ITMI20121338A1 - INTERACTIVE AND MULTIMEDIA MANAGEMENT METHOD OF A WEBSITE - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

Field of application

The present invention refers to an interactive and multimedia management method of a website. In particular, the invention refers to a method of the type mentioned above in which a visitor to the website establishes a voice communication with an operator who provides information on the products and / or services of the website, thus integrating the textual information and / or graphics already available on the web pages of the site, with the information provided via voice by the operator, and interacting with it with specific questions and answers on the products and / or services of interest.

Known art

As is known, websites consist of pages that include, in text, audio or video format, information relating to products and / or services offered by a company, shop or commercial activity. The websites can be programmed to support a substantially static consultation of the visitor, that is based on the reading of the texts, or multimedia, that is also including the possibility of executing audio and / or video files at the request of the visitor, or possibly interactive, that is further comprising the possibility of interaction between the visitor and the website.

In the latter case, for example, the visitor is expected to indicate their preferences and requests on products and / or services, for example through selection fields on the website, or through a registration phase of their identified information. , such as the name, surname, e-mail, telephone number or a request field, through which the visitor can be subsequently contacted and informed about the characteristics of the products and / or services not immediately available on the website.

However, even in the most advanced websites, i.e. interactive and / or multimedia ones, it is known that visitors are not always available to provide their identification information, both in order not to be contacted unwanted, and because the registration procedure takes time, as well as the desired response, which can arrive only after that the request has been duly entered and processed. Furthermore, filling in the request in the registration form or the multiple selection fields of interactive websites do not always allow you to express the request exactly.

On the other hand, even the solution of contacting an operator by telephone is not particularly effective, both because it is often managed by an automated switchboard, which requires the visitor to select one of the many available options, and because if this selection phase is absent, connects the visitor with an operator generally not informed about the products and / or services of interest, which makes the visitor tend to avoid the telephone call.

Such problems cause the loss of potential customer-visitors who consult the website of a company, shop or supplier, especially if the site does not immediately arouse effective interest or if it does not provide sufficient information to the customer-visitor, even if the company actually , the shop or business would be able to meet the visitor's needs.

The technical problem underlying the present invention is that of reducing the possibility that a visitor to a website leaves the site due to the difficulty of finding, quickly and with simple means, the information of real interest, even if such information does not are immediately available on the website, thus overcoming the limitations and drawbacks that still afflict methods according to the known art.

Summary of the invention

The solution idea underlying the present invention is to couple the ordinary display and search for information on a website with an integrated system for video and / or voice communication between a visitor to the site and an operator or informant specialized on products and / or services associated with the website visited, in all its content. Advantageously, the visitor uses the integrated communication system in the website without making a telephone call.

In particular, the solution idea is to couple the consultation of a website to an automated VOice Over Ip (VOIP) communication addressed to an operator or informant specialized in providing information on the products and / or services associated with a web page. consulted, without the website visitor having to initiate the VOice Over Ip (VOIP) communication or to select the products and / or services of interest.

According to this solution idea, the technical problem is solved by an interactive and multimedia management method of a website, comprising the following steps:

- identify an IP address of a website visitor;

- identify the pages of the website viewed by the visitor;

- display an invitation screen for an interactive and multimedia session, the screen being preferably displayed after a predetermined browsing time interval on the identified web page;

- establish an IP connection between a visitor's device and a website server, to support the interactive and multimedia session between the visitor and an informer, this informer being automatically selected among the informants associated with products and / or services that can be consulted on the web page identified.

According to an embodiment of the method, the website server includes at least one timer associated with the web pages of the site, and the timer is initialized with the predetermined time interval when the web page requested by the visitor is identified; the server sends the invitation screen if the visitor is still connected to the identified web page, when the preset time interval of the timer has elapsed. In one embodiment, the timer is made in hardware and the web page consulted by each visitor is stored in a record in a database, together with the visitor's MP; the page memorization phase, activates the timer and a form or "form" inviting the opening of an interactive and multimedia session, in the form of a web page, is sent by the server to the visitor's user interface, at the end of the the timer. Conversely, if the visitor changes web page before the timer expires, the new web page is stored in the database and the timer is reinitialized and activated.

