Abstract:
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for processing a hotline. The present invention introduces a client-customer service relationship correspondence table in a multiple line hunt group. When a client dials a hotline for the first time for a problem, the multiple line hunt group will select a customer service and save a correspondence relationship between the client and the customer service. When the client dials the hotline again, the multiple line hunt group will first query whether records of the client exist in the client-customer service relationship correspondence table; if yes, obtains a corresponding customer service to establish a call. If not, one is selected from idle customer services. By using the present method, when the client needs to dial the hotline for multiple times for a problem, it may be guaranteed that it is the same customer service who serves the client. In this way, the present method not only saves the client&#39;s time and provides great convenience to the client, it may also save valuable customer service resources at the same time.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a communication network, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for processing hotline in the communication network. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    With expedite development of businesses, more and more merchants or enterprises provide hotline services. When a client needs consultation or complaint, he/she will call a hotline number, and then a multiple line hunt group corresponding to the hotline number will handle it. A working principle of the multiple line hunt group is generally shown in  FIG. 1 . In  FIG. 1 , the multiple line hunt group  100  comprises an application server la, a customer service  101 , a customer service  102 , a customer service  103 , and a customer service  104 . Here, the customer service is also an operator. After the multiple line hunt group  100  receives a call from client A, the application server  1   a  will execute a selecting algorithm to select one from idle personnel among customer service  101 —customer service  104  to pick up the call from the client A. In  FIG. 1 , the application server  1   a  selects the customer service  101  to pick up the call from the client A and handle the client A&#39;s demands. It should be noted that  FIG. 1  is merely exemplary. Generally, a multiple line hunt group has dozens or even hundreds of customer services; for each hotline call, the multiple line hunt group will randomly assigns the hotline call to one of the so many customer services. 
         [0003]    In reality, such an occasion frequently occurs: for a problem occurring to a client, it will not be resolved until dialing a hotline for several times. With the system shown in  FIG. 1  as an example, when the client A first dials the hotline, the application server  1   a  selects the customer service  101  to pick up the call; the client A states the problem to the customer service  101 , and the customer service  101  provides a solution to the client A. However, the Client A&#39;s problem is not resolved yet; therefore, he/she dials the hotline for the second time. At this time, the application server la selects the customer service  104  to pick up the call. Because the customer service  104  has no idea about the client A&#39;s problem, the client A has to re-state or re-explain his/her problem, as well as the solution provided by the customer service  101  and the condition after implementing the solution. If the client A has to dial the hotline for the same problem for several times, the customer services encountered by the client A may well be different for each dial of the hotline according to the current working pattern of the multiple line hunt group, and the client A has to make re-statements or explanations over and again. For client A, it is not only time-consuming but also rather inconvenient to re-explain the problem and state the solution provided by the previous customer service and the condition after implementation; besides, different customer services have a different understanding on the problem, and the client A might have to spend much time and energy to make himself/herself understood by each customer service about this problem. Apparently, customer experience arising from a multiple line hunt group in this pattern is very poor, and each customer service has to spend much time to understand the problem, which will not only waste valuable customer service resources, but also lower the efficiency of resolving the problem. 
         [0004]    In order to serve customers better, each customer service may dictate the problem and relevant information of the client after hearing the client&#39;s call. When other customer services receive a call from the client, they may browse relevant dictations. However, due to limitations of dictation and potential ambiguities, it might occur that the other customer services cannot understand yet; at this point, the client still has to repeat the already made statements and explanations. 
         [0005]    Therefore, when a client has to dial a hotline for a same problem for multiple times, the hotline service in the prior art has drawbacks such as inconveniency for the client to use, wasting time and resources, and low efficiency. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In order to solve the above drawbacks in the prior art, there is provided a method and apparatus for processing a hotline. 
         [0007]    According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for processing a hotline in an application server, said method comprising the following steps: A. receiving a hotline request from a client; B. determining whether a record of said client exists in a client-customer service correspondence table; C. processing said hotline request based on a result of the determining. 
         [0008]    Preferably, when the result of determining in step B is negative, step C further comprises the following steps: C 11 . selecting one customer service from idle customer services; C 12 . establishing a call between said client and said customer service; C 13 . saving a correspondence relationship between said client and said customer service in said client-customer service correspondence table. 
