U.S. patent application number 14/215194 was filed with the patent office on 2015-09-17 for system and method for providing enhanced answering and/or chatting services in a time-sensitive manner.
This patent application is currently assigned to ASD INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is ASD Inc.. Invention is credited to Martin CZACHOR, JR., Kevin CZACHOR, Gary FOSTER, Norman FRANKE.
Application Number | 20150264181 14/215194 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45556179 |
Filed Date | 2015-09-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150264181 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CZACHOR, JR.; Martin ; et
al. |
September 17, 2015 |
System and Method for Providing Enhanced Answering and/or Chatting
Services in a Time-Sensitive Manner
Abstract
A chatting party initiates a computer chat with a chatted-to
party by way of a computing system of a chatting service acting on
behalf of the chatted-to party. The computing system collects from
the chatting party in connection with the chat identifying
information identifying the chatting party, and an initial
indication of the general nature of the chat. A priority is then
assigned to the chat based at least in part on the collected
identifying information and the collected initial indication of the
general nature of the chat, and the chat is assigned to the
attention of one of the chatted-to party, an agent at the chatting
service on behalf of the chatted-to party, and an automated chat
engine of the chatting service for chatting with the chatting
party. The chat is assigned based at least in part on the assigned
priority of the chat.
Inventors: |
CZACHOR, JR.; Martin;
(Newtown Square, PA) ; CZACHOR; Kevin; (West
Chester, PA) ; FRANKE; Norman; (Garnet Valley,
PA) ; FOSTER; Gary; (Media, PA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ASD Inc. |
Media |
PA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
ASD INC.
Media
PA
|
Family ID: |
45556179 |
Appl. No.: |
14/215194 |
Filed: |
March 17, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
379/265.13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 3/51 20130101; H04M
3/5235 20130101; H04M 3/4365 20130101; H04M 3/42195 20130101; H04M
3/5183 20130101; H04M 3/533 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04M 3/523 20060101
H04M003/523; H04M 3/51 20060101 H04M003/51 |
Claims
1. A method performed by a chatting service on behalf of a
chatted-to party when a chatting party initiates a chat with the
chatted-to party, the method being performed by a computing system
of the chatting service and comprising: establishing the chat for
the chatting party; collecting from the chatting party in
connection with the chat identifying information identifying the
chatting party; collecting from the chatting party in connection
with the chat an initial indication of the general nature of the
chat, the initial indication of the general nature of the chat
being an input from the chatting party relating to an importance or
purpose of the chat; assigning a priority to the chat based at
least in part on the collected identifying information and the
collected initial indication of the general nature of the chat, the
assigned priority being one of a high priority, a middle priority,
and a low priority; assigning the chat to the attention of the
chatted-to party if the assigned priority of the chat is the high
priority; assigning the chat to the attention of an agent at the
chatting service on behalf of the chatted-to party if the assigned
priority of the chat is the middle priority; and assigning the chat
to the attention of an automated chat engine of the chatting
service for chatting with the chatting party if the assigned
priority of the chat is the low priority.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the chat is an on-line chat
comprising messages between chatting parties that appear on a
screen of a computing device in a visual box and accumulate as the
messages are sent so as to form an ongoing transcript of the
chat.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the chatting service is operated
by or on behalf of an answer service that provides telephone
answering services to the called-to party.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the chatted-to party is a funeral
professional and the chatting party is a client calling the funeral
professional regarding funeral services for a deceased.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the chatted-to party is a funeral
professional, the chatting party is a client calling the funeral
professional regarding funeral services for a deceased, and the
triggering point is when the agent determines that the chatting
party is initially calling regarding the deceased.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the collected identifying
information identifying the chatting party includes a name and at
least one of a telephone number, an email address, and a home
address.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the initial indication of the
general nature of the chat is a categorization by the chatting
party of an importance of the chat, and wherein the assigned
priority is based on the categorized importance.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the initial indication of the
general nature of the chat is a selection by the chatting party of
a purpose of the chat, and wherein the assigned priority is derived
from a predetermined priority level associated with the selected
purpose.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying information
includes whether the chatting party has an established relationship
with the chatted-to party, and wherein the assigned priority is
derived based in part on whether the chatting party has an
established relationship with the chatted-to party.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein collecting from the chatting
party in connection with the chat an initial indication of the
general nature of the chat comprises initially having the chatting
party chat with the automated chat engine according to a chat
script and wherein assigning the priority to the chat comprises
assigning the priority according to keywords received by the
automated chat engine from the chatting party during the chat
therewith.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the chat if assigned a relatively
lower priority is assigned to be handled by the agent of the
chatting service, and a chat if assigned a relatively higher
priority is assigned to be handled by the chatted-to party if at
all available.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the chat is assigned a relatively
lower priority and thereby is assigned to be handled by the agent
of the chatting service and not the chatted-to party, and the agent
is provided with information needed to handle various issues that
the chatting party may need to be addressed, the agent attempting
to provide such information on behalf of the chatted-to party
without such chatted-to party having to be bothered.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the chat is assigned a relatively
lower priority and thereby is assigned to be handled by the agent
of the chatting service and not the chatted-to party, and the agent
is provided with information needed to handle various issues that
the chatting party may need to be addressed, the agent attempting
to provide such information on behalf of the chatted-to party
without such chatted-to party having to be bothered, and wherein
the agent determines that the chat should be re-assigned a
relatively higher priority and more properly be handled by the
chatted-to party itself, the method further comprising receiving
from the agent a signal to transfer the chat to the called-to party
and thereafter transferring the chat to the called-to party.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the chat is assigned a relatively
higher priority and thereby is assigned to be handled by the
chatted-to party and not the agent of the chatting service, and
wherein the chatted-to party determines that the chat should be
re-assigned a relatively lower priority and more properly be
handled by agent, the method further comprising receiving from the
chatted-to party a signal to transfer the chat to the agent and
thereafter transferring the chat to the agent.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein the chat is assigned a relatively
higher priority and thereby is assigned to be handled by the
chatted-to party and not the agent of the chatting service, and
wherein the chatted-to party is unavailable, the method further
comprising forwarding the chat based at least in part on the
assigned priority.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the chat is assigned a relatively
higher priority and thereby is assigned to be handled by the
chatted-to party and not the agent of the chatting service, and
wherein the chatted-to party is unavailable, the method further
comprising forwarding the chat based at least in part on the
assigned priority by forwarding the chat to an associate of the
called-to party according to the assigned priority.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein the chat is assigned a relatively
higher priority and thereby is assigned to be handled by the
chatted-to party and not the agent of the chatting service, and
wherein the chatted-to party is unavailable, the method further
comprising forwarding the chat to the agent based at least in part
on the assigned priority after a predetermined period of
non-responsiveness associated with the assigned priority.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application discloses subject matter related to
that disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/851,785,
filed on Aug. 6, 2010, and entitled "System and Method for
Providing Enhanced Answering Services in a Time-Sensitive Manner",
hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, now issued as
U.S. Pat. No. 8,467,515.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a business organization or
the like that provides answering services, such as answering
services for professionals such as doctors, lawyers, funeral
directors, servicing representatives, and the like. More
particularly, the present disclosure relates to such a business
organization that provides such answering services in an especially
time-sensitive manner. Accordingly, a client or the like calling or
otherwise contacting a professional with an urgent matter is placed
into contact with the professional by the business
organization/answering service as soon as possible.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In many business-or professional-related situations or the
like, an age-old and recurring problem is effectuating contact
between a professional or the like and a client or the like calling
or otherwise attempting to contact the professional. Perhaps
ideally, the client would place a telephone call or the like to the
professional, the professional would answer the placed telephone
call instantaneously if not within a matter of moments, the desired
contact would thus be established, and the caller and professional
could communicate regarding some matter of interest. Notably,
however, most professionals are not always available to answer all
calls instantaneously or even momentarily. For example, the
professional simply may not want to answer calls, such as for
example if on a vacation or at a family event, among other things,
or the professional may be otherwise occupied by professional
matters.
