Patent Publication Number: US-11663606-B2

Title: Communications platform system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/167,981, filed on Oct. 23, 2018, entitled “Customer Management System,” which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/651,372, filed on Jul. 17, 2017, entitled “Customer Management System”, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,296,915, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/485,626, filed on Sep. 12, 2014, entitled “Customer Management System”, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,710,814. This application also claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/575,609, filed Oct. 23, 2017, and entitled “Communications Platform System.” The subject matter disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/167,981, U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,296,915 and 9,710,814, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/575,609 is hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure as if fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method of customer communications and interactions and specifically to a communications platform system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With the increasing complexity of customer relationships and mounting pressure to provide outstanding customer service, companies are struggling to meet their customers&#39; expectations. Customer relationships naturally evolve over time, however, challenges arise when companies use multiple applications and systems to organize and view customer relationship data, or when data is complicated by duplicate or outdated information. As a result, most companies are unable to achieve a complete view of each customer and their history. This means companies are hearing from customers more, but understanding less. It&#39;s important that multiple data sets can be seamlessly accessed and organized in one dashboard or user interface in order to maintain a holistic view of each customer. Without a solution, these problems can lead to a degraded customer experience, causing dissatisfied customers. Therefore, previous techniques of attempting to achieve a single view of the customer have proven inadequate. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived by referring to the detailed description when considered in connection with the following illustrative figures. In the figures, like reference numbers refer to like elements or acts throughout the figures. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates an exemplary system according to a first embodiment; 
         FIG.  2    illustrates the platform interface of  FIG.  1    according to an embodiment; 
         FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  illustrate the communication devices of the one or more entities and the one or more end user systems of  FIG.  1    in greater detail according to an embodiment; and 
         FIG.  4    illustrates an exemplary method according to an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Aspects and applications of the invention presented herein are described below in the drawings and detailed description of the invention. Unless specifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in the specification and the claims be given their plain, ordinary, and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable arts. 
     In the following description, and for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the invention. It will be understood, however, by those skilled in the relevant arts, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, known structures and devices are shown or discussed more generally in order to avoid obscuring the invention. In many cases, a description of the operation is sufficient to enable one to implement the various forms of the invention, particularly when the operation is to be implemented in software. It should be noted that there are many different and alternative configurations, devices and technologies to which the disclosed inventions may be applied. The full scope of the inventions is not limited to the examples that are described below. 
     As described more fully below, aspects of the following disclosure relate to the communication and interactions between companies and customers. According to one aspect, embodiments provide for an enterprise level system that assures data integrity in a non-siloed cloud datastore and leverages the information stored in the cloud datastore for analytical purposes. For example, a rules engine, in the analytical system, leverages machine learning, natural language processing and artificial intelligence to understand and predict customers and users&#39; behavior. According to a second aspect, the cloud datastore provides for data integrity and the ability for companies to achieve full transparency between customers and company team members. As an example only and not by way of limitation, a company may leverage a rules engine to automate tasks and processes to assure operational consistency, such as, case management, scheduling, user management, permission management, role settings and the like. In addition, or as an alternative, a company may capture sentiments such as a customer&#39;s likelihood of recommending products or services and the customer&#39;s overall satisfaction, which trigger marketing and service strategies of the company. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates an exemplary system  100 , according to a first embodiment. System  100  comprises platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130 , one or more end user systems  140 , communication channels  150 , a network  160 , and communication links  161 - 165 . Although platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130 , one or more end user systems  140 , communication channels  150 , a single network  160 , and communication links  161 - 165  are shown and described, embodiments contemplate any number of platform interfaces, cloud datastores, entities, end user systems, communication channels, networks, or communication links, according to particular needs. 
     In one embodiment, platform interface  110  comprises server  112  and database  114 . The server is programmed to communicate and interact with cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130  and one or more end user systems  140  and provide data integrity which allows full transparency between one or more entities  130  and one or more end user systems  140  to create a single view of customer account and relevant information, as discussed below in more detail. Database  114  comprises one or more databases or other data storage arrangements at one or more locations, local to, or remote from, platform interface  110 . In one embodiment, one or more databases is coupled with one or more servers using one or more local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), network  160 , such as, for example, the Internet, or any other appropriate wire line, wireless, or any other communication links. One or more databases stores data that is made available and may be used by one or more servers, according to the operation of system  100 . 
     In another embodiment, cloud datastore  120  comprises server  122  and database  124 . Cloud datastore  120  provides a centralized datastore for one or more entities  130 , such that, the data uploaded to cloud datastore  120  is segregated and secure for each particular entity  130 . In addition, ore as an alternative, cloud datastore  120  provides shared computer processing resources and data according to the operation of system  100 . As discussed below in more detail, platform interface  110  may be located internal or local to cloud datastore  120 , according to particular needs. Server  122  comprises any server or computer system configured to access, update and provide data associated with one or more entities  130  and/or one or more end user systems  140 , as discussed below in greater detail. 
