IVR customer address acquisition method

• US 20040240639A1
• Filed: 06/02/2003
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mandalia, Baiju D., Michelini, Vanessa V., Davis, Brent L., Colson, Vicki L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,046,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

A method of automatically acquiring and/or updating a customer address within an interactive voice response system including establishing a telephony connection with a customer and identifying a telephone number associated with the customer. A directory assistance data store external to the interactive voice response system can be accessed. A reverse directory search based upon the telephone number can be performed to retrieve an address from the directory assistance data store. The retrieved address can be stored within an interactive voice response system data store.

Claims

1. A method of acquiring a customer address within an interactive voice response system comprising the steps of:

establishing a telephony connection with a customer;

identifying a telephone number associated with said customer;

querying a directory assistance data store external to said interactive voice response system for an address based upon said telephone number;

retrieving an address from said directory assistance data store; and

,

storing said retrieved address within a data store accessible by an interactive voice response system.

2. The method of claim 1, said identifying step further comprising the steps of:

prompting said customer for said telephone number;

receiving a speech input response specifying said telephone number; and

,

converting said speech input response to a textual response.

3. The method of claim 1, said identifying step further comprising the steps of:

prompting said customer for said telephone number; and

,

receiving a keypad response specifying said telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1, said identifying step further comprising the step of:

determining said telephone number from caller identification information of said telephony connection.

5. The method of claim 1, said identifying step further comprising the step of:

prompting said customer for at least one of a home phone number and a work phone number.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

prompting said customer to confirm said retrieved address; and

,

receiving an address confirmation response.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said prompting step comprises:

converting said retrieved address to speech to audibly prompt said customer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said acquiring of said customer address updates a preexisting customer address, wherein said storing step further comprises:

overwriting said preexisting customer address in said data store with said retrieved address.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

automatically determining said telephone number based upon at least one of previously stored customer data and caller identification information;

comparing said retrieved address to said preexisting customer address; and

,

if said retrieved customer address is different from said preexisting customer address, prompting said customer to update said preexisting customer address.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said data store includes business data for a plurality of institutions served by said interactive voice response system.

11. A system of acquiring a customer address within an interactive voice response system comprising the steps of:

means for establishing a telephony connection with a customer;

means for identifying a telephone number associated with said customer;

means for querying a directory assistance data store external to said interactive voice response system for an address based upon said telephone number;

means for retrieving an address from said directory assistance data store; and

,

means for storing said retrieved address within a data store accessible by an interactive voice response system.

12. A machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, said code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

establishing a telephony connection with a customer;

identifying a telephone number associated with said customer;

querying a directory assistance data store external to said interactive voice response system for an address based upon said telephone number;

retrieving an address from said directory assistance data store; and

,

storing said retrieved address within a data store accessible by an interactive voice response system.

13. The machine-readable storage of claim 12, said identifying step further comprising the steps of:

prompting said customer for said telephone number;

receiving a speech input response specifying said telephone number; and

,

converting said speech input response to a textual response.

14. The machine-readable storage of claim 12, said identifying step further comprising the steps of:

prompting said customer for said telephone number; and

,

receiving a keypad response specifying said telephone number.

15. The machine-readable storage of claim 12, said identifying step further comprising the step of:

determining said telephone number from caller identification information of said telephony connection.

16. The machine-readable storage of claim 12, said identifying step further comprising the step of:

prompting said customer for at least one of a home phone number and a work phone number.

17. The machine-readable storage of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

prompting said customer to confirm said retrieved address; and

,

receiving an address confirmation response.

18. The machine-readable storage of claim 17, wherein said prompting step comprises:

converting said retrieved address to speech to audibly prompt said customer.

19. The machine-readable storage of claim 12, wherein said machine-readable storage updates a preexisting customer address, wherein said storing step further comprises:

overwriting said preexisting customer address in said data store with said retrieved address.

20. The machine-readable storage of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

automatically determining said telephone number based upon at least one of previously stored customer data and caller identification information;

comparing said retrieved address to said preexisting customer address; and

,

if said retrieved customer address is different from said preexisting customer address, prompting said customer to update said preexisting customer address.

21. The machine-readable storage of claim 12, wherein said data store includes business data for a plurality of institutions served by said interactive voice response system.