SE517265C2 - A communication system and a procedure for optimizing the planning of contacts - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communication system for optimising the arrangement of contacts via telephone and/or computer networks between at least two parties. The system (10) comprises at least one booking means (12) able to achieve booking of times for contact between the at least two parties. The system (10) also comprises at least one memory unit (14) connected to the booking means (12), said unit(s) storing a specific profile for each party, as well as booked contacts for each party. The system (10) also comprises at least one connection arrangement (16) connected to said at least one booking means (12) and to said memory unit(s) (14), which arrangement(s) automatically establish(es) a connection between the at least two parties at said booked time.

Description

fs11 2as 2 ma a flexible and user-friendly way to optimize the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties.

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties. The system comprises at least one booking means operable to effect booking of time for contact between the at least two parties, at least one memory means connected to the booking means which stores a profile specified for each party and booked contacts for each party. The system further comprises at least one connection device connected to said at least one booking means and to said at least one memory means, which device (s) at said booked time automatically connects a connection between the at least two parties. An advantage of this system is that the telephone and / or computer traffic is optimized based on the information the parties provide in profiles. This means that the number of incorrect "calls", such as busy, no answer or "come back later" is minimized.

The benefits of this system can be divided into three benefits: benefits for the calling party, the receiving party and operators.

You reach a person when they have the time and desire to talk, and avoid reaching an answering machine, busy or a frustrated and stressed person. Furthermore, you radically increase the probability of being able to talk to the right person on the first call, instead of having to make fl your calls to achieve the same result. The ability to book calls also means that you can adapt all outgoing calls to a time interval when you have time with them. In this way, you can focus on other things during the rest of the time.

The advantages of filtering incoming calls are that you do not have to be disturbed all day by calling people, but at the same time you do not reduce the availability for those who need contact with you. you can also prepare for each call because you can demand to get a notice of what the purpose of the call is. The benefits for third parties, such as a telecom operator, are the same. The system could create a completely new business model for the telecommunications industry, since a company can already determine in advance the number of calls it needs to make and to whom these should be directed. This allows the company to provide these call lists for bidding. In this context, it is an advantage if the communication system further comprises at least one interface means connected to the connection device which is connected to a subscriber exchange means.

A further advantage in this context is if the at least one interface means is a TAPI or JTAP1 interface.

In this context, it is an advantage if the communication system further comprises at least one SIP server connected to the connection device which is connected to a router means for connection to at least one telecommunications network.

A further advantage in this context is if the at least one telephone network, a VOIP system or a radio communication network or a combination thereof.

In this context, it is an advantage if the communication system further comprises at least one WAP router means connected to said at least one booking means for connection to a mobile telephone.

A further advantage in this context is if the communication system further comprises at least one computer telephony means connected to said at least one booking means for connection to telephone.

In this context, it is an advantage if the communication system further comprises at least one exchange means connected to said at least one booking means for connection to computer means.

A further advantage in this context is if the communication system further comprises at least one web means connected to said at least one booking means for connection to computer means.

In this context, it is an advantage if the communication system further comprises at least one directory means for said at least one booking means, for said at least one booking means, for said at least one web means, storage means for storing directory data.

An additional advantage in this context is if each booking body consists of a booking server.

In this context, it is an advantage if each memory means consists of a database.

In this context, it is an advantage if the connected connection leads to contact between the at least two parties, then a message is transmitted that said contact has been completed to the memory means. 20 25 30 265 4 An additional advantage in this context is if the connected connection does not lead to contact between the at least two parties, the calling party is notified of a new talk time.

In this context, it is an advantage if said connection can take place to a public telephone network, a VOIP system or a radio communication network.

A further advantage in this context is if each party has a digital calendar to which the at least one booking means has access.

In this context, it is an advantage if each booking body consists of a booking server.

An additional advantage in this context is if each memory means consists of a database.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties by means of a communication system comprising at least one booking means, at least one memory means connected to the booking means and at least one more said at least one booking means and connection device connected to said at least one memory means. The procedure comprises the following steps: - sending a booking request to the said booking agency; - said booking means retrieving profiles and booked contacts regarding said at least two parties from the memory means; - that booking means calculates optimal talk time for said contact; - storing the talk time in said memory means; - said connection device retrieves call information for said at least two parties from the memory means; and - said connection device automatically connects a connection between the at least two parties. An advantage of this procedure is that the telephone and / or computer traffic is optimized based on the information the parties provide in profiles. This means that the number of incorrect "calls", such as busy, giving answers or "coming back later" is minimized.