     Database  124  comprises one or more databases or other data storage arrangements at one or more locations, local to, or remote from, platform interface  110 . In one embodiment, one or more databases is coupled with one or more servers using one or more LANs, WANs, MANs, network  160 , such as, for example, the Internet, or any other appropriate wire line, wireless, or any other communication links. The one or more databases stores data that is made available and may be used by one or more servers according to the operation of system  100 . 
     In an embodiment, one or more entities  130  may be any entity, such as, for example, a business, company, enterprise, retailer, call-center, customer service system, help desk system, telephone or media service, or any entity which communicates with customers, either its own customers or the customers of another entity. One or more entities  130  comprise one or more servers  132 , one or more communication devices  134  and one or more databases  136  or other data storage arrangements at one or more locations which are integral to or separate from the hardware and/or software that supports system  100 . As discussed in more detail below, each communication device  134  provides one or more entities  130  a channel of communication via communication channels  150  between end user systems  140  and entities  130 . One or more entities  130  are coupled to one or more end user systems  140  via communication channels  150  by network  160  via communication links  163  and  164 . 
     In one embodiment, one or more end user systems  140  comprises an end user system such as, for example, a business partner, vendor, business customer, an online or in-store customer, a member of an organization, an individual or group of individuals or the like. One or more end user systems  140  comprises server  142 , communication devices  144  and database  146 . Each communication device  144  provides one or more end user systems  140  a channel of communication via communication channels  150  between one or more entities  130  and one or more end user systems  140 . One or more end user systems  140  are coupled to one or more entities  130  via communication channels  150  by network  160  via communication links  163 ,  164  and  165 . 
     In embodiments, communication channels  150  comprises channels of communication such as, for example, voice  151 , email  152 , chat  153 , SMS  154 , social media  155 , surveys  156 , email marketing  157 , help center  158 , and collaboration task management  159 . These communication channels  150  may leverage third party products or services, such as for example, social media platforms, email systems, or the like. In addition, or as an alternative, embodiments contemplate integrating APIs, where for example, third-party products may be integrated into the backend or communication interface of platform interface  110 . Although one or more channels of communication are shown and described, embodiments contemplate any number or any type of communication channels, according to particular needs. 
     As discussed in more detail below, one or more entities  130  may communicate with or receive communication from one or more end user systems  140  or any other third party entity using communication channels  150 . This communication may be, for example, telephone calls, emails, instant, chat or text messaging, posting to social media, blogs, or newsgroups, and any other communication activity of communication channels  150 . 
     Platform interface  110  including server  112  and database  114  are coupled with network  160  using communications link  161 , which may be any wireline, wireless, or other link suitable to support data communications between platform interface  110  and network  160 . Cloud datastore  120  including server  122  and database  124  are coupled with network  160  using communications link  162 , which may be any wireline, wireless, or other link suitable to support data communications between cloud datastore  120  and network  160 . One or more entities  130  including server  132  and database  134  are coupled with network  160  using communications link  163 , which may be any wireless or other link suitable to support data communications between one or more entities  130  and network  160 . One or more end user systems  140  is coupled with network  160  using communications link  140 , which may be any wireline, wireless, or other link suitable to support data communications between one or more end user systems  140  and network  160 . Communication channels  150  is coupled with network  160  using communications link  150 , which may be any wireline, wireless, or other link suitable to support data communications between the communication channels  150  and network  160 . 
     Although the communication links  161 - 165  are shown as generally coupling platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130 , one or more end user systems  140 , and communication channels  150 , with network  160 , platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130 , one or more end user systems  140 , and communication channels  150  may communicate directly with each other according to particular needs. 
     In an embodiment, network  160  includes the Internet, telephone lines, any appropriate local area networks LANs, MANs, or WANs, and any other communication network coupling platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130 , one or more end user systems  140 , communication channels  150 . For example, data may be maintained by platform interface  110  or cloud datastore  120  at one or more locations external to platform interface  110  and/or cloud datastore  120  and made available to platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130 , one or more end user systems  140 , and communication channels  150 , using network  160  or in any other appropriate manner. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the complete structure and operation of the communication network and other components within system  100  are not depicted or described. Embodiments may be employed in conjunction with known communications networks and other components. 
     In one embodiment, platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130 , one or more end user systems  140 , and/or communication channels  150 , may each operate on one or more computers or computer systems that are integral to or separate from the hardware and/or software that support system  100 . In addition or as an alternative, one or more users, such as entities or end users, may be associated with system  100  including platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130 , one or more end user systems  140 , and/or communication channels  150 . 
     These one or more users may include, for example, one or more computers programmed to seamlessly manage customer communication from multiple channels and/or one or more related tasks within system  100 . According to embodiments, a user may access information from multiple channels that is automatically funneled into the same place i.e., the cloud datastore, making managing customers and operations easier than ever before. For example, when a telephone call comes into system  100 , that user may view chat transcripts and easily sift through real time email correspondence to ensure the highest quality and speed of service for their customers. 