[0004] With regard to the latter case in particular, it may be that
a doctor may be occupied by a medical matter and unavailable, or a
lawyer may be in a legal conference from which she or he is not to
be disturbed. Likewise, a funeral director may be attending to a
first client while a second client is calling. In such a particular
situation as well as others, it should be noted that not only is
the funeral director otherwise occupied by the first client, but
the nature of the funeral business is such that it would be
considered to be particularly insensitive if not rude to answer the
call from the second client while still attending to the first
client.
[0005] Generally, it is to be recognized that a professional or the
like may not always be immediately available to answer a call from
a client, be it to a landline telephone line or a mobile telephone
line or to such other communications device which may be available.
As should be appreciated, such a situation can exist even when the
client is calling regarding an urgent matter, such as a
life-threatening matter or a matter that otherwise should be given
immediate attention. Accordingly, it is known that such a
professional may employ a business organization that provides
answering services or the like (hereinafter, `an answering
service`) to answer calls from clients when the professional is not
immediately available.
[0006] As should be understood, a call to the professional is
forwarded therefrom to the answering service by appropriate means
when the professional is not available to answer such call or the
like, and the answering service may perform a range of answering
duties on behalf of the professional. For example, upon answering
the call on behalf of the professional, the answering service may
let the caller know when the professional is scheduled to be
available, or may collect information so that the professional can
return the call at an opportune time. Likewise, the answering
service may perform an assessment regarding the nature of the call
and based thereon may perform a range of actions. Thus, the
answering service may determine that a relatively more serious
matter requires more immediate action from the professional, in
which case the answering service may attempt to contact the
professional as soon as possible by appropriate means.
Correspondingly, the answering service may determine that a
relatively less serious matter requires less immediate action from
the professional, in which case the answering service may only
create a message for the professional to be collected thereby at a
later time.
[0007] It is to be understood that in at least some professional
situations, an answering service acts not only to answer calls on
behalf of a professional, but also acts as what likely is the first
contact a caller encounters regarding a called professional. Thus,
the answering service may in fact be the initial public face of the
professional to the caller, and if so may act to form the first
impression by the caller of the professional. Put another way, if
an initially calling caller is treated well by the answering
service, and is otherwise made to feel comfortable and impressed by
the answering service, such an initially calling caller is more
likely to continue with further efforts to contact the professional
and employ the goods and/or services of the professional.
Conversely, if an initially calling caller is treated poorly by the
answering service, or is otherwise made to feel uncomfortable or
unimpressed by the answering service, such an initially calling
caller may forego further efforts to contact the professional, and
instead may call another professional.
[0008] The aforementioned funeral business or the like is
especially relevant to such situation, in that a funeral caller
initially calling a funeral director or the like probably or even
likely has never previously contacted that funeral director, or any
other funeral director for that matter, at least on a professional
basis. Moreover, such funeral caller may have just suffered a loss
of a relative or friend and also may be in an especially precarious
frame of mind. Thus, and again, if the initially calling funeral
caller is answered by an answering service on behalf of the funeral
director, the answering service must take special care to treat the
funeral caller with dignity, caring, and compassion, as is fitting
and proper. Also, it is to be considered that the call from the
funeral caller to the funeral director if properly handled likely
will result in a relatively large monetary fee to the funeral
director for funeral-related goods and services. Thus, the
answering service must take special care to ensure that the funeral
caller is not dissuaded or otherwise given reason to seek such
funeral-related goods and service elsewhere.
[0009] Particularly with regard to funeral directors and the
special needs thereof as outlined above, funeral answering services
and the like have been developed to focus on and address same.
Moreover, it should be understood that such funeral answering
services are employed not only by funeral directors, but also by
other funeral professionals that require similar heightened levels
of dignity, caring, and compassion in their answering service
needs. Such other funeral professionals may for example include
funeral homes, cremation services, crematory facilities, cemetery
and memorial parks, casket and coffin companies, livery services,
trade embalmers, funeral transport services, coroners, monument
companies, burial vault companies, grief and bereavement
counselors, body and tissue donation services, pet cremation,
burial and cemetery services, and the like.
[0010] Typically, upon a funeral business engaging an answering
service to answer calls to the funeral business, the answering
service engages the services of one or more telephone service
providers or the like to effectuate forwarding of telephone calls
or the like from the business to the answering service,
particularly in a manner deemed necessary and/or advisable by the
business. Such engaging and such forwarding services are generally
known and need not be set forth herein in any detail other than
that which is provided. Generally, the forwarding may occur on any
appropriate basis, including the time of day, whether forwarding
has been positively engaged or disengaged, whether the business has
selected a particular call for forwarding, whether a call has rung
a predetermined number of times, whether a phone or phone system of
the business is off, or the like.
[0011] Notably, the answering service may answer a call on behalf
of a particular funeral business according to a predetermined
procedure or `script` that has been established for the particular
funeral business. As may be appreciated, the script can be quite
involved, and can tend to cover a wide range of subjects, including
the name and location of the deceased, the name, location, and
telephone number of the caller, whether the caller is a family
member or friend or a staff member at a nursing home or hospital or
the like, where and when the funeral is to be performed, where and
when burial or cremation is to be performed, required clergy,
directions to establishments, parking availability and needs,
handicap accessibility, available local florists and flower
delivery services, and the like. In fact, such scripts can
accommodate a wide range of scenarios and needs, and therefore can
be quite extensive. Importantly, with the use of such a script,
information can be collected from the funeral caller according to
the script and entered into an appropriate database or the like for
later retrieval and use, as is generally known.
[0012] In the prior art, the answering service would, based on such
a script, collect all information as dictated according to the
script, and then would terminate the call from the funeral caller,
of course with appropriate dignity and consolation, as well as with
an assurance that the funeral director/funeral business/funeral
professional (hereinafter, `funeral professional`) would return the
call. Notably, the answering service would then attempt to contact
the funeral professional, but only upon the call being terminated.
Typically, although by no means necessarily, the funeral
professional can be contacted by way of a predetermined mobile
telephone line, landline telephone line, pager, mobile electronic
mail device, desktop electronic mail device, mobile electronic
texting device, desktop electronic texting device, or a combination
thereof, or the like.
[0013] Waiting until a call from a funeral caller is terminated to
contact the funeral professional may be considered to be
advantageous in that the answering service has collected a goodly
amount of information on behalf of the funeral professional, and
such information may then be forwarded to the funeral professional
as a single package that may be in a more-or-less complete form.
For example, the information may be forwarded as an electronic
message to one or more of the aforementioned electronic devices of
the funeral professional, at about when the call is terminated,
when the funeral professional is actually contacted by the
answering service, or the like. Alternately, if the funeral
professional is contacted by the answering service by telephonic
means, such information can be orally transmitted to the funeral
professional. Note, though, that such oral transmission is prone to
errors and can take quite some time if the information is
relatively large.
