Patent Grant
10228827
The present disclosure relates generally to customizing an application. For example, various techniques and systems are provided for using a customization file to customize an application program.
Certain aspects and features of the present disclosure relate to deflecting certain types of communications. In some examples, interactions with a graphical interface of an application may be detected along with a configuration state of the graphical interface when the interactions are made. In some embodiments, one or more metrics may be gathered and analyzed to determine communications traffic patterns that are attributable to different configurations of the graphical interface.
In some examples, a customized communication interface overlay may be displayed over a graphical interface (e.g., of a website or a computer application). For example, a specifically customized file may be transmitted to a computing device. The specifically customized file may also be referred to herein as a customization file or a customization overlay file. The customization file may be executed by the computing device to customize a native communication interface overlay.
According to at least one example of facilitating deflection of communications, a computing device may be provided that includes one or more data processors. The computing device further includes a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including: displaying a graphical interface corresponding to a mobile application, wherein the graphical interface includes a selectable phone communication link or a selectable chat link, wherein selection of the selectable phone communication link facilitates a telephone communication with a live resource, and wherein selection of the selectable chat link facilitates a chat communication with a live chat resource; receiving input corresponding to an indication of placement of a telephone call from the mobile application, wherein the selectable phone communication link is used to place the telephone call; determining a state of the selectable chat link when the selectable phone communication link was used to place the telephone call from the mobile application; and reporting a communication, wherein the communication includes data indicating placement of the telephone call and the state of the selectable chat link when the selectable phone communication link was selected.
In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method may be provided that includes displaying, using a computing device, a graphical interface corresponding to a mobile application, wherein the graphical interface includes a selectable phone communication link or a selectable chat link, wherein selection of the selectable phone communication link facilitates a telephone communication with a live resource, and wherein selection of the selectable chat link facilitates a chat communication with a live chat resource. The method further includes receiving input corresponding to an indication of placement of a telephone call from the mobile application, wherein the selectable phone communication link is used to place the telephone call. The method further includes determining a state of the selectable chat link when the selectable phone communication link was used to place the telephone call from the mobile application and reporting a communication, wherein the communication includes data indicating placement of the telephone call and the state of the selectable chat link when the selectable phone communication link was selected.
In some embodiments, a computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of a computing device may be provided. The computer-program product may include instructions configured to cause one or more data processors to: display a graphical interface corresponding to a mobile application, wherein the graphical interface includes a selectable phone communication link or a selectable chat link, wherein selection of the selectable phone communication link facilitates a telephone communication with a live resource, and wherein selection of the selectable chat link facilitates a chat communication with a live chat resource; receive input corresponding to an indication of placement of a telephone call from the mobile application, wherein the selectable phone communication link is used to place the telephone call; determine a state of the selectable chat link when the selectable phone communication link was used to place the telephone call from the mobile application; and report a communication, wherein the communication includes data indicating placement of the telephone call and the state of the selectable chat link when the selectable phone communication link was selected.
In some embodiments, the state of the selectable chat link includes present in the graphical interface or not present in the graphical interface.
In some embodiments, the method, computing device, and computer-program product described above for facilitating deflection of communications may further include determining a percentage of call deflections as a result of the selectable chat link, wherein the percentage of call deflections is determined based on a first percentage of selections of selectable phone communication links when the selectable chat link is in a first state, and a second percentage of selections of the selectable phone communication links when the selectable chat link is in a second state.
In some embodiments, the method, computing device, and computer-program product may include receiving input corresponding to an indication of placement of a chat communication from the mobile application, determining that the selectable chat link was selected to place the chat communication, and reporting a second communication, wherein the second communication includes data indicating placement of the chat communication.
In some embodiments, the method, computing device, and computer-program product include determining that the selectable phone communication link was used to place the telephone call based on the placement of the telephone call occurring from the mobile application.
In some embodiments, the live chat resource includes particular information about a subject corresponding to the mobile application, and wherein a provider of the live chat resource is different from a provider of the mobile application.
In some embodiments, the method, computing device, and computer-program product include reporting a length of time of the telephone call.
According to at least one example of customizing a communication interface overlay, a computing device may be provided that includes one or more data processors, and a receiver configured to receive a customization file, wherein the customization file includes customized content for customizing a communication interface overlay. The computing device further includes a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including accessing native application code; executing the native application code to run a native application; accessing a compiled set of code, wherein the compiled set of code is separate from the native application code, and wherein the compiled set of code is accessible by the native application code; executing the compiled set of code, wherein a default file of the compiled set of code provides a native communication interface overlay, wherein the native communication interface overlay is overlaid over a graphical interface of the native application upon execution of the compiled set of code, and wherein the native communication interface overlay facilitates communication with a resource of a third-party; and executing the received customization file, wherein executing the received customization file customizes the compiled set of code, and wherein the customized compiled set of code customizes the native communication interface overlay to provide a customized communication interface overlay.