     As used herein, the term “computer” or “computer system” includes any suitable input device, such as a keypad, mouse, touch screen, microphone, or other device to input information. Any suitable output device that may convey information associated with the operation of system  100 , including digital or analog data, visual information, or audio information. Furthermore, the computer includes any suitable fixed or removable non-transitory computer-readable storage media, such as magnetic computer disks, CD-ROM, or other suitable media to receive output from and provide input to system  100 . The computer also includes one or more processors and associated memory to execute instructions and manipulate information according to the operation of system  100 . 
     In one embodiment and as discussed in more detail below, system  100  provides a shared communications platform system. That is, system  100  comprises platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130 , one or more end user systems  140 , and/or communication channels  150 , which allows full transparency between one or more entities  130  and one or more end user systems  140  to create a single view of the end user system  140  account and relevant information via cloud datastore  120 . In addition, or as an alternative, system  100  functions as an enterprise solution that provides flexibility for one or more entities  130  to setup and determine processes around their corporate needs related to the interactions between an entity  130  and customers using end user system  140  over various communication channels  150 . Accordingly, system  100  provides one or more entities  130  a system and method for capturing, identifying and automating a customer&#39;s communications and interactions with the entity  130  in a single place i.e., the cloud datastores  120 , as described in more detail below. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates platform interface  110  of  FIG.  1    in greater detail according to an embodiment. As discussed above, platform interface  110  comprises one or more computers at one or more locations including associated input devices, output devices, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, processors, memory, or other components for configuring, managing, and providing communications according to the operation of system  100 . In addition, and as discussed in more detail below, platform interface  110  comprises server  112  and database  114 . Although platform interface  110  is shown and described as comprising a single computer, server  112  and database  114 ; embodiments contemplate any suitable number of computers, servers or databases internal to or externally coupled with platform interface  110 . In addition, or as an alternative, platform interface  110  may be located internal to one or more entities  130 . In other embodiments, platform interface  110  may be located external to one or more entities  130  and may be located in, for example, cloud datastore  120 , according to particular needs. 
     Server  112  of platform interface  110  comprises user interface module  210 , administrator interface module  240 , intelligence module  260 , rules engine  270 , and communication interface module  280 . Database  114  of platform interface  110  comprises entity data  202 , communication data  204  and case data  206 . Although, the user interface module, administrator interface module, intelligence module, rules engine, communication interface module, entity data, communication data and case data are shown and described; embodiments contemplate any type of data and any number of modules or engines, according to particular needs. 
     User interface module  210  of server  112  of platform interface  110  provides services to configure the operation of system  100  and change which modules are executed and/or data is stored on one or more of platform interfaces  110 , cloud datastores  120 , one or more entities  130 , and/or one or more end user systems  140 . According to embodiments user interface module  210  generates a graphical user interface, described in more detail below, for configuring, monitoring, and interpreting communication channels  150  and communication activity of communication devices  134  of one or more entities  130  and communication devices  144  of one or more end user systems  140 . According to embodiments, various features of user interface module  210  include generating charts, storing and retrieving communication data  204 , displaying notifications, and creating and managing reports. In addition, user interface module  210  retrieves data from database  114  including entity data  202 , communication data  204 , and case data  206  and manages, sorts, and displays the data. Embodiments contemplate a highly user-configurable system, such that the various modules or data may be stored either singularly or redundantly on database  114  and/or cloud datastore  120 , according to particular needs. 
     According to embodiments, user interface module  210  also provides the creation and setup of different types of users and assigns multiple different types of permissions to those users based on their roles within one or more entities  130 . For example, on the customer service side, user interface module  210  provides for multiple types of users such as, for example, account managers, support agents, sales agents, onboarding specialists, and the like. According to embodiments, these users are provided access to the agent section of the user interface within an agents section, such that, the users would have access to different tools such as, for example, internal and external chat, case creation and modification, calendaring and task management, multi-channel communication including voice, email and chat and agent side analytics. 
     According to embodiments, the internal and external chat allows an agent to talk to either other agents of one or more entities  130  or to external customers, such as, one or more end user systems  140 . Calendaring allows an agent to create and schedule relevant tasks or activities and specify the necessary details on those activities such as recipients, date/time/location, and the like. Multi-channel communication ensures seamless communication with one or more end user systems  140 , such as, for example, voice by using call-pop, which triggers an incoming call to pop-up on the agent&#39;s computer display screen. In addition, or as an alternative, if the phone number finds a match with an existing case, account or contact in system  100 , the details are populated on the call pop-up screen such that the agent knows who is calling. Once the call is complete, platform interface  110  causes the call transcript to be transcribed as an interaction on either a new case or an existing case. 
