Abstract:
A method for enhancing telephone interactions associated with website visits, including: transmitting substantially unique identifiers each associated with a receiving first computing device, respectively, wherein each first computing device displays the transmitted substantially unique identifier associated therewith in conjunction with one of the website visits; routing telephone calls associated with the website visits to persons each having an associated second computing device, respectively; receiving the substantially unique identifiers associated with the first computing devices via the received telephone calls, respectively; correlating the first and second computing devices dependently upon receiving the substantially unique identifiers, respectively; receiving requests for enhanced interactions from the first computing devices associated with the routed telephone calls, respectively; and automatically initiating the requested enhanced interactions between the requesting first ones of the computing devices and the correlated second ones of the computing devices, respectively; whereby, the routed telephone calls and initiated enhanced interactions are automatically correlated.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 11/732,886, entitled WEBSITE VISITOR COORDINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD, filed Apr. 5, 2007, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 (e) of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/858,136, entitled WEBSITE VISITOR COORDINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD, filed Nov. 9, 2006, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to marketing methodology, and more particularly to managing on-line website visitor information with off-line customer contact information. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Vendors have printed substantially unique customer numbers on direct mail catalogs for some time. When a potential customer contacts a vendor, the vendor requests the customer number. This allows the vendor to associate the contact (e.g., telephone call) with a previously known account (associated with the catalog provided customer number), such as for marketing purposes. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    A website visitor may wish to speak to someone regarding website content, such as for example to ask questions regarding products or services offered for sale via the website. In such an event, a website visitor may initiate a telephone call to a customer service or sales call center. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for enhancing the telephone interaction associated with the website visit may be provided. In certain embodiments, the enhanced interaction may connect two computing devices over the Internet after a substantially unique identifier is verbally passed between the website visitor and the call center personnel. 
         [0005]    In certain embodiments of the present invention, the method includes transmitting electronic documents to a plurality of first computing devices, wherein each of the transmitted electronic documents displays a substantially unique identifier associated with the receiving first computing devices, respectively. The website visitors may view these electronic documents using the first computing devices, respectively. 
         [0006]    In certain embodiments of the present invention, telephone calls associated with the first computing devices are routed to call center persons each having an associated second computing device, respectively. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the persons to whom the calls were routed and have the second computing devices verbally request and receive the substantially unique identifiers associated with the first computing devices. Such persons may enter the verbally received identifiers using the second computing devices, respectively. 
         [0007]    In certain embodiments of the present invention, the first and second computing devices associated with each routed call are correlated to one another, based upon the substantially unique identifiers received and entered into the second computing devices, respectively. 
         [0008]    In certain embodiments of the present invention, call center persons may invite the website visiting callers to engage in an enhanced interaction, such as a chat session. In certain embodiments of the present invention, requests for enhanced interactions are received from the first computing devices associated with the routed telephone calls, respectively. 
         [0009]    In certain embodiments of the present invention, enhanced interactions are automatically initiated between the requesting first ones of the computing devices and correlated ones of the second computing devices, respectively; such that the routed telephone calls and initiated enhanced interactions are automatically correlated. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0010]    Understanding of the present invention will be facilitated by consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts and in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  illustrates a block diagram of a first phase of a methodology according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  illustrates a block diagram of a second phase of a methodology according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  illustrates a system that may be used to perform the second phase of the methodology of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  illustrates block diagram of a first phase of a methodology according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  illustrates a block diagram of a second phase of a methodology according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  illustrates a block diagram of a second phase of the methodology according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  illustrates an exemplary webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  illustrates an exemplary webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  illustrates an exemplary webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity, many other elements found in typical information management methods and systems. However, because such elements are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements is not provided herein. The disclosure herein is directed to all such variations and modifications known to those skilled in the art. 
         [0023]      FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate exemplary webpages  100 ,  200  that may be integrated into websites according to embodiments of the present invention. “Website”, as used herein, generally refers to a collection of electronic documents (e.g., webpages) that are available via a computer network, such as the global interconnection of computers and computer networks commonly referred to as the Internet. By way of non-limiting example, a website may be accessed at a given address on the World Wide Web, and include a home page, which is the first webpage visitors see when they enter the site. A website may also contain additional webpages. Webpages may be fixed, and/or dynamically generated in response to website visitor webpage requests. By way of further non-limiting example only, the World Wide Web is a system of Internet servers that support HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), such that a website visitor can jump from one webpage to another webpage simply by clicking on hot spots (i.e., links). Web browsing applications, such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft&#39;s Internet Explorer, are commercial applications used to access websites on the World Wide Web. Other computer network types and/or protocols and/or mark up languages and/or applications may be used. 