In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method may be provided that includes receiving, on a computing device, a customization file, wherein the customization file includes customized content for customizing a communication interface overlay. The method further includes accessing native application code and executing the native application code to run a native application. The method further includes accessing a compiled set of code, wherein the compiled set of code is separate from the native application code, and wherein the compiled set of code is accessible by the native application code, and executing the compiled set of code, wherein a default file of the compiled set of code provides a native communication interface overlay, wherein the native communication interface overlay is overlaid over a graphical interface of the native application, and wherein the native communication interface overlay facilitates communication with a resource of a third-party. The method further includes executing the received customization file, wherein executing the received customization file customizes the compiled set of code, and wherein the customized compiled set of code customizes the native communication interface overlay to provide a customized communication interface overlay.
In some embodiments, a computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of a computing device may be provided. The computer-program product may include instructions configured to cause one or more data processors to: receive a customization file, wherein the customization file includes customized content for customizing a communication interface overlay; access native application code; execute the native application code to run a native application; access a compiled set of code, wherein the compiled set of code is separate from the native application code, and wherein the compiled set of code is accessible by the native application code; execute the compiled set of code, wherein a default file of the compiled set of code provides a native communication interface overlay, wherein the native communication interface overlay is overlaid over a graphical interface of the native application, and wherein the native communication interface overlay facilitates communication with a resource of a third-party; and execute the received customization file, wherein executing the received customization file customizes the compiled set of code, and wherein the customized compiled set of code customizes the native communication interface overlay to provide a customized communication interface overlay.
In some embodiments, the method, computing device, and computer-program product described above for customizing a communication interface overlay may further include accessing the default file, wherein the default file is included in the compiled set of code, determining whether the received customization file is different than the default file, and replacing the default file with the received customization file when the received customization file is different than the default file.
In some embodiments, the compiled set of code includes a stand-alone library. In some embodiments, the compiled set of code is accessed and executed and the customization file is executed when the native application code is provided by a particular client and the compiled set of code and the customization file are provided by the third-party. In such embodiments, the native application code is provided by the particular client, and the compiled set of code and the customization file are provided by the third-party.
In some embodiments, the resource of the third-party includes particular information about a subject. In some embodiments, the customized communication interface overlay facilitates communication between a customer of a particular client and the resource of the third-party. In some embodiments, the customized communication interface overlay includes an interactive chat window.
This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.
The foregoing, together with other features and embodiments, will become more apparent upon referring to the following specification, claims, and accompanying drawings.
Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawing figures:
In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. However, it will be apparent that various embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. The figures and description are not intended to be restrictive.
The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.
Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed, but could have additional steps not included in a figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.
The term “machine-readable storage medium” or “computer-readable storage medium” includes, but is not limited to, portable or non-portable storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other mediums capable of storing, containing, or carrying instruction(s) and/or data. A machine-readable storage medium or computer-readable storage medium may include a non-transitory medium in which data can be stored and that does not include carrier waves and/or transitory electronic signals propagating wirelessly or over wired connections. Examples of a non-transitory medium may include, but are not limited to, a magnetic disk or tape, optical storage media such as compact disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD), flash memory, memory or memory devices. A computer-program product may include code and/or machine-executable instructions that may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted using any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.
Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks (e.g., a computer-program product) may be stored in a machine-readable medium. A processor(s) may perform the necessary tasks.
Systems depicted in some of the figures may be provided in various configurations. In some embodiments, the systems may be configured as a distributed system where one or more components of the system are distributed across one or more networks in a cloud computing system.
Certain aspects and features of the present disclosure relate to deflecting certain types of communications. For example, a third-party service provider may provide customer service, technical support, sales support, or other third-party services to a client of the third-party service provider. The client or the third-party service provider may desire that the client's customers contact support resources using one communication type over another communication type. For example, the client may prefer that the customers use a chat communication option over a telephone communication option. As used herein, a resource may include a customer service representative, a technical support representative, a sales representative, or other resources that are knowledgeable about a particular client's products or services. The resource may include a live person who has knowledge about products or services, an automated system, a combination of live human and automated system support, or the like. As used herein, a live resource or live chat resource includes a human resource that is able to communicate with a customer using telephonic communications or chat communications, respectively. In some examples, interactions with a graphical interface of a computer application (e.g., provided by the client, provided by the third-party service provider, or provided by another application provider) may be detected along with a configuration state of the graphical interface when the interactions are made. One or more metrics may be gathered and analyzed to determine communications traffic patterns that are attributable to different configurations of the graphical interface.
