Transaction-specific customer survey system

• US 10,430,811 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2019
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afterwords, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Afterwords, Inc.
• Inventors: Roberts, Steven A., Peloubet, Drew
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Gurkanwaljit
• Application Number:
  US16/456,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20190318368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 95 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0009 Details of the software in the checkout register, electronic cash register [ECR] or point of sale terminal [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/70 specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Provided are a method and system for automatically generating context-based survey questions predicated on the customers'"'"' actual purchase experience with the merchant, thus eliminating for the customer the need to respond to obvious, redundant, and even irrelevant questions, and providing to the merchant customer feedback directly bound to the actual purchase event and correlating data. Purchase information is stored at the time of purchase and the customer is given an identifier for the purchase. Then, at the customer'"'"'s convenience, either at the point of sale or through a networked computer, the customer can provide responses to questions that are selectively and automatically generated based on the items purchased, or other definable attributes associated with the sale, and based upon configurable preferences of the merchant. Survey questions are displayed and feedback responses are stored, analyzed and associated with purchase information in real time.

Claims

1. A system for implementing transaction-specific surveys comprising:

(a) a point-of-sale interface used in conducting a commercial transaction between a consumer and a vendor, the point-of-sale interface being configured to record transaction data relating to the commercial transaction wherein the transaction data comprises at least one purchase detail identifier and a survey token;

(b) a survey server computing device configured to receive and store the transaction data generated by the point-of-sale interface, wherein;

(i) the survey server computing device comprises (A) a vendor database storing a plurality of purchase detail identifiers, and (B) a campaign data structure having survey question data and a configurable Condition that is satisfied by the detection of a given purchase detail identifier; and

wherein

(ii) the survey server computing device is configured to perform the operations comprising (A) receiving a survey token, (B) retrieving the transaction data having the stored survey token corresponding to the received survey token, (C) determining whether the transaction data includes the given purchase detail identifier such that the configurable Condition is satisfied, and if the configurable Condition is satisfied, generating a Survey Question using the given survey question data and the purchase detail identifier, and (D) generating a Survey Module comprising software code for displaying the at least one Survey Question;

(c) a vendor survey interface configured to perform the operations comprising;

(i) transmitting the survey token to the survey server computing device;

(ii) receiving from the survey server computing device the Survey Module;

(iii) generating a graphical user interface on a display screen;

(iv) running the Survey Module to display the at least one Survey Question as an integrated component within the graphical user interface;

(v) generating a Respondent Header based on user-generated inputs in response to the at least one Survey Question; and

(vi) transmitting the Respondent Header to the survey server computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the vendor survey interface is implemented as a web server computing device;

(b) the graphical user interface is a host vendor webpage;

(c) and the Survey Module is a webpage frame configured for display as an integrated component of the host vendor webpage.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale interface is implemented as a point-of-sale computing device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein (a) the point-of-sale computing device transmits the transaction data to a cloud server, and (b) the survey server computing device is configured to receive and store the transaction data transmitted by the cloud server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein vendor survey interface is implemented as a software application running on a mobile computing device, and the survey token is input by the consumer to the vendor survey interface.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the survey token comprises a combination of purchase detail identifiers that identify the commercial transaction.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale interface and the vendor survey interface are both implemented as a software application running on a mobile computing device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the campaign data structure further comprises an Exit Page that points to a webpage address and a second configurable Condition that is satisfied based on a Survey Question response;

(b) the display screen that displays the graphical user interface is an integrated component of a customer response client computing device, and the graphical user interface is displayed by a web browser integrated with the customer response client computing device; and

wherein

(c) the survey server computing device is further configured to perform the operation of incorporating within the Survey Module software code that redirects the web browser of the customer response client computing device to the Exit Page, if the second configurable Condition is satisfied.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the survey server computing device further comprises an Attribute Group database comprising one or more purchase detail identifiers sharing a preselected attribute;

