 is preferably a mail server
program (e.g.
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Microsoft Exchange Server) that may either be located on the server 14, or a
separate
computer electronically linked to the server 14 (i.e. the server 14 may be
configured with
both Web server software and mail server software or the server 14 configured
with Web
server software may be electronically connected to another computer 15
configured with mail
server software).
In any case, the call center network 10 is configured to automatically
transfer the
received electronic messages to the database 16 for storage (i.e. without an
intermediate
manual step). Automatic transfer of the electronic messages may either be the
automatic
forwarding of the messages or having the messages pulled by the database. For
example, a
customer, using an e-mail client (e.g. Eudora) located on his computer 12
sends an e-mail
message to companysupport@matrixx.net. The e-mail message traveis through the
Internet
and enters the call center network 10. The e-mail message is routed to the
mail server 15
(This is accomplished through known mail protocols, for example, the mail
server 15 is
configured to accept and send Intemet e-mail. When a mail message arrives it
is sent to the
server defined as the mail server in the Domain Name Service and MX records).
The
database 16 is programmed to automatically retrieve the e-mail messages from
the mail
server. In other words, a program may be written that retrieves predetermined
received e-
mail messages from the mail server and delivers them to the database 16 for
storage. This
program may be written in a number of different languages including C++ or
SQL. The key
being to provide automated integration between the mail server, the Web page,
and any SQL
stored procedures.
It should be appreciated that electronic messages from customers may be
received in
forms other than through traditional e-mail clients. For exampde, an
electronic message may
be sent from on-line forms embedded in company Web pages. These electronic
messages
may also be sent to the Web server 14, and stored in the database 16. For
example, company
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Web sites may have on-line forms for submitting data or customer inquiries.
These forms
submit the message to a program, preferably written in C++, on the Web Server
14. Once the
program receives the message, it stores the message in the database 16.
The database 16 is generally a storage area for the received electronic
messages,
including e-mails, and any other data required by the system (e.g. CSR data).
It is preferred
that the database 16 be a complete database management system (DBMS) which
acts to
organize and standardize data retrieval and storage, and is controlled by a
language that helps
to manipulate the data and allows querying of the database (e.g. SQL).
Although the database 16 may be a "flat file" it is preferred that the
database 16 be a
relational database. A relational database is a database that stores the
information in tables,
and where there are rules that define the relationship between the tables.
Generally, the tables
in a relational database are separated by different entities (e.g. all
received e-mail messages,
all data on CSRs, and predefined CSR standard responses). Generally, each row
of a database
table defines a subset of that particular entity where each column of that
table defmes a
specific attribute, or category, for that entity. For example, a table storing
all received e-mail
messages may be stored as one table or entity. One row may be designated for
each separate
e-mail message where the message is given specific attributes defined by each
column of that
row (e.g., the time the message was received or the status of the message).
Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the
interface 24
between the Web server 14 and the database 16. The Web server 14 may be
connected to
more than one database 16. The server 14 is adapted to interface with the
database 16 so that
the CSR may access, and retrieve, the data residing on the database 16. For
example, a server
14, acting as a Web server 14, genera4ly consists of HTML files and
electronically
communicates with the CSR computers 18 using HyperText Transfer Protocol
(HTTP).
When a Web page is requested by the Web browser, HTML files are sent from the
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Server 14 to the CSR Web browser via HTTP. When data from the database 16 is
needed,
the Web page is programmed to retrieve the data from the database 16.
Accordingly, the server 14 and the database 16 must be integrated for proper
communication. However, in many cases the server 14, acting as an interface to
the database
16, cannot communicate with standard databases without an interface 24 that
maps the
incoming query to the server 14 to the appropriate semantics in the database
16.
In many databases today, Structured Query Language ("SQL") is used as the
industry
standard. SQL is a data language designed for creating, manipulating, and
controlling
relational databases. In order for a Web Server 14 to communicate with a
database, a
program extension 26 may be needed that converts the requests for data from
the Web server
14 to a form that the database 16 will understand. For example, if the
database 16 is a SQL
database, the programmed program extension 26 will convert the data request
from the Web
Server 14 to SQL so that the database 16 will understand. However, in the
preferred
embodiment a program extension 26 is not required. In the preferred
embodiment, the Web
Server speaks directly to the database with Tntemet Database Connector files
("IDC" files)
which allow Web pages to interface with the data in the database 16.
