WO2001025966A9 - Systeme et procede de gestion du courrier electronique - Google Patents

Systeme et procede de gestion du courrier electronique

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Publication number
WO2001025966A9
WO2001025966A9 PCT/US2000/027000 US0027000W WO0125966A9 WO 2001025966 A9 WO2001025966 A9 WO 2001025966A9 US 0027000 W US0027000 W US 0027000W WO 0125966 A9 WO0125966 A9 WO 0125966A9
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
customer
message
mail
user
case
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/027000
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2001025966A1 (fr
Inventor
J D Malashree
Anantharaman S Iyer
Swati Kamath
Anjana Kaul
Arvind Ladha
Kornel Marton
Bhushan Arun Patil
Arun Rao
Krishnamoorthy Sitaraman
Nitin S Yadav
Original Assignee
Talisma Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Talisma Corp filed Critical Talisma Corp
Priority to AU10721/01A priority Critical patent/AU1072101A/en
Publication of WO2001025966A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001025966A1/fr
Publication of WO2001025966A9 publication Critical patent/WO2001025966A9/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Definitions

  • the invention described herein relates to e-mail and web-mail management systems characterized by a common mailbox, the capability to track cases, threads, and ownership, and the ability to create responses.
  • FIGURE 1 there is a dynamic of the electronic marketplace that links Web Seller Sites, Web Buyer Sites, and Intermediaries. Market places that connect buyers and sellers are up and running in many industries, and businesses are using this emerging channel to create a customer base and grow revenues. While attracting customers is a primary objective, companies now face the greater challenge of relating to customers and serving their needs through this new medium. Telephone, fax, and in-person meetings have long been the chief delivery channels of customer service. However, as corporate Web sites open doors for customer service, they now have to deal with growing volumes of electronic queries. Many firms are turning to Internet customer service, not only to cut costs, but also to offer convenience and meet customer demand.
  • e-service that is, customer service through the Internet and, in particular, the growing deluge of email now overwhelming corporate Web sites. If companies procrastinate now regarding Internet-based customer service, it can eventually undermine their corporate reputations and seriously hamper their ability to compete. Furthermore, very few companies are successfully handling e-mail coming into their corporate Web address (such as Service@,mvcompanv.com ' ) due to the unavailability of the right tool set. Many companies are still languishing with ill- suited traditional e-mail clients geared for the relatively simple pattern of personal e- mail. New tools are critically needed that address the mosaic nature of corporate e- communications.
  • the electronic marketplace is exploding. Responding to the phenomenal growth of the Web, companies have hastened to establish Web sites to attract an audience and turn them into customers. There are estimates that as of 1999 there are 1.3 to 1.6 million active "dot.com" sites on the web. The experience of early participants has shown that an electronic marketplace can capture savings on the sell-side, while delivering lower prices to buyers. The rewards are shared. Sell-side Web sites can reach more customers, gather better information about them, target them more effectively, and serve them better. Buyers are able to compare products and prices easily, compelling suppliers to compete more fiercely than ever.
  • a single vendor seeking many buyers usually sets up marketplaces controlled by sellers.
  • the aim of such sites is to create or retain value and market power in any transaction or interaction.
  • the corporate Web sites set up many vendors enable buyers to check lead times, prices, and order and shipping status, confer with technical experts, usually by sending e-mail to addresses like supportfgtmycompanv.com or service@,mycompany.com.
  • Buyer-controlled marketplaces are set up for the purpose of shifting power and value in the marketplace to the buyer. Many involve an intermediary, but some particularly strong buyers have developed marketplaces for themselves.
  • the e-mail volume on these sites may be relatively lower than in a sellers market as most buyers usually deal with just a handful of suppliers.
  • E-mail usage grows. E-mail is reportedly the most common online activity. According to a recent survey, 75% of the respondents used e-mail; 41% reported using e-mail daily, while another 27% used it weekly. A trade journal predicts that the number of people with e-mail access worldwide will grow 800% to 450 million over the next three years, up from 60 million in 1997. Another source predicts worldwide growth from 2 million mailboxes in 1995 to 48 million by the year 2000. This number does not include seats of free e-mail clients, notably Eudora Lite, which has as many as 12 million users to date.
  • Electronic-service in its simplest form, is any interaction with an e- customer that successfully resolves an inquiry. These queries may be proactively generated from e-mail, Web forms, chats, net meetings, or call-me-now systems. Some require human interaction, while others may be managed through automated intelligent response tools. In this way, E-service is seen as a holistic Internet customer approach aimed at efficiently managing the electronic interaction between companies and its e- customers and building mutually beneficial relationships between the two. While corporations are ultimately using a variety of Net-related channels to interact with customers, such as Internet telephony, e-mail, chat, and synchronized browsing of pages by customer-service reps and customers.
  • MIS divisions of many companies publish an e-mail address for customer queries on the Web site with or without buy-in from the people answering corporate e- mail. Moreover, MIS Departments and Webmasters don't assess the infrastructure needs before doing so. The Webmaster receives queries and at best forwards it to various divisions as appropriate. Most companies are still not prepared or staffed the way they need to be to efficiently process and track service or transaction-related communications. Many do not have people trained to answer e-mail and are not given enough forewarning to respond to demands for increased staffing.
  • FIGURE 3 The relationship of addressing in traditional e-mail clients and in the e-service systems contemplated herein is shown in FIGURE 3.
  • e-mail clients are seriously limited in their ability to handle the unique nature of person-to-organization communication. They are useful toolsets for handling person-person e-mail communication but not for group alias (corporate e-mail address) mail management. Most e-mail clients send, receive, store mail, maintain password, allow backup, and do all the basic functions. Managing customer mail coming to a group alias requires more sophisticated feature set.
  • Traditional e-mail clients do not allow service representatives to see what operations are being performed by other representatives, thereby resulting in poor coordinatio.
  • the traditional e-mail clients don't have an assignment model that would allow service representatives to divide the work and facilitate ownership of questions.
  • a further shortcoming of traditional e-mail clients is that service responses need to be prompt, but the traditional e-mail clients are not configured for prompt responses. For example, with many repetitive questions, e-mail clients do not provide short cuts, predefined templates or canned responses.
  • a further shortcoming of traditional e-mail clients is their inability to integrate a reporting application. Thus, with typical traditional e-mail clients, preparing monthly reports for management is a tedious cut and paste job.
  • high-end help-desk software is not capable of being integrated with e- service management, nor is it suitable for comprehensive e-service management. This is because the origins of high-end customer care software are in the help-desk/call center domain. Though they address the fundamental customer support issue, they are unsuitable to handle the specific-mail management problems of corporate addresses for many reasons: First, they are elaborate systems that cover sales and marketing, customer service, field service and logistics, customer asset management, quality assurance and help desk applications. Second, they do not solve the specific process, productivity, and customer focus e-mail management needs of a corporate e-mail address. Third, they are based upon and derived from phone based support tools supporting advanced computer-telephony integration, with no advanced e-mail capability.