Voice Over IP communication is advantageously carried out by exploiting the IP addresses of the visitor and of the server associated with the website, which allows the visitor to carry out their own searches on the Internet in complete freedom and autonomy, for example by using well-known search engines such as Google®, and to be contacted via voice, without having to identify a telephone number to call and without having to initiate a communication, especially without having to identify an operator actually specialized and informed on the characteristics of the products and / or services associated with the web page consulted .

Advantageously, the predetermined time interval allows you to adjust calls to the visitor, making them only if the latter lingers on the web page identified for the predetermined time, and without interfering with the rapid consultation of pages on the site; moreover, it is the visitor who can accept to open the multimedia session, i.e. to establish VOIP communication or to refuse to establish such communication.

Basically, the method according to the present invention makes it possible to create a "middleware" between the websites of commercial activities and a network of informants selectively associated with the services and / or products available on the web pages of the sites, automating the proposition of multimedia and interactive sessions with voice conversation between informants and visitors, and thus reducing the time necessary to establish direct contact between the offeror (i.e. the commercial activity) and the applicant (i.e., the visitor), with very simple means to use.

In this regard, the step of establishing an IP connection further verifies the software means suitable for supporting the interactive and multimedia session on the visitor's device, and a download of said means in the user device, if not yet available. Verification and download are implemented on a web page of the site, which is sent to the user device, if the visitor accepts the invitation to open an interactive and multimedia session. In one embodiment, the software means comprises the Skype® software.

Advantageously, if the visitor's device is not equipped with software means for managing the session, it is the website that sends the software means, without the user being informed about the existence or availability of the means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the website includes a "back end" interface for the informant and an administration interface, to associate the informant with the products and / or services of the web pages of the site. The back end interface displays the web pages requested by a visitor associated with a certain IP address, the products and / or services associated with these pages, and a plurality of information not directly available on the site, relating to such products and / or services. .

In one aspect of the present invention, this plurality of information is included in one or more audio or video or text files that can be shared through the interactive and multimedia session between the informant and the visitor. In this regard, the session also includes a portion of video shared between the informant and visitor, and another portion of the video of the remote interlocutor, i.e. a portion that displays the informer on the visitor's interface and the visitor on the informer interface.

According to another aspect of the invention, the server is a hosting server for a plurality of websites comprising respective web pages and the administration interface allows the association of the same informer to web pages of different sites hosted by the server and associated with the products. and / or web page services of such sites. Advantageously, a commercial activity of different services and / or products marketed through different sites, can group the informants and the different sites on a single server, which provides a common administration interface.

According to this aspect, it is also possible that several commercial activities use the same server and the same network of informants to provide details relating to their products and / or services.

According to another aspect of the invention, a plurality of servers host a plurality of websites comprising respective web pages and the administration interface is shared between the websites, preferably stored on one of said servers, and allows the same informer to be associated to web pages of different sites hosted by servers and associated with the products and / or services of web pages of different sites.

Also in this case, it is possible to share the network of informants among several commercial activities, reducing the costs of the information and commercial network.

Further characteristics and advantages of the method according to the present invention will become evident from an example of embodiment given for illustrative and non-limiting purposes only, with reference to the attached drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 schematically represents servers and some user devices that use the interactive and multimedia management method of a website according to the present invention.

Figure 2 represents an invitation screen to open an interactive and multimedia session, according to Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents an access module to an administrative interface, according to Figure 1.

Figure 4 represents the administrative interface of Figure 3.

Detailed description

With reference to Figure 1, a website 1A managed interactively and multimedia by means of the method of the present invention is schematically represented, in particular a website that can be consulted remotely through multiple user devices of a visitor, for example a handheld 10 or an i -Pad 11 or a personal computer, identified through an IP_10, IP_11 network address. For example, the device 10 has an IP IP_10 and the visitor requests a PIA web page of the website 1A, which includes other P2A pages.

According to the method of the present invention, the web page 1A requested by the user with IP IP_10 is identified and an invitation screen 2 to an interactive and multimedia session is displayed on the user device 10, after a predetermined browsing time interval in the context of the same web page 1A identified.