     In addition, embodiments provide for additional channels of communication such as, email and chat. For example, when an email or chat comes into system  100 , platform interface  110  either creates a new case or automatically associates it to an existing case. In addition, every inbound email becomes an interaction on a case and at the end of a chat, the chat transcript is also made an interaction on the particular case. According to embodiments, any user on the agent side will also have access to agent side analytics that provides the user the sentiment, the account experience scores and the survey scores. Using the combination of these three analytics reports, the user may quickly detect the sentiment of the customers associated with the one or more end user systems  140  and is able to proactively formulate responses for any dissatisfied customers. 
     According to embodiments, user interface module  210  also provides access to surveys and email marketing. According to embodiments, surveys allow a marketer of one or more entities  130  to design, create and manage surveys to obtain relevant feedback from one or more end user systems  140 . Email marketing provides the marketer several tools to design, create and send out emails over communication channels  150  pertaining to marketing campaigns. In addition, or as an alternative, user interface module  210  provides for one or more macros that allow a user to automate and increase the efficiency of communication with one or more end user systems  140 . For example, the macros enable a user to pre-write and store templated questions and responses along with pre-set form field settings. According to embodiments, these pre-set templates may be accessed to ensure responses to common requests are fast and consistent. In addition, for added efficiency, rules may be used to trigger macros automatically, so common requests and repetitive tasks completely disappear from the user&#39;s to-do list. 
     According to embodiments, new macros may either be created by setting an appropriate form field setting and also populating the required predefined text either as a note or as an email. For example, if an administrator is creating a macro, the macro may designate to be either visible only to the administrator or for all agents. In addition, if an agent is creating a macro, the agent may only designate the macro to be visible to the agent. Once a Macro is created, the macro may be retrieved at any time using a macros option. Selecting this brings up a list of existing macros associated with one or more entities  130 , which an agent has access to view. The agent may select any of the existing macros to apply the specific form field settings as well as populate the pre-defined email or note template that was created as part of the macro creation. 
     Administration interface  240  of server  112  of platform interface  110  comprises database builder  248 , form builder  250  and table builder  258 . According to embodiments, administration interface  240  allows the configuration of settings to present the data to the agents in an appropriate and relevant manner, as well as providing access to applications to enhance the customer experience of using platform interface  110 . For example, administration interface  240  may provide one or more system services to setup or configure the operation of system  100 , such as, user management, scheduling, setup, permission management, teams, configurations, controlling execution of modules and storage of data, including controlling the location of the storage of data. This may include setting up a telephone system or VOIP system to be monitored by administration interface  240  and configuring the type of communication activity that will be monitored over communication channels  150  and what communication data  204  will be collected and stored. 
     In addition, administration interface  240  provides two graphical user interface views, an agent view and an administration view. The agent view is used by one or more entities  130 , such as, for example, agents or users who are actively providing customer relationship management and support to their customers. The administration view is used by administrators to configure the agent&#39;s view via different settings and available applications in order to present the information to the agent. According to embodiments, the agent view comprises list views as well as form and relationship views. 
     The list view provides a list of all the available instances of the entity  130  that the user is viewing, such as, for example, a list of accounts, contacts, cases, locations, and the like. In addition, selecting the list view will open that specific instance of the entity  130 . Additionally, all of the entities  130  available to platform interface  110  for the agent to use, will be displayed. In addition, or as an alternative, once an instance of an entity  130  (for a specific case or a specific contact) has been selected, the view switches to the form and relationship view. In an exemplary embodiment, the relationship panel shows all the relationships that have been configured for this entity  130  and all the form fields available for this entity  130 . 
     According to embodiments, the administration view is the section for the administrator to configure all the elements of platform interface  110 , so that the agents and/or users are presented with the information in the most relevant manner possible. In addition, the administration view comprises several sub-sections such as, for example, user management, channels, smart topics and analytics, rules engine, engagement, case management and data management. Each of one these sub-sections enable the user to perform specific tasks. For example, the user management allows the administrator to create and manage users as well as assign roles and permissions. The data management allows users to manipulate the data in system  100  through multiple applications such as database  114 , form builder  250  and table builder  258 . The case management enables managing certain aspects of cases such as status and priority management. The tools and settings provide advanced security options to the user such as, for example, an IP blacklist and email blacklist. 
     In embodiments, Database builder  248  allows administrators to setup the database schema and tables as per the specific needs of a customer. For example, database builder  248  allows the administrator to create new database entities and/or tables, add/edit the fields in these database tables, and also add/edit relationships between multiple database tables. That is, embodiments allow the database schema to be created and designed using database builder  248 . 
     In addition, or as an alternative, database builder  248  allows performing specific actions such as, for example, setting fields as unique or required, setting a field as a primary display field, and also being able to support all the common field types needed to represent the data such as number, text, currency, date, and the like. As an example only and not by way of limitation, database builder  248  provides the ability to create relationships between different entities and/or tables. These relationships may be of multiple cardinalities such as a one to one (1:1) or many to one (M:1) or a many to many (M:M) relationship. In addition, this may be between different entities  130  or may be within the same entity  130 , such as, for example, when a case has a relationship to itself to represent parent cases and sub-cases. 
