SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING SOCIAL RECOGNITION OF AGENTS

A computer-implemented method and a system facilitate social recognition of agents. A first user interface (UI) is presented to a customer on a device in proximity to the customer subsequent to a completion of an interaction of the customer with an agent. The first UI comprises one or more survey questions related to a performance of the agent. A determination of whether the performance of the agent satisfies a predetermined condition is performed based on an input received from the customer in response to the one or more survey questions. A second UI is presented to the customer to request the customer to provide an endorsement for the agent if the performance of the agent satisfies the predetermined condition. A posting of the endorsement on one or more social media profiles of the agent is effected upon receiving the endorsement for the agent from the customer.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention generally relates to enabling interaction with customer service personnel and providing control of presentation or display data during such customer service related activities.

BACKGROUND

Customer service and support is a vital component for success of any enterprise and often a differentiating factor between competing enterprises. As a result, many enterprises nowadays deploy personnel for providing service and support related assistance to their customers. Such personnel are referred to herein as customer support representatives or agents. The agents are equipped to interact with the customers for responding to their enquiries, resolving their concerns and in general assisting the customers as per their respective needs.

Current solutions for encouraging agents rely on assessing performance of the agents based on collated customer feedbacks relevant to the agent, and providing promotions and financial appraisals based on their performance assessment. Typically, such solutions are found to severely lack in their ability to motivate the agents and improve their performances.

Accordingly, there is a need to motivate agents engaged in customer service and support related activities. Moreover, there is a need to utilize positive customer experiences with agents in an intuitive way to motivate the agents.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment of the invention, a computer-implemented method for facilitating social recognition of agents is disclosed. The method causes, by a processor, a display of a first user interface (UI) on a device in proximity to a customer subsequent to a completion of an interaction of the customer with an agent. The first UI includes one or more survey questions related to a performance of the agent during the interaction. The method receives, by the processor, at least one input from the customer in response to the one or more survey questions. The method determines, by the processor, whether the performance of the agent satisfies a predetermined condition based on the at least one input. The method causes, by the processor, a display of a second UI on the device if the performance of the agent is determined to be satisfying the predetermined condition. The second UI includes content requesting the customer to provide an endorsement for the agent for subsequent sharing of the endorsement on one or more social media profiles maintained by the agent. The method effects, by the processor, a posting of the endorsement on the one or more social media profiles upon receiving the endorsement for the agent from the customer.

In another embodiment of the invention, a system for facilitating social recognition of agents includes at least one processor and a memory. The memory stores machine executable instructions therein, that when executed by the at least one processor, causes the system to cause a display of a first user interface (UI) on a device in proximity to a customer subsequent to a completion of an interaction of the customer with an agent. The first UI includes one or more survey questions related to a performance of the agent during the interaction. The system receives at least one input from the customer in response to the one or more survey questions. The system determines whether the performance of the agent satisfies a predetermined condition based on the at least one input. The system causes a display of a second UI on the device if the performance of the agent is determined to be satisfying the predetermined condition. The predetermined conditions include, for example, where the customer has indicated performance or satisfaction of agent's assistance above a specified threshold. Indication of performance or satisfaction can indicated by various means including a rating entered at the end of the interaction or during a survey. The second UI includes content requesting the customer to provide an endorsement for the agent for subsequent sharing of the endorsement on one or more social media profiles maintained by the agent. The system effects a posting of the endorsement on the one or more social media profiles upon receiving the endorsement for the agent from the customer.

In another embodiment of the invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions that when executed cause a computer to perform a method for facilitating social recognition of agents is disclosed. The method executed by the computer causes a display of a first user interface (UI) on a device in proximity to a customer subsequent to a completion of an interaction of the customer with an agent. The first UI includes one or more survey questions related to a performance of the agent during the interaction. The method receives at least one input from the customer in response to the one or more survey questions. The method determines whether the performance of the agent satisfies a predetermined condition based on the at least one input. The method causes a display of a second UI on the device if the performance of the agent is determined to be satisfying the predetermined condition. The second UI includes content requesting the customer to provide an endorsement for the agent for subsequent sharing of the endorsement on one or more social media profiles maintained by the agent. The method effects a posting of the endorsement on the one or more social media profiles upon receiving the endorsement for the agent from the customer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description provided below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the present examples and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present example may be constructed or utilized. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different examples.

FIG. 1is an example representation100showing customers engaged in interactions with customer support representatives of an enterprise, in accordance with an example scenario. The term ‘enterprise’ as used herein may refer to a corporation, an institution, a small/medium sized company or even a brick and mortar entity. For example, the enterprise may be a banking enterprise, an educational institution, a financial trading enterprise, an aviation company, a retail outlet or any such public or private sector enterprise. It is understood that the enterprise may be associated with a plurality of users of products, services and/or information offered by the enterprise. The existing and/or potential users of the enterprise offerings are referred to herein as customers of the enterprise. The example representation100depicts three customers of an enterprise: a customer102, a customer104and a customer106for illustration purposes. It is understood that the enterprise may be associated with many such customers, such as the customers102,104and106.

Typically, most enterprises apart from seeking to successfully fulfill needs of potential and existing customers, also aspire to provide their customers with an effortless interaction experience. To that effect, many enterprises deploy human and virtual customer support representatives (hereinafter referred to as ‘agents’) to provide sales and service support to their customers. In an illustrative example, the enterprise may be associated with a customer support center, which may include several agents, such as an agent108and an agent110, who are capable of providing remote assistance to the customers of the enterprise. The customer support center may additionally include virtual agents, such as chat bots for example, for assisting the customers. In some example scenarios, the customer support center may also include interactive voice response (IVR) systems and other web or digital self-assist systems for providing remote assistance to the customers.