[0014] Significantly, though, waiting until a call from a funeral
caller is terminated to contact the funeral professional is
disadvantageous in that the funeral caller, who again likely has
just suffered a loss of a relative or friend and also likely is in
an especially precarious frame of mind, would very much prefer to
speak directly to the funeral professional rather than an answering
service. Put plainly, the typical grieving funeral caller prefers
and even expects to speak directly to the funeral professional as
soon as possible to ensure that the funeral process as performed by
such funeral professional is expeditiously begun. Perhaps more
importantly, the typical grieving funeral caller also prefers and
even expects to speak directly to the funeral professional as soon
as possible in order to receive the psychological comforting that
the funeral professional provides and has been trained to provide.
After all, some of the most important functions the funeral
professional performs are to help those who are still alive grieve
the loss of the deceased.
[0015] Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method for
providing enhanced answering services in a time-sensitive manner,
particularly where the answering services are funereal in nature.
In particular, a need exists for such a system and method where,
upon recognizing that the caller is a funeral caller requiring
professional services of a funeral professional for a deceased,
contact with the funeral professional is automatically initiated,
even before the call has been terminated. Further, a need exists
for such a system and method where, upon establishing a connection
with the funeral professional, the funeral professional can be
introduced into the call while ongoing and can take over the call,
the better to be able to directly comfort the grieving caller and
also the better to be able to directly collect any additional
information needed.
SUMMARY
[0016] The answering service may also provide a chatting service on
behalf of a chatted-to party when a chatting party initiates a
computer chat with the chatted-to party. A computing system of the
chatting service establishes the chat for the chatting party and in
doing so collects identifying information identifying the chatting
party and an initial indication of the general nature of the chat.
A priority is then assigned to the chat based at least in part on
the collected identifying information and the collected initial
indication of the general nature of the chat, and the chat is
assigned to the attention of one of the chatted-to party, an agent
at the chatting service on behalf of the chatted-to party, and an
automated chat engine of the chatting service for chatting with the
chatting party. The chat is assigned based at least in part on the
assigned priority of the chat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The foregoing summary as well as the following detailed
description of various embodiments of the present innovation will
be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended
drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the various embodiments
of the innovation, there are shown in the drawings embodiments that
are presently preferred. As should be understood, however, the
innovation is not limited to the precise arrangements and
instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of a computing
environment within which various embodiments of the present
innovation may be implemented;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a professional answering
service provided to answer calls or the like from clients to
professionals or the like in the event that the professionals are
not willing or able to answer the calls;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computing system employed to
answer a call from the client of FIG. 2 to the funeral professional
of FIG. 2 as forwarded to the answering service of FIG. 2 in
accordance with various embodiments of the present innovation;
[0021] FIGS. 4-6 are flow diagrams showing actions performed by the
computing system of FIG. 3 in accordance with various embodiments
of the present innovation; and
[0022] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a system employed to effectuate
a chat as requested by the client of FIG. 2 to the funeral
professional of FIG. 2 in accordance with various embodiments of
the present innovation; and
[0023] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing actions performed by the
system of FIG. 7 in accordance with various embodiments of the
present innovation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Certain terminology may be used in the following description
for convenience only and is not limiting. The words "lower" and
"upper" and "top" and "bottom" designate directions in the drawings
to which reference is made. The terminology includes the words
above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of
similar import.
[0025] Where a term is provided in the singular, the inventors also
contemplate aspects of the invention described by the plural of
that term. As used in this specification and in the appended
claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural
references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, e.g., "a
tip" includes a plurality of tips. Thus, for example, a reference
to "a method" includes one or more methods, and/or steps of the
type described herein and/or which will become apparent to those
persons skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure.
[0026] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms
used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although
any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described
herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present
invention, the preferred methods, constructs and materials are now
described. All publications mentioned herein are incorporated
herein by reference in their entirety. Where there are
discrepancies in terms and definitions used in references that are
incorporated by reference, the terms used in this application shall
have the definitions given herein.
Example Computing Environment
[0027] FIG. 1 is set forth herein as an exemplary computing
environment in which various embodiments of the present invention
may be implemented. The computing system environment is only one
example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to
suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality.
Numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system
environments or configurations may be used. Examples of well-known
computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be
suitable for use include, but are not limited to, personal
computers (PCs), server computers, handheld or laptop devices,
multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based systems, network PCs,
minicomputers, mainframe computers, embedded systems, distributed
computing environments that include any of the above systems or
devices, and the like.
[0028] Computer-executable instructions such as program modules
executed by a computer may be used. Generally, program modules
include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures,
etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract
data types. Distributed computing environments may be used where
tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked
through a communications network or other data transmission medium.
In a distributed computing environment, program modules and other
data may be located in both local and remote computer storage media
including memory storage devices.
[0029] With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for
implementing aspects described herein includes a computing device,
such as computing device 100. In its most basic configuration,
computing device 100 typically includes at least one processing
unit 102 and memory 104. Depending on the exact configuration and
type of computing device, memory 104 may be volatile (such as
random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile (such as read-only memory
(ROM), flash memory, etc.), or some combination of the two. This
most basic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1 by dashed line
106. Computing device 100 may have additional features and
functionality. For example, computing device 100 may include
additional storage (removable and/or non-removable) including, but
not limited to, magnetic or optical disks or tape. Such additional
storage is illustrated in FIG. 1 by removable storage 108 and
non-removable storage 110.
[0030] Computing device 100 typically includes or is provided with
a variety of computer-readable hardware media. Computer-readable
media can be any available media that can be accessed by computing
device 100 and includes both volatile and non-volatile media,
removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not
limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer storage
media and communication media.
[0031] Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile,
removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or
technology for storage of information such as computer-readable
instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.
Memory 104, removable storage 108, and non-removable storage 110
are all examples of computer storage media. Computer storage media
includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other
memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other
optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk
storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other
computer-readable hardware medium which can be used to store the
desired information and which can accessed by computing device 100.
Any such computer storage media may be part of computing device
100.
[0032] Computing device 100 may also contain communications
connection(s) 112 that allow the device to communicate with other
devices 100. Each such communications connection 112 is an example
of communication media. Communication media typically embodies
computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or
other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or
other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery
media. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one
or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as
to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not
limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a
wired network or direct-wired connection (including VoIP), and
wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), WiFi,
infrared and other wireless media. The term computer-readable media
as used herein includes both storage media and communication
media.
[0033] Computing device 100 may also have input device(s) 114 such
as keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device,
etc. Output device(s) 116 such as a display, speakers, printer,
etc. may also be included. All these devices are generally known to
the relevant public and therefore need not be discussed in any
detail herein except as provided.
[0034] Notably, computing device 100 may be one of a plurality of
computing devices 100 inter-connected by a network 118, as is shown
in FIG. 1. As may be appreciated, the network 118 may be any
appropriate network, each computing device 100 may be connected
thereto by way of a connection 112 in any appropriate manner, and
each computing device 100 may communicate with one or more of the
other computing devices 100 in the network 118 in any appropriate
manner. For example, the network 118 may be a wired or wireless
network within an organization or home or the like, and may include
a direct or indirect coupling to an external network such as the
Internet or the like. Likewise, the network 118 may be such an
external network.
[0035] Particularly in the case where the network 118 is an
external network, such network 118 may be a digitally based network
(including VoIP) for exchanging computer data among the devices
100, may be an audio and/or video network for exchanging audio
and/or video data among the devices 100, or the like. Thus, it may
be that the network 118 may be a public switched telephone network
for landline telephone communications, a mobile switching center
for wireless telephone communications, a paging network for
distributing paging information, a private multimedia network for
establishing videoconferencing, or the like. Thus, it should be
appreciated, that one or more of the computing devices 100 that are
shown to the left of the network 118 in FIG. 1 may be a mobile
telephone, a landline telephone, a pager, a mobile electronic mail
device, a desktop electronic mail device, a mobile electronic
texting device, a desktop electronic texting device, or a
combination thereof, or the like.