     According to embodiments, form builder  250  and table builder  258  allow administration users of one or more entities  130  to configure various views based on conditions of each audience within a company, such as, for example, a department, a team, a status or individuals. Form builder  250  determines data fields within cloud datastore  120  available for viewing based on predefined conditions, such as, for example, which department or individual is viewing the customer. Form builder  250  allows for the flexibility of platform interface  110  to design forms based on status such as, for example, active or non-active customers including pre-sale forms that provide status such as, for example, lead, quote, sales, account, or the like. Table builder  258  determines which fields may be viewed in a table view based on the same principles as described above. 
     In addition, or as an alternative, administration interface  240  of platform interface  110  allows for forms to be created for specific conditions, such as, for example, departments. As described below in more detail and at the time of the form creation, the administration users may pick and choose the conditions to be associated with the form, such as, for example, case departments. By doing this, this ensures that only people in those departments will be privy to see the form specific to their department. According to embodiments, multiple forms may be created for the same entity  130 , and each of the multiple forms may have different fields specific to the conditions they are being created for. 
     According to embodiments, table builder  258  allows the administrator to configure a grid or list view or table view, which allows the administrator to select particular columns to be displayed for agents for that grid. In addition, this enables the administrator to not only select the columns that are native to the entity for which the grid is being constructed but also enables selection of columns that represent relationships of this entity to other entities. For example, these may be single level or multi-level relationships, thus allowing the user to see relevant fields of related entities also at a glance in the grid of the primary entity. 
     In addition, and as discussed above with respect to the agent view of the graphical user interface views of administration interface  240 , the administration view may also have multiple types of users such as, for example, administrators, operational managers and the like. These users may also have access to different tools in the administration view such as an administration dashboard, database builder  248 , form builder  250 , table builder  258 , rules engine  270 , administration analytics and gamification. 
     According to embodiments, the administration dashboard provides administration side users a quick view of the administration user and provides a segway to different sections such as smart topics, cloud datastores  120 , rules engine  270  and data migration. Smart topics allow a user to create and configure topics on the backend as needed, including assigning topic points and SLA times for cases associated with the topic. In addition, or as an alternative, the smart topics provides a powerful suggestion tool for the agents. For example, every time a topic is created, the natural language processing engine of intelligence module  260  stores that topic and the relevant information. Thereafter, if a case is created that has similar information to the one previously created, platform interface  110  will automatically suggest topics for the user to be able to correctly represent the topic of a case. 
     In addition, the administration dashboard also provides a high-level view of administration side analytics. The database builder  248 , form builder  250 , and table builder  258  allow an administrator to manipulate the database schema and create forms and tables for specific entities  130  based on conditions, such as, for example, departments. In addition, and as discussed below, rules engine  270  allows an administrator to setup business rules to automate tasks and also provide appropriate notifications, according to particular needs. The administration analytics provides a complete view by conditions, such as departments of all the relevant data such as open cases and split of the cases by communication channels  150 . Gamification is a sub-section under analytics which facilitates an administrator to not only do a comparison of different users but also allows the administrator to setup games/targets to use a motivational tool to increase user performance. 
     Intelligence module  260  of server  112  of platform interface  110  comprises natural language processing (NLP), prediction analysis, machine learning and smart reporting. According to embodiments, intelligence module  260  provides natural language processing such as, for example, transcribing an email, voice (call recording) or chat and performing the transcription to look for specific keywords in order to identify the sentiment of a conversation. In addition, or as an alternative, intelligence module  260  creates reports based upon those keywords, such as, how many times a word was used in a communication, a day, during a case and the like. In addition, intelligence module  260  uses machine learning to perform topic prediction, based on, for example, previously categorized cases. As an example only and not by way of limitation, if case A is set to be a topic of a new customer, and intelligence module  260  compares all of the cases in database  114  and/or database  124  of cloud datastores  120  to determine if a new case is consistent with a previous case, based on a predetermined threshold, such as, for example, 75% or 95%. 
     Rules engine  270  of server  112  of platform interface  110  enables administrators to setup business rules in order to automate several tasks and also take automatic action upon timed triggers being executed. According to embodiments, rules engine  270  may be accessed from administration interface  240  and comprises three elements—trigger, conditions and actions. The trigger refers to an event that happens which results in relevant conditions and actions being executed. The trigger may either start on a particular event or start at a particular period of time, such as, a particular date and/or a particular time. In addition, based on the trigger, multiple conditions may be setup to be evaluated. According to embodiments, a condition comprises an entity, an operator and a value. In addition, there may be multiple condition statements within a single condition, and multiple conditional blocks within a single condition, in order to construct simple and complex conditions. 
     In an embodiment, rules engine  270  provides a list of all the rules currently in system  100 , the editing of triggers, conditions and actions, and shows the flow of the rule with the elements and branches as constructed by a user. In addition, an action is the task that needs to be performed upon the successful completion of a condition or conditions. For example, a create/update action will result in entities  130  being created or updated based on the relevant conditions and a notification action that results in a notification being sent out upon the successful evaluation of a condition/conditions. As an example only and not by way of limitation, the notification may be an email notification, an in-app web notification, an SMS notification, or the like. 
