METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AND CATEGORIZING DATA AT A TERMINAL

• US 20090254531A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andrew P. Golden, Anna Rath, Geoffrey M. Gelman, Jay S. Walker, Keith Bemer, Magdalena Mik, Russell P. Sammon
• Original Assignee: Andrew P. Golden, Anna Rath, Geoffrey M. Gelman, Jay S. Walker, Keith Bemer, Magdalena Mik, Russell P. Sammon
• Inventors: Sammon, Russell P., Rath, Anna, Golden, Andrew P., Gelman, Geoffrey M., Bemer, Keith, Walker, Jay S., Mik, Magdalena
• Application Number:
  US12/061,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20090254531A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method and system for collecting and categorizing survey data includes receiving customer information from a customer. A query is identified based at least in part on the customer information. The query is output for presentation to the customer. In one embodiment, the query is presented to the customer by prompting an employee, such as a clerk at a point-of-sale terminal, to verbally present the question to the customer. A customer response to the query is then received. The request from the customer may be, for example, a request to purchase one or more products or it may be a request for assistance or information. The customer response is then captured and analyzed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving customer information;

identifying a query based at least in part on the customer information;

prompting, when a timing condition associated with a merchant is satisfied, an attendant to present the query;

receiving a verbal response from the customer to the query;

analyzing the verbal response to at least determine a tone of the verbal response; and

categorizing, based on the analysis, the verbal response into at least one pre-established customer response category.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at least a second query;

outputting an indication of the at least second query; and

receiving a second verbal response.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

analyzing the second verbal response to at least determine a tone of the second verbal response; and

categorizing, based on the analysis, the second verbal response into at least one pre-established customer response category.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer information includes transaction information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the transaction information includes information identifying the start of a purchase transaction, or identifying a completion of a purchase transaction.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the transaction information includes information from a current transaction.

7. The method of claim 4, in which identifying a query comprises basing the query at least in part on transaction information from a previous transaction.

8. The method of claim 4, in which identifying a query comprises basing the query at least in part on customer information unrelated to the transaction information.

9. The method of claim 1, in which identifying a query comprises basing the query at least in part on customer information identifying a particular customer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the customer information identifying a particular customer is selected by the attendant.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the query comprises at least one survey question.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to categorizing the verbal response, determining that the attendant properly presented the query.

13. The medium of claim 12, wherein the determining that the attendant properly presented the query comprises:

recording an utterance of the attendant; and

analyzing the recording to determined if the utterance indicates that the survey question was properly presented.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising compensating the attendant for properly presenting the query, wherein the compensation is different than a standard compensation associated with the attendant.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an offer, the offer determined based at least in part on the verbal response; and

presenting the offer.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a remediation response based on the customer response category; and

instructing an attendant to present the remediation response.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that the attendant properly presented the remediation response; and

compensating the attendant for properly presenting the remediation response.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the query comprises at least one of a question associated with a quality of service experienced by the customer, or a question associated with a shopping experience of the customer, or a question associated with a physical condition of a store.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting an attendant response based at least in part on the customer response category and an authority level of the attendant; and

prompting the attendant to present the selected attendant response.

20. A computer readable medium storing instructions configured to direct a processor to:

receive customer information;

identify a query based at least in part on the customer information;

transmit instructions, when a timing condition associated with a merchant is satisfied, to prompt an attendant to present the query;

receive verbal response data representing a verbal response from the customer to the query;

analyze the verbal response data to at least determine a tone of the verbal response; and

categorize, based on the analysis, the verbal response data into at least one pre-established customer response category.