[0036] It should be understood that the various techniques
described herein may be implemented in connection with hardware or
software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both. Thus,
the methods and apparatus of the presently disclosed subject
matter, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form
of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media,
such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other
machine-readable storage medium wherein, when the program code is
loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the
machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the presently disclosed
subject matter.
[0037] In the case of program code execution on programmable
computers, the computing device generally includes a processor, a
storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and
non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input
device, and at least one output device. One or more programs may
implement or utilize the processes described in connection with the
presently disclosed subject matter, e.g., through the use of an
application-program interface (API), reusable controls, or the
like. Such programs may be implemented in a high-level procedural
or object-oriented programming language to communicate with a
computer system. However, the program(s) can be implemented in
assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language
may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combined with
hardware implementations.
[0038] Although exemplary embodiments may refer to utilizing
aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter in the context of
one or more stand-alone computer systems, the subject matter is not
so limited, but rather may be implemented in connection with any
computing environment, such as a network 118 or a distributed
computing environment. Still further, aspects of the presently
disclosed subject matter may be implemented in or across a
plurality of processing chips or devices, and storage may similarly
be effected across a plurality of devices in a network 118. Such
devices might include personal computers, network servers, and
handheld devices, for example.
Professional Answering Service
[0039] Turning now to FIG. 2, it is seen that a professional
answering service 10 is provided to answer each of one or more
calls or the like from each of one or more clients 12 or the like
to each of one or more professionals 14 or the like in the event
that a particular professional 14 is not willing or able to answer
a particular call from a particular client 12. Typically, although
not necessarily, the answering service 10 is operated by a business
organization that provides answering services or the like on behalf
of multiple professionals 14. As was alluded to above, each client
12 and each professional 14 may be any appropriate respective
client and professional without departing from the spirit and scope
of the present innovation. Thus it may be that a particular
professional 14 is a doctor, a lawyer, a service professional, a
funeral director, or the like, among other things, and a particular
client 12 calling to the professional 14 may require the
professional services thereof, perhaps on an urgent basis.
[0040] Likewise, the reason why the professional 14 does not answer
a particular call may be most any reason without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present innovation. For example, the
professional 14 simply may not want to answer calls, such as for
example if on a vacation or at a family event, among other things,
or the professional 14 may be otherwise occupied by professional
matters.
[0041] Presumptively, the call to the professional 14 from the
client 12 is of a telephonic nature, at least for purposes of
disclosing the present innovation in the present disclosure. Thus,
it may be that the client 12 is employing a landline telephone or a
mobile telephone (a device 100 of FIG. 1, e.g.), and is calling to
a landline telephone or mobile telephone of the professional 14
(also a device 100 of FIG. 1, e.g.). Notably, though, the call to
the professional 14 from the client 12 could be of some other
nature without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
innovation. For example, it may be that the client 12 is employing
a digital electronic mail device or a digital texting device
(again, a device 100 of FIG. 1, e.g.), and is addressing a digital
electronic mail device or a digital texting device (once again, a
device 100 of FIG. 1, e.g.) of the professional 14.
[0042] Particularly in the case where the call is telephonic in
nature, and as seen in FIG. 2, the call from the client 12 to the
professional 14 is forwarded therefrom to the answering service 10
by appropriate means that have already been established in a
generally known manner. Typically, and as was alluded to above,
upon the professional 14 engaging the answering service 10 to
answer calls on behalf of such professional 14, the answering
service 10 communicates with one or more telephone service
providers or the like to effectuate such forwarding. As should be
understood, the forwarding may be performed according to any
appropriate basis, including the time of day, whether forwarding
has been positively engaged or disengaged, whether the business has
selected a particular call for forwarding, whether a call has rung
a predetermined number of times, whether a phone or phone system of
the business is off, or the like. In any case, the call from the
client 12 to the professional 14 is in fact answered by the
answering service 10 on behalf of the professional 14.
Funeral Professional
[0043] Although the professional 14 of the present innovation may
be most any professional, it is to be appreciated that the present
innovation has special relevance to funeral professionals 14,
including not only funeral directors but also related professionals
and services such as funeral homes, cremation services, crematory
facilities, cemetery and memorial parks, casket and coffin
companies, livery services, trade embalmers, funeral transport
services, coroners, monument companies, burial vault companies,
grief and bereavement counselors, body and tissue donation
services, pet cremation, burial and cemetery services, and the
like. Notably, such funeral professionals 14 share a common need
for a heightened level of dignity, caring, and compassion in
connection with the services provided thereby to a client 12, as
well as the services provided on their behalf to the client 12 by
the answering service 10.
[0044] For example, a funeral director attending to a first client
12 is expected to devote an especially heightened level of care and
compassion to such first client 12, even when a second client 12 is
calling such funeral director. Nevertheless, the second client 12
also should expect the same heightened level of care and
compassion. Thus, the dilemma is whether to interrupt the first
client 12 to answer the second client 12, or to ignore the second
client 12, either of which may be considered to be particularly
insensitive if not rude. Moreover, the dilemma may be compounded in
the case where the second client 12 is an initial caller initially
calling regarding obtaining funeral services for a deceased, and
ignoring same would result in the second client 12 obtaining
funeral services elsewhere, thus representing a substantial
monetary loss to the funeral professional 14.
[0045] In such an instance, the answering service 10 in answering
the call from the initially calling second client 12 on behalf of
the funeral professional 14 allows same to at least somewhat
satisfy the needs of the second client 12 for the moment, and helps
to prevent the second client 12 from obtaining funeral services
elsewhere. More generally, the answering service 10 can very likely
be the first contact any client 12 encounters regarding the called
funeral professional 14, and in so doing is the initial public face
of the funeral professional 14 to such client 12 and acts to form
the first impression by the client 12 of the funeral professional
14. Thus, the funeral professional 14 should expect if not require
that the answering service 10 treat each calling client 12 well,
and otherwise make such client 12 feel comfortable and impressed by
the answering service 10, so that the calling client 12 is more
likely to continue with further efforts to contact the funeral
professional 14 and employ the services thereof.
[0046] As might be appreciated, performing such a task is
especially difficult for the answering service 10 if the calling
client 12 has just suffered a loss of a relative or friend and is
therefore in an especially precarious frame of mind. Accordingly,
the answering service 10 may be expected to employ especially
well-trained agents to answer calls from clients 12 to funeral
professionals 14, where the agents are selected based at least in
part on being compassionate, caring, soothing, and attentive, among
other things.
[0047] Nevertheless, it is especially important to remember that a
calling client 12 and especially a client 12 initially calling
regarding a deceased wishes to speak directly to the funeral
professional 14 as soon as possible. In particular, and as was
alluded to above, no matter how well-trained the agents may be at
the answering service 10, the calling client 12 may have just
suffered a loss of a relative or friend and also may be in an
especially precarious frame of mind, and would very much prefer to
speak as soon as possible with the funeral professional 14 rather
than an answering service 10, both to ensure that the funeral
process as performed by such funeral professional 14 is
expeditiously begun, and also to receive the psychological
comforting that the funeral professional 14 provides and has been
trained to provide.
Time-Sensitive Answering Service
[0048] Accordingly, and turning now to FIG. 3, it is seen that in
various embodiments of the present innovation, a call from a client
12 to a funeral professional 14 as forwarded to an answering
service 10 is answered by an individual agent associated with the
answering service 10 with the use of a computing system 16
instantiated by or on behalf of the answering service 10. Notably,
such a computing system 16 as instantiated includes a mechanism for
initiating contact with the funeral professional 14 as soon as the
agent thereof who is answering the call determines that the calling
client 12 is initially calling regarding a deceased or other urgent
matter.