Typically, the customers of the enterprise may initiate interaction with the agents, such as the agents108and110, for a variety of purposes, such as for example, to enquire about billing or payment, to configure a product or troubleshoot an issue related to a product, to enquire about upgrades, to enquire about shipping of a product, to provide feedback, to register a complaint, to follow up about a previous query and the like. In an example scenario, a customer may utilize one or more personal devices to engage in an interaction with an agent. Some non-limiting examples of the personal devices may include a desktop computer, a mobile phone, a Smartphone, a laptop, a tablet device, a personal digital assistant, a wearable device such as a Smart watch, and the like. In the example representation100, the customer102is depicted to utilize a mobile phone to engage in a phone call interaction with the agent108. It is noted that an enterprise customer may utilize interaction channels other than the voice channel for interacting with an agent. In an illustrative example, the customer104is depicted to utilize a personal computer to engage in a chat interaction (i.e. use a chat channel for interaction) with the agent110. In some example scenarios, a customer may visit an enterprise website (i.e. use a web channel) to make an enquiry for a recent purchase or troubleshoot an issue related to a product. It is understood that one or more of such interaction channels may be accessed using a communication network, such as a network112. Examples of the network112may include wired networks, wireless networks or a combination thereof. Examples of wired networks may include Ethernet, local area networks (LAN), fiber-optic cable networks and the like. Examples of wireless network may include cellular networks like GSM/3G/4G/CDMA based networks, wireless LANs, Bluetooth or Zigbee networks and the like. An example of a combination of wired and wireless networks may include the Internet. It is noted that in some cases, the customers may preclude interaction with the agents over interaction channels and may instead engage in a face-to-face interaction with the agents. In the example representation100, an agent114deployed in a retail outlet is depicted to be engaged in a face-to-face interaction with the customer106.

In addition to deploying agents for engaging in customer support and service related activities, many enterprises also implement mechanisms for monitoring quality of service afforded to its customers to evaluate a satisfaction quotient of the customers. Typically, the customers are requested to fill-up short survey forms for outlining their interaction experiences with the agents. In many cases, the survey forms include simple questions, which require their customers to respond with a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’ input or in some cases provide a click input to indicate a number of stars for rating the performance of the agent. In some example scenarios, the customers may even add a positive or a negative comment in the survey form to convey their feelings regarding their customer service experience.

Typically, all customer survey responses and/or feedback are collated for each agent and used for assessing a performance of the agent. Further, promotions and/or financial appraisals may be provided to agents based on the assessment of their respective performances. Typically, such solutions are found to severely lack in their ability to motivate agents and improve their performances. Moreover, periodic assessments are also limited in their ability to influence daily interactions. There is a need to motivate agents engaged in customer service and support related activities and improve their performances. Moreover, there is a need to utilize positive customer experiences with agents in an intuitive way to motivate the agents.

Various embodiments of the present technology provide a system and a method that are capable of overcoming these and other obstacles and providing additional benefits. More specifically, the system and the method disclosed herein suggest posting customer endorsements on social media profiles of the agents for motivating the agents. Favorable customer endorsements are shared in substantially real-time on an agent's social network and as such the endorsements are visible to family, friends and acquaintances of the agent, thereby motivating the agent. Moreover, such real-time endorsements encourage the agents to do better in subsequent interactions as opposed to conventional techniques, which rely on periodic evaluations and appraisals for motivating the agents. An example system for facilitating social recognition of agents is explained with reference toFIG. 2.

FIG. 2is a block diagram of a system200configured to facilitate social recognition of agents, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As explained with reference toFIG. 1, the term ‘enterprise’ may refer to a corporation, an institution, a small/medium sized company or even a brick and mortar entity. For example, the enterprise may be a banking enterprise, an educational institution, a financial trading enterprise, an aviation company, a consumer goods enterprise or any such public or private sector enterprise.

The term ‘agents’ as used hereinafter may refer to personnel engaged in customer support and service related activities either remotely such as from customer support centers, or, personnel who are deployed at enterprise locations, such as retail outlets, merchant establishments etc., or in some cases, personnel who are deployed at customer locations or travel to customer locations (such as a salesman or on onsite handyman, etc.). Furthermore, the term ‘facilitating social recognition of agents’ as used herein refers to posting customer endorsements of agents on their respective social media profiles so as to enable recognition or appreciation of agent's work among the agent's social circle including family, friends and acquaintances of the agent. It is understood that such social recognition of agents may motivate the agents and in turn improve the agent's performance in conducting interactions with customers and assisting the customers in meeting their respective needs.

The term ‘customers’ as used herein may refer to both existing and potential users of products, services or information offered by the enterprise. In many example scenarios, the term customers may refer to a person or a group of persons interacting with one or more agents either directly and/or using automated or semi-automated means over a plurality of interaction channels, such as a voice channel, a chat channel, a native mobile application channel, a web/online channel, a social media channel and the like.

The system200includes at least one processor, such as a processor202and a memory204. It is noted that although the system200is depicted to include only one processor, the system200may include more number of processors therein. In an embodiment, the memory204is capable of storing machine executable instructions. Further, the processor202is capable of executing the stored machine executable instructions. In an embodiment, the processor202may be embodied as a multi-core processor, a single core processor, or a combination of one or more multi-core processors and one or more single core processors. For example, the processor202may be embodied as one or more of various processing devices, such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing circuitry with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits such as, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip, or the like. In an embodiment, the processor202may be configured to execute hard-coded functionality. In an embodiment, the processor202is embodied as an executor of software instructions, wherein the instructions may specifically configure the processor202to perform the algorithms and/or operations described herein when the instructions are executed.

The memory204may be embodied as one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and/or a combination of one or more volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices. For example, the memory204may be embodied as magnetic storage devices (such as hard disk drives, floppy disks, magnetic tapes, etc.), optical magnetic storage devices (e.g. magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory), CD-R (compact disc recordable), CD-R/W (compact disc rewritable), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), BD (Blu-ray® Disc), and semiconductor memories (such as mask ROM, PROM (programmable ROM), EPROM (erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory), etc.).