         [0009]    Preferably, when the result of the determining in step B is positive, step C further comprises the following steps: C 21 : obtaining a corresponding customer service based on said client-customer service correspondence table and said client; C 22 : determining whether said customer service is idle; C 23 : if said customer service is idle, establishing a call between said client and said customer service. 
         [0010]    Preferably, when the result of the determining in step C 22  is that the customer service is not idle, step C further comprises the following steps: C 24 : sending a notification to said client; C 25 : receiving reply information from said client; C 26 : processing said hotline request based on the reply information from the client. 
         [0011]    Preferably, when the reply information in step C 25  is willingness to wait, the step C 26  further comprises: C 2611 : monitoring whether said customer service is in an idle state; C 2612 : if said customer service is monitored to be in the idle state, establishing a call between said client and said customer service. 
         [0012]    Preferably, when the reply information in step C 25  is unwillingness to wait, the step C 26  further comprises: C 2621 : selecting one customer service from idle customer services; C 2622 : establishing a call between said client and said customer service; C 2623 : saving a correspondence relationship between said client and said customer service in the client-customer service correspondence table. 
         [0013]    Preferably, the method further comprises the following steps: D. deleting the record in said client-customer service correspondence table. 
         [0014]    According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for processing a hotline in an application server, said apparatus comprising: a first receiving device configured to receive a hotline request from a client; a first determining device configured to determine whether a record of said client exists in a client-customer service correspondence table; a first processing device configured to process said hotline request based on a result of the determining. 
         [0015]    Preferably, when a determining result of the first determining device is negative, the first processing device further comprises: a first selecting device configured to select one customer service from idle customer services; a first establishing device configured to establish a call between said client and said customer service; and a first saving device configured to save a correspondence relationship between said client and said customer service. 
         [0016]    Preferably, when a result of determining by the first determining device is positive, the first processing device further comprises: a first obtaining device configured to obtain a corresponding customer service based on said client-customer service correspondence table and said client; a second determining device configured to determine whether the customer service is idle; a second establishing device configured to establish a call between said client and said customer service when the result of determining by the second determining device is that said customer service is idle. 
         [0017]    Preferably, when a result of determining by the second determining device is that the customer service is not idle, the first processing device further comprises: a second sending device configured to send a notification to said client; a second receiving device configured to receive reply information from said client; a second processing device configured to process said hotline request based on the reply information from the client. 
         [0018]    Preferably, when the reply information received from the second determining device is willingness to wait, the second processing device further comprises: a monitoring device configured to monitor whether said customer service is in an idle state; a third establishing device configured to establish a call between said client and said customer service if said customer service is monitored to be in the idle state. 
         [0019]    Preferably, when the reply information received from the second determining device is unwillingness to wait, the second processing device further comprises: a second selecting device configured to select one customer service from idle customer services; a fourth establishing device configured to establish a call between said client and said customer service; a second saving device configured to save a correspondence relationship between said client and said customer service. 
         [0020]    Preferably, the apparatus further comprises: a deleting device configured to delete the record in the client-customer service correspondence table. 
         [0021]    Compared with the prior art, through using the method and apparatus of the present invention, when a client has to dial a hotline for many times about a certain problem, the multiple line hunt group may guarantee that it is the same customer service that provides services to the client. In this way, the following advantages can be achieved: 1) saving the client&#39;s time and energy and improving customer experience. Because it is the same customer service that serves the client for each time, the client may save the time and energy for re-explanation, which brings great convenience to the client. 2) saving valuable customer service resources. Apparently, the time spent by the same customer service for serving a client for multiple times must be far less than the time spent by multiple customer services for serving the client. 3) improving the efficiency of problem resolving. The same customer service serves the client all the way; because the customer service knows well the cause of the problem and the solving progress, he/she can find a better solution faster, thereby improving the efficiency of problem resolving. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]    Through reading the following detailed depiction on the non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, the other features, objectives, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent. 
           [0023]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a multiple line hunt group according to the prior art; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2  is a diagram of an application scenario of a multiple line hunt group according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a method for processing a hotline in an application server according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a substep of a method for processing a hotline in an application server according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a substep of a method for processing a hotline in an application server according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart of a substep of a method for processing a hotline in an application server according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a substep of a method for processing a hotline in an application server according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a substep of a method for processing a hotline in an application server according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 9  is a structural block diagram of an apparatus for processing a hotline in an application server according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0032]    A basic idea of the present invention is to introduce a client-customer service correspondence table in a multiple line hunt group, wherein the client-customer service correspondence table records a correspondence relationship between a client and a customer service who has recently answered the client. 