[0049] As seen in FIG. 3, the computing system 16 is in the nature
of the computing device 100 on the top part of FIG. 1. Here, it is
to be appreciated that the computing system 16 may among other
things include a first telephone connection 18 or the like for
receiving the forwarded call from the client 10, a display 20 or
the like upon which is shown various items, a second telephone
connection 22 or the like for outgoing calls and automated
voicemail dispatch or the like, and a data connection 24 or the
like for outgoing data messages or the like, perhaps in the nature
of electronic mail, a chat message, a push message, or a text
message as will be set forth in more detail below.
[0050] As was noted above, the agent at the computing system 16 of
the answering service 10 may answer a particular forwarded call
from a client 10 on behalf of a particular funeral professional 14
according to a predetermined procedure or `script 26` that has been
established for the particular funeral professional 14.
Accordingly, and now referring also to FIG. 4, as an initial matter
the particular call is received on the first telephone connection
18 of the computing system 16 (401, FIG. 4), is identified by the
system 16 as being for a particular funeral professional 14 (403),
and based thereon the system 16 obtains and runs the corresponding
script 26 (405), perhaps from a local or remote database 28 (FIG.
3). As may be appreciated, the system may identify the particular
funeral professional 14 for the forwarded call as at 403 in any
appropriate manner, such as for example based on a caller ID, DNIS
(Dialed Number Identification System), or other information
associated with the forwarded call. Such identifying is known or
should be apparent to the relevant public and therefore need not be
set forth herein in any detail other than that which is
provided.
[0051] As may be appreciated, the obtained and run script 26 as at
405 is in an electronic form, and may have any appropriate
structure. Typically, although not necessarily, the script 26
includes a number of questions that are displayed on the display 20
of the computing system 16, the agent asks the questions to the
calling client 12 and enters corresponding answers into appropriate
pre-defined spaces in the display 20, and the entered answers can
be stored in a record of appropriate form in the database 28 or
elsewhere. As should be understood, the questions and answers
relate to ferreting out the purpose of the call from the calling
client 12.
[0052] The questions may be displayed and the answers collected
individually or in groups, and the script 26 may include branching
points where different answers to a previous question result in
different next questions, among other things. As was alluded to
above, the script 26 can be quite extensive so as to accommodate a
wide range of subjects, including the general nature of the call,
the name and location of the deceased, the name, location, and
telephone number of the calling client 12, whether the calling
client 12 is a family member or friend or a staff member at a
nursing home or hospital or the like, whether services have been
prearranged, personal information on the deceased including date of
birth, date and time of death, the name and telephone number of any
attending doctor, required clergy, directions to establishments,
parking availability and needs, handicap accessibility, available
local florists and flower delivery services, and the like. Note
here that at least some of such information can possibly be
collected automatically. For example, the name, location, and
telephone number of the calling client 12 may be obtained from
known sources such as caller ID or other similar information. In
such a circumstance, it may be that the corresponding question is
automatically skipped, or that the information is confirmed by the
agent.
[0053] As was noted above, the agent could, based on such a script
26, collect all information as dictated according to the script 26,
and then could terminate the call from the calling client 12, and
then could attempt to contact the funeral professional 14 after the
call is terminated. As should be understood, the funeral
professional 14 typically can be contacted by way of a
predetermined mobile telephone line, landline telephone line,
pager, mobile electronic mail device, desktop electronic mail
device, mobile electronic texting device, desktop electronic
texting device, or a combination thereof, or the like. Upon
contacting the funeral professional 14 or as part of contacting the
funeral professional 14, then, the agent would transmit thereto at
least some of the corresponding record in the database 26 so that
the funeral professional 14 could call back the calling client 12.
Such transmitting may be performed orally if over a telephone line
or the like, or electronically if by way of an electronic message
or the like. If electronically, a return receipt may be required to
confirm that the funeral professional 14 has received the
transmission.
[0054] However, and as was pointed out above, waiting until the
call is terminated to contact the funeral professional 14 is
disadvantageous in that the calling client 12 is made to wait to
speak directly to the funeral professional 14, which is likely
preferred. Also, the calling client 12 while being made to wait may
have second thoughts about engaging the services of the funeral
professional 14, and instead may decide to seek such services
elsewhere.
[0055] Accordingly, and in various embodiments of the present
innovation, while the corresponding script is being run as at 405,
during which questions are displayed to the agent on the display 20
and answers are collected and stored in the database 28, the agent
is also given an option to have the computing system 16 immediately
commence contacting the funeral professional 14 at any triggering
point when the agent determines that the calling client 12 is
initially calling regarding a deceased (409). Also, the system may
automatically begin contacting the funeral professional based upon
specific input from the agent. For example, if a death has
occurred, the agent may actuate a button or the like to indicate
the death, and in response the computing system 16 may
automatically contact the funeral professional as well as prompt
the agent to begin asking specific death-related questions. As may
be appreciated, the agent may determine that a calling client 12 is
initially calling regarding a deceased in any appropriate manner
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
innovation, perhaps with guidance if not training and instructions
from the answering service 10.
[0056] Nevertheless, it may be expected that such a calling client
12 initially calling regarding a deceased is a caller who has not
previously called regarding a particular deceased and is therefore
calling to initiate the use of funeral services provided by the
called-to funeral professional 14 with regard to such particular
deceased, or at least to inquire regarding such use. Perhaps
parenthetically, it may also be expected that in at least some
instances the calling client 12 is not especially clear that same
is in fact initially calling regarding a deceased, for example in
cases where the calling client 12 is distraught or overcome with
grief, or in cases where the calling client 12 is suffering from
other diminished mental capacity. Thus, the training of the agent
may focus on such aspects in particular when deciding whether the
calling client 12 is in fact initially calling regarding a
deceased.
[0057] In various embodiments of the present innovation, and as
seen in FIG. 3, the option to commence contacting the funeral
professional is provided by way of an actuation device 30 on the
display 20, which may be a button labeled `Get Funeral Professional
Now` or the like. Thus, such actuation device 30 is actuated by the
agent (407) by way of a displayed cursor and associated mouse, by
way of touching if the display 20 is a touch display, by way of a
keystroke or keystroke sequence on an associated keyboard of the
computing system 16, or the like. Alternately, the actuation device
30 may be separate from the display 20, and in particular may be
hardware on an associated keyboard of the computing system 16 or
some other related structure, and/or software actuated by such
software. Note here that the computing system 16 may automatically
begin contacting the funeral professional 14 based on a
determination to do so according to other received inputs.
[0058] Upon the agent actuating the actuation device 30 as at 407
and the computing system receiving same as at 409, and in various
embodiments of the present innovation, the computing system 16
initiates contact with the funeral professional 14 immediately, or
at least as soon as is practicable, while the incoming call from
the calling client 12 (hereinafter, `the deceased call`) is still
in progress (411). That is to say, the contact is initiated prior
to the agent reaching the end of the script. Thus, in the meantime,
the computing system may continue running the script as at 405 so
that the agent can continue gathering information from the calling
client 12.
[0059] As may be appreciated, the method of contact employed by the
system 16 as at 411 may be any appropriate method, and may be set
forth in the corresponding script 26 or a related document from the
database 28 or the like. As presently envisioned, the method of
contact may involve a telephone number of the funeral professional
14 (perhaps associated with a mobile telephone of the funeral
professional 14), in which case the computing system 16
automatically calls to such telephone number by way of the second
telephone connection 22 while the deceased call is still in
progress (FIG. 3) (413), or may involve an electronic mail or text
address of the funeral professional 14 (perhaps associated with a
pager, a personal data assistant, or the like of the funeral
professional 14), in which case the computing system 16
automatically sends an electronic mail message, a chat message, a
push message, or a text message to such address by way of the data
connection 24, again while the deceased call is still in progress
(FIG. 3) (415), or may involve both.
