Customer-Centric Network Conferencing System

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional contact centers face challenges in efficiently disseminating product and service information to consumers due to costly and resource-intensive outbound contact campaigns, and current conferencing tools are agent-centric, lacking customer control over conference setups and participants.

Innovation Solution

A telecommunications conferencing feature that allows users to initiate and control conference sessions, including selecting participants from their contact lists or public directories, using various communication channels, and sending invitations to potential attendees.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If outbound contact campaigns are used to disseminate product and service information, then information reach is improved, but cost and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation reachVSAvoidcost and resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional agent-centric conferencing model by enabling customer-centric conference initiation. Instead of agents proactively reaching out to customers through costly outbound campaigns, customers are empowered to initiate conferences and invite peers themselves, reversing the direction of information dissemination and eliminating the need for resource-intensive outbound contact operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements self-service conferencing where customers independently initiate conference sessions, select participants from their contact lists, send invitations, and manage conference participation without requiring agent intervention. This self-service approach replaces costly outbound contact campaigns with automated customer-driven conference initiation, reducing resource consumption while maintaining information reach.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If agent-centric conferencing tools are used, then customer service capability is improved, but customer control over conference setup is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomer service capabilityVSAvoidcustomer control

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent fundamentally inverts the control structure of traditional conferencing by shifting initiative from agents to customers. Customers become the primary actors who initiate conferences, select participants, and control the flow of the session, while agents transition to supportive roles. This inversion maintains service reliability through agent availability while dramatically improving customer control and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables customers to independently perform all conference setup tasks including initiating sessions, selecting participants from their contacts, sending invitations, and managing attendance. This self-service capability gives customers full control over conference configuration while maintaining reliable customer service through automated agent integration and support functions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Loss of information

If traditional outbound contact campaigns are used, then information dissemination is achieved, but planning complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation disseminationVSAvoidplanning complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The automated conference initiation system eliminates complex campaign planning by enabling customers to instantly initiate conferences through simple interface interactions. The system automatically handles participant selection from contact lists, invitation generation and distribution, and conference setup, replacing multi-step campaign planning processes with streamlined customer-driven automation that maintains information dissemination effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Loss of information

If more contact center resources are allocated to outbound campaigns, then information reach is improved, but operational cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation reachVSAvoidoperational cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces resource-intensive outbound contact operations with automated customer-initiated conferences. Customers independently manage conference creation, participant selection, and invitation distribution without requiring agent time or contact center infrastructure. This self-service model maintains comprehensive information reach while eliminating the operational costs associated with traditional outbound campaigns including agent labor, telephone systems, and campaign management resources.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP2859461B1Customer-centric network-based conferencing

Publication Date: 2019.05.15 GREENEDEN U S HLDG II LLC

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AI summary

A communication system has a network-connected server comprising a processor and a coupled data repository and software executing on the processor from a non-transitory medium. The software provides a first function establishing a communication session between an initiator and an agent of an enterprise hosting the system, a second function gathering information about persons other than the initiator and the agent as potential conference participants, a third function generating and sending invitations to a conference to include the initiator and the agent to individual ones of the potential conference participants, and a fourth function connecting those accepting invitations to the conference.