         [0033]    Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to respective figures. 
         [0034]      FIG. 2  is a diagram of an application scenario of a multiple line hunt group according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The multiple line hunt group  200  comprises an application server  2   a,  a client-customer service correspondence table T 1 , a customer service  201 , a customer service  202 , a customer service  203 , and a customer service  204 . The multiple line hunt group  200  receives a hotline request from a client A and assigns the request to a customer service to process, wherein, the client-customer service correspondence table T 1  records a correspondence relationship between a client and a customer service. 
         [0035]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a method for processing a hotline in an application server  2   a  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the method starts from step SA. 
         [0036]    In step SA, the application server  2   a  receives a hotline request from the client A. 
         [0037]    Next, in step SB, the application server  2   a  determines whether a record of client A exists in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . 
         [0038]    Then, in step SC, the application server  2   a  processes said hotline request based on a result of determining in step SB. 
         [0039]      FIG. 4  shows a flow chart of step SC according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the result of determining in step SB is that no records of the client A exist in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . As shown in the figure, step SC further comprises steps SC 11 , SC 12 , and SC 13  in this embodiment. 
         [0040]    In step SC 11 , the application server  2   a  selects one customer service from currently idle customer services. For example, the currently idle customer services are customer service  202  and customer service  204 ; after a certain algorithm is executed, the application server  2   a  selects the customer server  202 . 
         [0041]    Next, in step SC 12 , the application server  2   a  establishes a call between the client A and the selected customer service (for example, customer service  202 ). 
         [0042]    Then, in step SC 13 , the application server  2   a  saves a correspondence relationship between the client A and the selected customer service (for example, customer service  202 ) in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . Specifically, a record is added into the client-customer service corresponding table T 1  to record the client A—customer service  102  correspondence relationship. In this way, when the client A dials a hotline for a problem and the application server  2   a  selects a customer service, it further saves the correspondence relationship between the client A and the customer service at the same time, so as to be available for the next time the client A dials the hotline for the same problem. 
         [0043]      FIG. 5  shows a flow chart of step SC according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the result of determining in step SB is that record of the client A exists in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . As shown in the figure, step SC further comprises steps SC 21 , SC 22 , and SC 23  in this embodiment. 
         [0044]    In step SC 21 , the application server  2   a  obtains the customer service corresponding to the client A based on the client-customer service correspondence table T 1  and the client A. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , it is derived from the client-customer correspondence table T 1  that the customer service corresponding to the client A is the customer service  202 . It is seen that when the client A dials the hotline again for the same problem, the application server  2   a  may obtain the customer service having a call with the client A in the last time based on the records saved in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . 
         [0045]    In step SC 22 , the application server  2   a  determines whether the customer service (for example, customer service  202 ) obtained in step SC 21  is idle. 
         [0046]    In step SC 23 , if said customer service is idle, the application server  2   a  establishes a call between the client A and said customer service. In this way, the client A may directly communicates with the customer service having a call therewith in the last time, which provides a great convenience to the client A and meanwhile saves precious time and resources. 
         [0047]      FIG. 6  shows a flow chart of step SC according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment of  FIG. 6  is a further supplementation to the embodiment of  FIG. 5 . In this embodiment, the result of determining in step SC 22  is that the customer service is not idle. As shown in the figure, step SC further comprises steps SC 24 , SC 25 , and SC 26  in this embodiment. 
         [0048]    In step SC 24 , the application server  2   a  sends a notification to the client A to notifies the client A that the customer service (for example, customer service  202  in the above example) obtained in step SC 21  is currently busy and whether he/she is willing to wait. 
         [0049]    In step SC 25 , the application server  2   a  receives reply information from the client A. 
         [0050]    In step SC 26 , the application server  2   a  processes the hotline request based on the reply information from the client A. 
         [0051]      FIG. 7  shows a flow chart of step SC 26  according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reply information from the client A in step SC 25  is that he/she is willing to wait. As shown in the figure, step SC 26  further comprises steps SC 2611  and SC 2612  in this embodiment. 
         [0052]    In step SC 2611 , the application server  2   a  monitors whether the customer service (for example, customer service  202 ) obtained in step SC 21  is in an idle state. 
         [0053]    In step SC 2612 , when the application server  2   a  monitors that said customer service is in an idle state, it establishes a call between the client A and said customer service. 
         [0054]    It is seen that when the current state of the customer service having a call with the client A in the last time is busy and the client A is willing to wait, the application server  2   a  will constantly monitors the state of the customer service, such that once his/her state is changed to be idle, a call will be established between the client A and the customer service. This may likewise guarantee that the customer service who serves the client A is still the customer service having a call therewith in the last time. 
         [0055]      FIG. 8  shows a flow chart of step SC 26  according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reply information from the client A in step SC 25  is that he/she is unwilling to wait. As shown in the figure, step SC 26  further comprises steps SC 2621 , SC 2622 , and SC 2623  in this embodiment. 
         [0056]    In step SC 2621 , the application server  2   a  selects one customer service from currently idle customer services. For example, the currently idle customer services are customer service  202  and customer service  204 ; after a certain algorithm is executed, the application server  2   a  selects the customer server  202 . 
         [0057]    Next, in step SC 2622 , the application server  2   a  establishes a call between the client A and the selected customer service (for example, customer service  202 ). 
         [0058]    Then, in step SC 2623 , the application server  2   a  saves a correspondence relationship between the client A and the selected customer service (for example, customer service  202 ) in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . Specifically, a record is added into the client-customer service corresponding table T 1  to record the client A—customer service  102  correspondence relationship. 
         [0059]    It is seen that when the current state of the customer service having a call with the client A in the last time is busy and the client A is unwilling to wait, the application server  2   a  will select a customer service from the idle customer services and meanwhile saves the correspondence relationship between the client A and the customer service so as to be available for the next time the client A dials the hotline for the same problem. 
         [0060]    Preferably, the method for processing a hotline in the application server  2   a  may further comprise a step SD: deleting the record in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . This deleting operation may be implemented manually or automatically. For example, the application server  2   a  automatically deletes the record in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1  with an interval of a fixed period (for example, every two months or three months). Or, after it is known that the problem of client A has been resolved, the record of the client A in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1  is manually deleted. 
         [0061]      FIG. 9  is a structural block diagram of an apparatus for processing a hotline in an application server  2   a  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 9 , the apparatus  900  comprises a first receiving device  9   a,  a first determining device  9   b,  and a first processing device  9   c.    
         [0062]    Hereinafter, the working process of the apparatus  900  will be described in detail. 
         [0063]    First, the first receiving device  9   a  receives a hotline request from the client A. 
         [0064]    Next, the first determining device  9   b  determines whether a record of client A exists in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . 
         [0065]    Then, the first processing device  9   c  processes said hotline request based on a result of determining in step SB. 
         [0066]    In an embodiment, the result of the determining by the first determining device is that no records of the client A exist in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . In this embodiment, the first processing device  9   c  further comprises a first selecting device  9   c   11 , a first establishing device  9   c   12  and a first saving device  9   c   13 . 
         [0067]    First, the first selecting device  9   c   11  selects one customer service from currently idle customer services. For example, the currently idle customer services are customer service  202  and customer service  204 ; after a certain algorithm is executed, the first selecting device  9   c   11  selects the customer server  202 . 
         [0068]    Next, the first establishing device  9   c   12  establishes a call between the client A and the selected customer service (for example, customer service  202  in the above example). 
         [0069]    Then, the first saving device  9   c   13  saves a correspondence relationship between the client A and the selected customer service (for example, customer service  202 ) in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . Specifically, a record is added into the client-customer service corresponding table T 1  to record the client A—customer service  102  correspondence relationship. In this way, when the client A dials a hotline for a problem and the application server  2   a  selects a customer service, it further saves the correspondence relationship between the client A and the customer service at the same time, so as to be available for the next time the client A dials the hotline for the same problem. 
         [0070]    In another embodiment, the result of the determining by the first determining device is that the record of the client A exists in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . In this embodiment, the first processing device  9   c  further comprises a first obtaining device  9   c   21 , a second determining device  9   c   22  and a second establishing device  9   c   23 . 
         [0071]    First, the first obtaining device  9   c   21  obtains the customer service corresponding to the client A based on the client-customer service correspondence table T 1  and the client A. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , it is derived from the client-customer correspondence table T 1  that the customer service corresponding to the client A is the customer service  202 . It is seen that when the client A dials the hotline again for the same problem, the application server  2   a  may obtain the customer service having a call with the client A in the last time based on the records saved in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . 