[0060] If the computing system 16 automatically sends an electronic
mail message or a text message to an address of the funeral
professional 14 by way of the data connection 24 (FIG. 3) (415),
and turning now to FIG. 5, it may be that the automatically sent
message includes some or all of the information thus far gathered
by the agent from the calling client 12 according to the
corresponding script 26 (501). Additionally, it may be that the
sent message includes an appropriate message header to be initially
seen by the funeral professional 14, such as for example that the
deceased call is in progress, and perhaps other information (503).
In various embodiments of the present innovation, the sent message
also includes a call-back telephone number by which the funeral
professional 14 can call in by way of the second telephone
connection 22 (hereinafter, `the call-back call`), and if need be a
call identifier that may be needed to identify the deceased call
(505). Note here that including such a call-back telephone number
and/or such a call identifier may not be necessary if, for example,
the funeral professional 14 has a dedicated call-back telephone
number, in which case the computing system 16 can recognize the
funeral professional 14 thereby. However, such a call identifier in
particular may be needed if it is anticipated that the funeral
professional 14 would be involved in several deceased calls
simultaneously.
[0061] As should be appreciated, with the call-back telephone
number and perhaps the call identifier, the funeral professional 14
may then initiate the call-back call, which would then be received
and answered by the computing system 16 by way of the second
telephone connection 22 (507). The computing system 16 identifies
the funeral professional 14 on the call-back call to the deceased
call by appropriate means and, in various embodiments of the
present innovation, gives the funeral professional 14 the option to
decide whether to join in at all, or perhaps to merely monitor the
deceased call without joining in (509). Such an option to monitor
may be implemented by way of a vocalized menu system or the like,
as may be appreciated. As may be appreciated, despite the great
sensitivity and compassion required, there are also times when the
funeral professional 14 knows that immediate involvement is not
needed and/or advisable. For example, it may be that the deceased
call was expected and plans have already been made to address same,
among other things.
[0062] Presuming, however, that the funeral professional 14 does in
fact wish to join in to the deceased call, and in various
embodiments, the computing system 16 communicatively couples the
deceased call and the call-back call (hereinafter, `the coupled
call` (511) in a manner that is generally known, perhaps with a
corresponding appropriate vocalized message to the funeral
professional 14. However, in doing so, the computing system 16
initially places the call-back call in a mute mode so that the
funeral professional 14 can hear the deceased call but cannot be
heard in the deceased call (513). Thus, the funeral professional 14
on the call-back call can listen to the deceased call while in
progress by way of the coupled call, and is not suddenly and
perhaps jarringly present in such deceased call. In addition, the
computing system 16 notifies the agent that the call-back call is
in progress (515), perhaps by way of an appropriate highlighted
button or a message in the display 20 (FIG. 3). Thus, the agent can
then notify the calling client 12 that the funeral professional 14
may be currently available to speak with such calling client
12.
[0063] It may be that the agent thereafter removes the mute mode
from the call-back call to allow the calling client 14 and funeral
professional 14 to speak directly by way of the coupled call (519),
again perhaps by way of appropriate highlighted buttons in the
display 20 (FIG. 3). However, the agent has already gathered
information which may be of immediate interest to the funeral
professional 14 based on the questions and answers from the
aforementioned script 26. Thus, it may be that prior to removing
the aforementioned mute mode, the agent politely places the
deceased call on hold when appropriate (517), once more perhaps by
way of an appropriate highlighted button in the display 20 (FIG.
3), then removes such mute mode from the call-back call as at 519,
consults with the funeral professional 14 regarding the status of
the deceased call and any gathered information not yet delivered to
the funeral professional 14 (521), then removes the hold on the
deceased call, still once more perhaps by way of an appropriate
highlighted button in the display 20 (FIG. 3), introduces the
calling client 12 and the funeral professional 14 to each other,
and allows both to speak directly to each other by way of the
coupled call (523).
[0064] Notably, by giving the gathered information thereof to the
funeral professional 14 as at 501 and 521, the calling client 12
need not repeat same. Moreover, the funeral professional 14 with
such information can proceed to comfort the calling client 12 that
much more quickly inasmuch as the administrative details may have
already been dealt with and communicated to the funeral
professional 14. Also notably, once the calling client 12 and the
funeral professional 14 are introduced to each other and speaking
by way of the coupled call, the agent need not necessarily be
involved in either the deceased call or the call-back call, and
therefore may disconnect out of the coupled call, still once more
again perhaps by way of an appropriate highlighted button in the
display 20. Alternately, the agent can stay in the coupled call to
take notes on behalf of the funeral professional 14, and can then
deliver the notes to such funeral professional 14, perhaps by way
of an electronic mail or text message or the like.
[0065] If the computing system 16 automatically calls to a
telephone number of the funeral professional 14 by way of the
second telephone connection 22 as at 413 of FIG. 4, the process is
similar to that of FIG. 5. In particular, and turning now to FIG.
6, it may also be that the automatic call includes some or all of
the information thus far gathered by the agent from the calling
client 12 according to the corresponding script 26 (601), although
such information would likely be abbreviated due to the oral nature
of the telephone. Note here that some of such information may be
included with caller ID information that is provided with the
automatic call. Here, no call-back telephone number or call
identifier would be needed as the computing system 16 initiated the
outgoing call out to the funeral professional 14 by way of the
second telephone connection 22 (hereinafter, `the call-out
call`).
[0066] Upon the funeral professional 14 receiving the call-out call
and receiving the information at 601, such funeral professional 14
may then be given the option to decide whether to join in at all or
perhaps to merely monitor the deceased call without joining in as
before at 509 (603). Thus, the computing system 16 would receive a
selected option from the funeral professional 14 and act
accordingly in a manner that should be understood. Presuming, again
that the funeral professional 14 does in fact wish to join in to
the deceased call, and in various embodiments, the computing system
16 communicatively couples the deceased call and the call-out call
(hereinafter, `the coupled call` in a manner similar to that of 511
(605). As before, the computing system 16 initially places the
call-out call in a mute mode so that the funeral professional 14
can hear the deceased call but cannot be heard in the deceased call
(607). Thus, and again, the funeral professional 14 on the call-out
call can listen to the deceased call while in progress by way of
the coupled call, and is not suddenly and perhaps jarringly present
in such deceased call. As with 515, the computing system 16 also
notifies the agent that the call-out call is in progress (609),
perhaps by way of an appropriate highlighted button or a message in
the display 20 (FIG. 3). Thus, the agent can likewise notify the
calling client 12 that the funeral professional 14 may be currently
available to speak with such calling client 12.
[0067] Similar to before, it may be that the agent thereafter
removes the mute mode from the call-out call to allow the calling
client 14 and funeral professional 14 to speak directly by way of
the coupled call (613), again perhaps by way of appropriate
highlighted buttons in the display 20 (FIG. 3). However, and again,
the agent has already gathered information which may be of
immediate interest to the funeral professional 14 based on the
questions and answers from the aforementioned script 26. In the
telephone case of FIG. 6, however, it is likely that the funeral
professional 14 has not had much if any information provided as
yet, and accordingly it is more likely that the agent must spend
some time delivering such information to the funeral professional
14. Accordingly, prior to removing the aforementioned mute mode,
the agent politely places the deceased call on hold when
appropriate (611), once more perhaps by way of an appropriate
highlighted button in the display 20 (FIG. 3), then removes such
mute mode from the call-out call as at 613, consults with the
funeral professional 14 regarding the status of the deceased call
and the gathered information not yet delivered to the funeral
professional 14 (615), then removes the hold on the deceased call,
still once more perhaps by way of an appropriate highlighted button
in the display 20 (FIG. 3), introduces the calling client 12 and
the funeral professional 14 to each other, and allows both to speak
directly to each other by way of the coupled call (617).
