Target has been granted a patent for a system and method to resolve customer service issues in online shopping. The system allows customer service agents to quickly access and edit customer account information, order information, and shopping cart information. Agents can make changes to the customer account using administrative options not available to customers. The customer is then directed to refresh their account to see the changes made by the agent. GlobalData’s report on Target gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Target, Treatment progress monitoring was a key innovation area identified from patents. Target's grant share as of September 2023 was 86%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.

System and method for resolving customer service issues in online shopping

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Credit: Target Corp

A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11776032B2) describes a system and method for customer service agents to efficiently handle multiple customer sessions. The system includes one or more processors and a memory subsystem with program instructions, which can be executed by the processors.

When the system receives identification data of multiple customers and validation information of the customer service agent, it generates a user interface that can be presented on a remote customer service agent device. This user interface includes multiple session displays, each associated with a specific customer. One of the session displays includes a customer account interface, which shows customer account information and order information related to an order made by the customer. The appearance of the customer account interface corresponds to the customer's view of their account information. Additionally, the user interface provides an administrative option that allows the customer service agent to cancel the order, which is not available to the customer.

To indicate that the customer service agent is actively engaged with a particular session display, the system displays a visual indicator within the user interface. This helps the agent keep track of their active sessions and prioritize their attention accordingly.

The system also includes features such as active shopping cart information associated with the customer, the ability to receive identification data of the customer service agent, and customization of the user interface based on the agent's identity. The customization can exclude certain administrative options related to customer payment information.

Furthermore, the user interface offers additional administrative options for the customer service agent, such as canceling items from orders, editing payment and shipping information, accessing detailed order status information, refunding costs, and waiving fees.

Overall, this patented system and method provide an efficient and organized way for customer service agents to handle multiple customer sessions simultaneously, improving their productivity and enhancing the customer experience.

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.