SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SELF-SERVICE AUTOMATED DIAL-OUT AND CALL-IN SURVEYS

• US 20120069977A1
• Filed: 09/16/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SurveyMonkey (Momentive Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Survey Monkey.com LLC
• Inventors: Groom, Charles, Oberoi, Gaurav
• Granted Patent: US 9,294,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/92.01
• 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 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26

Abstract

A poll definition comprising a plurality of poll questions and a phone list comprising a plurality of phone list entries is received over the network from a user. Each phone list entry comprises a phone number for one of a first plurality of poll targets. A first poll run is conducted as a dial-out poll run using the poll definition and the phone list, such that a first set of answers to the plurality of poll questions is received from at least some of the first plurality of poll targets. A second poll run is conducted as a call-in poll run, using the poll definition, such that a second set of answers to the plurality of poll questions is received from a second plurality of poll targets. A third poll run is conducted as a web survey, using the poll definition, such that a third set of answers to the plurality of poll questions is received from a third plurality of poll targets.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting, using a computing device, a plurality of phone list entries from a phone list, each phone list entry comprising a target phone number;

for each of the plurality of phone list entries;

calling, over a voice network, the target phone number of the respective phone list entry;

if the call is answered,

conducting, using the computing device, a voice response survey using a poll definition comprising at least one question, such that a person responding to the call is asked the at least one question using a voice capability provided via the computing device;

receiving, over the voice network, an answer to the at least one question; and

storing, using the computing device, the answer to a poll run answers database.

2. The method of claim 1, such that each phone list entry additionally comprises at least one user demographic, such that each answer is stored to the poll run answers database in association with the at least one user demographic.

3. The method of claim 2, such that the at least one user demographic in the phone list is used to weight each answer stored on the poll run answers database.

4. The method of claim 3, such that weighting comprises:

determining, using the computing device, a baseline for expected poll demographics using the phone list; and

weighting, using the computing device, each answer stored to the poll run answers database using the baseline for expected poll demographics and the at least one user demographic for the respective answer.

5. The method of claim 1, such that the at least one question has at least two versions, such that, for each of the plurality of phone list entries, one of the at least two versions of the at least one question is randomly selected and the respective person is asked the one of the at least two versions of the at least one question.

6. The method of claim 1, such that the poll comprises at least two questions, such that at least a first one of the at least two questions has at least two versions, such that one of the at least two versions of the at least one question is selected based on an answer to a second one of the at least two questions.

7. The method of claim 5, such that the at least one question is a multiple choice question comprising a plurality of multiple choice options, and each of the at least two versions of the at least one question orders the plurality of multiple choice options in manner different that the remaining versions of the question.

8. The method of claim 5, such that the each of the at least two versions of the at least one question phrases the question in manner different that the remaining questions.

9. The method of claim 2 additionally comprising displaying, on a display device, a representation of the answers stored on the poll run answers database, such that the representation of the answers stored on the poll run answers database is provided for each of the at least one questions and comprises a crosstab of the at least one user demographic and answers to the at least one questions.

10. The method of claim 9, such that the representation of the answers stored on the poll run answers database is displayed before all of the plurality of phone numbers are called, and the display of the representation of the answers stored on the poll run answers database changes dynamically as the additional phone numbers from the plurality of phone numbers are called.

11. The method of claim 1, such that the plurality of phone list entries are selected at random from the phone list.

12. The method of claim 1, such that the phone number of each of the plurality of phone list entries is retried a fixed number of times if there is no answer.

13. The method of claim 1, such that if an answering machine pickup is detected for a call made to a target phone number, the call is hung-up, and the call to the target phone number is treated as if the call was not answered.

14. The method of claim 1, such that if an answering machine pickup is detected for a call made to a target phone number, a message is left on the answering machine, and the call to the target phone number is treated as complete.

15. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

receiving, using the computing device, poll run completion criteria, such that if the poll run completion criteria are satisfied before all of the plurality of phone list entries have been called, the poll run is stopped, and no more calls are made.

16. The method of claim 15, such that poll completion criteria comprises the completion of a predetermined number of polls.

17. The method of claim 15, such that poll completion criteria comprises the completion of predetermined number of polls by a defined demographic group.

18. The method of claim 15, such that poll completion criteria comprises a predetermined date and time.

19. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

receiving, using the computing device, at least one poll run option.