  • FIGURE 4 is an illustration of a projection of the potential installed bases for help desk software, e-services systems, clients versus estimated costs of the systems.
  • E-service systems are the first step toward standardizing the industry to achieve that goal.
  • Another object of our invention to provide rigorous tracking and tagging options, including case audit trails showing the complete summary of interactions (email, we forms, phone messages, consultations, follow-up, etc.) relating to it, complete status reports, showing opened, in progress, pending, reviewing, escalated, closed, resolved, or expired - and the Priority setting of each case in the system; notifications; categories and sub-categories, filters, and workspaces.
  • a still further object of the invention is the capability of importing pre-existing e-mail and address books from various mail clients provides continuity with past transactions, phone support integration; importing/exporting external databases, as customer databases, and interacting with external customer data sources.
  • the E-service method and system of our invention meets these needs and objectives. It does this through an architecture that seamlessly integrates (1) a data server with address book services, (2) a client, and (3) one or more alias databases, interacting through the alias database and (4) a web viewer.
  • the method and system of our invention is a pseudo client server application that talks to a client. It has four major components, as shown in Figure 5.
  • the four major components are (1) the Services component, which provides Server and Address Book services and performs the back end tasks for the system and method of our invention.
  • the server performs all tasks related to servicing case responses. This includes sending/receiving email, threading messages and events into cases, prioritizing cases, and performing database operations such as auto-backup, compact, and so forth.
  • the Address Book service synchronizes the Address List with, for example, the Address Book on the Microsoft® Exchange Server; (2) the Client, which is the front-end for all mail and e-service management functionality; this desktop tool connects with the databases, retrieves cases, and displays them in the appropriate workspaces/filters, allowing a user to manage a user's messages and customers; (3) Database, which stores, for example, email, Web forms, and customer or case-related information, signatures, alias and user account configuration information, notifications, default settings, etc; it is the storehouse of the system; the client retrieves/fetches data from the databases and displays this information in the client; and (4) the Web Viewer, an optional component, is a non- editable Web interface to the system database; it allows a user to view the full status of all cases and case operations, reports, and so forth.
  • the system also includes databases that hold different types of information.
  • the system and method of our invention tailors interactions between the Internet service team and the customers to address each of the following: Process Efficiency CSR Productivity Customer Focus
  • ACD automatic call distribution
  • the E-service method and system of our invention allows for escalation and single point of contact.
  • ownership stills resides within the group alias to ensure closure of the incident.
  • Common access allows a group of people to streamline workgroup coordination, focus on answering the questions, while maintaining a single point of contact to the outside world.
  • each group or division may have its own address, yet, all e-mail received by the corporation goes to a central person who is responsible for answering or routing the messages.
  • the e-service method and system of our invention facilitates process efficiency through rigorous tracking. For example, once a customer query has been assigned to a specific service agent, as a practical matter, the service agent usually performs one or more of the following actions:
  • E-mail is forwarded to another service agent within the system for consultation
  • E-mail is forwarded or escalated outside the system to a specialist for consultation.
  • FIGURE 9 depicts an ideal flow.
  • the e-mail management system and method of our invention now tracks each mail irrespective of what actions have been performed on it.
  • the method and system should present an audit trail of the incident, with the component messages and actions, at a glance. Every inquiry coming into the alias must be tracked to completion.
  • the e-service system and method of our invention ensures this by having various states associated with every mail, at all times. Every incoming query could thus be 'new', 'open', 'closed', 'escalated', 'reply-in- progress', 'resolved', 'expired', etc. keeping the service reps informed about the status of the customer query at any given point in time.
  • the E-service method and system allows the user to track every incident, prioritize responses based on various criteria (such as assignment, age of message, etc.), and allows them to differentiate messages on which no action has been taken.
  • Different types of notifications or alerts are configurable to highlight assignment and escalation actions, prioritize items based on customer type and elapsed time, and generally keep the user informed about any change in state or new messages.
  • customer queries are categorized and retrievable under one or more user-defined categories, for focus and data mining.
  • This multiple categorization helps the service representative to organize the customer queries into meaningful buckets.
  • The enables representatives to manage multiple aliases thereby facilitating workflow capability across departments. This is similar to what happens in a call center when different departments receive calls from the same customer.
  • the advantage that an e-mail-based system can offer is the ability to maintain full context as well as a transaction log of all conversations related to the incident to ensure that communications are acted upon and never lost.
  • process efficiency is achieved through intelligent integration of various complementary functions, capabilities, and activities.
  • CSR productivity Customer service is driven by prompt and accurate responses, and therefore, good e-service systems should increase the e-service representative's productivity.
  • phone service representatives answer incoming phone calls in a few minutes, while e-mail answers have indefinite response times. Assuming that customers expect an immediate response, e-mail service agents try to answer every question within 24 hours.
  • traditional e-mail clients have been designed to support electronic communication, not increase productivity. Where a corporate alias is receiving hundreds of e-mail messages a day, a dedicated e-service system and method of our invention provides automated features that replace manual operations on repetitive activities that are taxing, time consuming, and often open to inaccuracy.
  • the sophisticated e-mail management system and method of our invention reduces this burden and minimizes bandwidth on routine tasks with productivity enhancing capabilities such as, predefined canned responses, and the ability to select multiple repeat messages and respond to them with one message. Furthermore, standard spell checks and the ability to automatically correct textual error make the reply process less taxing.
  • Incoming mails as a practical matter, usually fall into a few categories, and many of these mails tend to be about similar issues.
  • a travel agency for example, receives a large number of ticketing related questions, but the questions themselves may fall into a few user defined categories (such as prices, refund policy, payment methods, and so forth) and sub-categories (refund policies of a selected airline on a particular market segment).
  • the company already knows the answers to most of these questions.
  • the E- mail management method and system of our invention allows the service team to configure and send canned responses when the answers to frequently occurring questions are known. It also goes one step further and provide rapid responses that empower the e-service representative to respond with just a mouse click.
  • the method and system system of our invention allows the user to select multiple messages and respond to them in one reply window, thereby saving the trouble of sending messages to the recipients individually.
  • the process of an e-mail response from a customer service representative. With an incoming message to the customer service representative, and outgoing replies, rapid click options, canned responses, and multi-select and respond responses is illustrated in FIGURE 9.
  • the service representatives are also able to reduce typing time by automatic textual features to define hot keys for frequently used phrases and correction capabilities that recognize spelling errors and corrects them automatically.
  • the standard spellchecker must identify spelling errors as the e-service representative types so that they don't waste time looking for them manually.
  • Customer focus Relating to customers is one of digital marketing's most important opportunities to create and add value. In essence, customer relations presents the opportunity to understand the customer's needs and preferences, customize each interaction, and tailor the product or the communication to that consumer at that time.
  • Interactive media and e-mail management systems in particular, provide unprecedented opportunities for corporate aliases to satisfy a customer. Best practice Internet service companies use the information that the consumer offers electronically (hardware ownership, brand preferences, interests, and so forth) to craft focused value-added communication.