         [0024]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, served webpages may appear conventional to website visitors, except for the inclusion of a “visitor identifier”  110  or other substantially unique identifier. Each visitor identifier  110  is associated with a particular website visitor and/or visitor computer. Visitor identifiers are preferably maintained across multiple pages of a website. In the non-limiting, illustrated embodiments of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the visitor identifier  110  takes the form of 1111-2222-AAAA-4444. Any unique or substantially unique identifier can be used. The embodiment of  FIG. 2  additionally includes optional advertising space  210 , or webpage real-estate, associated with the visitor identifier. While illustrated above the visitor identifier, the provided real estate  210  may be to the left, right, top or bottom thereof, but is preferably proximate (such as by being adjacent) thereto. 
         [0025]    In one embodiment of the present invention, a website provider may be charged to incorporate the tracking system and methodology of the present invention into one or more websites. Additionally, or in lieu thereof, the tracking system and methodology disclosed herein may be provided to a website provider in exchange for the advertising space, or real estate, shown in  FIG. 2 , and the availability thereof for advertisement insertion by third parties. A provider of the tracking system may charge these third-parties for targeted advertisement insertion thereat. 
         [0026]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, two phases of methodology may be utilized. In the first phase, a visitor identifier may be displayed to a website visitor, such as is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In the second phase, a potential customer may be prompted for the visitor identifier in an off-line communication, such that on-line marketing data may be bridged or linked with off-line marketing data. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  shows a block diagram of a system and the first phase of a methodology according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system of  FIG. 3  includes a plurality of website visitor computing devices  310  (such as personal computers (PCs), one of which is shown) and a provider system including computing devices  320  (such as servers, one of which is shown). “Computing device”, as referred to herein, refers to a general purpose computing device that includes a processor. A processor generally includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU), such as a microprocessor. A CPU generally includes an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations, and a control unit, which extracts instructions (e.g., code) from memory and decodes and executes them, calling on the ALU when necessary. “Server”, as used herein, generally refers to a computing device communicatively coupled to a network and that manages network resources. A server may refer to a discrete computing device, or may refer to an application that is managing resources rather than the entire computing device. The website visitor computing devices  310  and provider computing devices  320  are communicatively coupled to one-another, such as via a computing network  330 , like the Internet. 
         [0028]    The methodology of  FIG. 3  begins with a website visitor requesting a webpage, as indicated at block  325 , such as by entering an address (e.g., http://www.______.com) into a web browsing application running on his associated computing device (e.g., a PC). The provider system responds by serving one or more corresponding webpages to the requesting website visitor computing device, as indicated at block  330 . In an embodiment of the present invention, the served webpage(s) include one or more embedded applications, e.g., codelets, that are subsequently executed by the requesting visitor&#39;s computing device  310  when the served webpage(s) are loaded, as indicated at blocks  335 ,  340 . For non-limiting purposes of explanation, a codelet is a piece of processor executable code capable of performing some basic task, and may typically be compact or small compared with conventional personal computer executable applications, such as a web browser application. 
         [0029]    The executing codelet searches the requesting website visitor&#39;s computing device  310  for data indicative of a prior visit to the served webpage(s), or other webpage(s) associated with the served webpage(s), such as another webpage of the website including the served webpages(s), as indicated at block  345 . Such data may be embodied as a cookie for example. The executing codelet then sends data indicative of the search result, which may include visitor indicative information, or an indication of the lack of finding any data indicative of a prior visit, to the provider system  320 , which in-turn receives the response, as indicated at blocks  350  and  355 , respectively. For non-limiting purposes of explanation, a cookie is a message provided to a web browsing application by a web server. The browser typically stores the message in a text file on the browser executing computing device. A message is then sent back to the cookie providing server each time the browser requests a webpage from that server. 