In this context, it is an advantage if the connected connection leads to contact between the at least two parties, then a message is transmitted that said contact has been completed to the memory means. An additional advantage in this context is if the connected connection does not lead to contact between the at least two parties, the calling party is notified of a new talk time. In this context, it is an advantage if said connection can take place to a public telephone network, a VOIP system or a radio communication network.

A further advantage in this context is if each party has a digital calendar to which the at least one booking means has access. In this context, it is an advantage if each booking body consists of a booking server.

An additional advantage in this context is if each memory means consists of a database.

Another object of the present invention is to provide at least one computer program product directly chargeable in the internal memory of at least one digital computer. The at least one computer program product comprises software code portions for performing the steps of the method of the present invention, when said at least one product is run on said at least one computer. An advantage of the computer program product / products according to the present invention is that the telephone and / or computer traffic is optimized based on the information specified by the parties in the profiles. This means that the number of incorrect “calls”, such as busy, no answer or “come back later” is minimized.

It should be emphasized that when the term "includes / includes" is used in this specification, it is intended to imply the presence of specified features, steps or components, but does not exclude the presence of one or more other features, parts, steps, components or groups thereof.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Brief description of the drawing Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two panels. on a method for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties; Figure 25 shows a fate and time diagram of a use of the present invention in connection with a so-called "call center"; Figures 4a and 4b show a fate and time diagram of two uses of the present invention in connection with project work; Figure 5 shows a fate and time schedule of a use of the present invention in connection with mobile use; Figure 6 shows a fate and time schedule of a use of the present invention in connection with internet use; Figure 7 shows a fate and time schedule of a use of the present invention in connection with a work process; Figure 8 shows a fate and time diagram of a use of the present invention in connection with so-called mass contact; and Figure 9 shows a schematic picture of some computer program products according to the present invention.

Detailed Description of Embodiments Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a communication system 10 for optimizing the scheduling of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to the present invention. The communication system 10 includes at least one booking means 12 operable to effect booking of times of contact between the at least two parties. For the sake of simplicity, only one booking means 12 is shown in Figure 1. The communication system 10 further comprises at least one memory means 14 connected to the booking means 12. For the sake of simplicity, only one memory means 14 is shown in Figure 1. contacts for each party. As part of these profiles, a list is included of the calls the party has booked in the near future. The outgoing call profile controls how calls are booked with others, and the incoming call profile changes how other parties can book into the user's call list. The communication system 10 further comprises at least one connection device 16 connected to said at least one booking means 12 and to said at least one memory means 14. For the sake of simplicity, only one connection device 16 is shown in Figure 1. The connection device 16 automatically connects a connection at said booked time. between the at least two parties. When the user submits a request to get in touch with another party, the system 10 takes the parameters contained in the contractors' profiles and optimizes the time when a contact is established, so that the call has the highest possible quality. applies to the exchange of knowledge and other things, instead of, for example, one party not having time or not being prepared in the best possible way. System 10 establishes the contact between the parties at the appointed time over, for example, the telephone network automatically. The communication system 10 may further comprise an interface means 18 connected to the connection device 16 which is connected to subscriber exchange means 20. This interface means 18 may for instance be a TAPI interface 18 (Telephony Application Programming Interface) or a JTAP1 interface 18 (Java Telephony Ap - plication Programming Interface). The communication system 10 may further comprise a SIP server 22 connected to the connection device 16 which is connected to a router means 24 for connection to at least one telecommunications network. The at least one telecommunications network may be a public telephone network 26 (PSTN network), a VOIP system 28 or a radio communication network 30 or a combination thereof. VOI P stands for Voice over IP and means voice traffic over an IP network. Another concept is IP telephony. The radio communication network 30 may be, for example, a GSM network 30. The communication system 10 may further comprise a WAP router means 32 connected to the booking means 12 for connection to mobile telephone 34. The communication system 10 may further comprise a computer telephony means 36 connected to the booking means 12 for connection to telephone 38. The communication system 10 may further comprise an exchange means 40 connected to the booking means 12 for connection to computer means 42. The communication system 10 may further comprise a web means 44 connected to the booking means 12, for example in the form of a web server 44, for connection to computer means 42. In addition, the communication system 10 may include a directory means 46 for storing directory data. The directory means 46 is connected to the booking means 12, the memory means 14 and the web means 44.

According to a preferred embodiment of the communication system 10, each booking means 12 is constituted by a booking server 12.