Additionally, in the preferred embodiment, an Open Database Connectivity
(ODBC)
layer is also progranuned into the call center network 10. ODBC is a standard
interface
between the database 16 and an application trying to access the data in the
database 16.
Basically, the ODBC layer 28 allows any front end application to access the
database 16 (in
other words, the ODBC interface 28 is a program that provides a uniform way of
calling data
request to a database 16).
Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment, a data request from the Web server
14 is
sent via lDC files, which use ODBC-compatible SQL, to the ODBC interface 28.
The ODBC
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layer 28 converts the ODBC SQL calls into the predetermined database 16 native
calls and
then performs the database 16 interaction. The ODBC layer may also return the
results of the
data queries in a uniform way to the Web server 14.
The operation of the invention can be understood with reference to the
flowcharts of
Figures 3-9 and corresponding screen shots illustrated in Figures 10-34. The
flowcharts of
Figure 3-9 describe the operational flow of one example system of the present
invention.
Screen shots from various stages of the system flow are depicted in Figures 10-
27, however
not all screen shots have been provided.
As discussed above, customers submit electronic message inquiries (e.g. e-
mail) to the
call center network 10. As discussed, the eDectronic messages are
automatically transferred to
a database 16 according to a predetermined format. Accordingly, the CSRs must
access the
electronic messages stored on the database 16 and respond to the inquiries.
A CSR accesses the database 16 from a computer station 18 electronically
connected
to the server 14. It is preferred that the CSR stations 18 are connected to
the server 14 via a
TCP/IP network, however, it should be understood that other network and data
transfer
protocols may suffice. As discussed, the server 16 is a computer that
interfaces the CSR
computer 18 with the database 16. It is preferred that the server 16 be
configured with Web
server software that allows the maintenance of HTML files, i.e. Web pages,
that are used as
interfaces to the database 16 (The following explanation of the invention and
the flowcharts
assume HTML as the preferred file format of the user interfaces although other
formats may
be used. Accordingly, the server 14 in the following explanation will be
configured with
Web server software, i.e. a Web server 14).
To access the database 16, a CSR points his Web browser to the appropriate
address
(e.g. a URL 13) of the starting address of the call center interface files
located on the Web
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server 14. The Web server 14 transmits the HTML files of the CSR login page to
the
requesting CSR. (See the screen shot of Figure 10.) The CSR then logs in with
his IA and
his password block 30. A program then checks to make sure the ID and the
password are of a
required form block 32 and sends the data to the database to make sure the CSR
is allowed
access block 34. It is preferred that an ID and password checking program be
embedded in
the HTML. For example a script is sent to the browser where it is subsequently
run by the
browser running on the CSR computer 18.
If the ID and password are of a required form, they are sent to the database
to confirm
the CSR may access the messages. If the CSR is authorized, the HTML files
informing the
user of authorized access are sent to the CSR browser (see Figure 11). Upon
clicking the
"continue button" 17, the main navigational page (see screen shot of Figure
12) are sent to
the CSR computer 18. The main navigational page is displayed block 36 via the
Web
browser at the CSR computer 18. The call center interface may be programmed so
as to
require the changing of CSR passwords after a predetermined time. The main
navigational
page provides links, to HTML, or Web, page interfaces that allow the CSR to
perform one of
the main functions of the call center system 10. The CSR may opt to:
1.) access and process the received electronic messages;
2.) provide adnlinistrative functions;
3.) create detailed reports;
4.) view the history of the received eleclronic messages; or
5.) change the passwords of the CSRs.