The visitor, through the sending screen, for example through the graphic button "Call" in the screen of figure 2, can accept the opening of the session or close the invitation screen, for example through the symbol or cross at the top right. In particular, the visitor can further specify some preferences inherent to the possible session, such as the language or, in a particular embodiment which is explained below, the informant with whom to talk (consultant), If the invitation to the interactive session and multimedia is accepted, the method of the invention establishes an IP connection between the visitor's device 10 and a server SI of the website 1A, to support the interactive and multimedia session between the visitor and an informer. This interactive and multimedia session comprises a communication voice type VOice Over IP (VOIP).

Advantageously, the informant is selected from among the informants associated with products and / or services that can be consulted on the PIA web page identified. This association is carried out in a phase of configuration of a network of informants which involves the generation of a profile for each informant, including identifying information such as name, surname and e-mail address, products and / or services on which the informant is required to provide information or multimedia documentation, the websites and web pages of the sites where the products and / or services are published, and the commercial activities or companies associated with such websites. In one embodiment, the products and / or services are associated with product categories, both within the websites and in the informant's profile.

The SI server of the 1A website includes at least one timer associated with the PIA, P2A web pages of the site, and the timer is initialized with the predetermined time interval when the PIA web page requested by the visitor is identified; the server sends the invitation screen 2 if the visitor is still connected to the identified PIA web page, when the time interval set in the timer has elapsed. The step of establishing the IP connection between the IP_10 of the user device 10 and IΡ1A of the SI server further checks, in the user device, of the software means capable of supporting the interactive and multimedia session on, and a download of the software means in the device user, if not yet available.

In particular, all the servers S1, S2 suitable for managing the multimedia interaction method or the devices used by the informers, for example palmtops or personal computers, according to the present invention are equipped with software means suitable for supporting the interactive and multimedia session.

The verification and download in the user device 10 are incorporated into a web page 4 of the website, which is sent to the user device 2, if the visitor accepts the invitation to open an interactive and multimedia session. In one embodiment, the informer device also receives from the website, at the request of the informant, the software means suitable for supporting the interactive and multimedia session.

The website further includes a back end interface for the informant and an administration interface to associate the informant with the products and / or services associated with the PIA, P2A web pages of the site.

The memorization of the website and the assignment of informants can advantageously follow different network architectures. In one embodiment, the server SI is a hosting server of a plurality of websites 1A, 1B, 1C comprising respective web pages PIA, P2A (site 1A), P1B, P2B, P3B (site 1B), P1C (site 1C) and the same informer I is associated through the administration interface to web pages, for example PIA, P2A, P1C of different sites 1A, 1C hosted by the server.

In another embodiment, a plurality of servers S1, S2 host a plurality of websites 1A, 1B, 1C comprising respective web pages PIA, P2A (site 1A), P1B, P2B, P3B (site 1B), P1C ( site 1C) and the administration interface is shared between the websites 1A, 1B, 1C, preferably stored on one of said servers SI, S2, to allow the association of the same informer to web pages PIA, P2A, P1C of different sites 1A, 1C hosted by servers SI, S2.

For example, with reference to Figure 1, sites 1C and 1B are stored in server S2, page P1C of site 1C is associated with an informer 16, page P1B of site 1B is associated with an informer 13, page P2B of site 1B is associated with an informer 15 and page P3B of site 1B is associated with two informants 12, II. Informer II is also associated with a PIA web page of a site 1A which is stored in another server S 1.

This network configuration or architecture is given for illustrative purposes only and it is evident that different network configurations or architecture, or combinations of the configurations given above can always be used according to the interactive and multimedia management method of the present invention.

With reference to figures 2-4, an example of use of the method according to the invention is given below.

A visitor or Internet surfer accesses a website by viewing at time T0 a page including information relating to a specific product and / or service or including identification tags for that specific product and / or service. At time TI> T0, for example after 30 seconds from T0, the window of figure 2 is displayed on a user interface of the visitor's device, for example on the screen of a PDA or an i-Pad. Through a form displayed in the window, the visitor can select the language of interest and an informer.

