Method and system for enabling collaboration between advisors and clients

Abstract

A common collaboration tool enables advisors, their clients and other participants to interact in a coordinated manner in various areas of interest. A client authorizes selected advisors as well as other participants to view, discuss, modify and perform other operations in response to the client's request for services. A client defines the scope of authorization for advisors and/or other participants for security and confidentiality reasons. Advisors (and/or participants) access information submitted (or authorized) by the client to collaborate as a cohesive team in sharing information, devising a plan, addressing client's concerns, drafting (or modifying) a document and performing other services for the client.

1 . A computer implemented method for enabling collaboration between users, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the method comprising:
 receiving requests to define a collaboration team that includes a primary user and one or more other users, wherein the request further defines different scopes of authorization for the one or more other users to access documents associated with the primary user;   hosting, over a network, an electronic collaboration forum that enables collaboration between the primary user and the one or more other users and, responsive to receipt of the selections, selectively provides the one or more other users access to stored documents associated with the primary user in accordance with the scopes of authorization for the one or more other users defined in the requests;   providing a first user access to a first document associated with the primary user through the electronic collaboration forum, responsive to reception of a request for the first document from the first user and responsive to the scope of authorization for the first user permitting access to the first document;   receiving a modification to the first document from the first user via the electronic collaboration forum;   modifying, by the one or more processors, the first document accessible through the electronic collaboration forum in accordance with the received modification; and   providing access to the modified first document via the electronic collaboration forum for (i) the primary user and (ii) the one or more other users associated with scopes of authorization that permit access to the first document.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the first user access to the first document comprises transmitting the first document to the first user over the network in response to the reception of the request for the first document, the reception of the request being received through the electronic collaboration forum. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising tracking one or more actions taken by the first user via the electronic collaboration forum, wherein the tracked one or more actions comprise one or both of accessing and/or modifying the first document. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving an input to a calendar function associated with the electronic collaboration forum, the input scheduling an event associated with the collaboration team, wherein the scheduled event relates to one or more services to be provided to the primary user by the collaboration team; and   scheduling the event in the calendar function associated with the electronic collaboration forum.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 receiving additional inputs to the calendar function of the electronic collaboration forum, the additional inputs being related to additional interactions involving the primary user and/or other users from the collaboration team, the additional interactions being related to the one or more services to be provided to the primary user that are related to the scheduled event; and   scheduling the additional interactions in the calendar function in response to the additional inputs.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising hosting a chat board in the electronic collaboration forum that is accessible to the primary user and the collaboration team to facilitate interactions of the collaboration team with one another in a real-time online conference. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more services include the collaboration team collaboratively accessing and interacting with the stored documents associated with the primary user, via the electronic collaboration forum, to provide feedback on the first document. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 defining a triggering event to alert the collaboration team, the triggering event including reception through the electronic collaboration forum of one or more specific inputs from the primary user; and   notifying one or more of the other users on the collaboration team that the triggering event has occurred in response to a determination that the triggering event has occurred.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the scopes of authorization comprise a scope of authorization for a second user that provides the second user with (i) read only access to the first document, (ii) read and write access to the first document, (iii) read, write, and delete access to the first document, or (iv) no access to the first document. 
     
     
         10 . A computer implemented system for enabling collaboration between users, wherein the system comprises one or more processors configured to:
 receive requests to define a collaboration team that includes a primary user and one or more other users, wherein the requests further define different scopes of authorization for the one or more other users to access documents associated with the primary user;   host, over a network, an electronic collaboration forum configured to enable collaboration between the one or more other users and the primary user, and, responsive to receipt of the selections, selectively provide the one or more other users access to stored documents associated with the primary user in accordance with the scopes of authorization for the one or more other users defined in the requests;   provide a first user access to a first document associated with the primary user through the electronic collaboration forum, responsive to reception of a request for the first document from the first user, and responsive to the scope of authorization for the first user permitting access to the first document;   receive a modification to the first document from the first user via the electronic collaboration forum;   modify the first document accessible through the electronic collaboration forum in accordance with the received modification; and   provide the access to the modified first document via the electronic collaboration forum for (i) the primary user and (ii) the one or more other users associated with scopes of authorization that permit access to the first document.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide the first secondary user access to the first document by transmitting the first document to the first user over the network in response to the reception of the request for the first document, the reception of the request being received through the electronic collaboration forum. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to track one or more actions taken by the first user via the electronic collaboration forum, wherein the tracked one or more actions comprise one or both of accessing and/or modifying the first document. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive an input to a calendar function associated with the electronic collaboration forum, wherein the input schedules an event associated with the collaboration team, wherein the scheduled event relates to one or more services to be provided to the primary user by the collaboration team, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to schedule the event in the calendar function associated with the electronic collaboration forum in response to the received input. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive additional inputs to the calendar function of the electronic collaboration forum, the additional interactions involving the primary user and/or one or more other users from the collaboration team, the additional interactions being related to the one or more services to be provided to the primary user that are related to the scheduled event, and wherein the one or more processors are still further configured to schedule the additional interactions in the calendar function in response to the additional inputs. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to host a chat board in the electronic collaboration forum that is accessible to the primary user and the collaboration team, wherein the access to the chat board enables the primary user and at least one other user of the collaboration team to interact with one another in a real-time online conference to perform interactions. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to host, within the electronic collaboration forum, visual content associated with the primary user and the collaboration team performing one or more of the interactions performed via the chat board such that the primary user is enabled to view the hosted visual content. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
 define a triggering event to alert the collaboration team, the triggering event including reception through the electronic collaboration forum of one or more specific inputs from the primary user; and   notify one or more of the secondary users on the collaboration team that the triggering event has occurred in response to a determination that the triggering event has occurred.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the scopes of authorization comprise a scope of authorization for a second user that provides the second user with (i) read only access to the first document, (ii) read and write access to the first document, (iii) read, write, and delete access to the first document, or (iv) no access to the first document.