The CSR selects one of these options block 38 by clicking on the appropriate
link in
the main navigational page as illustrated in Figure 12. For example, if the
CSR wants to
respond to e-mail messages he clicks on the "e-mail" link 40; if he wants to
administer the
system he clicks on the "Adm.inistration" link 42; if he wants to view a
report on system
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statistics he clicks on the "Reports" link 44; if he wants to retrieve a
history report he clicks
on the "History" link 46; if he wants to change passwords he clicks on the
"Password" link ;
and if he wants to process mail, he clicks on the "Process Mail" link.
By clicking on the "e-mail" link 40 on the main navigational page, the
database is
queried to find which e-mail addresses the CSR may respond to and how many e-
mails are
waiting response. The results of the query are used to create the HTML file of
the "E-mail
Response" page. The "E-mail Response" page is sent to the CSR computer 18 from
the Web
server 14. (Figures 4A and 4B illustrate a flow chart depicting the main steps
for accessing
and responding to e-mail messages.) Once the HTML files are received at the
CSR computer
18, the "E-mail Response" page, illustrated in Figure 13, is displayed block
52 via the Web
browser.
The E-mail Response page preferably gives the CSR the option of either:
1.) selecting a group of e-mail messages to respond to if the CSR has
permission to
respond to the received electronic messages; or
2.) selecting a group of e-mail messages to provide quality assurance (QA)
reviews
block 54.
E-mail messages are preferably grouped according to the e-mail addresses where
the
inquiry was sent. For example, all e-mail messages sent to a particular e-mail
group are all
preferably grouped together, stored together in the database 16, and accessed
together. For
example, in Figure 13, there is only one group, "cyberesponse@matrixx.net ".
It is preferred
that only the CSR groups to which each CSR has access be listed on the
retrieved page. It is
important to note that many CSRs (each linked by a computer 18) can respond to
a single
address/group. Setting CSR privileges to groups is discussed in further detail
below.
If the CSR wishes to access and respond to e-mail messages, the CSR selects a
group
to respond to block 56. By selecting a group, the corresponding electronic
messages
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received, and queued, for that group are retrieved block 58 from the database
16 and sent to
the CSR computer 18 where they are displayed via HTML block 60. An example of
a
"Queued Messages" page is illustrated in Figure 14. In the example page of
Figure 14, the
retrieved messages are categorized by:
1.) message number;
2.) response number,
3.) the status of the message;
4.) whether the message has been assigned;
5.) when the message was received;
6.) who sent the message, including the customer's e-mail address; and
7.) the subject of the message.
It is preferred that the messages be separated into three different subgroups:
the
General message subgroup 62, the QA message subgroup 64, and the Expert
message
subgroup 66. The QA message subgroup contains all the messages that are
awaiting QA
review or messages denied by QA. All the messages in the Expert message
subgroup are
messages that are awaiting expert response or have been answered by an expert.
'The General
message group contains all other messages that are still in queue. As
illustrated in Figure
14, the status of the QA messages are either "From QA" or "Pending QA".
Messages with
the "From QA" status indicate that the message has been reviewed and denied by
a CSR with
QA privileges. Messages with the "Pending QA" status indicate that the message
has not yet
been reviewed. Similarly, the status of the Expert messages are either "From
Expert",
indicating the expert has responded to the CSR's inquiry, or "Wait for
Expert", indicating the
CSR is still waiting for the expert to respond. Messages in the General
message subgroup 62
may indicate to which CSR the message has been assigned.
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A CSR may have the option to retrieve messages from either the General message
subgroup 62, the QA message subgroup 64, or the Expert message subgroup 66
(block 68).
If the CSR wishes to respond to a message that has not yet been opened or
assigned, the CSR
may click on a link 70 of a message that has a status of "Unopened" and
"Unassigned".
Upon clicking such a link, the message is retrieved from the database 16 (the
database 16
being updated to indicate the message has been opened) and sent to the CSR
computer 18
where it is displayed via the Web browser block 72.
Upon clicking on an unassigned e-mail message to review, the CSR is given the
option to either:
1.) assign the message to himselfa or
2.) return to the queued message page Figure 14 without assigning the message
block
78.