The system200also includes an input/output module206(hereinafter referred to as ‘I/O module206’) for providing an output and/or receiving an input. The I/O module206is configured to be in communication with the processor202and the memory204. Examples of the I/O module206include, but are not limited to, an input interface and/or an output interface. Examples of the input interface may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a keypad, a touch screen, soft keys, a microphone, and the like. Examples of the output interface may include, but are not limited to, a display such as a light emitting diode display, a thin-film transistor (TFT) display, a liquid crystal display, an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display, a microphone, a speaker, a ringer, a vibrator, and the like. In an example embodiment, the processor202may include I/O circuitry configured to control at least some functions of one or more elements of the I/O module206, such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display, and/or the like. The processor202and/or the I/O circuitry may be configured to control one or more functions of the one or more elements of the I/O module206through computer program instructions, for example, software and/or firmware, stored on a memory, for example, the memory204, and/or the like, accessible to the processor202.

In an embodiment, the I/O module206may be configured to provide a user interface (UI) configured to enable enterprises to utilize the system200for facilitating social recognition of agents. Furthermore, the I/O module206may be integrated with a monitoring mechanism configured to provide the enterprises with real-time updates/alerts (for example, email notifications, SMS alerts, etc.) of changes to be made to the system200for motivating the agents.

In an embodiment, the I/O module206may include one or more transceivers configured to facilitate to and from communication with remote web servers. The remote web servers in turn may be configured to be communicably associated with devices associated with the agents, such that the remote web servers may receive information related to agent interactions with customers in substantially real-time. For example, the remote web servers may be configured to track an on-going chat interaction or a voice interaction between an agent and a customer and provision such information to the I/O module206. In some example embodiments, the devices associated with the agents may correspond to mobile hand-held devices (such as for example, electronic devices provisioned to agents such as a salesman etc.) or fixed devices deployed at enterprise outlets, such as retail stores, restaurants, ticketing counters, etc.

In some embodiments, the remote web servers may be configured to track customer activity on enterprise websites. For example, the web servers may be configured to track website access by customers by way of tracking cookies (for example, web browser cookies) and/or tags, such as hypertext markup language (HTML) tags or JavaScript tags associated with the web pages of the website. In some cases, the web servers may also be capable of opening up a socket connection for an on-going customer journey on the website to capture data related to customer activity on the website. For example, the web servers may capture information related to an on-going chat conversation between an agent and a customer on an enterprise website. The I/O module206may be configured to receive information captured in such a manner from the remote web servers.

The I/O module206may further be configured to effect display of various user interfaces on remote devices. The remote devices may be customer-owned or customer-associated devices, or in some cases, may be devices that are enterprise owned, such as those in retail outlets or personal screens in aircrafts, or in some cases may be public devices, such as devices deployed in public trains, parks, washrooms etc. In at least one example embodiment, the I/O module206may be configured to be in communication with device application programming interfaces (APIs) so as to push content such as survey forms and receive customer response from the remote devices.

In an embodiment, various components of the system200, such as the processor202, the memory204and the I/O module206are configured to communicate with each other via or through a centralized circuit system208. The centralized circuit system208may be various devices configured to, among other things, provide or enable communication between the components (202-206) of the system200. In certain embodiments, the centralized circuit system208may be a central printed circuit board (PCB) such as a motherboard, a main board, a system board, or a logic board. The centralized circuit system208may also, or alternatively, include other printed circuit assemblies (PCAs) or communication channel media.

It is understood that the system200as illustrated and hereinafter described is merely illustrative of a system that could benefit from embodiments of the invention and, therefore, should not be taken to limit the scope of the invention. It is noted that the system200may include fewer or more components than those depicted inFIG. 2. In an embodiment, the system200may be embodied as a platform including a mix of existing open systems, proprietary systems and third party systems. In another embodiment, the system200may be implemented completely as a platform including a set of software layers on top of existing hardware systems. In an exemplary scenario, the system200may be any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential and/or otherwise) so as to facilitate social recognition of agents. Moreover, the system200may be implemented as a centralized system, or, alternatively, the various components of the system200may be deployed in a distributed manner while being operatively coupled to each other.

In an embodiment, functionalities of the system200may also be embodied as a client within devices, such as agent devices or devices deployed at enterprise locations or public places. In another embodiment, the system200may be a central system that is shared by or accessible to each of such devices.

The facilitating of social recognition of agents is explained hereinafter with reference to one agent. It is understood social recognition of several agents of the enterprise may be facilitated in a similar manner.

In an embodiment, the processor202is configured to, with the content of the memory204, cause the system200to request each agent associated with the enterprise to register one or more social media profiles with the system200. Some non-limiting examples of social media profiles maintained by an agent may include a Facebook™ profile, a Google+™ profile, a Twitter™ profile, a LinkedIn™ profile and the like. The registration of the one or more social media profiles may be performed at an initial stage, for example when the agent initiates association with the enterprise or more specifically, when the agent joins the enterprise. The registration process may involve seeking approval from the agent to post content such as endorsements on the agent's social media profiles. In an embodiment, the registered social media profiles for each agent along with the approvals for posting customer endorsements may be stored in the memory204. In an embodiment, such information may be assigned labels or tags, such as an agent id or an agent name for linking agents with respective stored information. In an embodiment, the system200may further be caused to authenticate the pre-approved one or more social media profiles maintained by the agent prior to posting of an endorsement for the agent. In some example embodiments, the registration of the social media accounts as well as the approvals may be authenticated at pre-specified intervals, such as for example on a weekly or a monthly basis.

In an embodiment, the processor202is configured to, with the content of the memory204, cause the system200to cause a display of a first user interface (UI) on a device in proximity to a customer subsequent to a completion of an interaction of the customer with an agent. It is understood that the term ‘interaction’ as used herein refers to a conversation, such as an interactive online chat conversation, a telephonic conversation or a face-to-face voice conversation, between a customer and the agent. As explained earlier, the I/O module206may be configured to be communicably associated with remote web servers, agent devices and/or personal devices of the customer. In at least one example embodiment, an interaction activity related to an interaction between a customer and an agent may be tracked by the system200(for example, by using the communication link between the I/O module206and the APIs in agent/customer devices) to deduce if the interaction is completed or not. In many example scenarios, speech utterances like ‘Thank you for your time’ or ‘bye’ etc., may be tracked to determine whether an interaction between the agent and the customer has been completed or not. In some example scenarios, the agent may select a pre-configured script line (for example, ‘Is there anything else I can assist you with today’) while ending a chat interaction. The system200may be configured to track a selection of such a script line to determine completion of an interaction. In cases where the agent is engaged in a face-to-face interaction with the customer, the agent may provide a signal to the system200indicating a completion of the interaction. For example, the agent may select a menu option on the agent device to indicate completion of the interaction.