In some examples, a customized communication interface overlay may be provided for display over a graphical interface of a website or a computer application. The customized communication interface overlay facilitates communication with a resource of a third-party, such as a customer service representative, a technical support representative, a sales representative, or other resources who are knowledgeable about a product or service. For example, a specifically customized file, or a customization file, may be transmitted to a computing device. The customization file may be executed by the computing device to customize a native communication interface overlay. In order to facilitate communication deflections, user interactions with the customized communication interface overlay may be detected along with a configuration state of the graphical interface when the interactions are made. Various details relating to examples of customized communication interface overlays and deflection of certain communications are described below with respect to the drawings.
These illustrative examples are given to introduce the general subject matter discussed herein, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed concepts. The following sections describe various features and examples with reference to the drawings, in which descriptions are used to describe the illustrative examples but, like the illustrative examples, should not be used to limit the present disclosure.
The native application 128 may include a graphical interface 126 that can be displayed on the device 106. In some embodiments, the graphical interface 126 may be displayed upon execution of a compiled set of code 134. For example, the compiled set of code 134 may be a set of program code that is separate from the native application code of the native application 128. One example of a compiled set of code includes a stand-alone library that can be accessed and used by other programs. The library code can be organized so that it can be used by different programs that have no connection to each other, whereas code that is part of a program is organized to be used within that one program. In such embodiments, the native application code may access the compiled set of code 134 to implement the graphical interface 126. For example, the compiled set of code 134 may be inserted or incorporated into the native application code. The native application 128 may launch and close the compiled set of code 134 as needed, and may send and receive commands to and from the compiled set of code 134. The compiled set of code 134 may provide further functionality, such as communication deflection analysis and reporting, as discussed further below. In some embodiments, the compiled set of code 134 may be provided or developed by a third-party service provider, and the native application 128 may be provided or developed by a client of the third-party service provider. For example, the third-party service provider may provide customer service, technical support, sales support, or other third-party services to the client. The compiled set of code 134 provided by the third-party service provider may provide the third-party services to the native application 128 of the client. The third-party service provider may maintain one or more servers, such as a third-party server 108. In some embodiments, the third-party server 108 provides the compiled set of code 134 to the device 106 over connection 120. Connection 120 may include a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the compiled set of code is downloaded to the device 106 along with the native application 128 (e.g., from web server 102, mobile application store 104, or the like). In some embodiments, code for implementing the graphical interface 126 may be included in the native application code of the native application 128 itself instead of being separate from the native application code.
A communication interface overlay tab 124 may also be displayed with the graphical interface 126. The communication interface overlay tab 124 may be interactive and may run live along with the native application 128 and compiled set of code 134 on the device 106. In some embodiments, the communication interface overlay tab 124 may become visible to a user only after a specific user input is received through an input device of the device 106, such as a specific key combination on a keypad or keyboard of the device 106, a specific swiping movement or multi-touch input on a touchscreen or touchpad of the device 106, or other specific user input. A user may select the communication interface overlay tab 124 in order to display a communication interface overlay (not shown). For example, upon selection of the communication interface overlay tab 124 by a user, the communication interface overlay may be displayed. In some embodiments, the communication interface overlay tab 124 and the corresponding communication interface overlay can be presented as an actual overlay displayed over the graphical interface 126. In some embodiments, the communication interface overlay tab 124 and the corresponding communication interface overlay can be presented near or around the graphical interface 126 (e.g., the graphical interface 126 may be shrunk and displayed next to, above, or below the communication interface overlay or the tab 124).
In some embodiments, the native application 128 may present a user with an option to choose either a web version or a native application version of the native application 128. For example, the option may be displayed when the native application 128 is loaded. In another example, the option may be displayed in response to a selection of a settings option that allows a user to adjust settings of the native application 128. In the event a web version is selected, the native application 128 can select a version of the overlay element that is written in code executable from within a web browser. In the event a user selects the native application version, the native application 128 can select version of the overlay element written in native application code.
In an embodiment, the communication interface overlay facilitates communication with a resource of a third-party, such as the third-party service provider described above. For example, the communication interface overlay may facilitate communication between the third-party resource and a customer of the client of the third-party. In such an example, the third-party service provider may provide customer support (e.g., technical support, sales support, or other type of customer support) to customers of the client. To facilitate communication with the resource of the third-party, the communication interface overlay may include an interactive chat window through which the customer can communicate with the resource. The resource may communicate with the customer using the information resource receiver 110 over connection 122. Connection 122 may include a wired or wireless connection. The communication interface overlay may include one or more interface elements, such as text boxes, chat bubbles, or the like. The interface elements may display communications with the resource. The resource of the third-party may include a live human operating the information resource receiver 110. The live operator can be an individual provided by the company supplying the overlay element (e.g., the third-party service provider), can be an individual provided by the company running the website or mobile application (e.g., a client of the third-party service provider), or another company or individual. Upon initiating a proper command (e.g., clicking, tapping, or otherwise selecting the communication interface overlay tab 124), the device 106 can establish the connection 122 with the chat receiver 110. In some embodiments, the native application 128 can establish a chat connection 122 with a chat receiver 110 associated with the customer. In some embodiments, the native application 128 can establish a chat connection 122 with a chat receiver 110 associated with the third-party service provider.