If the CSR does not wish to assign the message to himself, the CSR is returned
to the
queued message page. If the CSR wishes to assign the message to himself, the
CSR clicks on
the "Assign Message to Me" link. The database 16 is updated to indicate that
the message
has been assigned block 82. Upon assigning the message, the CSR is sent
another HTML
page which contains text asking the CSR to assign a category to the message
block 84. See
Figure 15. Upon assigning a category(s), the database 16 is updated to reflect
which
categories the message has been assigned. Once a category is assigned to the
message, CSR
is given the option to either respond to the message, refer the question to an
expert, or not
respond to the message block 86.
If the CSR indicates that a response is not needed for a particular message,
the CSR so
indicates and the message is removed from the queued message table and the
database is
updated to indicate the message did not need a response block 88.
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If the CSR wishes to refer the message to an expert more suited to respond to
the
inquiry, the CSR clicks on the appropriate link. Figure 5 illustrates a
flowchart of the steps
for referring a message to an expert. An HTML page is sent to the CSR block 90
requesting
expert referral that asks the CSR to select an expert to take the message (see
Figure 16
illustrating an example screen shot). The CSR then selects an expert and
refers the message
to the designated expert block 92 and 94. The database 16 is then updated to
indicate that
the message has been referred to an expert and that it is pending response
from that expert
block 96. Once the expert reviews and responds to the message, the database 16
is updated
to indicate that the expert has responded to the message, i.e. "From Expert".
An expert is
preferably a CSR that has been given expert privileges or a designated expert
outside the E-
mail management system, as will be discussed below. Accordingly, the expert
accesses the
management system via a computer configured similarly to the CSR computer 18
(or if
outside the E-mail management system, receives and replies to expert inquiry
via standard
Internet E-mail).
From the page illustrated in Figure 15, the CSR may wish to respond to an
assigned
message rather than referring it to an expert. Figure 6 illustrates a flow
chart depicting the
steps needed for replying to an e-mail message. The CSR will have the option
of providing a
custom response, a standard response, or both, to the inquiry blocks 98-104.
The standard
responses are stored and retrieved from the database 16. They are preferably
indexed, and
retrieved, by the particular group, category, or keyword of the message
(Figure 17 illustrates
a screen shot listing example standard responses). Providing standard
responses to
frequently asked customer questions reduces the time required to respond to
many of the
customer inquiries.
The system 10 is programmed to determine whether the response requires QA
review
block 106, prior to the message being sent to the originating customer. As
will be discussed
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in greater detail below, the administrator of the system may designate
responses from certain
CSRs as requiring QA review (discussed in greater detail below). In other
words, all
responses of designated CSRs must be given a QA review before their responses
are sent to
the customers. This feature allows the monitoring of CSR responses. This is
especially
important when training CSRs or when certain CSRs have a discourteous service
record. If
the response requires QA review, the response is flagged for QA review and the
database 16
is updated to indicate that the stored response is to be reviewed and approved
before being
sent blocks 108 and 110. If the response does not require QA review, the
message is sent to
the customer and the database 16 is updated to indicate that the message was
responded to
blocks 112-116.
As discussed above, a CSR with QA privileges may opt to provide a QA-review on
the CSR responses as opposed to responding to a message block 54. Figure 7
illustrates a
flow chart depicting the steps for providing a quality assurance review of e-
mail responses.
Once a CSR indicates that he wishes to review submitted CSR responses that are
in queue, an
HTML page is sent to the CSR computer 18 containing a table of responses that
must be
reviewed (the responses are retrieved from the database 16) block 118. Figure
18 illustrates
an example screen shot of a page listing messages to be given QA review.
The CSR may then click on a message to review block 120. An HTML file is sent
to
the CSR computer 18 that, preferably, displays the text of the message, the
response
formulated by a CSR, and other message data block 122. This data being
retrieved from the
database 16. Upon QA review, the reviewing CSR may accept or deny the response
block
124. If the response is accepted, it is sent to the customer and the database
16 is updated to
indicate that the customer message was reviewed and replied to blocks 126,
128. If the
response is denied, the QA CSR sends the denied message back to the CSR with
an
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explanation and a recommendation of how to respond to the inquiry. The
database 16 is
updated to indicate that the response has been reviewed and denied block 130.