Accordingly, upon completion of an interaction between an agent and the customer, the first UI may be displayed on the device in proximity to the customer. It is noted that the device in proximity to a customer may be a customer-affiliated device, a public display device, an agent device or even an electronic device deployed at an enterprise location. In an illustrative example, upon completion of a chat conversation between an agent and a customer, the first UI may be displayed on a customer's device being used by the customer for engaging in the chat interaction with the agent. In an example scenario, the first UI may be displayed within the chat console being displayed on the customer's device. In another illustrative device, the upon completion of a phone call conversation between an agent and a customer, the first UI may be displayed on a customer's Smartphone being used by the customer for engaging in the phone interaction with the agent. In yet another illustrative example, upon completion of an interaction between an agent and a customer in an enterprise retail store, the first UI may be displayed on an electronic device deployed at the entrance/exit of the enterprise retail store. It is noted that in some example embodiments, the system200may be configured to provision a link, such as for example a web link, to the customer over an email channel or a chat channel upon completion of the interaction so as to enable the customer to view the first UI at a convenient time for the user.

In at least one example embodiment, the first UI displayed on the device in proximity to the customer includes one or more survey questions related to a performance of the agent during the interaction. In an embodiment, at least one survey question corresponds to rating a performance of the agent on a preconfigured performance scale. An example of the preconfigured performance scale may be a scale including values configuring a range, where the lowest value in the range may be associated with poorest performance rating and the highest value in the range may be associated with an excellent rating. In another illustrative example, the preconfigured performance scale may refer to a five star rating, where one star rating may suggest poor performance and five star rating may suggest excellent performance by the agent. The detection of the completion of an interaction between an agent and a customer and a subsequent provisioning of a first UI on a device in proximity to the customer is further explained with reference to illustrative examples inFIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring now toFIG. 3, a user interface (UI)302of a chat console304displaying an on-going chat interaction between a customer and an agent is shown, in accordance with an example scenario. It is understood that the term ‘chat console’ as used herein refers to a box or an area displayed on a screen of an electronic device to facilitate an interactive textual conversation between an agent and a customer. In at least one example scenario, the chat console304may be displayed within an UI corresponding to an Internet browser application being utilized by a customer to access websites. In an illustrative scenario, a customer may utilize the Internet browser application installed on the customer's electronic device (for example, a laptop, a mobile phone, a Smartphone, a tablet computer etc.) to access an enterprise website. In some example scenarios, the customer may be offered with an option to chat with an agent while browsing through one or more web pages on the enterprise website. Alternatively, the customer may select a ‘click to chat’ (or in some cases click to call) widgets being displayed on each web page of the enterprise website to seek assistance from an agent. In an example scenario, upon accepting the offer to chat with an agent, a chat console, such as the chat console304may be displayed on the website. The customer may thereafter chat with the agent to address his or her specific need.

The UI302of the chat console304is depicted to display a portion of an ongoing chat conversation (also referred to herein as a chat interaction) between the agent and the customer. It is understood that conversational lines from the agent are appended with agent identification (exemplarily depicted herein as Agent_X), whereas the conversational lines from the customer are appended with a customer identification (exemplarily depicted herein as ‘Customer_Y’). It is understood that such a representation of agent and customer identifications is included herein for illustration purposes and that the identification of the agent and/or the customer may be implemented to display a name, a pen name, a numerical id, etc. of the respective chatting entities.

The chat console304further depicts menu options, such as ‘Email’306, ‘Print’308and ‘Close’310indicative of options to email the chat interaction (for example, to a registered customer mailing ID), to print the chat interaction, and to close the chat console304for terminating the chat interaction, respectively. The customer may utilize any of these options during the course of the chat interaction to achieve their respective functions.

In an embodiment, the system200may be caused to determine a completion of the interaction based on the content of the chat dialogue. For example, when the agent enquires ‘Is there anything else I can help you with today?’ and when the customer responds with ‘No, thanks, great service!’, and the agent replies saying ‘You're welcome!’, then such utterances may be analyzed (for example, compared with known closing utterances) by the system200to determine that the interaction is completed. As explained with reference toFIG. 2, the completion of the interaction between the agent and the customer may be detected in various ways by the system200. For example, a termination of a phone call conversation between an agent and the customer may be tracked to detect a completion of the interaction. In another illustrative example, an agent may indicate a completion of a face-to-face interaction with a customer. Further, as explained with reference toFIG. 2, the system200may be configured to cause a display of the first UI on the device in proximity to the customer upon completion of the interaction between the agent and the customer. An example first UI displayed to the customer is depicted inFIG. 4.

FIG. 4shows a first UI402displayed to a customer upon completion of an interaction between an agent and a customer, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. It is understood that the first UI402may be displayed within a chat console, such as the chat console304explained with reference toFIG. 3upon completion of the chat interaction between the customer and the agent. However, the display of the first UI402may not be limited to chat consoles. In an illustrative scenario, the first UI402may be displayed on a device associated with an agent (such as for example, an agent visiting the customer's premise). Upon completion of the face-to-face interaction, the agent may indicate a completion of the interaction to the system200, which may then be caused to present the first UI402on the device. In another example scenario, the first UI402may be displayed on an electronic device deployed at an enterprise location, such as for example a retail store or at a ticketing/billing counter. Upon completion of the interaction (for example, an interaction related to a purchase of a product or conclusion of a ticketing/billing process), the first UI402may be displayed on the electronic device to elicit feedback of the agent's performance during the customer interaction with the agent.