[0068] Once more, by giving the gathered information thereof to the
funeral professional 14 as at 601 and 615, the calling client 12
need not repeat same. Also, once the calling client 12 and the
funeral professional 14 are introduced to each other and speaking
by way of the coupled call, the agent need not necessarily be
involved in either the deceased call or the call-out call, and
therefore may disconnect out of the coupled call, still once more
again perhaps by way of an appropriate highlighted button in the
display 20. Alternately, the agent can again stay in the coupled
call to take notes on behalf of the funeral professional 14, and
can then deliver the notes to such funeral professional 14, perhaps
by way of an electronic mail or text message or the like.
Further Concepts--Computer Chatting
[0069] The present innovation has thus far been set forth primarily
in terms of a calling client 12 calling to a funeral professional
14 by way of a telephone call or the like. Notably, though, a
client 12 may instead wish to engage the funeral professional 14 in
a more computerized format, such as for example by way of a
computer chat or the like. While such a computer chat or the like
(hereinafter, `computer chat` or `chat`) is admittedly less
personal than a telephone call or the like, at least some clients
12 today prefer a computer chat over a telephone call, perhaps
because the chat allows the client 12 an amount of needed
detachment, and allows the client 12 to be more composed, among
other things. Also, the computer chatting allows the client 12 to
handle more mundane issues in a relatively quick and non-burdensome
manner. For example, a client 12 may believe it to be easier to
obtain directions to a cemetery, the telephone number of a local
florist, the name of a nearby hotel, and/or the like by a computer
chat as opposed to a telephone call.
[0070] Computer chatting is generally known or should be apparent
to the relevant public and therefore need not be set forth herein
in any detail other than that which is provided. In computer
chatting, which may also be known as on-line chatting, generally
text-based communications occur between at least two parties over a
communications medium such as the Internet, where the
communications occur in real-time or near-real-time. Chat messages
are usually relatively short in order to enable participants to
respond quickly to each other. Thereby, a feeling similar to a
spoken conversation is created, which distinguishes chatting from
other text-based online communication forms such as Internet forums
and email. Typically, although not necessarily, the messages
between chatting parties appear on a screen of a computing device
100 in a visual box and accumulate as the messages are sent so as
to form an ongoing transcript of the chat. Such an ongoing
transcript may be finalized and saved or sent to one or more of the
chatting parties once the chat has completed, which may contribute
to distinguishing chatting from texting.
[0071] Generally, in computer chatting in the present context, and
turning now to FIG. 7, a funeral professional 14 may arrange to
`host` a chat by having a chatting module 40 or the like
incorporated into a web site 42 or the like of such funeral
professional 14, or at least would arrange to have the chatting
module 40 otherwise available to the client 12, perhaps by way of a
web site 42 of the answering service 10. Alternately, the chatting
module 40 may be incorporated into an application or `app` 44 of
the funeral professional 14 or of the answering service 10 which
the client 12 may download and install to an appropriate computing
device 100 thereof. Thus, the client 12 would access the chatting
module 40 by way of a personal computer or smart phone thereof or
the like, and thereby enter into a chat with the funeral
professional 14 and/or an agent of the answering service 10.
[0072] Note that in conjunction with entering into the chat (801)
and turning now to FIG. 8, the client 12 may be requested to
provide certain identifying information thereof (803), perhaps
including a name, a telephone number, a mobile telephone number, an
email address, a home address, and/or the like. Thus, it may be
that a telephone call back to the client 12 can take place, or that
a follow-up email to the client 12 may be sent, among other things.
Also, the client 12 may be requested to provide an initial
indication of the general nature of the chat (805). Thus, the chat
can among other things be prioritized as will be set forth in more
detail below, or may be responded to in an automated manner as will
also be set forth in more detail below.
[0073] In various embodiments of the present innovation, the client
12 engaging in the chat relating to the funeral professional 14 may
converse directly with such funeral professional 14 (809A) or may
converse directly with an agent at the answering service 10 of the
funeral professional 14 (809B), in a manner akin to the client 12
calling to the funeral professional 14 as was set forth above.
Thus, if the funeral professional 14 is unavailable for whatever
reason, the chat may be forwarded to take place with the agent at
the answering service 10, the agent may employ a script 26, the
agent may commence contacting the funeral professional 14 at a
triggering point, the funeral professional 14 can join into or take
over the chat if desired, and the like, all in a manner akin to the
calling scenario set forth above.
[0074] Notably, however, the use of the chatting module 40 allows
for additional useful functionality. As but one example, with the
chatting module 40, neither the agent at the answering service 10
nor the funeral professional 14 need necessarily be present during
the chat. Instead, the answering service 10 may effectuate the chat
in an automated manner (809C), perhaps according to the script 26
and by way of an automated chat engine 46 as operated by the
answering service 10. With such an automated chat engine 46, at
least a portion of the script 26 may be run with the chatting
client 12, and the answers chatted by the client 12 may be employed
to collect relevant information into the database 28 (FIG. 3). Also
according to the script 26, the chat engine 46 may recognize
trigger points at which time the funeral professional 14 is brought
in, in a manner akin to the calling scenario set forth above.
[0075] Admittedly, the use of such an automated chat engine 46 may
not allow for the personal connection that may be considered to be
important in the context of a funeral or the like. However, a
client 12 engaging in a computer chat in such a context may not be
especially concerned with such personal connection. That said, it
may be the case that in using an automated chat engine 46, it may
be easier to detect the trigger points at which time the funeral
professional 14 is to be brought into play, perhaps if the trigger
points are based on keywords that the client 12 may employ during a
particular chat. Such an automated chat engine 46 is known or
should be apparent to the relevant public based on the present
disclosure, and therefore need not be set forth herein in any
detail other than that which is provided.
[0076] In various embodiments of the present innovation, and
particularly in the context of the use of the chatting module 40,
it is to be appreciated that if a human is to be chatting with the
client 12 by way of such chatting module 40, it may be that the
human is initially an agent at the answering service 10 on behalf
of the funeral professional 14, or that the human is initially the
funeral professional 14 itself. Also in various embodiments of the
present innovation, it may be that a particular chat initiated by a
client 12 is prioritized (807), and then handled according to a
particular priority level associated with the chat.
[0077] Prioritizing a particular chat of a client 12 may be
performed in most any appropriate manner without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present innovation. For example, it may be
that the client 12 in initiating the chat is asked to categorize
how important the chat is on a sliding scale, or that the client 12
is asked a purpose for the chat, perhaps from a predetermined list
of purposes, and the purpose has a predetermined priority level
associated therewith. Likewise, it may be that a priority is
assigned to a particular chat based on a combination of factors,
such as initial information collected from the client 12, the
aforementioned purpose of the chat, the time of day, a determined
location of the chatting client 12, who the client 12 might be
wishing to be in communication with, whether the client 12 is new
to the funeral professional 14 or already employing the funeral
professional 14, and the like.