In some embodiments, the communication interface overlay tab 124 and the corresponding communication interface overlay may be implemented and displayed upon execution of the compiled set of code 134 by the device 106. For example, the compiled set of code 134 may include an overlay file 114 that is used to implement the communication interface overlay tab 124. The overlay file 114 may control the functionality and appearance of the communication interface overlay tab 124 and the corresponding communication interface overlay that is running in the native application 128. The overlay file 114 may include a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file, an extensible markup language (XML) file, a YAML file, or any other appropriate type of data file. The overlay file 114 may include a default file that is provided with the compiled set of code 134 to all client applications that use the compiled set of code 134 to implement their graphical interface. The default file may provide a generic native communication interface overlay for display over a portion of or the entire graphical interface 126. In some embodiments, a customization file may be customized for a specific client of the third-party service provider. The customization file may include customized content for customizing the communication interface overlay to provide a customized communication interface overlay. For example, a client may customize their communication interface overlay by specifically choosing customized values for specific sections of the customization file corresponding to different features of the communication interface overlay. The customization file may include a JSON file, XML file, YAML file, or other appropriate type of data file. The third-party server 108 may transmit the customization file to the device 106. Upon receiving the customization file, the device 106 may access the default file that is included in the compiled set of code 134. The device 106 may determine whether the received customization file is different than the default file in order to decide whether to replace the default file with the customization file. In some embodiments, the device 106 may have previously received another customization file. In such embodiments, the device 106 may determine whether the most recently received customization file is different than the previously received customization file. In the event the device 106 determines that the customization file is different than the default file or previously received customization file, the device 106 may replace the default file or previously received customization file with the received customization file.
In some embodiments, the device 106 can establish the connection 120 with the third-party server 108. The third-party server 108 may support the operation of the communication interface overlay tab 124 and the corresponding communication interface overlay. In one example, the third-party server 108 may provide information indicating a particular chat receiver 110 to contact when the communication interface overlay is utilized by the user. For example, the third-party server 108 may keep records of available resources (e.g., including location, availability, expertise, language proficiency, and/or any other relevant information). The third-party server 108 may route the communication to a particular chat receiver 110 based on the records. In some examples, the third-party server 108 may send an address of the appropriate information resource receiver 110 for the native application 128 to contact. In some embodiments, the native application 128 can provide customer identification information (e.g., a number or a name particular to the customer) to the third-party server 108. The customer information may be used by the third-party server 108 to provide settings information to the device 106. The settings information may be used to determine which third-party resource to contact. For example, a client identification number stored on the device 106 can be transmitted to the third-party server 108. The third-party server 108 can return an address of the information resource receiver 110 to contact. The native application 128 can then cause the communication interface overlay to initiate a chat connection 122 with the chat receiver 110 based on the address provided by the third-party server 108.
It should be appreciated that the environment 100 may have other components than those depicted. Further, the embodiment shown in the figure is only one example of an environment that may incorporate an embodiment of the invention. In some other embodiments, the environment 100 may have more or fewer components than shown in the figure, may combine two or more components, or may have a different configuration or arrangement of components.
The device 202 may execute native application code to run a native application 228. The native application 228 may be similar to the native application 128 described above with respect to
The native application 228 may have access to a compiled set of code (not shown). Upon executing the compiled set of code using the native application 228, the device 202 can display the graphical interface 224. The compiled set of code may be similar to the compiled set of code 134 described with respect to
A communication interface overlay tab 204 may be displayed along with the graphical interface 224. The communication interface overlay tab 204 may be similar to the communication interface overlay tab 124 displayed in
The communication interface overlay 210 facilitates communication with a resource of a third-party, such as the third-party service provider described above. For example, the communication interface overlay 210 may facilitate a chat communication between a live chat resource and a customer of a client of the third-party. The resource may send a message 208 to the native application 228. A user of the device 202 may enter a message into input box 214 and press a send button 220 to send a message to the resource. The resource may communicate with the customer using an information resource receiver, such as the information resource receiver 110 displayed in
The communication interface overlay tab 204 and the communication interface overlay 210 may be displayed and operated upon execution of the compiled set of code using the default application 228. The compiled set of code may include a default overlay file by default. The default overlay file is executed to implement the communication interface overlay tab 204 and communication interface overlay 210. The overlay file controls the functionality and appearance of the communication interface overlay tab 204 and the corresponding communication interface overlay 210. The overlay file may be similar to the overlay file 114 described with respect of
As described above with respect to
Upon receiving the customization file, the device 202 (e.g., using the native application 228, the compiled set of code, a combination thereof, or another program) may retrieve the current overlay file that is included in the compiled set of code. The current overlay file may include the default overlay, or may include a previously received customization overlay file. The device 202 may determine whether the received customization file is different than the default file or a previously received customization file in order to decide whether to replace the default file or previously received customization file with the newly received customization file. The device 202 may then replace the default file or previously received customization file with the received customization file when it is determined that the newly received customization file is different.