According to a preferred embodiment of the communication system 10, each memory means 14 is constituted by a database 14.

The operation of the communication system 10 shown in Figure 1 is described in more detail in connection with Figures 2-8, which are described below. 20 25 30 starr-allesa- 8 Figure 2 shows a fate diagram of a method for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to the present invention. The method is performed by means of a communication system comprising at least one booking system, at least one memory means connected to the booking means and at least one connection device connected to said at least one booking means and to said at least one memory means. The method starts at block 50. The method then continues at block 52 with the step of: sending a booking request to said booking means. Thereafter, the procedure at block 54 continues with the step: that the booking means retrieves profiles and booked contacts regarding the at least two parties from the memory means. The procedure then continues at block 56 with the step: that said booking means calculates optimal talk time for said contact. Thereafter, the procedure at block 58 continues with the step: storing the talk time in said memory device. The method then continues at block 60 with the step: that said connection device retrieves the call information of said at least two parties from the memory means. Thereafter, the process at block 62 continues with the step: that the connection device automatically connects a connection between the at least two parties. The procedure then ends at block 64.

If the connected connection leads to contact between the at least two parties, a message is transmitted that said contact has been completed to the memory means.

If, on the other hand, the connected connection does not lead to contact, the calling party is notified of a new talk time.

The said connection can take place to a public telephone network, a VOIP system or a radio communication network (compare Figure 1).

In a preferred embodiment of the method, each party has a digital calendar to which the at least one booking means has access.

Figure 3 shows a fate and time schedule of a use of the present invention in connection with a so-called "Call Center". A customer of a company who has a problem with a product or service often calls the company's Call Center, to get answers to questions regarding the problem that the customer is trying to solve. At the Call Center, all problems are graded in two groups; The first group means that the problem can be solved on the first call by anyone within the company's Call Center, the second group of calls requires some form of specialist competence. This is 20 25 30 ^ s11 ”2ss. 9 a major problem for all CRM departments when it comes to planning and allocating resources. To solve the problem, you would need to direct the calls to certain intervals during the day. The biggest frustration for the customer is the ignorance of whether specialist competence exists and how and when to obtain it. Usually, the customer is only connected around the organization until the customer gets tired, and it ends with a dissatisfied and frustrated customer.

In accordance with the invention, the incoming calls are checked automatically, by finding out the customer's problems and then matching this with a specialist. The next step will be to connect the current call to the customer when the specialist is available or during the time interval during the day when he or she is best prepared to solve the identified problem. The parameters that the CRM department sets for the filter for incoming calls are based on describing the problem and thereby linking a competence group to the problem, ie the parameters consist of factors such as which product the problem applies to and in which customer situation the problem arose. way you can plan a customer care center in a completely unique way. You can allocate narrow specialist competence to the unit with good precision, which means a major quality improvement. It is very important to talk to a competent person when you have a problem to solve.

The flow is described below. When the customer gets a problem and calls the company, the customer either gets a voice response, or surfs a web page, or some other type of interface, the customer reproduces the problem according to a process based on the parameters the company needs to define the skills needed to answer the customer's questions. After this, the customer receives the answer that the customer center will call at a certain set time and that it is a person with the right skills who will call. If the customer accepts the said time, the said time is recorded in a database, otherwise a new time will be suggested until the customer is satisfied. Then a connection machine connects the call, at the appointed time, between a specialist from the customer care center and the customer. The call is completed and a message is automatically sent to the case management system at the company that this case has been completed. The specialist can always book the customer at a new time if the problem needs a different specialist knowledge than the one that the specialist in question possesses. One of the many positive side effects is that the number of calls decreases towards the exchange, while at the same time raising the quality of the service. If no one responds to the customer, a notice of this will be sent via e-mail, SMS or some other medium to both the customer and the system, and everyone else to whom the system is configured to provide data. A customer responsible person may want to know how the contact with his / her customer is handled by the company.In this message a new talk time is booked.The system tries to book a new time as many times as it is configured by the company to do.

Figures 4a and 4b show fate and time diagrams of two uses of the present invention in connection with a project work.

