System and method for real-time updating service provider ratings

• US 20040044563A1
• Filed: 06/11/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Service Trading Company, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Valuestar, Inc. (ValueStar Corp.)
• Inventors: Stein, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,705 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls

Abstract

Service providers are evaluated and rated according to criteria that includes customer satisfaction with the services provided by the service provider. If the service provider meets and/or exceeds certain predetermined criteria, the service provider is certified, and a list of certified companies together with a satisfaction rating, is posted on an Internet Web site maintained by the rating company for access by the consuming public. A member of the consuming public, wishing to use the service of a certified company, may register his/her credit card with the Rating Company. When the service is rendered, and paid for by the registered credit card, the payment is detected to trigger the sending of Internet e-mail to the consumer to solicit information as to the consumer'"'"'s satisfaction with the service. A response to the Internet e-mail by the Rating Company is used to update on a real-time basis the customer satisfaction of the service provider that provided the service.

Claims

1. In a system for providing information indicative of customer satisfaction respecting at least one service provider, the system including at least one processing node that maintains a database containing the customer satisfaction information and a number of input nodes, including a customer node, communicatively coupled to the processing unit, a method for updates to the information by a customer of the one service provider that includes the steps of:

detecting a transaction between the customer and the one service provider to communicate information concerning the transaction together with an identification of the customer;

receiving at the processing unit the information and customer identification to communicate a query respecting customer satisfaction of the transaction to the customer node;

inputting at the customer node, in response to the query, update information concerning the one service provider to communicate the update information to the processing node; and

accessing the database to update the customer satisfaction information with update information.

2. The method of claim 1, including preceding the detecting step with providing a customer identification to the processing unit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the customer identification is a credit card number.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of associating the customer identification includes a payment by the customer to the one service provider using by a credit card.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of associating the customer identification further includes the steps of

registering the customer identification with a Financial Service Processor system having a storage facility to maintain a customer database;

transmitting information concerning the credit card transaction to the credit card system entity that maintains a customer database;

detecting the payment to the one service provider by use of the credit card.

6. A method of updating information respecting service providers and provided for viewing on an Internet we site with update information from a customer regarding a transaction between the customer and a one of the service providers, including the steps of:

registering the means of payment to be used by the customer in the transaction;

detecting use of the payment means as payment in the transaction;

communicating a request for update information to the customer respecting the transaction; and

receiving from the customer the update information to modify the information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the registering step includes providing a credit card number as the payment means.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the registering step includes providing a checking account identification as the payment means.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the payment is an on-line payment.

10. In a system for gathering and maintaining in a database information describing customer satisfaction of service providers, including a first service provider, a method of updating the information following a transaction between the first service provider and a customer.