In an example embodiment, the first UI402may be configured to display a text portion404including text, such as for example, ‘Please take a moment to rate your experience’. The first UI402may further include a survey form406including multiple survey questions for the customer. In an example embodiment, the survey form406may include questions, which may elicit a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’ response, such as for example a question408querying the customer if the interaction was helpful or not. The customer may click in an appropriate box to provide a response to such a question. Additionally, or alternatively, the survey form406may include questions, such as a question410, requesting the customer to rate the agent's performance on a scale of ‘one to five’ (for example, a rating of ‘one’ implying poor performance and a rating of ‘five’ implying excellent performance), or a question412asking the customer to rate how likely would the customer engage with the enterprise again on a scale of ‘one to five’. It is understood that the customer may choose not to respond to the survey questions and as such may select a menu option414displaying text ‘close’ for closing the first UI402and terminating the interaction.

In at least one embodiment, the survey questions are chosen such that they facilitate generation of at least one score from among a net promoter score (NPS), a net experience score (NES) and a customer satisfaction (CSAT) score. Each of these scores may be based on the ratings provided by the customer during the survey. Such scores may enable determination of a satisfaction level of the customer and in turn enable assessing an agent's performance during the interaction. In some embodiments, the survey form406may include only one question requesting the customer to provide a star rating on a scale of one to five stars to rate the agent's performance as exemplarily depicted inFIG. 5.

Referring now toFIG. 5, a first UI502displayed to a customer upon completion of an interaction between an agent and a customer is shown, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. In an illustrative example, the agent is exemplarily depicted to be Cecilia. The first UI502depicts a text portion504requesting the customer to rate Cecilia's performance. Moreover, a scale506including five stars is depicted below the text portion504. The customer may click on an appropriate number of stars to indicate the rating for Cecilia's performance. In an embodiment, a selection of one star may be equivalent to providing a low rating for agent's performance and a selection of five stars may be equivalent to providing the highest rating for the agent's performance.

In some embodiments, the customer may be requested to individually rate various aspects of the agent's performance, such as for example, greetings, problem-solving skills, general interaction skills etc., as opposed to providing a single rating for the agent's performance as depicted by the scale506. It is understood that the customer may choose not to respond to the survey questions and as such may select a menu option508displaying text ‘close’ for closing the first UI502and terminating the interaction.

Referring back toFIG. 2, in at least one embodiment, the processor202is configured to, with the content of the memory204, cause the system200to receive at least one input from the customer in response to the one or more survey questions. More specifically, the I/O module206of the system200may receive input such as a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’ input or a numerical value input or a star rating input. Further, in at least one embodiment, the processor202is configured to, with the content of the memory204, cause the system200to determine whether the performance of the agent satisfies a predetermined condition based on the input provided by the customer in response to the one or more survey questions. It is noted that the term ‘predetermined condition’ as used herein refers to a necessary requirement to be met to determine if the performance of the agent is a favorable performance or not. More specifically, a customer rating for the agent's performance not satisfying the predetermined condition indicates that the customer has provided a negative rating of the agent, whereas a customer rating for the agent's performance satisfying the predetermined condition indicates that the customer has provided a positive rating of the agent.

In an illustrative example, the system200may be caused to compute a score such as for example, a NPS, a NES or a CSAT score based on the input provided by the customer in response to the survey questions provisioned to the customer on the first UI, such as the first UI402. The computed score (or scores) may be compared to predefined threshold value, such as for example a numerical value of 80 (on a 1 to 100 value scale). In such a case, determining whether the performance of the agent satisfies the predetermined condition includes determining if the computed score is greater than the predefined threshold value (i.e. the numerical value of 80). For example, if the computed score corresponding to the agent's performance during the interaction with the customer is 60 then the system200may be caused to determine that the agent's performance does not satisfy the predetermined condition as the computed score is less than the predefined threshold value of 80.

In another illustrative example, the first UI may display only questions related to star ratings (for example, one to five star ratings). In such a case, an overall star rating corresponding to the agent's performance may be computed by the system200and compared to an average agent rating on the preconfigured performance scale. For example, if the average agent rating on the preconfigured performance scale (such as a scale of one to five stars with one star suggestive of poor rating and five stars suggestive of highest rating) is three, then the overall star rating provided by the customer may be compared to three star rating. If the customer rating for the agent's performance is four or five, then the system200may be caused to determine that the agent's performance satisfies the predetermined condition.

In an embodiment, the processor202is configured to, with the content of the memory204, cause the system200to cause a display of a second UI on the device if the performance of the agent is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition. More specifically, if the agent's performance is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition or, in other words, the agent's performance is determined to be favorable, then the system200is caused to present a second UI to the customer on the customer device. In at least one example embodiment, the second UI may include content requesting the customer to provide an endorsement for the agent, which may then be subsequently shared on one or more social media profiles maintained by the agent.

In an example embodiment, the second UI may include a first free-flow text area capable of receiving a textual input related to the endorsement from the customer. Further, in at least one example embodiment, the system200may be caused to request the customer to link the endorsement to a respective social media profile of the customer prior to posting the endorsement on the one or more social media profiles of the agent. The endorsement posted on the one or more social media profiles of the agent is linked to the respective social media profile of the customer upon receiving an acceptance from the customer for linking the endorsement to the respective social media profile of the customer. In an embodiment, the posted endorsement is associated with a tag indicative of an anonymous customer if the customer rejects the request for linking the endorsement to the respective social media profile of the customer. In an embodiment, the endorsement posted on the one or more social media profiles of the customer comprises a star based rating for the agent. In some embodiments, the second UI may include a second free-flow text area capable of receiving a textual input related to feedback for the agent from the customer. An example second UI displayed to the customer is depicted inFIG. 6.

Referring now toFIG. 6, a second UI602displayed to a customer is shown, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. As explained with reference toFIG. 2, a second UI is displayed to the customer on a device in proximity to the customer (for example, the device on which the first UI was displayed) if the performance of the agent is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition. The second UI includes content requesting the customer to provide an endorsement for the agent, such that the endorsement may subsequently be shared on one or more social media profiles maintained by the agent.