     Communication interface module  280  of server  112  of platform interface  110  generates, receives, and monitors communication between one or more entities  130  and one or more end user systems  140 . Communication interface module  280  may comprise one or more telephone systems, instant messaging systems, voice over internet protocol (VOIP) systems, email systems, internet or web-based chat systems, and/or other types of communication systems used for allowing each of one or more entities  130  to communicate with each other and/or one or more end user systems  140 . Communication interface module  280  may comprise or couple with a communication system, which initiates or receives communication activity over communication channels  150  to communication devices  134  of one or more entities  130  and/or communication devices  144  of one or more end user systems  140 . For example, communication interface module  280  may comprise a software-based telephone system that automatically records communication activity that occurs over communication devices within system  100 . This may include recording the time, duration, date, voice, text, and other communication activity transmitted over various communication channels. Although described as a software-based telephone system, communication interface module  280  may comprise any suitable hardware or software that monitors and records any communication activity in system  100 , according to particular needs. In some embodiments, the communication activity recorded by communication interface module  280  is stored in communication data  204 , database  114  and/or cloud datastores  120 . 
     Entity data  202  stored on database  114  of platform interface  110  describes the identification information of one or more entities  130  of system  100 . Entity data  202  comprises any suitable identification information and may comprise, for example, names, addresses, company, telephone numbers, email, IP addresses, and the like. Entity data  202  may be used by platform interface  110  to identify one or more entities  130  to generate particular configurations of system  100  specific to each of the one or more entities  130 . For example, where one or more entities  130  comprises departments, call groups, users, locations, agents, employee roles, or telephone numbers, the identification information stored in entity data  202  permits platform interface  110  to report, chart, graph, or identify tends or goals specific to the identified or selected departments, call groups, users, locations, agents, employee roles, or telephone numbers, according to particular needs. 
     Communication data  204  stored on database  114  of platform interface  110  may comprise communication activity of communication devices  134  of one or more entities  130  and any setup information of communication interface module  280 . According to some embodiments, communication data  204  comprises the particular communication channels  150 , which are open to entities  130 , a particular end user system  140 , the times, which communication channels  150  are open, the protocols or metadata that describe the communication, and/or any other configuration and setup data necessary to configure the communication systems. According to some embodiments, communication data  204  comprises information about each communication, such as, for example, which entity  130 , end user system  140   n , or user, from which the communication originated and/or to whom the communication was placed or transferred. Platform interface  110  may automatically collect data with every communication activity, and associate a time stamp with each action. In addition, each user or communication may be associated with a role, entity, end user system, department, call group, location, agent, or telephone number. A role may comprise, for example, a job, position, employment status, or the like. 
     Case data  206  stored on database  114  of platform interface  110  may comprise data generated by one or more entities  130  and/or one or more end user systems  140 . In one embodiment, case data  206  includes, but is not limited to: an identity of the representative of entities  130  which created the case, end user systems  140  or a company to which the case relates, the channel by which a user contacted the representative of one or more entities  130 , the number of contacts between one or more end user systems  140  and one or more entities  130 , the total time spent by end user systems  140  on each channel, the time and date of the case creation, a topic and information shared during the contact between one or more entities  130  and one or more user systems  140 , the content of the communication, and/or the like. 
       FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  illustrate the communication devices of one or more entities  130  and one or more end user systems  120  of  FIG.  1    in greater detail according to an embodiment.  FIG.  3 A  illustrates one or more entities  130  of  FIG.  1    in greater detail according to an embodiment. One or more entities  130  comprises server  132 , communication devices  134 , database  136 , and/or communication links  310 - 316  which may be configured to communicate with network  160 , platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , and communication devices  144  of one or more end user systems  140 . As discussed herein, communication devices  134  provide a channel of communication via communication links  310 - 316  to communication channels  150  between one or more entities  130  and one or more end user systems  140  via network  160 . 
     In one embodiment, one or more communication devices  302 - 308  may each operate on separate computer systems or may operate on one or more shared computer systems. Each of these one or more computer systems may be a computer system  302 , such as a work station, personal computer, network computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, tablet-type device  304 , smartphone  306 , terminal, or any other suitable communication device  124 . In addition, communication devices  134  may comprise a land-line or VoIP telephone  308 . According to embodiments each of the communication devices  134  are configured to communicate with communication devices  144  over a communication channel  150 . 
       FIG.  3 B  illustrates one or more end user systems  140  of  FIG.  1    in greater detail according to an embodiment. One or more end user systems  140  comprises server  142 , communication devices  144 , database  146 , and/or communication links  320 - 326  which may be configured to communicate with network  160 , platform interface  110 , cloud datastore  120 , and communication devices  144  of one or more entities  130 . As discussed herein, communication devices  144  provide a channel of communication via communication links  310 - 316  to communication channels  150  between one or more end user systems  140  and one or more entities  130  via network  160 . 
