Communications system with sequenced chat, interactive and digital engagement functions including pre-connection workflow
A networked communications system that facilitates real-time interaction with persons-of-interest. The real-time communications system includes a pre-connection workflow that allows for efficient utilization of human resources and/or more precise control of the interaction and engagement time intervals allotted to users of the system.
1. A computer-implemented method for scheduling and establishing communications sessions with a plurality of users, comprising
maintaining, in a computer-readable memory, an event data structure corresponding to an event, the event data structure including one or more time slot records, each time slot record associated with a time slot and including data identifying a user;
establishing respective initial event connections with first and second computing systems, wherein the first computing system is associated with a first user and the second computing system is associated with a second user;
maintaining, during a first time slot, a first network connection with the first computing system for a first communication session with the first user identified in the first time slot of the event data structure;
transmitting audio-visual data over the first network connection during the first time slot;
establishing, during the first time slot, a second network connection with the second computing system for a second communication session with the second user associated with a second time slot in the event data structure;
terminating the first communication session; and
initiating the second communications session by transmitting audio-visual data over the second network connection established during the first time slot;
wherein the establishing the second network connection is initiated automatically at a predetermined time after a start of the first time slot and before terminating the first communication session.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising
repeating the establishing, terminating and initiating steps for remaining time slots in the event data structure.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more of the first and second network connections are peer-to-peer connections.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second network connections are server-intermediated connections.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising synchronizing a local system clock with a remote host.
6. A computer-implemented method for scheduling and establishing communications sessions with a plurality of users, comprising
maintaining, in a computer-readable memory, an event data structure corresponding to an event, the event data structure including one or more time slot records, each time slot record associated with a time slot and including data identifying a user;
establishing respective initial event connections with first and second computing systems, wherein the first computing system is associated with a first user and the second computing system is associated with a second user;
maintaining, during a first time slot, a first network connection with the first computing system for a first communication session with the first user identified in the first time slot of the event data structure;
transmitting audio-visual data over the first network connection during the first time slot;
establishing, during the first time slot, a second network connection with the second computing system for a second communication session with the second user associated with a second time slot in the event data structure;
terminating the first communication session; and
initiating the second communications session by transmitting audio-visual data over the second network connection established during the first time slot;
wherein the establishing the second network connection is initiated automatically at a predetermined time before an end of the first time slot and before terminating the first communication session.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing the first network connection at a predetermined time before a start of the first time slot.
8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions for scheduling and establishing communications sessions with a plurality of users, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to:
maintain, in a computer-readable memory, an event data structure corresponding to an event, the event data structure including one or more time slot records, each time slot record associated with a time slot and including data identifying a user;
establish respective initial event connections with first and second computing systems, wherein the first computing system is associated with a first user and the second computing system is associated with a second user;
maintain, during a first time slot, a first network connection with the first computing system for a first communication session with the first user identified in the first time slot of the event data structure;
transmit audio-visual data over the first network connection during the first time slot;
establish, during the first time slot, a second network connection with the second computing system for a second communication session with the second user associated with a second time slot in the event data structure;
terminate the first communication session; and
initiate the second communications session by transmitting audio-visual data over the second network connection established during the first time slot;
wherein the second network connection is established automatically at a predetermined time before an end of the first time slot and before terminating the first communication session.
9. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 further comprising instructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, to cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to:
repeat the establishing, terminating and initiating steps for remaining time slots in the event data structure.
10. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein one or more of the first and second network connections are peer-to-peer connections.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the first and second network connections are server-intermediated connections.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 further comprising instructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, to cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to: synchronize a local system clock with a remote host.
13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions for scheduling and establishing communications sessions with a plurality of users, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to:
maintain, in a computer-readable memory, an event data structure corresponding to an event, the event data structure including one or more time slot records, each time slot record associated with a time slot and including data identifying a user;
establish respective initial event connections with first and second computing systems, wherein the first computing system is associated with a first user and the second computing system is associated with a second user;
maintain, during a first time slot, a first network connection with the first computing system for a first communication session with the first user identified in the first time slot of the event data structure;
transmit audio-visual data over the first network connection during the first time slot;
establish, during the first time slot, a second network connection with the second computing system for a second communication session with the second user associated with a second time slot in the event data structure;
terminate the first communication session; and
initiate the second communications session by transmitting audio-visual data over the second network connection established during the first time slot;
wherein the second network connection is established automatically at a predetermined time after a start of the first time slot and before terminating the first communication session.
14. The method of claim 6 further comprising
repeating the establishing, terminating and initiating steps for remaining time slots in the event data structure.
15. The method of claim 6 wherein the first and second network connections are server-intermediated connections.
16. The method of claim 6 further comprising synchronizing a local system clock with a remote host.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 further comprising instructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, to cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to:
repeat the establishing, terminating and initiating steps for remaining time slots in the event data structure.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 wherein the first and second network connections are server-intermediated connections.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 further comprising instructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, to cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to: synchronize a local system clock with a remote host.