Abstract: A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for identifying alliances among a plurality of business entities in components of a network framework. First, alliances are identified among a plurality of business entities in terms of components of a current network framework. Next, a pictorial representation is displayed of the current network framework and the components. The alliances are then conveyed by indicia coding the components of the current network framework in which the alliances exist.

Abstract: A system, method, and article of manufacture are provided for delivering service via a globally addressable interface. A plurality of interfaces are provided with access allowed to a plurality of different sets of services from each of the interfaces. Each interface has a unique set of services associated therewith. Each of the interfaces is named with a name indicative of the unique set of services associated therewith. The names of the interfaces are then broadcast to a plurality of systems requiring service.

Abstract: A database is provided. The database includes statistics of human associations of human voice parameters with emotions. A voice signal is received. At least one feature of this voice signal is extracted. This extracted voice feature is then compared to the voice parameters in the database. An emotion is selected from the database based on the comparison of the extracted voice feature to the voice parameters. Input from the user is received. This input includes a user-determined emotion. The user-determined emotion is compared with the emotion selected from the database. The selected emotion is output and a determination as to whether the user-determined emotion matches the emotion selected from the database is made. A prize is then awarded to the user if the user-determined emotion is determined to match the selected emotion from the database.

Abstract: A rule based routing system and method is disclosed. The rule based routing system and method matches employee skills with a customer profile thereby facilitating improved customer service and identifying cross-sell opportunities. The rule based routing system and method identifies a call profile for the call, matches the call profile to 3 sales and service resource profile representing an identified resource, generates an instruction signal and routes the call to the identified resource in response to the instruction signal. The virtual sales and service center is monitored for overflow or overload conditions and load balancing and overflow rules are applied to the call in response to detection of overflow or overload conditions. The customer profile includes a language type, a customer type, a business segment identifier, a request type and a product associated with the customer.

Abstract: A Quality Center for a Virtual Sales and Service Center. The Quality Center is responsible for monitoring the "customer experience" across the telephone customer access resource. The Quality Center assists in managing the business of operating multiple call centers as a single Virtual Sales and Service Center and presents the business in a professional, informative and impressive manner. The Quality Center includes a forecasting system for predicting contact volume for a plurality of physical locations forming a Virtual Sales and Service Center, a monitor for monitoring contact traffic for the Virtual Sales and Service Center, a controller for controlling network routing based upon the call volume predictions and the contact traffic monitoring and a processor for providing an interface between the forecasting system, the monitor and the controller and for servicing requests and response therebetween.

Abstract: A virtual customer sales and service center is disclosed that connects a customer to a customer access resource through any access method at any time from any customer location. The virtual customer sales and service center includes customer access resources which can both meet customer needs and also acquire and retrieve customer information during a contact, a computer telephony system for gathering interaction data associated with the contact, a rule based routing system for identifying a resource best suited to handle the call and a switch for routing the contact to the identified employee. A customer information database and an employee profile database are included, wherein the best suited resource is identified as having a skill corresponding to the type of customer ascertained from the customer information database and to the retrieved customer information. A context manager and a plurality of service providers are provided.

Abstract: A context manager for providing a framework for enabling continuous customer access resource innovation by maximizing open business processes. The context manager allows multiple combinations of users to access various business processes through multiple types of customer access resources. The context manager includes a context manager management interface for creating a context manager object for a session, the context manager object providing a bridge from customer access resources to business processes and maintaining a context of the session across customer access resources.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for interfacing with a hypervideo multimedia application when composing and playing same is disclosed. A novel hypervideo control and interface provides for either user-actuated or automatic transitioning between a plurality of video, graphics, textual, animation, and other types of multimedia files. A hypervideo control preferably transitions through distinct lifecycle phases and events as it is presented and removed from an interface display to visually convey to a user the present availability and impending removal of the control from the interface display, thereby providing an intuitive means for navigating a hypervideo application. In one embodiment, a hypervideo editing system includes a wordprocessing system and a separate video playback system.

Abstract: A computerized system and method for providing event-driven routing to provide user assistance and marketing functions in an order entry system is provided. One or more user-initiated events capable of being recognized by the computer are defined, as are one or more application points. Each of the application points is associated with at least one of the user-initiated events. An action is assigned to each of the application points. The actions assigned to a particular application point are dynamically invoked upon initiation of the user-initiated event associated with that application point, so the user is provided with the action at a point during the placement of an order at which the action is needed.

Abstract: A computerized modeling system is provided. The present invention is a computer-implemented, interactive, real-time software tool, for physically transforming a system or process into a visual representation. The software tool includes a class developer for interactively developing the visual representation in real time. The visual representation is physically embodied in a computer-readable medium for visualization on a computer display device, and includes at least one of a class, a class behavior, a class attribute, a collaboration, and a collaboration message flow. The software tool also includes a three-dimensional visual representation module for displaying a three-dimensional depiction of the visual representation on the display device.

Abstract: A computerized source searching system and method for the placement of an order for at least one offer via a terminal having a display is disclosed. The system includes system storage for storing offer information, and for storing electronic reproductions of offer sources corresponding to the offer information. The system includes source searching capabilities for locating an offer source, including a display for displaying electronic offer source images, a filtering mechanism for displaying electronic offer source images corresponding to entered source search criteria, and a selection mechanism for selecting one of the electronic offer source images displayed. One or more of the offers associated with the selected electronic offer source image can be located by displaying a segment of the electronic offer source image, and selecting one or more offers in that segment. A user can thereby locate an offer by searching through an electronic equivalent of the offer source used by the person placing the order.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for providing computerized management of multimedia assets of various types, including image, video, audio, text, and program code media types, is disclosed. Multimedia assets are checked into a computer system along with specified characteristics and identification information for the assets. Checked-in multimedia assets are stored in a database on a storage device. Previously checked-in multimedia assets are searched for based on one or more asset characteristics and asset identification information. Multimedia assets are checked out from the database with one of multiple check-out types. Predetermined criteria are used to determine wheterh to allow a check-out of a particular multimedia asset.

Abstract: A computerized order entry system for the placement of an order by a user via a terminal having a display is disclosed. The system includes a data capture mechanism for capturing order information and a storage device for storing the order information captured through the data capture mechanism. The system also provides a user interface for providing the user with access to a plurality of buttons representing a plurality of corresponding order entry functions. Each button is associated with an order entry function window having at least one data capture field into which order information related to the corresponding function may be captured. The user interface includes a mechanism for automatically routing the user to a particular order entry function window upon selection of the associated button. With such a configuration, placement of the order is substantially user-driven.