Accordingly, the second UI602includes a text portion604prompting the customer to provide an endorsement for the agent. In an illustrative example, the text portion604may include text such as ‘Thank you for participating in the survey. Please take a moment to endorse John’ (where, John is the agent who has provided assistance to the customer). In an embodiment, the second UI602further includes a first free flow text area606and a second free flow text area608capable of receiving input from the customer. The customer input in the first free flow text area606may serve as an endorsement for the agent, whereas textual input in the second free flow text area608may be optional and may serve as a feedback for the agent. It is understood that the second UI602including the text portion604, the first free flow text area606and the second free flow text area608is depicted herein for illustration purposes. Indeed in some embodiments, the second UI602may only include the text portion604and the first free flow text area606for receiving endorsement from the customer. Moreover, in an embodiment, the customer may choose to not provide the feedback and/or the endorsement and may end the interaction by selecting a menu option610displaying text ‘close’. Moreover, only the endorsement provided in the first free flow text area606may be shared on social media profiles of the agent (as will be explained later with reference toFIG. 8), whereas the feedback provided in the second free flow text area608may be used for internal training and evaluation purposes.

It is also noted that in most cases, the second UI602may be provisioned to the customer on the same device on which the first UI, such as the first UI402or the first UI502was provided. As explained with reference toFIGS. 4 and 5, the device may be any electronic device (for example, a Smartphone, a laptop, a tablet computer, a wearable device, a mobile phone, a desktop computer, etc.) in proximity to the customer and as such may be a customer-affiliated device, a device deployed in an enterprise location, an agent device or a public display device. In an embodiment, the second UI602corresponds to an interactive interface within a chat console such as the chat console304explained with reference toFIG. 3.

In an embodiment, the customer may provide words of appreciation for the agent in a textual form in the first free flow text area606. In some cases, the customer may also be capable of inputting images or icons, such as a thumbs-up image indicative of a like symbol or even a star rating in the first free flow text area606in addition to the text. In at least one embodiment, an asterisk symbol ‘*’ may be provisioned at a suitable location near the first free flow text area606, as exemplarily depicted by symbol612in the second UI602drawing attention of the customer to a text portion614, which may inform the customer that the endorsement will be posted on the one or more social media profiles of the agent.

A submit option616may also be provisioned on the second UI602requesting the customer to provide permission to post the endorsement on the social media profiles of the agent. The customer may provide permission for posting the endorsement on the social media profiles of the agent by clicking or providing a touch input on the submit option616. Alternatively, the customer may choose to skip provisioning and the subsequent posting of the endorsement by selecting the menu option610(for example, by clicking or providing a touch input) to close the second UI602.

In an embodiment, the customer may also be requested to link the endorsement to a respective social media profile. In an illustrative example, if the agent has pre-approved Facebook™ and LinkedIn™ as social media profiles for posting endorsements, then the customer may be requested to sign-in, for example by clicking on a sign-in option618on at least one of these social media profiles so as to link the endorsement to their social media profiles. In at least one example embodiment, suitable incentives may be provided to the customer for taking such extra effort. For example, a promotional offer or a discount on next purchase may be offered to the customer for endorsing the customer and linking the endorsement to their respective social media profiles. In an embodiment, the linking of the social media profiles of the customer to the endorsements may be effected in an intuitive way without the customer having to separately access the respective social media account. For example, a UI may be provisioned to the customer subsequent to the display of the second UI602to enable the customer to sign-in into any one of the social media profiles maintained by the customer as exemplarily depicted inFIG. 7.

FIG. 7shows a third UI702presented to a customer for linking an endorsement for an agent to a customer's social media profile, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The third UI702may be presented on the same device on which the second UI was presented to the customer. The third UI702depicts three buttons704,706and708displaying text ‘Sign-in with a first social media account’, ‘Sign-in with a second social media account’ and ‘Sign-in with a third social media account’, respectively. In an illustrative example, the first, the second and the third social media accounts may correspond to any of a Facebook™, Twitter™, Google+™ LinkedIn™, Instagram™ accounts. In an example embodiment, only those social media account options may be presented to the customer for whom approval is provisioned by the agent. For example, if the agent has pre-approved the system200to post endorsements on Facebook™ and Twitter™, then options for logging into only two social media accounts may be presented to the customer to facilitate subsequent linking of the customer profile to the posted endorsement.

In an embodiment, the customer may provide a click or a touch input on any of the three buttons704,706and708to select a social media account. In an embodiment, the system200may be caused to use API plug-ins of the social media accounts to redirect the customer from the third UI702to the respective social media page. The customer may sign-in to the respective media accounts and link the respective social media profiles of the customer to the endorsement. More specifically, the sign-in information may authenticate the customer and provide profile information (such as for example, profile name and profile picture) of the customer to the system200for linking the customer's profile to the endorsements to be posted on one or more social media profiles of the agent. In some embodiments, the system200may be caused to store customer social media account information along with sign-in information in the memory204.

Referring now toFIG. 2, in an embodiment, the processor202is configured to, with the content of the memory204, cause the system200to effect a posting of the endorsement on the one or more social media profiles of the agent. As explained with reference toFIGS. 6 and 7, if the customer chooses to link his or her profile to the endorsement, for example by logging into respective social media profile, then the endorsement may include the customer's social media profile information, for example customer's profile name and profile picture etc. However, if the customer chooses to provide an endorsement but not link his or her profile to the endorsement then the posted endorsement may be tagged with an ‘anonymous customer’ label as exemplarily depicted inFIG. 8.

FIG. 8shows a fourth UI802corresponding to a social media profile804of an agent subsequent to posting of one or more customer endorsements, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As explained with reference toFIG. 2, an agent may pre-approve the system200to post customer endorsements on select social media profiles. Accordingly, the system200may be caused to effect a posting of customer endorsements on the selected social media profiles of the agent. Moreover, as explained with reference toFIGS. 6 and 7, if the customer chooses to link his or her respective social media profile to the endorsement, then the customer's profile information is included in the endorsement as exemplarily depicted on the social media profile804. In an illustrative example, the social media profile804may correspond to a social media profile of an agent John. Further, John may have recently assisted a customer ‘Tim’ who may have liked the assistance provided by John and opted to endorse John. Moreover, Tim may have opted to link his social media profile to the endorsement. Accordingly, the system200may post an endorsement806including textual content ‘Thank you for the great service John. I wouldn't have been able to get my refund without your help’ on the social media profile804of John. Moreover, the endorsement806is configured to display Tim's name808and his profile picture810along with the textual content.