It should be appreciated that the environment 200 may have other components than those depicted. Further, the embodiment shown in the figure is only one example of an environment that may incorporate an embodiment of the invention. In some other embodiments, the environment 200 may have more or fewer components than shown in the figure, may combine two or more components, or may have a different configuration or arrangement of components.
While
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, while only the name entry window 1202 portion of the pre-chat survey is shown, other survey questions may be presented to the user. For example, other pre-chat survey questions that may be presented to the user may include location, age, gender, or any other information that may assist the third-party resource in helping the user.
Process 1500 is illustrated as a logical flow diagram, the operation of which represent a sequence of operations that can be implemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combination thereof. In the context of computer instructions, the operations represent computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like that perform particular functions or implement particular data types. The order in which the operations are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described operations can be combined in any order and/or in parallel to implement the processes.
Additionally, the process 1500 may be performed under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions and may be implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one or more applications) executing collectively on one or more processors, by hardware, or combinations thereof. As noted above, the code may be stored on a machine-readable storage medium, for example, in the form of a computer program comprising a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors. The machine-readable storage medium may be non-transitory.
At 1502, the process 1500 includes receiving, on a computing device, a customization file. The customization file includes customized content for customizing a communication interface overlay. In some examples, the customization file may include a JSON file, XML file, YAML file, or other appropriate type of data file. In some embodiments, the customization file may be received from a third-party server. For example, using
At 1504, the process 1500 includes accessing native application code. At 1506, the process 1500 includes executing the native application code to run a native application. In some examples, the native application includes a mobile application (e.g., mobile application 130), and the native application code may be included as part of the mobile application. The native application code may be specifically written for the particular mobile application and may be specific to the platform or operating system of the computing device. In some examples, the native application may include one or more webpages (e.g., webpage 112), and the native application code may be included as part of the one or more webpages.
At 1508, the process 1500 includes accessing a compiled set of code, wherein the compiled set of code is separate from the native application code, and wherein the compiled set of code is accessible by the native application code. In one example, a compiled set of code may include a stand-alone library. For example, a stand-alone library can be accessed and used by other programs being executed by the computing device. The library code can be organized so that it can be used by different programs that have no connection to each other, whereas code that is part of a program is organized to be used within that one program. The native application code may access the compiled set of code to implement a graphical interface. For example, the compiled set of code may be inserted or incorporated into the native application code. The native application may launch and close the compiled set of code as needed, and may send and receive commands to and from the compiled set of code.
At 1510, the process 1500 includes executing the compiled set of code. The compiled set of code includes a default file. The default file of the compiled set of code, when executed, provides a native communication interface overlay that is overlaid over a graphical interface of the native application. The native communication interface overlay allows communication with a resource of a third-party. The resource of the third-party includes particular information about a subject. For example, the resource may include a technical support person, sales support person, an automated system, or other type of customer support resource. In some embodiments, the customized communication interface overlay includes an interactive chat window as illustrated, for example, in
At 1512, the process 1500 includes executing the received customization file, wherein executing the received customization file customizes the compiled set of code. The customized compiled set of code customizes the native communication interface overlay to provide a customized communication interface overlay.
In some embodiments, the process 1500 may include accessing the default file, wherein the default file is included in the compiled set of code, determining whether the received customization file is different than the default file, and replacing the default file with the received customization file when the received customization file is different than the default file. Using
In some embodiments, the compiled set of code is accessed and executed and the customization file is executed when the native application code is provided by a particular client and the compiled set of code and the customization file are provided by the third-party. For example, the compiled set of code may be provided or developed by a third-party service provider, and the native application code may be provided or developed by a client of the third-party service provider. In some cases, the third-party service provider may provide customer service, technical support, sales support, or other third-party services to the client. The compiled set of code provided by the third-party service provider may provide the third-party services to the native application provided by the client. The third-party service provider may maintain one or more servers (e.g., third-party server 108) that provide the compiled set of code to the computing device. In such embodiments, the customized communication interface overlay facilitates communication between a customer of a particular client and the resource of the third-party.