     In one embodiment, one or more communication devices  332 - 338  may each operate on separate computer systems or may operate on one or more shared computer systems. Each of these one or more computer systems may be a computer system  332 , such as a work station, personal computer, network computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, tablet-type device  334 , smartphone  336 , terminal, or any other suitable communication device  144 . In addition, communication devices  144  may comprise a land-line or VoIP telephone  338 . According to embodiments each of the communication devices  144  are configured to communicate with communication devices  134  over a communication channel  150 . 
     In addition, or as an alternative, computer systems  302  and  332 , one or more tablet-type devices  304  and  334 , smartphones  306  and  336 , and land-line or VoIP telephones  308  and  338  may comprise a processor, memory and data storage. The processor may execute an operating system program stored in memory to control the overall operation of computer systems  302  and  332 , one or more tablet-type devices  304  and  334  and/or smartphones  306  and  336 . For example, the processor may control the reception of signals and the transmission of signals within system  100 . The processor may execute other processes and programs resident in memory, such as, for example, registration, identification or communication over the communication channels and move data into or out of the memory, as required by an executing process. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that one or more specific examples of communication devices  302 - 308  and  332 - 338  are given by way of example and that for simplicity and clarity, only so much of the construction and operation of one or more communication devices  302 - 308  and  332 - 338  as is necessary for an understanding of the present invention is shown and described. Moreover, it is understood that one or more communication devices  302 - 308  and  332 - 338  should not be construed to limit the types of devices in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. For example, one or more communication devices  302 - 308  and  332 - 338  may be any device, including, but not limited to, conventional cellular or mobile telephones, smart mobile phones, an IPHONE™, an IPAD™, wireless tablet devices, paging devices, personal digital assistant devices, short message service (SMS) wireless devices, portable computers, or any other device capable of wireless or network communication. 
     According to embodiments, each of the one or more communication devices  302 - 308  and  332 - 338  may be assigned one or more identification numbers, such as IP addresses, serial numbers, or telephone numbers that may be used to identify communication devices  302 - 308  and  332 - 338 . According to some embodiments, each communication device  302 - 308  and  332 - 338  is associated with an identification number, such as an IP or MAC address. In addition, or as an alternative, communication  302 - 308  and  332 - 338  may be local to or remote from one or more entities  120  and one or more end user systems  140 . That is, communication devices  302 - 308  of one or more entities  120  may communicate with communication devices  332 - 338  of one or more end user systems  140 . For example, platform interface  110  is programmed to monitor and analyze communication activity via communication channels, such as, for example, telephone calls, emails, instant, chat or text messaging, posting to social media, blogs, or newsgroups, and any other communication activity between communication devices  302 - 308  of one or more entities  120  and communication devices  332 - 338  of one or more end user systems  140 . 
     That is, communication devices  134  of one or more entities  130  may communicate with communication devices  144  of one or more end user systems  140 . For example, platform interface  110  is programmed to monitor and analyze communication activity via communication channels  150 , such as, for example, telephone calls, emails, instant, chat or text messaging, posting to social media, blogs, or newsgroups, and any other communication activity of communication channels  150  and between communication devices  144  of one or more end user systems  140  and communication devices  134  of one or more entities  130 . In addition, or as an alternative, platform interface  110  provides one or more end user systems  140  access to one or more cloud datastores  120  and/or one or more entities  130  in order to communicate over communication channels  150 . 
       FIG.  4    illustrates an exemplary method  400 , according to an embodiment. The process of method  400  proceeds by one or more activities, which although illustrated in a particular order may be performed in one or more permutations, according to particular needs. 
     Method  400  beings at activity  402  where an entity  130  communicates with platform interface  110 . As discussed above, platform interface  110  is programmed to communicate and interact with cloud datastore  120 , one or more entities  130  and one or more end user systems  140  and provide data integrity which allows full transparency between one or more entities  130  and one or more end user systems  140  to create a single view of customer account and relevant information. In addition, the entity  130  communicates with and receives communication from platform interface  110  using communication channels  150 . These communication channels may be, for example, telephone calls, emails, instant, chat or text messaging, posting to social media, blogs, or newsgroups, and any other communication activity of communication channels  150 . 
     At activity  404 , platform interface  110  creates an initial user for an administrator of entity  130  using an email address and contact information. As discussed above, platform interface  110  provides for the creation and setup of different types of users and assigns multiple different types of permissions to those users based on their roles within one or more entities  130 . For example, on the customer service side, user interface module  210  provides for multiple types of users such as, for example, account managers, support agents, sales agents, onboarding specialists, and the like. According to embodiments, the administrator of entity  130  will be the initial account manager. 