In some cases, the customer may choose not to link his or her respective social media profile to the endorsement. In such a case, the endorsement may be posted on the agent's social media profile along with the tag ‘anonymous customer’. In an illustrative example, agent John may have recently assisted a customer ‘James’ who may have liked the support provided by John and opted to endorse John. However, James may have opted not to link his social media profile to the endorsement. Accordingly, the system200may post the endorsement812including the textual content ‘Keep up the good work’ on the social media profile804of John. The endorsement812may be labeled with a tag814‘anonymous customer’ and a grayscale image816suggestive of missing profile picture. In some cases, the customer may choose to include image content as exemplarily depicted in endorsement818showing an image820of five stars. It is understood that the image content may not be limited to stars and in some cases images of animated characters, such as clapping hands, etc., may also be provided as an endorsement.

It is noted that such endorsements provided by the customers that are displayed on the social media profiles of the agents allow family, friends and other acquaintances of the agents to also recognize the good services being provided by the agents, and open the agents to more appreciation outside the workplace. The endorsements may further be liked, commented upon, or shared by family and friends on the social media profiles of the agent. Such increased level of appreciation and social recognition of agents' efforts and customer handling by people external to the enterprises may contribute to increasing the productivity of the agents at the workplaces associated with the enterprises. A method for facilitating social recognition of agents is explained with reference toFIG. 9.

FIG. 9is a flow diagram of an example method900for facilitating social recognition of agents, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The method900depicted in the flow diagram may be executed by, for example, the system200explained with reference toFIGS. 2 to 8. Operations of the flowchart, and combinations of operation in the flowchart, may be implemented by, for example, hardware, firmware, a processor, circuitry and/or a different device associated with the execution of software that includes one or more computer program instructions. The operations of the method900are described herein with help of the system200. For example, one or more operations corresponding to the method900may be executed by a processor, such as the processor202of the system200. It is noted that although the one or more operations are explained herein to be executed by the processor alone, it is understood that the processor is associated with a memory, such as the memory204of the system200, which is configured to store machine executable instructions for facilitating the execution of the one or more operations. It is also noted that, the operations of the method900can be described and/or practiced by using a system other than the system200. The method900starts at operation902.

At operation902of the method900, a display of a first user interface (UI) is caused on a device in proximity to a customer subsequent to a completion of an interaction of the customer with an agent. In at least one example embodiment, an interaction activity related to an interaction between a customer and an agent may be tracked to deduce if the interaction is completed or not. The tracking and subsequent detection of completion of interaction may be performed as explained with reference to various illustrative examples inFIG. 2.

Accordingly, upon completion of an interaction between an agent and the customer, the first UI may be displayed on the device in proximity to the customer. As explained with reference toFIG. 2, the device in proximity to the customer may be a customer-affiliated device, a public display device, an agent device or even an electronic device deployed at an enterprise location. The first UI includes one or more survey questions related to a performance of the agent during the interaction. The causing of the display of the first UI may be performed as explained with reference to the first UI402and the first UI502inFIGS. 4 and 5, respectively, and is not explained herein.

At operation904of the method900, at least one input is received from the customer in response to the one or more survey questions displayed in the first UI. In an example embodiment, the first UI may include a survey form containing questions, which may elicit a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ response. The customer may click in an appropriate box to provide a response to such a question. Additionally, or alternatively, the survey form may include questions requesting the customer to rate the agent's performance on a scale of ‘one to five’ (for example, a rating of ‘one’ implying poor performance and a rating of ‘five’ implying excellent performance), or a question asking the customer to rate how likely would the customer engage with the enterprise again on a scale of ‘one to five’. In at least one embodiment, the survey questions are chosen so as to facilitate generation of a net promoter score (NPS), a net experience score (NES) and a customer satisfaction (CSAT) score. Such scores may enable determination of a satisfaction level of the customer and in turn help assess an agent's performance during the interaction. In some embodiments, the survey form may include only one question requesting the customer to provide a star rating on a scale of one to five stars to rate the agent's performance and the customer may provide an click or a touch input as a response to indicate his assessment of the agent's performance.

At operation906of the method900, it is determined whether the performance of the agent satisfies a predetermined condition based on the at least one input. In an illustrative example, a score such as for example, a NPS, a NES or a CSAT score may be computed based on the input provided by the customer in response to the survey questions provisioned to the customer on the first UI. The computed score (or scores) may be compared to a predefined threshold value (or predefined threshold values), such as for example a value of 80 (on a 1 to 100 value scale). In such a case, determining whether the performance of the agent satisfies the predetermined condition or not includes determining if the score is greater than the predefined threshold value. For example, if the computed score corresponding to the agent's performance during the interaction with the customer is 60 then it may be determined that the agent's performance does not satisfy the predetermined condition as it is less than the predefined threshold value of 80. Similarly, in another illustrative example, an overall star rating corresponding to the agent's performance may be computed and compared to an average agent rating on the preconfigured performance scale. If the average agent rating on the preconfigured performance scale (such as scale of one to five stars with one star suggestive of poor rating and five stars suggestive of highest rating) is less than the overall star rating provided by the customer then it may be determined that the agent's performance satisfies the predetermined condition.

At operation908of the method900, a display of a second UI is caused on the device if the performance of the agent is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition. More specifically, if the agent's performance is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition or, in other words, the agent's performance is determined to be favorable, then the second UI may be presented to the customer on the customer device. In at least one example embodiment, the second UI may include content requesting the customer to provide an endorsement for the agent so that the endorsement may be subsequently shared on one or more social media profiles maintained by the agent. In an example embodiment, the second UI may include a first free-flow text area capable of receiving a customer input related to the endorsement from the customer. Furthermore, the content in the second UI may prompt the customer to link the endorsement to a respective social media profile of the customer prior to posting of the endorsement on the one or more social media profiles of the agent. The provisioning of the endorsement as well as linking (or not linking) of the customer's social media profile to the endorsement may be performed as explained with reference toFIGS. 6 and 7.