As previously described, certain aspects and features of the present disclosure relate to deflecting certain types of communications. For example, the client of the third-party service provider may desire that more of their customers utilize a chat communication (e.g., using the communication interface overlay described above) rather than a telephone communication to receive help relating to the client's application or products. In some examples as described with respect to
The native application may include a graphical interface 1604 that can be displayed on the device 1602. In one example, the graphical interface 1604 may be displayed upon execution of a compiled set of code (e.g., the compiled set of code 134). In another example, the graphical interface 1604 may be displayed upon execution of the native application code. The compiled set of code or the native application code may provide communication deflection analysis and reporting. In embodiments in which the communication deflection capabilities are included in the compiled set of code, the compiled set of code may be provided or developed by a third-party service provider, and the native application may be provided or developed by a client of the third-party service provider. The compiled set of code provided by the third-party service provider may provide the third-party services to the native application of the client. Regardless of whether the communication deflection capabilities are included in the compiled set of code or the native application code, the third-party service provider may provide customer service, technical support, sales support, or other third-party services to a client of the third-party service provider. The third-party service provider may maintain one or more servers, such as a third-party server 1618. The third-party server 1618 is in communication with the device 1602 using connection 1612. Connection 1612 may include a wired or wireless connection.
The native application may further include a help window 1606. The help window 1606 may be displayed as part of the graphical interface 1604. For example, the help window 1606 may include a new application window or page that pops up when selected, an overlay, or other displayed window. The help window 1606 may be displayed in response to a user selecting a help icon displayed on or with the graphical interface (e.g., a help icon displayed as part of the graphical interface, a help icon displayed as part of a communication interface overlay, or the like).
The help window 1606 includes a call now option 1608 and a chat now option 1610. The call now option 1608 includes a selectable phone communication link that a user may select to facilitate a telephone communication with a live resource. The live resource may conduct the telephone communication with the user over connection 1616 using the information resource telephone receiver 1622. The information resource telephone receiver 1622 may include a land-line or Internet Protocol telephone, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a desktop or laptop computer with voice connection capabilities, or the like. The chat now option 1610 includes a selectable chat link that a user may select to facilitate a chat communication with a live chat resource. The live resource and the live chat resource may include a person or computer that includes particular information about a subject corresponding to the native application. For example, the live resource may include a person that is knowledgeable about a particular product, a person that can provide technical support about the native application, or any other person with knowledge relating to products or services presented or provided by the native application. In some embodiments, a provider of the live chat resource is different from a provider of the native application. For example, the live chat resource may be an employee of the third-party service provider and the native application may be provided by the client of the third-party service provider. In some embodiments, the provider of the live chat resource is the same as the provider of the native application.
The live chat resource may conduct the chat communication with the user over connection 1614 using the information resource chat receiver 1620. The information resource chat receiver 1620 may include a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, or the like. Connections 1612, 1614, and 1616 may be wired or wireless connections using a wired network (e.g., fiber, ethernet, powerline ethernet, ethernet over coaxial cable, digital signal line (DSL), or the like), wireless network (e.g., Zigbee™, Bluetooth™, WiFi™, IR, UWB, WiFi-Direct, BLE, cellular, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax™, or the like), or a combination of a wired and a wireless network.
While specific configurations of graphical interfaces are shown in
The devices 1602 and 1702, by executing the respective native application and/or the compiled set of code, may monitor user interactions with the help windows 1606, 1706, 1806, 1906 of the respective graphical interfaces, along with a configuration state of the help windows 1606, 1706, 1806, 1906 when the interactions are made. Using
The device 1602 (e.g., using the native application or the compiled set of code) may then determine a state of a chat now option when the call now option 1608 is selected. For example, a state of the chat now option may include present in a graphical interface or not present in the graphical interface at the time at which the call now option 1610 is selected. Other states may also be included, such as present and active, present and not active, or the like. In some examples, a state may include a size, a color, a shape, or other feature of the chat now options. As illustrated in
In a different example, a user may select the chat now option 1610 instead of the call now option 1608. For example, the device 1602 may receive input indicating that the chat now option 1610 was selected to facilitate a chat communication from the native application. The device 1602 may determine that the chat now option 1610 was selected to place the chat communication in a similar manner in which selection of the call now option 1608 was detected, as previously described. The device 1602 may then report to the third-party server 1618 that the chat communication was placed using the chat now option 1610, and that a state of the call now option 1608 was present or active.
The devices 1602, 1702, 1802, 1902 may report other selections of interface options (e.g., call now option, chat now option, or any other appropriate option) and a configuration of the graphical interface as the options are selected. For example, upon receiving user selection of the call now option 1808, the device 1802 may report that a telephone communication was placed using the call now option 1808 and that a chat now option was not present or active when the call now option 1808 was selected.
As the information regarding option selections and graphical interface configurations are gathered by the devices 1602, 1702, 1802, 1902, the devices themselves or the third-party servers 1618, 1718, 1818, 1918 may determine call deflection analytics or statistics related to the selections and configurations. In some examples, devices or the third-party servers may determine a percentage of call deflections that result from the chat now option. For example, the percentage of call deflections may be determined by calculating a first percentage of selections of call now options when a chat now option is present and active, and calculating a second percentage of selections of the call now options when a chat now option is not present or not active. In one example, it may be determined that the chat now option is available 50% of the time when a user is in the native application. It may also be determined that when the chat now option is shown, 40% of the people click the call now option, and when the chat now option is not shown, 80% of the people click the call now option. Based on these determinations, the devices or third-party servers may determine that half of the telephone calls are being deflected by showing the chat now option. As a result, half as many calls are placed to the client's call centers by including a chat now option in their graphical interface.