     At activity  406 , the account manager of entity  130  logs into platform interface  110  as the account manager for entity  130 . At activity  408 , the account manager of entity  130  creates the organization and departments of entity  130  including the end user systems  140 . In addition, the account manager i.e., administration users of entity  130  configures various views based on conditions of each audience within the entity  130 , such as, for example, departments, teams, statuses or individuals. As discussed above, system  100  provides a shared communications platform system that allows full transparency between one or more entities  130  and one or more end user systems  140  to create a single view of the end user system  140  account and relevant information via cloud datastore  120 . In addition, or as an alternative, the account manager sets up and determines processes around entities  130  corporate needs related to the interactions between the entity  130  and its customers using end user system  140  over various communication channels  150 . 
     At activity  410  platform interface  110  creates multiple types of users for entity  130  and assigns multiple types of permissions to those users based on their roles in entity  130 . At activity  412 , the account manager sets up the database schema and tables as per the specific needs of entity  130 , using database builder  248 . For example, database builder  248  creates new database entities and/or tables, add/edit the fields in these database tables, and also add/edit relationships between multiple database tables. In addition, or as an alternative, database builder  248  allows the account manager to perform specific actions such as, for example, setting fields as unique or required, setting a field as a primary display field, and also being able to support all the common field types needed to represent the data such as number, text, currency, date, and the like. In addition, database builder  248  allows the account manager the ability to create relationships between different entities and/or tables. These relationships may be of multiple cardinalities such as a one to one (1:1) or many to one (M:1) or a many to many (M:M) relationship. 
     At activity  414 , platform interface  110  creates the forms for the database tables created in activity  412  using database builder  248 . As discussed above, administration interface  240  of platform interface  110  allows for forms to be created for specific conditions, such as, for example, departments. In addition, and at the time of the form creation, the account manager may pick and choose the conditions to be associated with the form, such as, for example, case departments. By doing this, this ensures that only people in those departments will see the form specific to their department. In addition, or as an alternative, the account manager may create multiple forms for entity  130 , and each of the multiple forms may have different fields specific to the conditions they are being created for. 
     At activity  416 , table builder  258  of platform interface  110  allows the account manager to configure a grid or list view or table view, which allows the administrator to select particular columns to be displayed for agents for that grid. In addition, and as discussed above, this enables the administrator to not only select the columns that are native to the entity for which the grid is being constructed but also enables selection of columns that represent relationships of this entity to other entities. For example, these may be single level or multi-level relationships, thus allowing the user to see relevant fields of related entities also at a glance in the grid of the primary entity. 
     At activity  418 , platform interface  110  creates smart topics associated with entity  130 . As discussed above, smart topics allow a user to create and configure topics, including assigning topic points and SLA times for cases associated with the topic. In addition, the smart topics provides a powerful suggestion tool for the agents. For example, every time a topic is created, the natural language processing engine of intelligence module  260  stores that topic and the relevant information. Thereafter, if a case is created that has similar information to the one previously created, platform interface  110  will automatically suggest topics for the user to be able to correctly represent the topic of a case. 
     Platform interface  110  allows the account manager of entity  130  to manage cases such as status at activity  420  and priority management at activity  422 . As discussed above, form builder  250  and table builder  258  allows the account manager to configure various views based on conditions of each audience within entity  130 , such as, for example, a status. In addition, or as an alternative, form builder  250  allows for the flexibility of platform interface  110  to design forms based on status such as, for example, active or non-active customers including pre-sale forms that provide status such as, for example, lead, quote, sales, account, or the like. The account manager may also specify the order of the priorities from highest to lowest and vice-versa. 
     At activity  424 , the account manager of entity  130  uses rules engine  270  to setup business rules to automate tasks, take automatic action upon timed triggers being executed and also provide appropriate notifications. As discussed above, rules engine  270  provides a list of all the rules currently in system  100 , the editing of triggers, conditions and actions, and shows the flow of the rule with the elements and branches as constructed by the account manager of entity  130 . In addition, an action is the task that needs to be performed upon the successful completion of a condition or conditions. For example, a create/update action will result in entity  130  being created or updated based on the relevant conditions and a notification action that results in a notification being sent out upon the successful evaluation of a condition/conditions. 
     According to embodiments, user interface module  210  of platform interface  110  provides the account manager access to email marketing at activity  426  and surveys at activity  428 . The email marketing provides the account manager several tools to design, create and send out emails over communication channels  150  pertaining to marketing campaigns of entity  130 . In addition, the surveys provides the account manager the ability to design, create and manage surveys to obtain relevant feedback from one or more end user systems  140 . In addition, and as discussed above, user interface module  210  provides for one or more macros that allow the account manager to automate and increase the efficiency of communication between the entity  130  and one or more end user systems  140 . For example, the macros enable the account manager to pre-write and store templated questions and responses along with pre-set form field settings. Accordingly, these pre-set templates may be accessed to ensure responses to common requests are fast and consistent. 
     Reference in the foregoing specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “some embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. 
     While the exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it will be understood that various changes and modifications to the foregoing embodiments may become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.