  • the e-service system and method of our invention provides not only the ability to preserve and present context and remember all interactions, but it also allows the team to build a storehouse of customer data that can be mined for future marketing.
  • the customer data with meaningful user definable fields is closely integrated with customer originated incidents.
  • the database of customer interactions may indicate that customers from a particular segment often ask questions about a particular product feature. This may indicate a need to change and improve the product, or to add a feature in future versions of the product for that specific segment, thereby opening new market opportunities.
  • companies are empowered and enabled to prioritize their valuable customers through Customer Priority filters in order to maintain the desired service levels for them. They could be prioritized according to company policy and different response times must be definable for different types of customers.
  • the e-service method and system of our invention recognizes special or preferred customers and offer service representatives the opportunity to customize and personalize a response to that customer.
  • FIGURE 1 is an illustration of the web-based relationship of web seller sites, web buyer sites, and intermediaries.
  • FIGURE 2 is an illustration of the graphical relationship between "Level of Customer Relationship” and “Level of Interactivity” for selected industries.
  • FIGURE 3 is an illustration of the relationships between traditional e-mail clients of the prior art and e-service systems of the type contemplated herein.
  • FIGURE 4 is an illustration of a projection of the potential installed bases for help desk software, e-service systems, and e-mail clients, verus the costs of these systems.
  • FIGURE 5 A and 5B are illustrations of the system architecture of the e-service method and system of our invention, showing (1) the service and address book services module, (2) the client module, (3) the alias databases module, and (4) the optional Web Viewer module.
  • FIGURE 6 illustrates the "E-Service” Triangle linking the attributes of Process Efficiency, CSR Productivity, and Customer Focus.
  • FIGURE 7 illustrates the four critical capabilities for an e-service system, Streamlined Teamwork, Rigorous Tracking, Monitoring and Analysis, and Intelligent Integration.
  • FIGURE 8 illustrates handling of incoming e-mail with an e-service capability, and with incoming e-mail messages coming to a web address, info(fi),svz.com. and being passed on to customer service representatives ("CSR's").
  • FIGURE 9 is a representation of e-mail flow in the business process of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 10 is a representation of available e-mail response options including standard replies to customers, rapid click option responses to customers, configurable canned responses to customers, and multi-select and respond responses to customers.
  • FIGURE 11 illustrates a screen shot of the Mail Room Screen of the system and method of our invention.
  • FIGURE 12 is a screen shot of the Table View of a CSR's terminal.
  • FIGURE 13 is a screen shot of the Preview Pane of a CSR's terminal.
  • FIGURE 14 illustrates a screen shot of the left pane of the Mail Room Screen.
  • FIGURE 15 illustrates a screen shot of the My Cases screen of the system and method of our invention.
  • FIGURE 16 illustrates a screen shot of the left pane of the My Cases Screen.
  • FIGURE 17 illustrates a screen shot of the Filing Cabinet screen of the system and method of our invention.
  • FIGURE 18 illustrates a screen shot of the Advanced Search Dialog Box.
  • FIGURE 19 illustrates a screen shot for the Filter Manager.
  • FIGURE 20 illustrates a screen shot for the Customer File.
  • FIGURE 21 illustrates a screen shot for the customer window which provides detailed information about a customer.
  • FIGURE 22 illustrates a screen shot for the Current Snapshot Reports module of the system and method of the invention.
  • FIGURE 23 illustrates the Periodic Status Reports screen of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 24 illustrates the Trend Reports screen of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 25 illustrates the Read Window of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 26 illustrates the Reply Window of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 27 illustrates a case thread screen of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 28 illustrates a Case Read Window of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 29 illustrates the Case Header element of the Case Read Window shown in FIGURE 28.
  • FIGURE 30 illustrates the Categories Pane in the Read Window shown in FIGURE 28.
  • FIGURE 31 shows the Assign Dialog Box of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 32 shows the Reply Window of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 33 shows the Select Canned Response List Box of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 34 shows the customer window of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 35 shows the Case Counts tab.
  • FIGURE 36 shows a screen shoot of the Advanced Search Dialog Box of the system and method of our invention.
  • FIGURE 37 shows a screen shot of the Advanced Search screen showing the search conditions in the left pane and the search results in the right pane.
  • FIGURE 38 shows a screen shot of the Category Manager of the method and system of our invention, which allows a user to create, rename, or delete categories.
  • FIGURE 39 shows the New Filter dialog box for creating a new filter.
  • FIGURE 40 shows a screen shot of the left pane of the Filing Cabinet, which allows a user to specify a search condition for a filter.
  • FIGURE 41 shows a screen shot of the Advanced Search Dialog Box which allows a user to specify additional parameters for a search.
  • FIGURE 42 shows a screen shot of the Edit Filter Dialog Box for editing search conditions and saving as a new filter.
  • FIGURE 43 shows a screen shot of the Outbox Manger of the method and system of our invention.
  • FIGURE 44 shows a screen shot of the Current Snapshot Reports screen of the system and method of our invention.
  • FIGURE 45 is a screenshot of the Period Status Reports of the system and method of our invention.
  • FIGURE 46 is a screen shot of the Trend Reports of the systems and method of our invention.
  • the method and system of our invention is an e-service method and system that incorporates an email and Web form management tool that organizes high-volume customer service requests sent to corporate aliases or to a user's Web site. This is accomplished by integrating a database management system, as a relational database management system with the e-mail system, allowing the relational database management system to interact with the e-mail system for efficient team access to incoming and stored e-mails.
  • the relational database is a repository for both the message and for information parsed or derived from the message.
  • the method and system of our invention transforms a workgroup into a team environment, where all incoming service requests can be efficiently assigned, escalated, tracked, reported, and archived from a shared inbox and a relational database.
  • the method and system of our invention satisfies the need for an out-of-the-box software solution that enables a team to control the electronic service (e-service) process, achieve maximum productivity, and still keep a strong focus on the customer.
  • the method and system of our invention is designed to handle small or large volumes of electronic communications - even integrate phone messages - in a team-shared environment. Sophisticated features boost productivity as a user manage the flow and follow-through of customer inquiries sent to busy aliases, such as info@company.com. The method and system of our invention is the key to great e-service. Architecture
  • the method and system of our invention is a pseudo client server application that talks to any SMTP/POP3 or Microsoft® Exchange client. It has four major components, as shown in Figures 5 A and 5B. Services. The Server and Address Book services perform the back end tasks for the system and method of our invention.
  • the server performs all tasks related to servicing case responses. This includes sending/receiving email, threading messages and events into cases, prioritizing cases, and performing database operations such as auto-backup, compact, and so forth.
  • the Server uses a mail component to send and receive messages to and from any SMTP/POP3 or Microsoft Exchange mail server.
  • the Address Book service synchronizes the Address List with the Address Book on the Microsoft ® Exchange Server. This synchronization is done at 12:00 AM and 12:00 PM every day. This service needs to run only if a user's aliases are working with the Microsoft® Exchange Servers.