In some embodiments, the call deflection analytics determinations may be made by the devices 1602, 1702, 1802, 1902 themselves. The devices 1602, 1702, 1802, 1902 may then transmit the analytics to the respective third-party servers. In some embodiments, the third-party servers 1618, 1718, 1818, 1918 may receive the option selections and graphical interface configurations (e.g., chat option state information), and may determine the call deflection analytics based on the information.
The devices 1602, 1702, 1802, 1902, using the native application and/or the compiled set of code, may report further information to the respective third-party servers that may be used to provide information to the client. For example, a number of visits to the native application may be reported. In another example, a number of hot leads may be reported, which include users that should be shown a chat or other button if there are agents available. A user may be determined to be a hot lead based on various factors, such as users that sign up for particular products or services, users that frequently use a chat help option, users that buy a certain amount of products or services, or any other suitable factors. In another example, a number of users that are shown a button, or button shows, may be reported. In another example, a number of users who selected a button to open up the graphical interface of the native application may be reported. In another example, a number of users who send a chat message and/or receive a chat message may be reported.
The third-party service provider may then provide the call deflection analytics and information to the client. Based on the call deflection analytics and information, the client can determine that certain configurations and layouts of the graphical interface are more valuable than others. For example, the client may decide that it is worth paying for a chat service provided by the third-party service provider in order lower the amount of calls made to the client's call centers. In another example, the client may determine that a chat now option should be placed in more locations in the graphical interface, such as any location at which there is a phone number or a call now option displayed in the graphical interface. In another example, the client may determine that a chat now option should be displayed larger or in a different color than is currently used. In another example, the client may determine that more live agents need to be added. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the call deflection analytics may be used for other suitable purposes.
The call deflection information gathering and analytics determinations may be performed automatically without any user interaction. For example, the compiled set of code may be installed on the devices 1602, 1702, 1802, 1902, and may be accessed by the native application to collect and report the option selections and graphical interface configurations, and to optionally determine the call deflection analytics.
Process 2000 is illustrated as a logical flow diagram, the operation of which represent a sequence of operations that can be implemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combination thereof. In the context of computer instructions, the operations represent computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like that perform particular functions or implement particular data types. The order in which the operations are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described operations can be combined in any order and/or in parallel to implement the processes.
Additionally, the process 2000 may be performed under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions and may be implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one or more applications) executing collectively on one or more processors, by hardware, or combinations thereof. As noted above, the code may be stored on a machine-readable storage medium, for example, in the form of a computer program comprising a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors. The machine-readable storage medium may be non-transitory.
At 2002, the process 2000 includes displaying, using a computing device, a graphical interface corresponding to a mobile application. The graphical interface includes a selectable phone communication link or a selectable chat link. Selection of the selectable phone communication link facilitates a telephone communication with a live resource, and selection of the selectable chat link facilitates a chat communication with a live chat resource. The live chat resource includes particular information about a subject corresponding to the mobile application. In some embodiments, a provider of the live chat resource and/or the live resource is different from a provider of the mobile application. For example, the live chat resource or the live resource may be an employee of a third-party service provider, and the mobile application may be provided by a client of the third-party service provider. In some embodiments, the provider of the live chat resource and/or the live resource is the same as the provider of the native application. Using
At 2004, the process 2000 includes receiving input corresponding to an indication of placement of a telephone call from the application, wherein the selectable phone communication link is used to place the telephone call. Using
At 2006, the process 2000 includes determining a state of the selectable chat link when the selectable phone communication link was used to place the telephone call from the mobile application. In some embodiments, the state of the selectable chat link includes being present in the graphical interface or not being present in the graphical interface at the time at which the selectable phone communication link is selected. Other states may also be included, such as present and active, present and not active, a size, a color, a shape, a combination thereof, or any other suitable state or feature of the selectable chat link. Again using
At 2008, the process 2000 includes reporting a communication, wherein the communication includes data indicating placement of the telephone call and the state of the selectable chat link when the selectable phone communication link was selected. Using
In some embodiments, the process 2000 may include reporting a length of the telephone call with the live resource. For example, the length of the call may be used to determine statistics relating to an amount of time live resources spend on the phone with customers.