As previously discussed, a CSR, with administrative privileges, has the option
to
perforrn administrative duties on the electronic message management system.
The
administrative CSR may perform administrative functions by clicking on the
appropriate link
in the main navigational page block 38 as illustrated in Figure 12. Once the
administrative
CSR clicks on the administrative link, an HTML file of the main administrative
options page
is sent to the CSR block 132, located at a CSR computer 18 (Figure 19
illustrates an example
screen shot of the main administrative options page of the present invention).
Figure 8
illustrates a flow chart depicting the steps for administering the electronic
message system of
the present invention.
From the main administrative options page Figure 19, the CSR may elect to
update
message groups (these groups preferably consisting of a number predetermined e-
mail
addresses), update CSR data, or update a group of messages biock 134. In
updating CSR
data, the administrative CSR may add new CSRs block 136 or change existing CSR
privileges block 138. Figure 20 illustrates an example screen shot for adding
CSRs and
updating CSR privileges. Again, these screen shots are preferably HTML files,
or pages,
displayed with a Web browser located at the CSR computer 18. As illustrated in
Figure 20,
the administrative CSR may change CSR passwords, update CSR privileges, and
give
permissions to selected groups the CSR may respond to. It is also preferred
that the pages be
linked to the database 16, so that changes to the CSR data made on the page
are
automatically made in the database 16, according to the methods previously
discussed (i.e.
The data is sent via the CSR computer 18 to the Web server 14 to the database
16).
The administrative CSR may also choose to update a group, or a group address.
2 5 Figure 21 illustrates example screen shots displayed at the administrative
CSR's computer 18
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for updating group data. As illustrated in Figure 21, an administrative CSR
may have the
option block 140 to:
change the categories of a group block 142, Figure 21;
assign CSRs to a group block 144, Figure 22;
add or change standard responses of the group block 146, Figure 23;
add or change the signatures of the group Figure 24; or
view a summary page of the group Figure 25.
It is preferred that these pages be linked to the database 16, so that changes
to the
group data made on the page are automatically uploaded to the database 16.
The administrative CSR may also grant other CSRs the privilege to view reports
(Reports CSRs). The Reports CSRs may choose to view a report on a certain
group. Figure 9
illustrates a flow chart depicting the steps for requesting a report. In the
preferred
embodiment, the Reports CSRs have the option to view a report of a group block
148 based
on either the:
category of messages block 150;
time and/or day the messages were received block 152;
messages of a group that did not need a response block 154;
messages that were initiated by a CSR block 156;
messages that are still pending block 158; or
messages that have been reviewed by a QA CSR.
Figures 26-34 illustrate example screen shots displayed at the administrative
CSR's
computer 18 for viewing and printing group reports. The reports are created by
retrieving the
appropriate data from the database 16 and sending them to the CSR computer 18
to be
displayed in a predetermined interface format, preferably created by HTML. As
discussed,
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the requests for data sent from these pages are sent to the server 14 which
interfaces these
data requests to the database 16.
It is also preferred that the present system allow the CSRs to initiate e-mail
messages
to the customers from their computers 18. It is also preferred that the CSRs e-
mail programs
be linked to the database 16 so that the system may track and store:
i) which CSR sent the e-mail;
ii) when the e-mail was sent;
iii) where the e-mail was sent; and
iv) what the e-mail message consisted of.
This feature allows the system of the present invention to track CSR
performance for
CSR initiated e-mails similarly to the tracking of CSR responses to customer
initiated
messages.
Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, those
skilled in
the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to
affect the
I S described invention and still be within the scope of the claimed
invention. It should be
appreciated that the present system may be implemented by other data
protocols,
programming languages, and differing arrangements of certain programs and
interfaces not
discussed in the present application. Thus, many of the elements indicated
above may be
altered or replaced by different elements which will provide the same result
and fall within
the spirit of the claimed invention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit
the invention only as
indicated by the scope of the claims.
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