(b) the campaign data structure further comprises a second configurable condition that is satisfied if a certain purchase detail identifier shares the preselected attribute; and

wherein

(c) the survey server computing device is further configured to perform the operations of (E) determining whether the transaction data includes the certain purchase detail identifier that shares the preselected attribute such that the second configurable Condition is satisfied, and (F) if the second configurable Condition is satisfied, generating a second Survey Question using the survey question data and the certain purchase detail identifier.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the purchase detail identifiers comprise a product/service identifier that represents a products/service available for purchase through the vendor; and

(b) the Survey Question comprises a Product Survey Question relating to the product/service.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the purchase detail identifiers comprise a vendor facility identifier that represents a vendor facility used by the vendor for commercial transactions; and

(b) the Survey Question comprises a Facility Survey Question relating to the vendor facility.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the purchase detail identifiers comprise a vendor personnel identifier identifying vendor personnel; and

(b) the Survey Question comprises a Vendor Personnel Survey Question relating to the vendor personnel.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the purchase detail identifiers comprise a service mode identifier that represents a mode of service; and

(b) the Survey Question comprises a Service Mode Survey Question relating to the mode of service.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein:

(a) the purchase detail identifiers further comprise at least one vendor facility identifier that represents a vendor facility where the commercial transaction occurred;

(b) the campaign data structure comprises a second configurable Condition that is satisfied by the detection of a given vendor facility identifier;

(c) the survey server computing device is configured to perform the further operations comprising (E) determining whether the transaction data includes the given vendor facility identifier such that the second configurable Condition is satisfied, and if the second configurable Condition is satisfied, generating a Facility Survey Question using the survey question data and the given facility identifier, and (F) incorporating within the Survey Module software code for displaying the Facility Survey Question.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

(a) the purchase detail identifiers further comprise at least one internal facility location identifier identifying an internal location within a vendor facility;

(b) the campaign data structure comprises a third configurable Condition that is satisfied by the detection of a given internal facility location identifier;

(c) the survey server computing device is configured to perform the further operations comprising (G) determining whether the transaction data includes the given internal facility location identifier such that the third configurable Condition is satisfied, and if the third configurable Condition is satisfied, generating an Internal Facility Survey Question using the survey question data and the given internal facility location identifier, and (H) incorporating within the Survey Module software code for displaying the Internal Facility Survey Question.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the survey question data includes at least one General Survey Question that is not specific to the transaction data; and

(b) the survey server computing device is further configured to perform the operation of incorporating within the Survey Module software code for displaying the at least one General Survey Question.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the Campaign data structure further comprises a Max Question configurable Condition setting a maximum number of survey questions included within the Survey Module.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the Campaign data structure further comprises an Event that triggers an electronic notification transmitted to a vendor representative and a second configurable Condition that is satisfied based on a Survey Question response; and

wherein

(b) the survey server computing device is further configured to perform the operations of (E) incorporating within the Survey Module software code that determines whether the second configurable Condition is satisfied, and (F) that implements the Event to transmit an electronic notification to the vendor representative, if the second configurable condition is satisfied.

19. A computer-implemented method for providing transaction-specific surveys comprising the operations of:

(a) providing a survey server configured to receive and store transaction data generated by point-of-sale interface relating to a commercial transaction between a consumer and a vendor, wherein

(i) the transaction data comprises purchase detail identifiers and a survey token; and

(ii) the survey server comprises (A) a vendor database storing a plurality of purchase detail identifiers, and (B) a campaign data structure having survey question data and a configurable Condition that is satisfied by the detection of a given purchase detail identifier;

(b) receiving by the survey server, a survey token;

(c) retrieving by survey server, the transaction data having the stored survey token corresponding to the received survey token;

(d) determining by survey server, whether the transaction data includes the given purchase detail identifier such that the configurable Condition is satisfied, and if the configurable Condition is satisfied, generating a Survey Question using the survey question data and the purchase detail identifier;

(e) generating by the survey server, a Survey Module comprising software code for displaying the at least one Survey Question as an integrated component within a graphical user interface;

(f) transmitting by the survey server, the Survey Module to a vendor survey interface; and

(g) receiving by the survey server, a Respondent Header generated based on user-generated inputs in response to the at least one Survey Question.