In some embodiments, the process 2000 may include receiving input corresponding to an indication of placement of a chat communication from the application, determining that the selectable chat link was selected to place the chat communication, and reporting a second communication, wherein the second communication includes data indicating placement of the chat communication. Referring to
In some embodiments, the process 2000 may include determining a percentage of call deflections as a result of the selectable chat link. The percentage of call deflections is determined based on a first percentage of selections of selectable phone communication links when the selectable chat link is in a first state, and a second percentage of selections of the selectable phone communication links when the selectable chat link is in a second state. For example, the percentage of call deflections may be determined by calculating a first percentage of selections of selectable phone communication links when a selectable chat link is present and/or active, and calculating a second percentage of selections of the selectable phone communication links when a selectable chat link is not present or is not active. In one illustrative example, it may be determined that the selectable chat link is available 50% of the time when the mobile application is being executed by the computing device. It may also be determined that when the selectable chat link is shown, 40% of people click a selectable phone communication link, and when the selectable chat link is not shown, 80% of people click a selectable phone communication link. Using these statistics, it may be determined that half of the telephone calls are deflected by showing a selectable chat link option.
The computing device 2100 may include one or more network transceivers 2106 connected to the bus 2118. The network transceiver 2106 may be operable to send and/or receive signals across a network connection, such as to and/or from a cloud or the Internet.
The computing device 2100 may further include (and/or be in communication with) one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage mediums or storage devices (e.g., memory 2112), which can comprise, without limitation, local and/or network accessible storage, and/or can include, without limitation, a disk drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device such as a random access memory (“RAM”) and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), which can be programmable, flash-updateable and/or the like. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any appropriate data storage, including without limitation, various file systems, database structures, and/or the like.
In various embodiments, functions may be stored as one or more computer-program products, such as instructions or code, in memory 2112, such as RAM, ROM, FLASH, or disc drive, and executed by processor(s) 2102. The computing device 2100 can also comprise software elements (e.g., located within the memory 2112), including, for example, an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and/or other code, such as one or more application programs, which may comprise computer programs implementing various functions. Such functions or code may include code to perform the steps described above with respect to
The server 2200 may further include (and/or be in communication with) one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage mediums or storage devices (e.g., memory 2212), which can comprise, without limitation, local and/or network accessible storage, and/or can include, without limitation, a disk drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device such as a random access memory (“RAM”) and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), which can be programmable, flash-updateable and/or the like. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any appropriate data storage, including without limitation, various file systems, database structures, and/or the like.
In various embodiments, functions may be stored as one or more one or more computer-program products, such as instructions or code, in memory 2212. The server 2200 can also comprise software elements (e.g., located within the memory), including, for example, an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and/or other code, such as one or more application programs, which may comprise computer programs implementing the functions provided by various embodiments, and/or may be designed to implement methods and/or configure systems, as described herein. Merely by way of example, one or more procedures described with respect to the processes discussed above may be implemented as code and/or instructions executable by a computer (and/or a processor within a computer); in an aspect, then, such code and/or instructions can be used to configure and/or adapt a general purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described methods. Such functions or code may include code to perform the steps described above with respect to
A set of these instructions and/or code might be stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory 2212. In some cases, the storage medium might be incorporated within a computer system. In other embodiments, the storage medium might be separate from a computer system (e.g., a removable medium, such as a compact disc), and/or provided in an installation package, such that the storage medium can be used to program, configure and/or adapt a general purpose computer with the instructions/code stored thereon. These instructions of one or more computer-program products might take the form of executable code, which is executable by the server 2200 and/or might take the form of source and/or installable code, which, upon compilation and/or installation on the server 2200 (e.g., using any of a variety of generally available compilers, installation programs, compression/decompression utilities, etc.) then takes the form of executable code.
Substantial variations may be made in accordance with specific requirements. For example, customized hardware might also be used, and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. Further, connection to other access or computing devices such as network input/output devices may be employed.
In the foregoing specification, aspects of the invention are described with reference to specific embodiments thereof, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited thereto. Various features and aspects of the above-described invention may be used individually or jointly. Further, embodiments can be utilized in any number of environments and applications beyond those described herein without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the specification. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.
In the foregoing description, for the purposes of illustration, methods were described in a particular order. It should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, the methods may be performed in a different order than that described. It should also be appreciated that the methods described above may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in sequences of machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a machine, such as a general-purpose or special-purpose processor or logic circuits programmed with the instructions to perform the methods. These machine-executable instructions may be stored on one or more machine readable mediums, such as CD-ROMs or other type of optical disks, floppy diskettes, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other types of machine-readable mediums suitable for storing electronic instructions. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software.
Where components are described as being configured to perform certain operations, such configuration can be accomplished, for example, by designing electronic circuits or other hardware to perform the operation, by programming programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors, or other suitable electronic circuits) to perform the operation, or any combination thereof.
While illustrative embodiments of the application have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed, and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations, except as limited by the prior art.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/586,690 filed Dec. 30, 2014 which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/586,600, filed Dec. 30, 2014, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,191,492. The subject matter of all of the foregoing patent applications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, for all purposes.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180004376 A1 | Jan 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 14586690 | Dec 2014 | US |
| Child | 15441464 | US | |
| Parent | 14586600 | Dec 2014 | US |
| Child | 14586690 | US |