[0078] Also, it may be that the chat of the client 12 is not
initially prioritized and is initially handled by an aforementioned
automated chat engine 46, and that the chat with the client 12 is
prioritized as the chat proceeds with the automated chat engine 46,
perhaps based on keywords received from the client 12 during the
chat. For example, if the client uses the phrase "there's been a
death", "just passed away", or the like, the chat may be assigned a
relatively high priority, while if the client uses the phrase
"where can I buy flowers", "where can I park", or the like, the
chat may be assigned a relatively low priority.
[0079] Once a particular chat of a client 12 has been assigned a
particular priority as at 807, handling the chat according to the
priority may be performed in most any appropriate manner without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present innovation.
Notably, it may be that a chat assigned a relatively lower priority
is automatically assigned to be handled by an agent of the
answering service 10 on behalf of a funeral professional 14, while
a chat assigned a relatively higher priority is automatically
assigned to be handled by the funeral professional 14 itself if at
all available. Additionally, it may be that a chat assigned a
relatively middling priority is also automatically assigned to be
handled by the funeral professional 14 itself, but that the funeral
professional 14 may be given the option to decline the chat, in
which case the chat may be forwarded to the agent.
[0080] Particularly in the case where the chat is to be handled by
the agent and not the funeral professional 14, it may be the case
that the agent is provided with information needed to handle
various issues that the client 12 may need to be addressed. Such
information may be stored with the script 26 for the funeral
professional 14 or elsewhere in the database 28 or the like. Thus,
and particularly in the case where the chat has a lower priority,
the agent may be able to provide such information on behalf of the
funeral professional 14 without the funeral professional 14 having
to be bothered. The lower-priority information provided by the
agent on behalf of the funeral professional 14 may be most any
information without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present innovation, bearing in mind that such lower-priority
information might be expected to be of a less-sensitive and
more-administrative nature. For example, the lower-priority
information provided by the agent on behalf of the funeral
professional 14 without bothering same may include directions to a
funeral home, house of worship, cemetery, or the like; locations of
hotels local to a particular location; names of local florists for
sending flowers or the like; where to park near a particular
location; names of local clergy; or the like.
[0081] Note that even if a particular chat with a client 12 has
been designated with a relatively lower priority and/or has been
otherwise routed to be handled by an agent of the answering service
10 on behalf of a funeral professional 14, it may be the case that
the chat is in fact of a more important nature and therefore more
properly to be handled by the funeral professional 14 itself. As
but one example, it may be that the purpose of the chat from a
client 12 was initially regarding getting the name of a clergy and
therefore assigned a relatively lower priority, but that the name
of the clergy is needed because of a death in the family of the
client 12, in which case the client 12 needs funeral services from
the funeral professional 14 and should now be re-prioritized (811)
by assigning a relatively higher priority. In such an instance, it
may be that the agent of the funeral service employs an actuation
device 30 such as that which was set forth above in connection with
FIG. 3 to arrange contact with the funeral professional 14, perhaps
in the manner set forth above in connection with 407 et seq. in
FIG. 4.
[0082] In a corresponding manner, and in various embodiments of the
present innovation, if a particular chat with a client 12 has been
designated with a relatively higher priority and/or has been
otherwise routed to be handled by the funeral professional 14
itself, it may be the case that the chat is in fact of a less
important nature and therefore more properly to be handled by an
agent at the answering service 10. Here, it may be that the purpose
of the chat from a client 12 was initially regarding obtaining a
funeral and therefore assigned a relatively higher priority, but
that the funeral has already been arranged by another client 12,
and that the chatting client 12 now requires only the name of a
nearby hotel and should now re-prioritized as at 811 by assigning a
relatively lower priority. In such an instance, it may be that the
funeral professional 14 employs on a computing device 100 thereof
an actuation device akin to the actuation device 30, where such
actuation device similarly arranges contact with an agent at the
answering service 10.
[0083] In any instance where a particular chat with a client 12 has
been designated with a relatively higher priority and/or has been
otherwise routed to be handled by the funeral professional 14
itself, it may be that the funeral professional 14 is unavailable
or is otherwise not responding to the chat. In such an instance,
the chat should be forwarded (813) to an agent at the answering
service 10 for further handling regardless of any priority level
assigned to the chat. Note though that in various embodiments of
the present innovation, it may be that a priority level assigned to
the chat is employed to determine a particular mode in which the
chat is forwarded from the non-responding funeral professional 14
to the agent at the answering service 10. For example, it may be
that the chat is forwarded after a delay corresponding to the
assigned priority. In particular, it may be that if the chat has
been assigned a relatively higher priority, the chat is forwarded
after a relatively short period during which the funeral
professional is non-responsive, such as for example 15 seconds,
perhaps. Likewise, it may be that if the chat has been assigned a
relatively lower priority, the chat is forwarded after a relatively
longer period during which the funeral professional is
non-responsive, such as for example 45 seconds, perhaps.
Accordingly, a chat that has been deemed a relatively higher
priority is handled in a more expeditious manner in the event that
the funeral professional 14 is not responsive to the chat.
[0084] The use of a priority level has thus far been employed
mainly to direct a chat of a client 12 to an agent of an answering
service 10 on behalf of a funeral professional 14 or to the funeral
professional 14 itself. Note though that the priority level may
also be employed to forward the chat to others, and/or to forward
the chat in a more complex manner taking into consideration other
factors, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present innovation. As but one example, it may be that a chat
assigned a relatively lower priority level is forwarded to the
agent, a chat assigned a relatively higher priority level is
forwarded to the funeral professional 14, and a chat assigned a
relatively middling priority level is forwarded to other personnel
associated with the funeral professional 14, such as for example a
secretary or junior associate. As another example, it may be that a
chat assigned a relatively lower priority level is forwarded to the
agent, a chat assigned a relatively higher priority level is
forwarded to the funeral professional 14 if occurring during
regular business hours, and a chat assigned a relatively higher
priority level is forwarded to the other personnel associated with
the funeral professional 14 if occurring after regular business
hours.
Conclusion
[0085] The programming believed necessary to effectuate the
processes performed by the computing system 16 in connection with
the various embodiments of the present innovation is relatively
straight-forward and should be apparent to the relevant programming
public based on the present disclosure. Accordingly, such
programming is not attached hereto. Any particular programming,
then, may be employed to effectuate the various embodiments of the
present innovation without departing from the spirit and scope
thereof.
[0086] In the present innovation, a method and mechanism are set
forth for providing enhanced answering and chatting services in a
time-sensitive manner, particularly where the services are funereal
in nature. The chat of a client 12 employing a chatting module 40
to contact a funeral professional 14 may be prioritized, and
according to the priority and circumstances the chat may be
directed to one of the funeral professional 14 or an agent at an
answering service 10 on behalf of the funeral professional 14.
Similarly, according to the priority and circumstances the chat may
be re-directed as may be deemed necessary and/or advisable.
[0087] It should be appreciated that changes could be made to the
embodiments described above without departing from the innovative
concepts thereof. For example, although the present innovation is
set forth primarily in terms of a funeral business or the like,
such innovation may also be practiced by any other appropriate type
of business or called party that would prefer to employ enhanced
answering and/or chatting services to clients 12 or other parties.
Moreover, although the present innovation is set forth primarily in
terms of telephonic calls or the like from initial callers and/or
chats initiated by clients 12, such innovation may also be
practiced in connection with any other appropriate type of
communications medium and other types of interested parties,
perhaps with suitable modification. Likewise, although the present
innovation is set forth with reference to the use of a script 26,
such script 26 need not necessarily be employed, in which case the
call may be answered in a free-form manner, with suitable
modification. It should be understood, therefore, that this
innovation is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed,
but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and
scope of the present innovation as defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *