AUGMENTING SALES AND SUPPORT INTERACTIONS USING DIRECTED IMAGE OR VIDEO CAPTURE
Systems and methods provide product information based on image data received from a communications device such as a cell phone. The image data may be used to identify particular configuration for a product, and may be used to determine if queries regarding the product are to be handled in-person by a support agent or if an automated response can be provided.
1 . A method for execution by one or more processors, the method comprising:
maintaining product configuration information for a plurality of products, the plurality of products having a plurality of configurations;
receiving a product query, the product query including image data associated with a product of the plurality of products;
determining from the image data a configuration of the plurality of configurations for the product; and
providing the configuration information.
2 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising generating an identifier for a work incident regarding the product;
wherein the product query includes the work incident identifier.
3 . The method of claim 2 , and further comprising routing the image data to the work incident based on the identifier for the work incident.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein image data comprises a bar code.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the configuration information includes sending the configuration information to a communications device.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the configuration information includes displaying the configuration information on a display.
7 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising:
receiving annotations to be applied to the image data; and
sending the image data with the annotations to a customer communications device.
8 . A method for execution by one or more processors, the method comprising:
maintaining product information for a plurality of products;
receiving a product query, the product query including image data associated with one or more products of the plurality of products;
using the image data to retrieve data regarding the one or more products;
upon determining based on data regarding the one or more products that the query is to be handled in-person, routing the query to the support representative; and
upon determining based on data regarding the one or more products that the query is not to be handled in-person, providing an automated response to the query.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the automated response includes sending a web page to a customer communications device.
10 . A method for execution by one or more processors of a hand held communications device, the method comprising:
presenting a user interface for a product query;
receiving image data for identifying a product that is the subject of the query;
obtaining product details based on the image data;
obtaining contact information from the hand held communications device;
populating fields of the user interface with the contact information and the product details; and
sending data in the one or more fields of the user interface to a customer relationship management system.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the image data for identifying a product comprises a bar code.
12 . A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a customer relationship management (CRM) system executable by the one or more processors to:
maintain data associated with a work incident for a product;
receive from a customer communications device a digital image comprising at least a portion of the product, and
identify configuration information for the product using the digital image.
13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the CRM system generates an identifier for the work incident regarding the product and wherein the product query includes the work incident identifier.
14 . The system of claim 13 , and further comprising a workflow manager, wherein the workflow manager routes the image data to the work incident based on the identifier for the work incident.
15 . The system of claim 12 , wherein image data comprises a bar code.
16 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the CRM system sends the configuration information to the customer communications device.
17 . The system of claim 12 , wherein CRM system displays the configuration information on a display.
18 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the CRM system:
receives annotations to be applied to the image data; and
sends the image data with the annotations to the customer communications device.
19 . A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a database to maintain data associated with a plurality of products;
a CRM system executable by the one or more processors to:
receive a query from a customer communications device, the query including a digital image comprising at least a portion of a product,
retrieve data regarding the product based on the digital image,
determining using the data that the query is to be handled in-person; and
a workflow manager to route the query for in-person handling.
20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the CRM system determines using the data that the query is not to be handled in-person and provides an automated response to the query.
21 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the automated response comprises a web page to be sent to the customer communications device.
22 . A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations including:
maintaining product configuration information for a plurality of products, the plurality of products having a plurality of configurations;
receiving a product query, the product query including image data associated with a product of the plurality of products;
determining from the image data a configuration of the plurality of configurations for the product; and
providing the configuration information.
23 . The machine-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the operations further comprise generating an identifier for a work incident regarding the product;
wherein the product query includes the work incident identifier.
24 . The machine-readable medium of claim 23 , wherein the operations further comprise routing the image data to the work incident based on the identifier for the work incident.
25 . The machine-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein image data comprises a bar code.
26 . The machine-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein providing the configuration information includes sending the configuration information to a communications device.
27 . The machine-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein providing the configuration information includes displaying the configuration information on a display.
28 . The machine-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving annotations to be applied to the image data; and
sending the image data with the annotations to a customer communications device.
29 . A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
maintaining product information for a plurality of products;
receiving a product query, the product query including image data associated with one or more products of the plurality of products;
using the image data to retrieve data regarding the one or more products;
upon determining based on data regarding the one or more products that the query is to be handled in-person, routing the query to the support representative; and
upon determining based on data regarding the one or more products that the query is not to be handled in-person, providing an automated response to the query.
30 . The machine-readable medium of claim 29 , wherein the automated response includes sending a web page to a customer communications device.