         [0072]    Next, the second determining device  9   c   22  determines whether the customer service (for example, customer service  202 ) obtained by the first obtaining device  9   c   21  is idle. 
         [0073]    If the second determining device  9   c   22  determines said customer service is idle, the second establishing device  9   c   23  establishes a call between the client A and said customer service. In this way, the client A may directly communicates with the customer service having a call therewith in the last time, which provides a great convenience to the client A and meanwhile saves precious time and resources. 
         [0074]    In another embodiment, the result of determining by the second determining device is that the customer service is not idle. In this embodiment, the first processing device  9   c  further comprises a second sending device  9   c   24 , a second receiving device  9   c   25  and a second processing device  9   c   26 . 
         [0075]    The second sending device  9   c   24  sends a notification to the client A to notifies the client A that the customer service (for example, customer service  202  in the above example) obtained by the first obtaining device  9   c   21  is currently busy and whether he/she is willing to wait. 
         [0076]    The second receiving device  9   c   25  receives reply information from the client A. 
         [0077]    The second processing device  9   c   26  processes the hotline request based on the reply information from the client A. 
         [0078]    In an embodiment, the reply information received from the second determining device  9   c   25  is willingness to wait. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the second processing device  9   c   26  further comprises a monitoring device  9   c   2611  and a third establishing device  9   c   2612 . 
         [0079]    The monitoring device  9   c   2611  monitors whether the customer service (for example, customer service  202  in the above example) obtained by the first obtaining device  9   c   21  is in an idle state. 
         [0080]    When the monitoring device  9   c   2611  monitors that said customer service is in an idle state, the third establishing device  9   c   2612  establishes a call between the client A and said customer service. 
         [0081]    It is seen that when the current state of the customer service having a call with the client A in the last time is busy and the client A is willing to wait, the application server  2   a  will constantly monitors the state of the customer service, such that once his/her state is changed to be idle, a call will be established between the client A and the customer service. This may likewise guarantee that the customer service who serves the client A is still the customer service having a call therewith in the last time. 
         [0082]    In another embodiment, when the reply information received from the second determining device  9   c   25  is unwillingness to wait. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the second processing device  9   c   26  further comprises a second selecting device  9   c   2621 , a fourth establishing device  9   c   2622  and a second saving device  9   c   2623 . 
         [0083]    First, the second selecting device  9   c   2621  selects one customer service from currently idle customer services. For example, the currently idle customer services are customer service  202  and customer service  204 ; after a certain algorithm is executed, the second selecting device  9   c   2621  selects the customer server  202 . 
         [0084]    Next, the fourth establishing device  9   c   2622  establishes a call between the client A and the selected customer service (for example, customer service  202 ). 
         [0085]    Then, the second saving device  9   c   2623  saves a correspondence relationship between the client A and the selected customer service (for example, customer service  202 ) in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . Specifically, a record is added into the client-customer service corresponding table T 1  to record the client A—customer service  102  correspondence relationship. 
         [0086]    It is seen that when the current state of the customer service having a call with the client A in the last time is busy and the client A is unwilling to wait, the application server  2   a  will select a customer service from the idle customer services and meanwhile saves the correspondence relationship between the client A and the customer service so as to be available for the next time the client A dials the hotline for the same problem. 
         [0087]    Preferably, the apparatus  900  may further comprise a deleting device  9   d  configured to delete the record in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . The deleting operation may be automatically implemented by the deleting device  9   d.  For example, the deleting module  9   d  automatically deletes the record in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1  with an interval of a fixed period (for example, every two months or three months). Or, after it is known that the problem of the client A has been resolved, an operator sends an instruction to the deleting device  9   d  which, after receiving the command, will delete the record of the customer service A in the client-customer service correspondence table T 1 . 
         [0088]    To those skilled in the art, it is apparent that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the present invention may be implemented with other embodiments without departing from the spirit or basic features of the present invention. Thus, in any way, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary, not limitative; the scope of the present invention is limited by the appended claims, instead of the above depiction. Thus, all variations intended to fall into the meaning and scope of equivalent elements of the claims should be covered within the present invention. Besides, it is apparent that the term “comprise” does not exclude other units or steps, and singularity does not exclude plurality. Terms such as the first and the second are used to indicate names, but do not indicate any particular sequence.