  • the client is the front-end for all mail and e-service management functionality.
  • This desktop tool connects with the databases, retrieves cases, and displays them in the appropriate workspaces/filters. It allows a user to manage a user's messages and customers.
  • the 1.0 database is a Microsoft Jet Database Engine store of all email, Web forms, and customer or case-related information, signatures, alias and user account configuration information, notifications, default settings, etc. It is the storehouse of the system.
  • the client retrieves/fetches data from the databases and displays this information in the client.
  • the Web Viewer is a non-editable Web interface to the system database. It allows a user to view the full status of all cases and case operations, reports, and so forth.
  • the Web Viewer is designed for the remote overseer who is not directly responsible for the day-to-day activities on a system, but who plays a supervisory or managerial role in the e-service response process.
  • a Server installation comprises several databases that hold different types of information. Each Server installation has the following databases. These databases are located in the shared folder.
  • Alias database Contains all Open and Resolved cases for the alias. (Alias.mdb) Alias Archive Contains all Closed and Expired cases of the alias. database
  • FIGURE 5B illustrates the system and method of our invention where an outside customer communicates with the system through, for example e-mail or a Web form (through a script, as an ASP script) as input to a mail server.
  • the mail server passes the customer through to an extractor and a threader, parsing, threading, and prioritizing, inter alia, to transform the incoming e-mail into a case.
  • the case is properly indexed and stored in a database, for example a relational database.
  • the case may be subject to forwarding, or escalation, or a reply generated.
  • the reply goes through a dispatcher to the mail server, and out to the customer.
  • the incoming case can be indexed, stored, searched, and retrieved based upon various fields.
  • the use of a relational database structure and paradigm allows incoming e-mail to be parsed and ordered based on data fields in the relational database. For example, incoming may be sorted by one or more of sender, recipient, account, account owning CSR, subject matter (for example product or service, action requested), sender attribute (size, location, prior dealing history, and the like).
  • each work space may be regarded as a view of the relational database, with the view being defined in terms of filtered on one or more of the categories in the relational database.
  • the metadata of the underlying relational databases can define fields for the case ID, the originator (customer), the originator's address and/or affiliation, the number of cases connected to the originator, the subject, the owning CSR, the number of cases assigned to and/or owned by the CSR, the properties of the e-mail, the categories of the e-mail subject matter, textual notes, customer priority, case priority, number of related messages, links to related messages, case status, consultant status, reply contents, canned reply elements, and user defined fields. Searches can be based upon contents of a single field or of a plurality of fields, as is well known in the database management systems art.
  • the SMTP/POP3 or Microsoft Exchange mail server receives mail from a customer.
  • the Dispatcher component of the server sends all messages queued for dispatch to the mail server.
  • the outgoing messages display the alias name in the From field and email address of the customer in the To field.
  • the Extractor component fetches the mail sent by a user's customer (from the mail server). Each detail of the message is stored in one of the tables of the ODBC- compliant databases. Thus, a user can never lose messages.
  • the Threader component of the Sever creates a Case ID for the new message. This ID is inserted as a prefix in the Subject line.
  • the Threader checks to see if the customer already exists in the Customer database. If the search is negative, it dials-up the Directory Service and searches the Internet for address information. It then saves the retrieved information in the Customer database.
  • the Threader next checks to see if an auto response has been set for the alias, and dispatches the AutoResponse. A user's customer is thus assured that a user (a CSR) is working on the problem/request for information.
  • the Prioritizer computes the priority of the case.
  • the Server then automatically assigns the case to a Customer Service Representative.
  • the case appears in the Open filter of a user's My Cases workspace. If a user had set an assign notification, notifies a user whenever a case is assigned to you. An event is inserted in the case to record the assignment of the case to you.
  • the Customer Service Representative or other user can choose one of the following routes to respond to the customer:
  • the message remains queued in the Outbox Manager.
  • a user may access the Outbox Manager to Rush or Pause the message.
  • a user would need to pause the message if information sent out was incomplete or if a user discovered a mistake in a user's response.
  • the user also has the capability to Rush the message if it is of high priority.
  • the Dispatcher fetches mail from the Outbox and dispatches them to the SMTP/POP3 or Microsoft Exchange mail server and thereon to the customer.
  • the mailbox is the common inbox for the alias. It appears in the left pane of a user's Mail Room.
  • the mailbox acts as the distribution point for all cases sent to an alias. All unassigned cases in the current group alias appear here, a user can manually assign cases from the mailbox unless and AutoAssign rule has been set for the alias. All users monitoring an alias can access the mailbox.
  • Mail slots are the mailboxes of each member of the alias.
  • the mail slots are displayed in alphabetical order, on the left pane of the Mail Room, below the alias mailbox.
  • FIGURE 11 lists cases in the tabular format, where each case occupies a row, with its properties displayed in the columns. The default columns depend on the workspace a user is in.
  • This pane occupies the lower half of the right pane in the Mail Room, My Cases, and Filing Cabinet. It displays details of the case selected in the table view.
  • the message and events are displayed in chronological order.
  • the events serve as a record of the history of actions performed on the case, a user may resize or hide this pane. Click the + (plus sign) to expand an event, and on the - (minus sign) to collapse it. a user can choose to show or hide this pane in the Mail Room, My Cases, and Filing Cabinet.
  • the left pane of each workspace is distinct.
  • the left pane in the Mail Room, shown un FIGURE 13 comprises the shared mailbox and the mail slots of all users in the current alias.
  • the pre-defined filters organize cases according to the actions performed on them.
  • a user can add a user's own filter to the My Cases workspace.
  • a user can opt to show or hide the left pane in all the workspaces.
  • the left pane of the My Cases workspace is shown in FIGURE 14.
  • the left panes in the Filing Cabinet and Customer File help define search parameters to locate cases or customers. These panes are similar, except for a few case- or customer- related fields, a user can hide or resize the left panes.
  • the columns in the workspaces vary according to the records displayed in the table view.
  • the Case ID is the first column in all the case workspaces, a user cannot change, move, delete, or resize this column to less than a minimum. Clicking on the column header sorts the cases on the property of the column. An arrow-head indicates the direction of sorting.
  • the method and system of our invention aids customer service representatives in resolving customer inquiries coming through e-mail and web forms (e-service) quickly and accurately.
  • the method and system of our invention segments the e-service business process into a plurality of stages and maps a virtual workspace of the method and system of our invention to each stage in the business process.
  • the stages in the business process and the corresponding virtual work space are:
  • Each of these virtual workspaces provides appropriate tools that help the users to perform the actions appropriate for the stage in the business process.
  • the basic unit of customer interaction is the "case”.
  • the method and system of our invention defines a "case” as the sequence of messages exchanged between the Customer and the Service Organization, as also the audit trail of all the actions performed by the CSRs as part of the process of resolving the issue(s).
  • the method and system of our invention has five functional areas - or Workspaces - that aid the process of managing and tracking cases and customers, as well as carrying out administrative tasks. Each workspace is geared toward helping a user perform specific operations.
  • the workspaces are the Mail Room, My Cases, Filing Cabinet, Customer File, and Reports.
  • the case first enters the system through the mail room workspace.
  • This workspace aids collection and assignment of inquiries.
  • a screen shot of the mail room workspace is shown in FIGURE 11, and FIGURES 11 A, 12, and 13.
  • the tree on the left side of FIGURE 11 (also shown in FIGURE 13) shows the mailboxes (Help and Info) or queues (Default, Marketing and Sales) where all incoming cases are collected.
  • the nodes under Sales represent the users responsible for handling Sales cases.
  • the cases are shownin in the right side of FIGURE 11 and in FIGURE 11 A as a table.
  • the supervisor can quickly drag and drop cases from the table on the right side to each user on the left side. This action assigns the case to the user and from then on that user becomes responsible for that case.
  • the Mail Room helps a user take stock of the cases that need to be dealt with, and aids the process of assignment. All cases in the Mail Room are in the Open state. The shared mailbox of the alias and the mail slots of the individual members of the current alias are listed in the left pane. To manually assign cases, the user drags and drops cases on a mail slot. Automatic assignment of cases is done according to the rules set in the Alias and User Manager. A user, as a Customer Service Representative, can perform the following operations from the Mail Room:
  • FIGURE 15 illustrates the My Workspace.
  • This workspace provides a user with tools that help him/her resolve the case quickly.
  • This workspace shows only those cases that belong to the logged in user. So all other superfluous information that might create clutter is kept out of this workspace.
  • the left pane shown in FUGURE 14 A, shows subsets (filters) of the cases that are assigned to the user. These filters separate out cases that are high priority or those that have been sent to an outside specialist for more information from those that have already been resolved and those that are still lying unanswered.
  • This workspace provides a personalized space from where a user can focus on cases assigned to you. a user can prioritize work based on the predefined filters.
  • This workspace organizes the cases and moves them to the appropriate filters based on the actions a user perform on them.
  • the filters help a user focus on cases that need a user's attention most.
  • a user can define her own filters in this workspace. These customized filters are sorted alphabetically.
  • the Filter Manager allows a user to manage the filters created in this workspace.
  • This workspace has a set of pre-defined filters. These filters contain cases based on the actions performed on them.
  • Pre-defined filters Description Open Mirrors the cases in a user's mail slot in the Mail Room. These are the new cases assigned to you. This filter will also hold cases whose state reverted to Open from Resolved (because a customer sent a follow-up).
  • the My Cases workspace provides a user a friendly environment from which a user can read and reply to cases. Here's what a user can do from the My Cases workspace.
  • the Filing Cabinet shown in the scrren shot of FIGURE 17, is a store of all cases in the database. This workspace enables a user to search the database. Some handy search tools are provided on the left side of the screen. In addition the user can do some advanced searches using the Advanced Query Builder that can be invoked from here.
  • the Filing Cabinet has the user interface shown in FIGURE 17, and presents an interface through which a user can search for and view a specific set of cases. Use this workspace to quickly browse through cases, or to locate a case a user need to refer to. Searches can be based on simple to fairly sophisticated conditions.
  • the Filing Cabinet is split into three panes - the left pane, the table view and the preview pane. The left pane contains several fields in which search conditions can be defined.
  • the search conditions can be saved as filters, a user can search within these lists or base further searches on these filters.
  • the left pane of the Filing Cabinet essentially allows a user to do the following:
  • Last request Organizes cases based on when some action was received last taken on them. These filters make case
  • the Advanced Search dialog box shown in FIGURE 18, lends searches extra power through several additional search conditions. Click Advanced to open this dialog box.
  • the Filter Manger when accessed from the My Cases, Filing Cabinet and Customer File, has the interface shown in FIGURE 19 and permits a user to manage the filters created from the left pane.
  • the Customer File workspace provides a window to the Customer database.
  • the Customer File allows a user to search for, view, update, and modify customer information, a user would search this workspace for customers, and probably view the history of a customer's interaction with the aliases. These details will serve as a pointer on how a user needs to handle a user's customers.
  • This workspace supports views similar to the table view. The only difference being that instead of cases, customer records are displayed here.
  • the left pane in the Customer File helps find or isolate customers. Specifically, the left pane comprises several fields in which search conditions can be defined.
  • the Advanced Search dialog box lends a user's search extra power, through many more search conditions. A user can also save the lists as filters and search within the lists. Plus, a user can base further searches on these filters.
  • the Filter Manger when accessed from this workspace, permits a user to manage the filters a user created from the left pane.
  • the Directory Services feature searches the Internet for information about the customer, and saves the retrieved information to the Customer database. All these details can be viewed from the Customer window.
  • the Customer File Workspace shown in FIGURE 20, is the workspace that shows information about all the customers in the database.
  • the user can build simple queries using the search tools in the left pane or can build advanced queries using the Advanced Query Builder.
  • the Customer Window presents all the information pertaining to a single customer in a simple, intuitive interface.
  • the various visual/informational components on the Customer window are:
  • This pane shows all the cases that this customer ever interacted with the Support Organization on, and makes it very easy to locate a case pertaining to a customer, and can also give the CSRs knowledge about the customer or his issues. Clicking on any case in the history pane, brings up the Case Read window for that case.
  • Custom Tabs (one or more). The method and system of our invention allows the Administrator to define any number of custom properties. These properties can be configured to be visible in any of the tabs.
  • the Customer Window In addition to presenting the Customer data in an intuitive manner, the Customer Window also facilitates operations on customers like sending email to them, merging customers, getting additional information about the customer using Directory Services.
  • the Customer Window shown in FIGURES 21 and 34 gives a user access to detailed customer information - all at one place - in the Customer window.
  • a user can view customer priority, address details, and more importantly, the entire history of a customer's interactions with all the aliases on the server a user is connecting to.
  • the user can do the following from this workspace:
  • the Reports Workspace shown in FIGURE 22, 23, and 24 allows users to see current status and study parameters like traffic, and productivity. It also shows reports that enable analysis of trends in productivity, response times, productivity, type of queries being received and many more factors.
  • the Reports Workspace displays comprehensive, customized and attractive reports, based on several parameters. Reports can be quickly and easily generated showing everything from current snapshots of the system, to periodic status reports, and long- term trends on a variety of parameters. Easy export of data into Microsoft® Excel makes for even more advanced reporting.
  • the Current Snapshot report shown in FIGURE 22 illustrates the number of Open cases assigned to users monitoring the Sales alias.
  • the periodic status report shown in FIGURE 23, tracks the category-wise responses sent from the Sales alias. It also indicates the number of first-time responses and the responses to follow-ups.
  • the trend report shown in FIGURE 24, depicts the time taken to close 50% of the cases received across aliases during the last three quarters.
  • Reading mail and responding to customers involves using the Read and Reply windows.
  • the Read Window The Read Window
  • This window shown in FIGURE 25, comprises the toolbar, Customer header, Case header, body of the case, and a Category pane.
  • the Category pane shows the categories that the case has been assigned to.
  • the file attachments in a case are shown as icons. Attachments are listed at the end of each message, a user can open, save, and print an attachment from this window.
  • the tasks a user can carry out from this window include replying to the customer, adding comments, assigning the case to another user, referring a case to a Specialist, and marking the case as Resolved, a user can perform these tasks from the main menu or from the right-click menu.
  • This window displays when a user selects Reply/Reply All from the Case menu.
  • the user can either send it to the customer or save the response without sending (if a user want to add more information or need to get it reviewed).
  • the e-services system and method of our invention groups or interleaves the message a customer sends, the actions (events) performed on the message (assign, reply, consult, comments, etc.), and any responses to the message, into a case. Any follow-up messages, the actions performed on them, as well as responses from the alias are also threaded into the case.
  • All messages in a case relate tot he same issue or subject.
  • the threading of messages and events into a case is done on the basis of the Subject line of the messages or the Case ID.
  • the messages and events in a case are arranged in chronological order.
  • the Case ID is a unique number given to the first message from a customer, on an issue. This ID is inserted as a prefix in the subject line of the message. Subsequently, all messages with the same ID in the subject line are threaded into this case. If the customer changes the ID in the subject line or deletes it, will not be able to thread the message into the case. When cases are threaded on the Subject line, and if a customer changes the Subject line, will not be able to thread the message into the case and will instead create a case.
  • FIGURE 27 A case thread screen is shown in FIGURE 27. Threading messages and events into cases ensures quick access to the history of a customer problem.
  • the case records all the actions taken on a message, as well as the names of the persons who performed them, thus enabling anyone to quickly track what exactly happened to a customer problem.
  • the case states help users keep a tab on the actions taken on a case and indicates the future course of action required.
  • Threader The Threader module is responsible for parsing each inbound message and deciding what to do with it.
  • the Threader :
  • the Threader algorithm is as shown below: Algorithm
  • the Case Window is a method to present a single view of a case in a hybrid customer service environment.
  • the method and system of our invention defines a Case as the sequence of messages exchanged between the Customer and the Service Organization, as also the audit trail of all the actions performed by the CSRs as part of the process of resolving the issue(s).
  • the method and system of our invention provides a simple and intuitive UI that enables the CSRs to get a complete view of the issue, the steps taken to resolve the problem, as also information about the customer.
  • Customer Information A snapshot of the important data about the customer, for example: the name, the email address, Priority of the customer, whether or not he's a new customer or a repeat customer of standing. This view also allows the user to bring up a more detailed window which displays all the data stored in the database about this customer (see The Customer Read Window)
  • Case history The method and system of our invention provides an audit trail, in chronological order, of all the events in the lifetime of a case. Apart from giving a complete picture of the flow of information between the CSRs and the Customer, it also lets the CSRs see at a glance all the actions that have been taken towards the resolution, as also the information about who performed those actions and when they were performed.
  • the method and system of our invention allows the CSR's to define a set of categories to help classify the cases for easy retrieval and reference.
  • the method and system of our invention shows you all the categories as a check-list making it very easy to both view the current categorization as well as to categorize/uncategorize the case.
  • the method and system of our invention allows an arbitrary number of parameters to be tagged on to cases in a queue.
  • the Read Window provides an easy way to switch between the Categories Pane and the Properties Pane. Again, the UI for Properties makes it easy to view and modify the current set of values of the properties.
  • the Read Window In addition to letting the user view all the data in one screen, the Read Window also makes is easy to perform ANY case operation.
  • the case states give a user an "at a glance" summary of the status of a customer's query.
  • the states of a case indicate the actions that have been performed on it.
  • a case can have three states: Case state, Consult state and Reply state.
  • the state icons in the table view of the case workspaces clearly indicate the current status of a case. Below is a summary of the states and their values:
  • a case may take one or more states/values depending on the actions performed on it.
  • a Case Read Window is shown in FIGURE 28.
  • the Case header shown in FIGURE 29 displays information such as the Case ID, the user it is assigned to, the states, and the categories the case is categorized under.
  • the Customer header in the Read window displays details regarding the customer who sent in the message. Click the Customer Information button on the case header to view customer history.
  • a user can add comments to a case so that a user can pass on any extra information regarding the issue when a user are assigning, forwarding, or consulting a specialist. These comments would help the users who actually respond to the customers.
  • the method and system of our invention allows a user to classify or file cases according to their content or based on the user who responded to them. This helps manage cases and offers another mechanism for quick case retrieval. Categories are alias specific.
  • a case can be assigned to more than one category.
  • the category pane is shown in FIGURE 30.
  • a case can be assigned to various categories, including user specific and user defined categories, such as the categories "Fabric”, “Pricing” and "Special offers”.
  • Cases can inherit categories from the canned responses or cases a user use while replying to them. For instance, if a user use a canned response classified as "Personnel” as well as text from a case categorized as "HR” and “Contacts” in a user's response, then a case a user are replying to inherits to all the three categories - "Personnel", "HR” and "Contacts”.
  • a user can also set AutoCategorize rules so that cases are categorized on the basis of the user who responds to them. For example, a user can AutoCategorize all cases Steve replies to as "Hot Contacts".
  • the Assign operation is used to distribute the workload amongst all the members of the alias.
  • the Assign Dialog Box is shown in FIGURE 31 , This ensures there is no confusion regarding who handles each case in a group alias.
  • the method and system of our invention permits two types of case assignment: manual and automatic.
  • Cases can be manually assigned from the Mail Room if no Auto Assign option has been set in the Alias and User Manager. When a case is assigned from the Mail Room, it actually moves from the mailbox to the mail slot of the user it is assigned to. This user is responsible for resolving the issues raised in the case or for providing the information requested for. a user should preferably assign cases from the Mail Room, though a user may do so from any of the case workspaces.
  • Canned responses are easily retrievable, ready-made answers to frequently asked questions, and help ensure faster response times while preventing the loss of information.
  • a user can include one or more canned responses in a user's response from the Reply, Forward and New Message windows.
  • Canned responses can be textual (if typed directly or if copied and pasted in the given space) or file attachments (if created from existing files).
  • the text articles are inserted into responses as text while the file-based articles are inserted as attachments.
  • the user starts from the Reply Window, shown in FIGURE 32.
  • the Reply window set the cursor position to where a user want to insert the canned response.
  • Select Canned Response from the Insert menu Select Canned Responses dialog box is displayed ( Figure 8).
  • a paper clip icon next to an article indicates that the canned response is a file attachment.
  • Rapid responses are canned responses that a user can send at the single click of a button. Sending a rapid response is as easy as selecting the case in the table view, viewing the customer query in the Preview pane, and clicking the appropriate rapid response button..
  • a user may forward cases to other users or to people outside the system, to keep them informed about the progress on a case.
  • the Advanced case operations are in specialized mail enhancements a user can use for ease and efficiency.
