Unified Live Chat Widget Across Multiple Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customers are hesitant to start live chats due to the fragmentation of communication across multiple platforms and devices, making it inconvenient to continue conversations initiated on websites.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that provides a unified live chat function by integrating multiple communication channels, allowing users to switch between platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and SMS within a single application, with a communication integrator server managing user identities and message synchronization across channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users continue live chat via another communication platform/channel, then communication convenience is improved, but communication fragmentation increases making customers hesitant to start live chat
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple communication channels (live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, e-mail) into a single unified interface. The system aggregates messages from different channels and presents them in one consolidated view, allowing users to switch between channels without losing conversation context. This eliminates communication fragmentation by combining scattered communication streams into a unified experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The live chat application is designed with multi-functionality to handle various communication channels through a single interface. The system can initiate and maintain conversations across multiple platforms (website live chat, mobile messaging apps, SMS) while providing a consistent user experience. This universal approach allows users to access all communication channels through one application, reducing the need to switch between separate platforms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If messages are scattered over multiple communication platforms/channels, then user flexibility is improved, but customer confidence to start live chat decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing user identity recognition before communication begins. When a user starts a live chat on the website, the system captures their identity and stores it. When the user later switches to another communication channel, the system proactively recognizes their identity and retrieves their conversation history, ensuring seamless continuity. This preliminary identity establishment builds customer confidence by guaranteeing that their communication state will be preserved regardless of channel changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides continuous feedback to users about their communication state across different channels. By displaying a unified view of messages from all channels in chronological order, the system gives users real-time feedback about their conversation progress. This feedback mechanism reassures users that their communication is continuous and recognized, even when switching platforms, thereby maintaining their confidence in the live chat service.
3Loss of information
If multiple communication channels are integrated, then message consolidation is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (the communication integrator system) that acts as a mediator between multiple communication channels and the user interface. This intermediary system handles the complexity of integrating different channels by providing a unified message management layer. It consolidates messages from various sources, manages user identities, and coordinates channel switching, thereby preventing information loss while containing system complexity within the intermediary layer rather than exposing it to users.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is configured to receive a request from a client device to provide web content for a frame in a web document provided by a web server and transmit the requested web content to the client device. The requested web content comprises an application for providing a live chat function. The system is further configured to exchange a first plurality of messages between the client device and another system via the application, exchange a second plurality of messages between a further client device and the other system via a further communication channel, and display a uniform view of the messages on the client device via the application upon determining that the identifiers associated with the messages correspond to a single user. The messages in the uniform view are ordered in chronological order based on the dates and times of receipt or transmission of the messages.