Method for identifying and responding to chronic callers in an interactive voice response system

• US 20070041523A1
• Filed: 08/16/2005
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Sams, Bobby, Paden, Jonathan, Newman, Scott, Yip, Alex, Baldassari, William
• Application Number:
  US11/204,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20070041523A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.160
• 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 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

An interactive voice response system (IVR) (100) has a communications interface (110), a memory (104), and a controller (102). The controller is programmed to monitor (202) a frequency of call activity for each caller, establish (208) a redirection criterion, and redirect (210) a caller to special services when the frequency of call activity of said caller satisfies the redirection criterion.

Claims

1. An interactive voice response system (IVR), comprising:

a communications interface;

a memory; and

a controller programmed to;

monitor a frequency of call activity for each caller;

establish a redirection criterion; and

redirect a caller to special services when the frequency of call activity of said caller satisfies the redirection criterion.

2. The IVR of claim 1, wherein the frequency of call activity for each caller corresponds to at least one among a group of activities comprising a number of calls made by each caller, a number of voluntary call terminations by each caller, a number of involuntary call terminations by each caller, and a temporal reading for each call activity of a caller.

3. The IVR of claim 1, wherein special services corresponds to at least one among a special services menu, and a human agent.

4. The IVR of claim 3, wherein the controller is programmed to present to the human agent a portion of the frequency of call activity of the caller.

5. The IVR of claim 4, wherein the controller is programmed to:

retrieve account information corresponding to the caller; and

present to the human agent a portion of the account information.

6. The IVR of claim 1, wherein the redirection criterion corresponds to a threshold for identifying the caller as a chronic caller.

7. The IVR of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to:

establish an alert criterion; and

notify a service provider when the frequency of call activity of one or more callers satisfies the alert criterion.

8. The IVR of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to:

establish a filter criterion; and

block one or more callers when the frequency of call activity of said callers satisfies the filter criterion.

9. The IVR of claim 8, wherein the controller is programmed to notify the caller of the blocking status.

10. In an interactive voice response system (IVR) a computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for:

monitoring a frequency of call activity for each caller;

establishing a threshold for identifying chronic callers; and

redirecting a caller to special services when the frequency of call activity of said caller satisfies the threshold.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the frequency of call activity for each caller corresponds to at least one among a group of activities comprising a number of calls made by each caller, a number of voluntary call terminations by each caller, a number of involuntary call terminations by each caller, and a temporal reading for each call activity of a caller.

12. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein special services corresponds to at least one among a special services menu, and a human agent.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, comprising computer instructions for presenting to the human agent a portion of the frequency of call activity of the caller.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, comprising computer instructions for:

retrieving account information corresponding to the caller; and

presenting to the human agent a portion of the account information.

15. The storage medium of claim 10, comprising computer instructions for blocking callers who satisfy the threshold.

16. The storage medium of claim 10, comprising computer instructions for:

establishing an alert criterion; and

notifying a service provider when the frequency of call activity of one or more callers satisfies the alert criterion.

17. The storage medium of claim 10, comprising computer instructions for:

establishing a filter criterion; and

blocking one or more callers when the frequency of call activity of said callers satisfies the filter criterion.

18. In an interactive voice response system (IVR), a method comprising the steps of:

monitoring a frequency of call activity for each caller;

establishing a threshold for identifying chronic callers;

redirecting a caller to at least one among a special services menu, and a human agent when the frequency of call activity of said caller satisfies the threshold; and

blocking callers who satisfy the threshold.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the frequency of call activity for each caller corresponds to at least one among a group of activities comprising a number of calls made by each caller, a number of voluntary call terminations by each caller, a number of involuntary call terminations by each caller, and a temporal reading for each call activity of a caller, wherein special services corresponds to a human agent, and wherein the method comprises the steps of:

retrieving account information corresponding to the caller; and

presenting to the human agent a portion of the frequency of call activity of the caller, and a portion of the account information corresponding to said caller.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising the steps of:

establishing an alert criterion; and

notifying a service provider when the frequency of call activity of one or more callers satisfies the alert criterion.