         [0030]    Upon receiving the response, at block  355 , the provider system  320  searches available data for a matching visitor identification, e.g., one or more databases are searched, as indicated at block  360 . If no matching record is found, a new record is created, as shown at block  365 . As indicated at block  370 , the provider system  320  then sends a matching (recovered at block  375 ) or created (at block  365 ) identifier, such as a cookie indicative thereof, to the requesting visitor&#39;s computing device  310 , which is subsequently received by the executing codelet, as indicated by block  380 . The codelet stores data indicative of the received identifier, such as on the requesting visitor&#39;s computing device  310 , and displays the visitor identifier as part of the final displayed webpage (as is seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), as indicated at blocks  385 ,  390 . 
         [0031]    Analogous methodology may be repeated for each webpage of a website that is requested, e.g., be intra-website in nature. Further, analogous methodology may be repeated across multiple websites, e.g., be inter-website in nature, such that the visitor identifiers are consistently maintained across multiple webpages of multiple websites. 
         [0032]    Further, a history of visitor identifier incorporating webpages requested by a particular website visitor or website visitor computing device may be stored as individual data elements, e.g., cookies or click-stream data, such as on the requesting visitor&#39;s computing device, and/or be logged by the provider system when a webpage is served and a visitor identifier is assigned or found. In an embodiment of the invention, the provider system  320  may select and send an advertisement based on a visitor profile (such as the webpage history), as indicated at block  395 . The visitor computing device  310  may then display the advertisement, as indicated by block  400 , optionally as part of the received webpage, as is shown in  FIG. 2 , for example. 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates a block diagram of the second phase of a methodology according to an embodiment of the present invention. As indicated at block  410 , a website visitor contacts a call center such as by dialing a telephone number also displayed on one or more webpages served by the provider system. Call center personnel answer the telephone call, and request the visitor identifier associated with the calling customer (such as was displayed on one or more webpages), which the calling customer provides, as indicated at blocks  415 ,  420  and  425  respectively. The call center then associates the initiated contact (e.g., the telephone call) with the website visitor or visitor computing device, such that the calling customer is identified as a website visitor, and conventional interaction proceeds, as indicated at blocks  430 ,  435  and  440  respectively. This may involve a telephonic purchase being made, for example. Advantageously, such off-line customer action(s) may be associated with a same account associated with on-line actions taken by a website visitor, thereby bridging or linking on-line marketing data with off-line marketing data. 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  illustrates a system  500  that may be used to perform the second phase, e.g., off-line, methodology of  FIG. 4 . It includes calling website visitor and call center telephones  510  and  515 , respectively, that may be connected via a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) connection  520  for example. The call center also includes computing device(s)  525 , such as PCs, that can access and store data in a visitor ID management system  530 , thereby allowing the call center to associate a telephone call (and any action taken with regard thereto) with previous webpage requests of a website visitor. 
         [0035]    Visitor ID management system  530  may incorporate one or more servers and database applications, for example. Visitor ID management system  530  may be shared across providers/call centers, or be specific to one or more providers/call centers. The database(s) may take the form of one or more SQL databases, for example. The database(s) may store data related to visitor identifiers, such as marketing data and data indicative of webpages served that incorporate the visitor identifiers, and other customer information. 
         [0036]    Call center computing device(s)  525  may incorporate one or more call center computing device executable applications that access visitor ID management system  530 . Such applications may enable call center personnel to view webpage(s) that a calling visitor (also a webpage requesting visitor) is viewing in real-time. For example, if a calling visitor were looking at webpage “X” on a website, the call center agent may type or otherwise enter the calling website visitor provided visitor identifier into the call center system, and thereafter have automatically served to his computing device to the same webpage “X” in an application window. This may be accomplished by recovering the stored history of visitor identifier incorporating webpages requested by a particular website visitor or website visitor computing device, or data indicative of at least a recent portion thereof, and requesting the last webpage served to the calling website visitor. If during that same conversation, the calling customer clicks on a link that takes him/her to page “Y”, this may be captured in the history, or at least a recent portion thereof, and optionally used to “push” or “pull” page “Y” to the call center agent&#39;s application window. In this fashion, a call center agent can take a calling customer on a website “virtual tour”, e.g., to find an item in an online catalog. Such applications may also enable a call center to store data in and recover data from the visitor ID management system database(s), thereby permitting call center personnel to store and recover data, such as marketing data, related a particular website visitor and/or website visitor computing device. 