  • a CSR would need to do this if a customer made a telephone call or came personally to record a problem, or if the problem was sent through a faxed message or a letter.
  • Adding a request to a case Although the e-service method and system of our invention predominantly relies on getting customer requests through email, a user can just as easily create a case or add a request to an existing one in the event of customer interaction over any other media.
  • a user can receive a customer query through a telephone call or as a fax, or a letter, or even in person.
  • a user may even end up solving the problem raised, allows a user to create a case from the information a user get and leave the case Open, or create a case and mark it as Resolved.
  • the user would add a request to an existing case if a customer communicates (using any of the above-mentioned media) regarding a case. For instance, a customer could have sent in a query but may not be able to access a user's response due to various reasons, a user would add these requests to a user's database to keep track of the requests and the status of the case.
  • a user While adding a request to a case, a user may also change the customer associated with the case. This may happen if another person from the organization follows up (through any of these media or over email).
  • a user can compose and send mail from within Talisma, without threading the mail into a case, a user would probably need to user this feature to initiate a conversation with customers, send out newsletters, etc.
  • the method and system of our invention does not thread such mail into cases but just sends them out as a new message. However, if a user's customer replies to the message, the server component treats this as a new case, and threads the component messages and events into a case.
  • CSR's who are not regular users
  • This role is usually reserved for persons who have special expertise in an area or who have access to information that is not available to the users, a user would refer or escalate cases to Specialists only if a user is unable to find the solution a user's self.
  • a user may merge cases if a message has formed a new case instead of getting threaded into an existing case. This would happen if a user's customer changed or modified the case ID or Subject line while following up.
  • the method and system of our invention allows a user to detach one or more messages and events from a case and create a separate case, a user would need to split a case if a message gets wrongly threaded into a case, or if a user's customer follows up with an additional query that's best solved by users on another alias. If this happens, a user would need to first split the case and then transfer the appropriate case.
  • Messages can be split from a case, provided they are from a valid customer.
  • a user cannot split a case if it has a consult or reply event after the message from which a user want the split. All messages in the resulting case are arranged in chronological order.
  • the new case takes the categories of the source case. All events, except the last assign, categorize and comments, are moved to the new case.
  • the method and system of our invention allows a user to transfer cases from one alias to another or from one alias to a specific user on another alias, a user would typically transfer cases from an alias if cases are sent to the wrong alias, a user may transfer cases to aliases that a user do not have permissions to monitor.
  • a new case is created and sent to the mailbox (assigned to none) or the specific user (to whom a user assigned the case) on the destination alias.
  • its Case state changes to Open. Any categorize and uncategorize events in the original case are removed from the resulting case. This means that the case is not categorized in the destination alias.
  • the priority of the case takes the priority of the customer who sent the case.
  • a Customer Service Representative's customer is the most valuable asset to the Customer Service Representative's company, centers on customer service; its enhanced features allow a user to store and view, update, and modify customer information, a user can also view the history of a customer's interactions with the aliases. These details serve as a pointer on how a user need to handle a user's customers.
  • the e-service system and method of our invention gives a user access to detailed customer information - all at one place - in the Customer window, here a user can view customer priority, address details, and more importantly, the entire history of a customer's interactions with all the aliases on the server a user is connecting to.
  • the Customer Service Representative can view information about a customer who corresponds with an alias that a user do not have access to, simply because the Customer database is shared by all aliases configured on a Sever.
  • the Customer Service Representative can also read customer related notes, which could have been jotted down by any user on any of the aliases.
  • the Customer Window comprises four tabs of information and a list box that lists all the cases sent by the customer to the aliases.
  • this tab displays the customer's name, priority, Reference ID, etc. If the Block customer email box is selected, it means that some user has blocked email from this customer. All mail sent by this customer will be automatically expired, a user can view the Expired cases by creating filters in the Filing Cabinet.
  • Case counts - here a user will find details pertaining to the cases sent to the various aliases, who owns the customer on each alias, when the customer last sent a case to the aliases, and the total number of cases sent to the aliases.
  • Figure 25 shows the Case counts tab for the customer June Gillian brown. She has sent a total of 10 cases to the CustomerServ and Sales aliases. While no user owns this customer on the CustomerServ alias, Maureen owns this customer on the Sales alias.
  • June's Customer ID - 000-007 - is seen in the header area of this window.
  • the three fields immediately below the Title bar are common across the four tabs. These fields display the customers' name, the Reference ID a user have accorded the customer (which could be a user's customer reference from a user's previous system), and the priority of the customer (priority could be Normal or High).
  • the Cases list box positioned at the lower half of the window, lists all the ten cases initiated by the customer. Double clicking on any case opens it in the Read window and allows a user to view the history of the case, permits a user to perform any operation on the case, provided a user have permissions to monitor the alias. Most options in the Read widow will appear disabled if a user are not a member of the corresponding alias.
  • the e-service system and method of our invention empowers users to own customers. This feature works only if the Preserve Customer - User relationship option is selected in the AutoAssign tab of the Alias and User Manger.
  • a user can log the request as a case and the customer record to the Customer database, allows a user to add a new customer with the New Customer dialog box. However, do search the Customer database first to ensure that the customer does not already exist in the system.
  • the e-service system and method of our invention allows a user to add two fields to the Customer database.
  • a user can thus customize the database to hold customer information that's specific to a user's organization.
  • the Customer Service Representative can also build search conditions based on these fields.
  • a user needs to specify a set of search conditions using the Advanced Search Dialog Box shown in FIGURE 36.
  • the user can refine a search by narrowing down the search conditions so that the search yields precise results. This is done by selecting a filter in the Filter field or defining the search condition in the respective fields on the left pane, select the Search in list radio button from the List creation options group to search in the list already displayed in the right pane, or selecting the Add to list radio button.
  • the refined list is added to the current list displayed in the right pane.
  • the e-service method and system of our invention allow a user to classify or file cases according to their content, etc. This helps manage cases and offers another mechanism for quick case retrieval, a user can easily track, sort, create filters for, and group cases. Categories are alias-specific.
  • a case can be assigned to more than one category. For example, a case can be assigned tot he categories "Business”, “Key Customer” and “Strategies”.
  • Cases can inherit categories from the canned responses or cases a user use while replying to them. For instance, if a user use an article classified as "Personnel” as well as a case categorized as "HR” and “Contacts” in a user's response, then the case a user are replying to will be assigned to all three categories - "Personnel", "HR”, and "Contacts”.
  • a user can also set AutoCategorize rules so that cases are categorized on the basis of the user who responds to them. For example, a user can AutoCategorize all cases Steve replies to as "Hot Contacts". Likewise, a user can also crate, rename, or delete categories. Categories can be created using the category manger shown in FIGURE 38.
  • the e-service method an system of our invention allows a user to create simple to fairly sophisticated search conditions to find one or more cases or customers, a user can save these search conditions so that there is no need of recreating them all over again.
  • a saved search condition is called a filter. Filters are available in My cases, Filing Cabinet, and the Customer File workspaces.