When working in project form, the project group, customers and specialists often extend far beyond geographically bound areas, with different time zones and tight schedules, which counteracts good communication. This contributes to deteriorating the performance of the projects by making decisions and knowledge "hanging in the air" while waiting for contact to be made. It is also very common for knowledge workers to work in projekt your projects, which means a communication chaos where knowledge workers are interrupted throughout the working day and find it very difficult to reach those who need to be reached in order to perform.This is one of the most common causes of burnout in some industries.A common solution is to use e-mail and / or different forms of digital planning tools such as digital calendars to be able to plan their time together.Another alternative is to hire a project administrator to try to create a good communication environment and to be a focal point at the center of the project. What each person needs is a communication profile that filters incoming calls according to the projects each one is working on and the tasks he or she has. Then personal support is needed who books all calls to be made and connects them at the appointed time.

This process is as follows: Each person has a calendar from which the system can retrieve times when contacts can be made. If you do not have a digital calendar, the intervals when you want to receive and receive contact with other people must be specified, for example through a voice answer or a website or some other type of system client. For example, the user decides who, where, when, how and why to receive calls. A person with customer responsibility in a project organization could, for example, make the following setting of the system: All customers can get in touch between 09.00 and 11.30, with the exception of customer A who is considered to be of critical importance and can book calls around the clock . All project members can get in touch in the afternoon, group 20 25 30 '5í? “*” 265 11 in three intervals according to which project they work in. The CEO and each project manager can always book an appointment during office hours and then prioritize projects for customer A.

When customer C wants a status report, he or she browses a web page or opens his / her digital calendar to book a call, and indicates which project it is, who he or she is and for what purpose he or she is calling. These elements are created by the receiving party when he sets up his profile in the system. When the project is set up, parts of each stakeholder's calendar can be distributed for access to the system so that an optimal talk time can be found between two parties based on their calendars. This is done through a standard interface to the system.

No user can access someone else's calendar information, only the system can find free time in it. Furthermore, customer C indicates the priority of the case and sends the request to the server. The system returns with a talk time, for example two hours and twenty minutes later, and customer C agrees to the time. A notice is given in the parties' calendars that a call has been booked and what the contact is to deal with. In this way, the receiving party can prepare for the call. When requesting a status report, the system can always book a conversation with the project manager with the customer responsible person before the conversation with the customer and automatically open the project plan.

If the call is missed by either party due to an unpredictable event, such as a delayed meeting, a new appointment is booked, and a message is sent to the parties about a missed call and the new talk time. This message can be sent as an SMS, WAP, e-mail or any other medium, completely optional for each person.

A user can constantly view and correct their contact calendar manually, over a web page, WAP service or any other medium. If a call is deleted from the list, a message goes directly to the other party. Figure 5 shows a fate and time schedule of a use of the present invention in connection with mobile use. The number of mobile users is increasing with a strong exponential trend. This means that the number of contacts over the telephone networks increases explosively, which in turn means that the quality of each call decreases. The reasoning is based on the fact that more and more contacts are to be squeezed in less and less time. This means that each "call" has an increasing probability of being of low quality, for example reaching a busy tone, a mobile answer or a person who does not have time. e me .. w e 20 25 30 5l7 ”2 & §. 12 According to the same reasoning, you are constantly disturbed by a ringing mobile phone that you do not want to turn off for fear of missing any of the contacts you are trying to maintain. The flow is best explained with Figure 5. Figure 6 shows a fate and time schedule for a use of the present invention in connection with Internet use. Via a website, you often want to get a person to talk to. Human communication has a much higher bandwidth than, for example, e-mail. Therefore, you should be able to book a talk time directly from a website or e-mail with a person responsible for the content of the website or e-mail. A procedure could look like this: A user has downloaded the website and wants to talk to a person at the company who is responsible for the website. The user then clicks on a button where he leaves his number, when he wants the call and what the call is about. The company can always add parameters here.

The parameters form the basis for a booking request and the user gets a talk time with a named person at the company. At the appointed time, a conversation is created between a person at the company and users.

Figure 7 shows a fate and time schedule of a use of the present invention in connection with a work process. All work processes follow a set number of steps and according to these steps you often need to contact people. This often causes the process to "ha | ta" when you do not get in touch with these people. An example is a salesperson who may have the following steps: first contact, sales, acceptance and follow-up. The user would need support to book these four contacts automatically. The flow can look like this: You first construct a procedure that you must follow in a number of steps and what to do in each step.

The next step is to create a list of the people you need to contact and prioritize them. The system creates an optimal call list based on these two parameters (procedure and the list of people). According to the call list, a connection server then connects calls and shows, for example, a speech template with support words when selling. A customer or a case is constantly monitored by the system. An account is given at all times of which steps have been completed and which remain to be done, and when these steps are planned to be performed.