         [0037]      FIG. 6  shows another embodiment of the first phase of methodology according to another embodiment of the present invention. For exemplary purposes only, the illustrated provider&#39;s system  610  and website hosting server  620  are implemented on different physical computing devices. However, these systems can be implemented on a single physical computing device. The methodology of  FIG. 7  begins with a website visitor requesting a webpage, such as by entering an address (e.g., http://www.______.com) into a web browsing application running on his associated computing device (e.g., a PC)  600 , as indicated at block  625 . Web hosting server  620  responds by serving one or more corresponding webpages to the requesting website visitor computing device  600 , as indicated by block  630 . For non-limiting purposes of explanation, a web hosting server manages incoming requests from user computing devices for electronic documents such as webpages, stores such electronic documents and sends such electronic documents to the user computing devices, responsive to the incoming requests. The served webpage(s) may include one or more embedded applications, e.g., codelets, that are subsequently executed by the requesting visitor&#39;s computing device  600  when the served webpage(s) are loaded, as indicated at blocks  635 ,  640 . At block  637 , the webpage loaded at block  635  calls application server  620  to obtain the codelet. At block  639 , application server  610  dynamically generates and sends the codelet called for at block  637  to device  600 . According to an embodiment of the present invention, the codelet may be dynamically generated by server  610  based upon predetermined account settings associated with the calling webpage loaded at block  635 . At block  640  the received codelet is executed. 
         [0038]    The executing codelet searches the requesting website visitor&#39;s computing device  600  for a corresponding cookie, as indicated at block  645 . If a corresponding cookie is found on the visitor&#39;s computing device  600 , at block  647 , the codelet retrieves visitor identification information stored in the cookie and adds it to a data batch or packet to be transmitted to the provider&#39;s system  610 , as indicated by blocks  650  and  655 . Thereafter, or if a corresponding cookie is not found on the visitor&#39;s computing device  600 , at block  647 , information indicative of the virtual trail of the visitor&#39;s activity on the Internet is added to a data batch or packet to be transmitted to the provider&#39;s system  610  at block  660 . The virtual trail may include a history of webpages visited by the visitor on a website. It may also include a record of all the links on a given webpage selected by the visitor. The history may be limited to only the webpages visited on the website hosted by the website hosting server  620  or it may include all the webpages of all the websites visited by the visitor via the Internet. The history may also be customized to include only some of the webpages on only some of the websites visited by the visitor, depending on some predetermined criteria. Such data indicative of a virtual trail of a visitor is sometimes referred to as “clickstream” data or information. 
         [0039]    As indicated at blocks  665  and  670 , the visitor&#39;s computing device  600  sends the data batch, which is received by the provider&#39;s system  610 . Upon receiving the data batch, the provider system  610  searches available data for a matching visitor identification, e.g., it searches the data batch received at block  670  and one or more visitor tracking databases  615 , as indicated at block  675 . If a visitor identifier does not exist in the data batch or no matching record is found in the visitor tracking databases  615  (as determined at block  675 ), a new record is created, as shown at block  680 . If a visitor identifier is determined to exist in the data batch, but is determined to not be valid, at block  677 , a new record is created, as shown at block  680 . As indicated at block  690 , the provider system  610  then sends a matching or created identifier (such as a cookie indicative thereof) to the requesting visitor&#39;s computing device  600 . The matching or created identifier is subsequently received by the executing codelet and stored in a cookie on the requesting visitor&#39;s computing device  600  at block  695 . The codelet displays the received identifier as a visitor identifier as a part of the final displayed webpage (as is seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), as indicated at block  700 . 
         [0040]    Visitor tracking database  615 , which may be a part of the provider&#39;s system  610 , stores the visitor clickstream information received from the visitor&#39;s computing device  600 . The database may take the form of a SQL database, for example. The database may also store data related to visitor identifiers, such as marketing data and data indicative of webpages served that incorporate the visitor identifiers. At block  685 , clickstream data associated with the website visitor, or visitor&#39;s computer, is updated in database  615 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 7  shows a block diagram of another embodiment of the second phase of a methodology according to an embodiment of the present invention. Therein, a website visitor requests a webpage and views the provided webpage, indicated at blocks  735  and  740  using a device  710 . The methodology depicted in  FIG. 6  may be used to provide a webpage including visitor identification information. The webpage may be akin to that shown in  FIGS. 1  and/or  2 . The website visitor then contacts a call center associated with the provider by dialing a telephone number displayed on the one or more webpages served by the provider system  730 , as indicated at block  745 . A call center agent responds to the incoming call, and requests the visitor identification information displayed on the webpage, as indicated at blocks  750  and  755 . The visitor provides the call center agent with the visitor identification information displayed on the webpage, as indicated at block  760 . 
         [0042]    The call center agent then enters the visitor identification information into the call center system  720  at block  765 , accessing the provider&#39;s system  730 . The call center system  720  and the provider&#39;s system  730  may be located either at same physical location or at different physical locations. If the call center system  720  and the provider&#39;s system  730  are located at the same physical location, they may either be implemented on one or more same physical devices or on different physical devices. The call center system  720  and the provider&#39;s system  730  are depicted as two different systems for illustrative purposes only. When the call center agent enters the visitor identification information, the visitor identity and history are retrieved from the visitor tracking database  732 , as indicated at block  770 . The visitor tracking database  732  may be a part of the provider&#39;s system  730  or may be a separate system linked with the provider&#39;s system  730 . Visitor tracking database  732  may be the same as database  615  ( FIG. 6 ), or a duplicate thereof for example. 
         [0043]    As indicated at blocks  775  and  780 , the visitor&#39;s last requested webpage and clickstream data are identified and displayed on the call center system  720 , and are viewed by the call center agent responding to the call made by the website visitor. The provider&#39;s system  730  verifies if there is an identity (e.g., name) associated with the website visitor, as indicated at block  785 . If there is an identity associated with the website visitor in the provider&#39;s system  730 , the visitor identity is displayed and viewed by the call center agent, as indicated at blocks  786  and  787 . The call center agent asks the visitor if the identity is correct, as indicated at block  788 . As indicated at block  795 , if the visitor identity is correct, the visitor confirms her identity, as shown at block  789 . The call center agent then assists the caller with her request, as indicated at block  790 . 
         [0044]    If there is no previous identity associated with the visitor in the visitor tracking database  732 , as indicated at block  785 , the call center agent requests the caller for contact information, as indicated at block  791 , and the visitor provides her identity information, as indicated at block  792 . Further, if the identity information provided by the provider&#39;s system  730  is not correct, as indicated at block  795 , the visitor provides her correct identity information at block  792 . Thereafter, the call center agent enters the contact information provided by the caller, as indicated by block  793 . The caller contact information is associated with the visitor identity information and stored in the visitor tracking database  732 , as indicated by block  794 . The call center agent assists the caller with her request to complete the transaction desired by the caller, as indicated by block  790 . 
         [0045]    In certain applications, it may be desirable to provide for an enhanced interaction between a website visitor and a call center. “Enhanced interaction”, as used herein, generally refers to a person-to-person interaction between a website visitor and call center personnel that is in addition to the telephone conversation. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the enhanced interaction may include any form of data exchange between the website visitor&#39;s computing device and a call center computing device, sometimes referred to as a computer-mediated-communication. Exemplary types of data exchanges suitable for use include synchronous communications techniques, such as on-line chat, uni- and bi-direction audiovisual (i.e., video or web conferencing), co-browsing sessions and/or desktop sharing sessions. 
         [0046]    Referring now to  FIG. 8 , there is shown a block diagram of another embodiment of the second phase of a methodology according to an embodiment of the present invention. Like references in  FIGS. 4 ,  7  and  8  designate like elements of the invention, such that the discussion thereof with regard to  FIG. 4  or  FIG. 7  may be considered in conjunction with  FIG. 8  as well. 
         [0047]    The embodiment of  FIG. 8  utilizes an active connection state to enhance a website visitor&#39;s/telephone caller&#39;s experience. At block  805 , an active connection record is generated. The generated active connection record may be incorporated in visitor tracking database  732 , another database, or as a stand-alone look-up table, for example. In certain embodiments of the present invention, each record generated at block  805  identifies a visitor ID entered at block  765  and a call center identifier. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the call center identifier is associated with a particular call center person. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the call center identifier is associated with the call center person who entered the corresponding visitor ID at block  765 . Thus, in certain embodiments of the present invention, each record generated at block  805  is associated with a call into the call center, and indicates the website visitor making the call and the call center person handling the call have an active connection with each other. An exemplary record generated at block  805  is shown in Table-1. In practice, many calls may be received and routed by a call center to many call center persons, such that many entries are made at block  805 . 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 VISITOR ID 
                 CALL CENTER USER ID 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 1111-2222-AAAA-4444 
                 kmaddox 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0048]    The exemplary record of Table-1 indicates that a website visitor having visitor ID 1111-2222-AAAA-4444 called the call center and spoke with Keith Maddox. In certain embodiments of the present invention, each record generated at block  805  may be maintained (e.g., not deleted or archived) until the indicated call center person (in the case of the Table-1 sole entry, Keith Maddox) indicates interaction with the indicated website visitor has concluded, such that the record no longer needs to be maintained. 
         [0049]    Conventional interaction proceeds, such as the call center person speaking with the website visitor via the telephone call the website visitor placed. In the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , interaction may be aided by the current webpage and clickstream information shown at block  780 . Essentially, the call center person speaking with the website visitor knows the website page the website visitor is viewing, or at least has recently viewed, and some browsing history of the website visitor. Additionally, where the website visitor is a returning visitor having corresponding information stored in the visitor tracking database  732 , this information is also available. Thus, the call center person speaking with the website visitor has more information about the website visitor than would otherwise be available. 
         [0050]    At some point in interaction either the call center person speaking with the website visitor and/or the website visitor may suggest that an enhanced interaction occur. In the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , the call center person asks the website visitor to begin an enhanced interaction at block  810 . Alternatively, a website visitor may request an enhanced interaction. 
         [0051]    In certain embodiments of the present invention, the call center person speaking with the website visitor may wish to pass certain information to the website visitor during the call. This information may be in the nature of a greeting or include substantive information or a link to a particular website page. For example, in the course of the discussion between the calling website visitor and the call center person, the call center person may determine that the website visitor would like to look at a particular website page. By way of further example, a website visitor may call a call center after being unable to find a particular product. The call center person may wish to provide such a website visitor with a greeting, thanking the website visitor for calling, indicate that the product is available, and provide a link to the particular page of the website that includes the product. In such a case, the call center person may enter all, or part, of this information at block  815 . The call center person may be prompted to enter or select the visitor ID of the website visitor to whom the information relates as part of block  815 . Alternatively, or in addition thereto, a default visitor ID corresponding to the website visitor that the call center person is then speaking to may be pre-selected. Information entered at block  815  is cached for later provision at block  820 . 
         [0052]    Returning to block  810  of the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , the call center person speaking with the website visitor may prompt the website visitor to click on a link associated with the enhanced interaction, and thereby causing the website visitor&#39;s computing device to request a webpage or other enhanced interaction at block  825 . By way of non-limiting example, and referring now also to  FIG. 9 , there is shown a webpage  910 . Webpage  910  is substantially identical to webpage  100  ( FIG. 1 ), and may be displayed to a website visitor in a manner analogous thereto. Webpage  910  additionally includes a link  920 . A call center person speaking with a website visitor may prompt the website visitor to click on link  920  at block  810  ( FIG. 8 ) causing the website visitor&#39;s computing device to send a request at block  825  ( FIG. 8 ). 
         [0053]    The website visitor&#39;s computing device requests a webpage or other enhanced interaction at block  825 . Provider system  730  receives and serves a page responsively to this request at block  830 . Such a page is received and loaded by a website visitor&#39;s computing device at block  835 . 
         [0054]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, system  730  utilizes the record generated at block  805  to identify the call center person speaking with the website visitor. For example, the request sent at block  835  may include data indicative of the website visitor&#39;s ID. System  730 , upon receiving the request, may examine the request to recover this visitor ID. System  730  may then utilize records generated at block  805  to identify the corresponding call center user ID. System  730  may then utilize the identified call center user ID to customize the page to serve to the requesting computing device at block  830 . According to certain embodiments of the present invention, generation at block  830  may include automatically initiating an enhanced interaction between the computing device that generated a request at block  825  and the call center identified with that computing device in the entry generated at block  805 . 
         [0055]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, system  730  utilizes information entered and cached at blocks  805 ,  815  to push information to the website visitor when an enhanced interaction is initiated. For example, the request sent at block  815  may include data indicative of the website visitor&#39;s ID. System  730 , upon receiving the request, may examine this request to recover this visitor ID. System  730  may then scan the cache generated at block  820  for information associated with the recovered visitor ID. System  730  may then utilize the recovered cached information to customize the page to be served and received at blocks  830 ,  835 , respectively. 