  • Filters can be alias specific. Each filter in My Cases and the Filing Cabinet retrieves cases for the current alias. However, when a user searches in the Customer File, customer records are retrieved from all the aliases on the server a user is connecting to. This is because the system maintains a common Customer database. Filters are also workspace specific. For instance, a user creates the filter 'Finances' in the Filing cabinet and 'Production' in the Customer File of the Sales alias. Now, when a user invoke the Filter Manager from the Customer File, a user will not see the 'Finances' filter. Similarly, a user will not see the 'Finances' or Production' filters in the CustomerServ alias.
  • Filters may also be user-specific; this means that a user cannot view filters crated by other users.
  • the Filing Cabinet and Customer File do not display the filter list in the left pane. To view the filters in these workspaces, it is necessary to invoke the Filter Manager from the respective workspaces.
  • the e-services system and method of our invention displays an English Representation for filters in the Filing Cabinet and Customer File. This is a string of text that is displayed on the status bar whenever a user specify a search condition. The English Representation remains in the status bar till a user specify a new search condition. Double-click the status bar to view the complete text of the search condition. To retrieve a list of cases or customers that satisfies a search condition, the user goes to the Filing Cabinet or Customer File, selects the filter corresponding to the saved search condition, and clicks Start Search.
  • FIGURE 39 shows the New Filter dialog box shown in FIGURE 39.
  • FIGURE 40 shows the left pane in the Filing Cabinet view to specify a search condition for a filter.
  • FIGURE 41 shows the advanced search dialog box which allows a user to specify additional parameters for a search.
  • the Outbox Manager shown in FIGURE 43 is a viewer to a user's outgoing mail queue. It gives a user a clear summary of all the mail going out of the system, the case states, who the message is addressed to, the subject of the message and other case details.
  • the Outbox contains responses that were sent by users, but have not yet been dispatched to the mail server from the system.
  • the Outbox Manager makes it possible for a user to retract a response if it needs to be modified or deleted.
  • the e-service system and method of our invention includes a powerful reporting tool.
  • This reporting tool creates, displays comprehensive, customized, and attractive reports on a variety of parameters, making this one of the most desirable features of the product.
  • This workspace makes it easy for a user to track and report on the progress of work on the aliases.
  • a user, manager, or CSR can choose to view the status of cases, the operations carried out by different users, case operations within different categories, and statistics, such as the number of messages received within a particular period.
  • the e-service system and method of our invention allows a user to generate several types of reports, including Current Snapshots, Periodic Status Reports, and Trend Reports.
  • the Current Snapshot Reports shown in FIGURE 44, is displayed by default when a user switches to the Reports workspace.
  • Current Snapshot Reports track the Open cases owned by different users on a particular alias, or the total number of Open cases across the aliases. These reports tell a user how many cases are open, how many cases are assigned to a particular user, and so on, depending on the parameters specified.
  • a user would need to view a Current Snapshot report if a user were monitoring either a single alias or all aliases in the system and want to know the productivity status of each user, a user can decide to balance the workload accordingly.
  • Periodic Status Reports are a set of reports that a user can view for nine different time-periods.
  • Each report displays the data a user require on cases and case operations, for the time period specified.
  • Trend Reports shown in FIGURE 46, display data relevant for very long periods of time. These reports track the category- wise productivity of a user or alias for the last year, last five years, etc. This data is useful while making management and policy decisions.
  • the Reports workspace displays a left pane; the report is displayed in the right window.
  • the left pane displays the live aliases configured in the system. If a user select the All option in the Group Alias list, displays all the 'live' aliases in the system.
  • Notifications are messages that alert a user about an event that may require immediate action (reply to a High Priority case or logging out).
  • the type of notification a user receives depends on the option a user set for each event that she can be notified on.
  • the user may choose to be notified by a beep, a message box, a brief change of the cursor, or an icon in the system tray.
  • the server also sends notifications before deleting an alias, or when the server is being shutdown.
  • the system has two types of notifications - System defined and User defined notifications.
  • the method and system of our invention includes the steps of an the system for tracing URL click through and tracking the click through rate of a URL in a textual email message.
  • the method and system of our invention includes an Outbound Mailer feature that makes it easy for CSRs to send out mailers to customers informing them about new deals, products, services or direct them to sources of interest. Given that the web allows publishing of information in a richer manner/format than plain email, such e- mailers typically contain such information as a brief of the offer/product/service, and a link to a web-site that will provide Customer more information
  • the number of people who visited the web-site by followed the Universal Resource Locator (URL) embedded in the mailer is a good indicator of the success of the mailer/campaign or the aptness of the content/message.
  • the method and system of our invention provides a unique mechanism to track customer click-throughs to web-sites, from links embedded in Outbound Mailers
  • This ASP script 1. Sends an email to the alias (sales@abc.com ' ) with a Magic Number on the Subject line, along with the following parameters - Outbound Mailer ID, Customer ID, and URL of the site visited, and
  • the Threader picks each incoming message, parses the Subject line, and takes special action when it discovers that the Subject line contains the Magic Number indicating that this message was generated because of a click-through on a URL.
  • the Threader picks up the other three pieces of information from the subject line and logs data in the The method and system of our invention Database to indicate that Customer XYZ, visited the URL http://www.abc.com/offerl .htm, from the Outbound Mailer, Offerl .
  • the threader handles the following situations:
  • the method and system of our invention is able to user the Threader data to generate many kinds of reports, in particular reports that show, for example, the number of customers who followed the links in a mailer .vs. the total intended audience, the distribution of click-throughs across all the URLs mentioned in a mailer, and the distribution of click-throughs across mailers.

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé de gestion du courrier électronique. Selon ce procédé, un message du courrier électronique est reçu et stocké dans une base de données relationnelle. Les contenus du message sont analysés pour attribuer des valeurs aux champs correspondants de la base de données relationnelle. Ces valeurs sont attribuées sur la base des contenus analysés du message du courrier électronique. Ce procédé génère un cas reflétant le message.
PCT/US2000/027000 1999-10-01 2000-09-28 Systeme et procede de gestion du courrier electronique WO2001025966A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU10721/01A AU1072101A (en) 1999-10-01 2000-09-28 Web mail management method and system

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US41085899A 1999-10-01 1999-10-01
US09/410,858 1999-10-01

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WO2001025966A9 true WO2001025966A9 (fr) 2002-09-26

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US20100100815A1 (en) * 2006-11-03 2010-04-22 Appen Pty Limited Email document parsing method and apparatus

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US5394549A (en) * 1992-12-17 1995-02-28 International Business Machines Corporation Task spawning responsive to relational database conditions and operations
US5794039A (en) * 1996-12-18 1998-08-11 Unisys Corp. Method for abstracting messages of various protocols into objects for storage in a database
US5864870A (en) * 1996-12-18 1999-01-26 Unisys Corp. Method for storing/retrieving files of various formats in an object database using a virtual multimedia file system

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WO2001025966A1 (fr) 2001-04-12

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