At operation910of the method900, a posting of the endorsement on the one or more social media profiles of the agent is effected upon receiving the endorsement for the agent from the customer. The posting of the endorsement may be performed as explained with reference toFIG. 8and is not explained again herein. Another method for facilitating social recognition of agents is explained with reference toFIG. 10.

FIG. 10is a flow diagram of an example method1000for facilitating social recognition of agents, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The method1000depicted in the flow diagram may be executed by, for example, the system200explained with reference toFIGS. 2 to 8. Operations of the flowchart, and combinations of operation in the flowchart, may be implemented by, for example, hardware, firmware, a processor, circuitry and/or a different device associated with the execution of software that includes one or more computer program instructions. The method1000starts at operation1002.

At operation1004of the method1000, one or more social media profiles of an agent are authenticated.

At operation1006of the method1000, an interaction between a customer and the agent is tracked for detecting a completion of the interaction.

At operation1008of the method1000, a display of a first user interface (UI) is caused on a device in proximity to the customer subsequent to the completion of the interaction. The first UI includes one or more survey questions related to a performance of the agent during the interaction.

At operation1010of the method1000, at least one input is received from the customer in response to the one or more survey questions.

At operation1012of the method1000, it is determined whether the performance of the agent satisfies a predetermined condition. The determination of whether the performance of the agent satisfies the predetermined condition may be performed based on the at least one input. Operation1014is performed if it is determined that the performance of the agent does not satisfy the predetermined condition. At operation1014of the method1000, the method1000stops. Operation1016is performed if it is determined that the performance of the agent satisfies the predetermined condition.

At operation1016of the method1000, a display of a second UI is caused on the device. The second UI including content requesting the customer to provide an endorsement for the agent. Further, the customer is informed that the endorsement will be shared on the one or more social media profiles of the agent.

At operation1018of the method1000, it is determined whether the customer has provided an endorsement. If it is determined that the customer has not provided an endorsement and closed the second UI, then operation1014is performed. If it is determined that the customer has provided an endorsement, then operation1020is performed.

At operation1020of the method1000, the customer is requested to link a respective social media profile to the endorsement.

At operation1022of the method1000, it is determined whether the customer has agreed to link the respective social media profile to the endorsement. If the customer has agreed to link the respective social media profile then operation1024is performed. At operation1024of the method1000, a posting of the endorsement on the one or more social media profiles of the agent is effected and the endorsement is linked with the customer's respective social media profile.

If the customer has not agreed to link the respective social media profile then operation1026is performed. At operation1026of the method1000, a posting of the endorsement on the one or more social media profiles of the agent is effected and the endorsement is linked with an anonymous customer tag. The method ends at operation1014.

Without in any way limiting the scope, interpretation, or application of the claims appearing below, advantages of one or more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein facilitate social recognition of agents by posting customer endorsements on social media profiles of the agents. Favorable customer endorsements are shared in substantially real-time on an agent's social network and as such the endorsements are visible to family, friends and acquaintances of the agent. The endorsements displayed on the social media profiles of the agents allow family, friends and other acquaintances of the agents to also recognize the good services being provided by the agents, and open the agents to more appreciation outside the workplace. The endorsements may further be liked, commented upon, or shared by family and friends on the social media profiles of the agent. Such increased level of appreciation and social recognition of agents' efforts and customer handling by people external to the enterprises may contribute to increasing the productivity of the agents at the workplaces associated with the enterprises. Moreover, such real-time endorsements encourage the agents to do better in subsequent interactions as opposed to conventional techniques, which rely on periodic evaluations and appraisals for motivating the agents. Moreover, brand of an enterprise associated with the agents, which provides good services to the customers is also promoted as a result of such social recognition of their agents. Some embodiments of the invention are also applicable for provisioning testimonials/feedbacks by the customers for the agents, where the customers and the agents are involved in face-to-face interactions in merchant establishments.

Various embodiments described above may be implemented in software, hardware, application logic or a combination of software, hardware and application logic. The software, application logic and/or hardware may reside on one or more memory locations, one or more processors, an electronic device or, a computer program product. In an embodiment, the application logic, software or an instruction set is maintained on any one of various conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, a “computer-readable medium” may be any media or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, as described and depicted inFIGS. 1 and/or 2. A computer-readable medium may comprise a computer-readable storage medium that may be any media or means that can contain or store the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer.

Particularly, the system200, the processor202, the memory204and the I/O module206may be enabled using software and/or using transistors, logic gates, and electrical circuits (for example, integrated circuit circuitry such as ASIC circuitry). Various embodiments of the present technology may include one or more computer programs stored or otherwise embodied on a computer-readable medium, wherein the computer programs are configured to cause a processor or computer to perform one or more operations (for example, operations explained herein with reference toFIGS. 9 and 10). A computer-readable medium storing, embodying, or encoded with a computer program, or similar language, may be embodied as a tangible data storage device storing one or more software programs that are configured to cause a processor or computer to perform one or more operations. Such operations may be, for example, any of the steps or operations described herein. In some embodiments, the computer programs may be stored and provided to a computer using any type of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include any type of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic storage media (such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives, etc.), optical magnetic storage media (e.g. magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory), CD-R (compact disc recordable), CD-R/W (compact disc rewritable), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc), and semiconductor memories (such as mask ROM, PROM (programmable ROM), EPROM (erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory), etc.). Additionally, a tangible data storage device may be embodied as one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and/or a combination of one or more volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices. In some embodiments, the computer programs may be provided to a computer using any type of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable media include electric signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer readable media can provide the program to a computer via a wired communication line (e.g. electric wires, and optical fibers) or a wireless communication line.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed above, may be practiced with steps and/or operations in a different order, and/or with hardware elements in configurations, which are different than those which, are disclosed. Therefore, although the technology has been described based upon these exemplary embodiments, it is noted that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions may be apparent and well within the spirit and scope of the technology.