In one embodiment, an informant is selectable from a list of informants already consulted, i.e. if the visitor has already opened an interactive and multimedia session with the informants at least once. According to another embodiment, a number n of informants who speak the language selected by the visitor, for example 3 informants who speak Italian, are statistically selected from the network of specialized informants on products and / or services of interest, i.e. the products associated with the web page consulted by the user. This statistical selection is made to advantageously allow all informants to participate in the transmission of information to visitors. Statistical selection is for example carried out by counting the number of telephone conversations already made by each operator and directing the new multimedia sessions to operators with a lower number of telephone conversations already made. It is also envisaged that any of the n informants manage the interactive and multimedia session, excluding the others after having assumed responsibility for the session, through the interface on his device.

The informant who manages the session displays on his electronic device, for example i-Pad, pc, i-Phone, smart phone etc., a back end interface, including the web pages consulted by the site visitor and the address Visitor's IP and country of origin. The back-end interface includes some fields for entering the visitor's name, surname, e-mail, telephone number and other data that contribute to filling a visitor's card, which can be shared among all informants. Finally, the back end interface includes a digital or virtual business card of the informant made visible to the visitor through the interactive and multimedia session or sent by e-mail.

According to an embodiment of the method, the voice conversations are cataloged and numbered, thus allowing statistics to be made on the work performed by the operators or on the visitors served. The method also provides means to generate operational statistics, useful for the analysis of commercial activity, and including:

- the number of interactive and multimedia sessions carried out for each pre-established time period, for example each working day, without the visitor having accepted the session;

- the number of interactive and multimedia sessions for each pre-established time period, for example each working day, and accepted by the visitor;

- the number of interactive and multimedia sessions for each pre-established time period, for example each working day, and missed by the informants; in particular, this statistic makes it possible to evaluate the need to increase the number of informants for a given product and / or service.

During the interactive and multimedia session, the informant makes visible or sends the text documents, images or videos relating to the product and / or service of interest to the visitor, as well as .pdf files or brochures, which are accessible through the interface back end.

The informant can browse the website with the visitor through a shared interface incorporated into the interactive and multimedia session management means, providing the required technical and commercial information. Such management means include for example the Skype® software. Furthermore, it is envisaged that websites equipped with an interactive and multimedia management method are distinguished by a graphic symbol directly visible on the home page or on the navigation bar of the web browser.

A possible implementation of the method according to the invention is described below, which takes place in a web application. The software code that creates the application is copied into the folders of a server that stores the website to be managed in interactive and multimedia mode. A database for the commercial activity associated with the website is also stored in the same folders as the server.

For example, each website is hosted (hosted) on a provider's server, for example by acquiring a server memory space, in which at least one database is stored. This database includes the code text of the website.

The website is then published, after having acquired a domain. The provider's server also stores a platform comprising PHP code, preferably organized in folders and subfolders, and at least one MySQL database, as well as a plurality of contents in different formats, for example text, images, audio or video, for managing the multimedia and / or interactive sessions.

The installation of the platform on the domain of a website (for example www.dominio.com). is carried out by copying the application's PHP code into the provider's server and creating a new database. In other words, each website managed with the interactive and multimedia method according to the present invention includes, installed in association with the same domain of the website and within the same hosting space, is a specific platform with which the website both the specific implementation platform of the interactive and / or multimedia management method according to the present invention has been created, with relative data base, PHP code and contents in different formats.

To access the administration interface, simply open a web page in the browser, type an address associated with the site domain, for example http: / /www.domeniu.com/seasif365/boffice/, and enter the ID and the password of an administrator. The platform that implements the method is installed manually, by storing a database, copying the source code, and introducing a line of code also within the code of the website to be managed.

Figure 4 schematically represents the administration interface, through which a management or management department of the commercial activity accesses some services incorporated in the method, such as the number of online visitors, the IP address of the visitors and the country from which they are connected, the name of the on-line informants and their employment status, the number of missed calls, the number of pages visited by users, the profiles of the informants, the add agent or remove (edit agent) of an informer in relation to one or more web pages of one or more websites.

The informer interface allows you to access with an identifier and a password to the data relating to the number of visitors online in the country and in the coverage area of the informant, the call in progress, your profile, the modification of your own profile and upload of new documents or multimedia files to be made visible or to be sent to the visitor, and to compile notes and cards for visitors with whom to interact interactively and in a multimedia way.