Figure 8 shows a fl fate and time diagram of a use of the present invention in connection with so-called mass contact. A person who wants to make regular contact with a large crowd of people, often wants to be able to talk to a group of the total population at random. Often a selection based on certain parameters such as opinion, competence or other data. Examples could be a politician, a CEO or an association chairman. The flow could look like this: The politician creates a selection with incessant member lists, completely random or based on a list of people who called in. The sample is then sent to the booking server as a massive request where, for example, 100 calls are planned over a one-week period. A call list is created and executed by the system. In this way, the politician can always take a "sample" of the members' opinion and at the same time keep personal contact with selected groups.

Figure 9 shows a schematic view of some computer program products according to the present invention. It shows n different digital computers 1001, ___, 100 ,,, The different computer program products 1021, __, 102 ,, are directly loadable in the internal memory of the different digital computers 1001, _____, 100 ,, _ Each computer program product 1021, ... ., 102 ,, includes software code batches for performing some or all of the steps according to fi gur 2 when the product / products 1021 | ___, 102 ,, is running on the computer / computers 1001 ____ _, 100 ,, _ for example, be in the form of floppy disks, CDs, RAMs, magnetic tapes, opto-magnetic disks or any other suitable product.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that many different modifications are possible within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (20)

20 30 51 2-6 5 1 4 PATENT REQUIREMENTS A communication system for optimizing the scheduling of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties, the system comprising at least one booking means operable to effect the booking of time for contact between the at least two parties, at least one connected to the booking means. memory means which stores a profile specified for each party and booked contacts for each party, and at least one connection device connected to said at least one booking means and to said at least one memory means which at said booked time automatically connects a connection division between the at least two parties. A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication system further comprises at least one interface means connected to the connection device which is connected to a subscriber exchange means. A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to claim 2, characterized in that said at least one interface means is a TAP1 or JTA-P1 interface. A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication system further comprises at least one SIP server connected to the connection device which is connected to a router means for connection to at least one telecommunications network. A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to claim 4, characterized in that said at least one telephone network, a VOIP system or a radio communication network or a combination thereof. 20 25 30 -5 117 * 26 51 15 A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the communication system further comprises at least one WAP router means connected to said at least one booking means. for connection to mobile phone. A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the communication system further comprises at least one computer telephony means connected to said at least one booking means. against the phone. A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the communication system further comprises at least one switching means connected to said at least one booking means for connection to computer means. . 9. A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts by telephone. and / or computer network between at least two parties according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the communication system further comprises at least one web means connected to said at least one booking means for connection to computer means. 10. A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts by telephone. and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to any one of claims 9, characterized in that the communication system further comprises at least one directory means for said at least one booking means, for said at least one booking means, for said at least one web means. 11. telephone. and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to any one of claims. A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts via claims 1-10, characterized in that each booking means consists of a booking SGFVGF. 12. A communication system for optimizing the planning of contacts by telephone. and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that each memory means consists of a database. A method for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties by means of a communication system comprising at least one booking means, at least one memory means connected to the booking means and at least one booking means to said at least one and to at least one memory means connected connection device, which method comprises the steps of: - said booking means retrieving profiles and booked contacts regarding said at least two parties from the memory means; - that booking means calculates optimal talk time for said contact; - storing the talk time in said memory means; - said connection device retrieves call information for said at least two parties from the memory means; and - said connection device automatically connects a connection between the at least two parties. A method for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to claim 13, characterized in that if the connected connection leads to contact between the at least two parties, a message is transmitted that said contact is completed to the memory means. And / or computer networks between at least two parties according to claim 13, characterized in A method for optimizing the planning of contacts over the telephone in that if the connected connection does not lead to contact between the at least two parties, the calling party is notified of a new talk time. 20 sr7i2ss 17 A method for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to any one of claims 13 - 15, characterized in that said connection can take place to a public telephone network, a VOIP system or a radio communication network. A method for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to any one of the pacts 13 - 16, characterized in that each party has a digital calendar to which said at least one booking means has access. A method for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that each booking means consists of a booking server. A method for optimizing the planning of contacts via telephone and / or computer networks between at least two parties according to any one of the pacts 13 - 18, characterized in that each memory means consists of a database. At least one computer program product (1021, 102,) directly chargeable to the internal memory of at least one digital computer (1001, 100.1) comprising software code portions for performing the steps of claim 13 when said at least one product (1021, 102,). 102.1) runs on the at least one computer (1001, 100.1).