         [0056]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, visitor tracking database  732  may be used to customize the page to be served. For example, the request sent at block  825  may include information regarding the referring webpage. Further, visitor tracking database  732  may include clickstream data associated with the website visitor sending the request at block  825 . System  730  may utilize the visitor database  732  stored information to customize the page to be served. 
         [0057]    Referring now also to  FIG. 10 , there is shown an exemplary webpage  1010  generated at block  830  ( FIG. 8 ). Such a page may be loaded at the website visitor&#39;s computing device at block  835  ( FIG. 8 ). The non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 10  corresponds to the exemplary Table-1 entry and exemplary information entered at block  815  discussed above. The illustrated page  1010  is a computing device chat page, allowing for text messaging between a website visitor and a call center person. 
         [0058]    Page  1010  has been customized with information  1020 . Information  1020  may be associated with the referring webpage or website, for example. Information  1020  may take the form of a company or website name or logo, for example. 
         [0059]    Page  1010  has been customized with information  1030 . Information  1030  is associated with the call center user ID indicated in the corresponding visitor ID record generated at block  805 . In the case of Table-1, the corresponding call center ID is “kmaddox”. System  730  may have information  1030  stored so as to be correlated to the “kmaddox” call center ID, such that it may be recovered and included in page  1010 . 
         [0060]    Page  1010  has been customized by the chat window being pre-populated with the information entered and cached at blocks  815 ,  820  ( FIG. 8 ) and recovered and used at block  830  ( FIG. 8 ). Consistent with the discussion above, this pre-population includes a greeting, an indication that the product is available, and provides a link to the particular page of the website that includes the product. 
         [0061]    Further, and according to an embodiment of the present invention, the enhanced interaction, a chat session in the embodiment of  FIG. 10 , is automatically initiated with the call center person with whom the website visitor is speaking. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the call center user ID indicated in the corresponding visitor ID record generated at block  805  is used to establish the enhanced interaction. In the case of Table-1, the corresponding call center ID is “kmaddox”. In the embodiment of  FIG. 10 , the value “kmaddox”, or another correspondent piece of information, may be passed to an application establishing and managing the initiated chat session. This information is used by such a chat application to automatically establish a chat session between the computing device generating the request at block  825  ( FIG. 8 ), and the computing device correspondent call center person associated with the call center user ID “kmaddox”. 
         [0062]    It should be understood that, in certain embodiments of the present invention, an enhanced interaction may be commenced even absent a phone call being made by a website visitor to a call center. In such a case, the customization may be limited though, and no particular call center person associated with it. For example, such an interaction may be established with an available call center person, for example. Referring now also to  FIG. 11 , there is shown an exemplary webpage  1110  generated at block  830  and loaded at block  835 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 11 , no website visitor ID was entered at block  765 . However, Page  1110  has still been customized with information  1020 . Information  1020  may be associated with the referring webpage or website, for example. Information  1020  may take the form of a company or website name or logo, for example. The illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 11  includes three exemplary enhanced interaction options: a chat option  1120 , a telephone call option  1130  and an e-mail option  1140 . A window for chat option  1120  is shown. Upon entering the indicated information (name and question), a conventional chat session may be commenced. Corresponding information for option  1130  (name, telephone number, desired call time, and question) may analogously be presented. Corresponding information for option  1140  (name, email address and question) may analogously be presented. 
         [0063]    It should also be understood though that system functionality as shown in  FIG. 10  is different than that shown in  FIG. 11 . As is shown in  FIG. 11 , an on-line user can interact with support persons in a number of different manners. As is shown in  FIG. 10  however, call center personnel telephonically actively engaging callers are able to provide enhanced interactions, including pushing information like webpage links, to those callers. Such a functionality is not conventionally achieved. 
         [0064]    It should also be understood that while the embodiments of the present invention discussed herein largely relate to chat sessions, audio/visual conferencing in a webcam form or otherwise, may also be effectively used. Further, co-browsing and/or desktop sharing may also be implemented in an analogous manner. Similar advantages are realized, as again call center callers are provided with enhanced interactions. Further, call center personnel can use such a functionality to push files to call center callers. Again, this is a functionality not conventionally realized with call centers. 
         [0065]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations may be made in the apparatus and process of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. It is intended that the present invention cover the modification and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.