According to a preferred embodiment, the method is implemented in php language and through a mysql database. When a visitor accesses the website, the visitor's IP address and country of origin are stored in the mysql database, together with an identification record of a visitor's management session; this session memorizes each web page requested by the visitor and immediately after memorizing it activates the timer.

The application software, including the back end or administration interfaces, is made exclusively through code, as are the images and graphic effects. In particular, the identification logo of the method is made in SVG code and the icons associated with a custom font.

Some of the advantages achieved by the method according to the present invention are reported below.

The automatic proposition of an interactive and multimedia session including a voice conversation allows you to get in touch, substantially in real time, with the visitors of a website and a voice interaction between the visitor and a specialized informant on the products and / or services consulted. by the visitor.

The interaction between the visitor and the informant makes a first contact, through which the informant can provide a virtual business card, including for example his email address. The interactive and multimedia session supports the sharing of documents, substantially in real time, and in multiple formats, including audio, video and text formats. The method provides reports and statistics, on different time scales, relating to the consultancy and promotion activities carried out by the informants, as well as on the contacts acquired and on the lost contacts, these statistics being also subdivided by product, product and / or service categories.

Finally, the method allows the visitor to become loyal in relation to the products and / or services he is consulting on the website, informing him and advising him very quickly on the products and / or services of actual interest, increasing the transfer by sharing information and presentation documents of the products and / or services, without directly sending e-mails to the visitor's mailbox and without requesting his identification data.

Claims (8)

CLAIMS 1. Method of interactive and multimedia management of a website (1A), including the phases of: - identify the IP address (IP_10, IP_11) of a website visitor (1 A); - identify at least one page of the website (PIA, P2A) requested by the visitor; - displaying an invitation screen (2) to an interactive and multimedia session, said screen being preferably displayed after a predetermined browsing time interval on the identified web page; - establish an IP connection between a visitor's device (10, 11) and a server (SI) of the website (1A), to support the interactive and multimedia session between the visitor and an informer, said informer being selected among the associated informants to products and / or services that can be consulted on the identified web page (PIA, P2A). 2. Interactive and multimedia management method according to claim 1, characterized in that said interactive and multimedia session comprises a Voice Over IP (VOIP) communication between the visitor and the informer. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the server (SI) of the website (1A) comprises at least one timer associated with the web pages (PIA, P2A) of the site, the timer is initialized with said predetermined time interval as the web page (PIA, P2A) requested by the visitor is identified and the server sends the invitation screen (2) if the visitor is still connected to the identified web page (PIA, P2A), when the set time interval has elapsed. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said step of establishing an IP connection further carries out a verification of software means able to support the interactive and multimedia session on the visitor's device, and a download of the software means in the user device, if not yet available, said verification and said download being incorporated into a web page (4) of said website, which is sent to the user device (2), if the visitor accepts the invitation to open an interactive and multimedia session. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the website comprises a back end interface for the informant and an administration interface for associating the informant with the products and / or services associated with the web pages (PIA , P2A) of the site. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said server (SI) is a hosting server of a plurality of websites (1A, 1B, 1C) comprising respective web pages (PIA, P2A, P1B, P2B, P3B, P1C) and by the fact that said administration interface allows you to associate the same informer with web pages (PIA, P2A, P1C) of different sites (1A, 1C) hosted by the server and associated with the products and / or services of web pages (PIA, P2A, P1C) of said sites (la, 1C). Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of servers (SI, S2) host a plurality of websites (1A, 1B, 1C) comprising respective web pages (PIA, P2A, P1B, P2B, P3B , P1C) and by the fact that said administration interface is shared between websites, preferably stored on one of said servers (SI, S2), and allows the association of the same informer to web pages (PIA, P2A, P1C) of different sites (1A, 1C) hosted by servers (SI, S2) and associated with the products and / or services of web pages (PIA, P2A, P1C) different sites (1A, 1C). 8. Method according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the interactive and multimedia session is open only if the visitor accepts the invitation in said screen (2), and navigation is continued without carrying out an interactive and multimedia session with the visitor.