20. The method of claim 19, such that the at least one poll run option indicates that target phone numbers which have been called within a fixed number of days prior to the current date should not be called.

21. The method of claim 19, such that the at least one poll run option indicates certain dates and times in which target phone numbers may be called.

22. The method of claim 19, such that the at least one poll run option is an outbound caller ID which is used for making phone calls to target phone numbers.

23. The method of claim 19, such that the poll run option is an outbound caller ID is for a phone number for a dial-in voice response survey that uses the poll definition.

24. The method of claim 19, such that the at least one poll run option specifies an outbound call rate for calls made to target phone numbers.

25. The method of claim 1, such that if an answer to the at least one question is a voice message, the voice message is automatically transcribed, using the computing device, to a text representation, and the text representation is stored on the poll run answers database.

26. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

receiving, using the computing device, an indication that calling target phone numbers is to be paused, such that target phone numbers are not called until an indication is received that calling target phone numbers is to be resumed.

27. A computer-readable storage medium for tangibly storing thereon computer readable instructions for a method comprising:

selecting a plurality of phone list entries from a phone list, each phone list entry comprising a target phone number;

for each of the plurality of phone list entries;

calling, over a voice network, the target phone number of the respective phone list entry;

if the call is answered,

conducting a voice response survey using a poll definition comprising at least one question, such that a person responding to the call is asked the at least one question using a voice capability provided via the computing device;

receiving, over the voice network, an answer to the at least one question; and

storing the answer to a poll run answers database.

28. A computing device comprising:

a processor memory;

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

logic for selecting a plurality of phone list entries from a phone list, each phone list entry comprising a target phone number;

logic for, for each of the plurality of phone list entries;

calling, over a voice network, the target phone number of the respective phone list entry;

logic for, if the call is answered,

conducting a voice response survey using a poll definition comprising at least one question, such that a person responding to the call is asked the at least one question using a voice capability provided via the computing device;

receiving, over the voice network, an answer to the at least one question; and

storing the answer to a poll run answers database.

29. A method comprising:

for each of the plurality of in-bound phone numbers;

receiving, over a voice network, a voice call from the respective phone number;

conducting, using a computing device, a voice response survey using a poll definition comprising at least one question, such that a person making the inbound call is asked the at least one question using a voice capability provided via the computing device;

receiving, over the voice network, an answer to the at least one question;

storing, using the computing device, the answer to a poll run answers database.

30. The method of claim 29, such that the at least one question has at least two versions, such that, for each inbound call, one of the at least two versions of the at least one question is randomly selected and the respective person is asked the one of the at least two versions of the at least one question.

31. The method of claim 30 such that the poll comprises at least two questions, such that at least a first one of the at least two questions has at least two versions, such that, one of the at least two versions of the at least one question is selected based on an answer to a second one of the at least two questions.

32. The method of claim 30, such that the at least one question is a multiple choice question comprising a plurality of multiple choice options, and each of the at least two versions of the at least one question orders the plurality of multiple choice options in manner different that the remaining versions of the question.

33. The method of claim 30, such that the each of the at least two versions of the at least one question phrases the question in manner different that the remaining questions.

34. The method of claim 29 such that the poll definition comprises at least two questions, the method additionally comprising:

displaying, on a display device, a representation of the answers stored on the poll run answers database, such that the representation of the answers is provided for each of the at least two questions and comprises a crosstab of the answers to the at least two questions.

35. The method of claim 29 such that if a second call is received from one of the plurality of inbound phone numbers, the answers received via the second call replaces answers received via the initial call

36. The method of claim 29 additionally comprising:

receiving, via the voice call, a poll code, such that the poll code is used to identify the poll definition used to conduct the voice response survey.

37. The method of claim 29 additionally comprising:

sending, via a network, a poll notification message to a plurality of poll targets, the poll notification message comprising a notification that a poll has been initiated.

38. The method of claim 37 such that the poll notification comprises a dial-in phone number for the voice response survey.

39. The method of claim 37 such that the network is the voice network, and the poll notification message is sent to the plurality of poll targets as an SMS message.

40. The method of claim 37 such that the poll notification message is sent to the plurality of poll targets as an email.

41. The method of claim 37 such that the poll notification message is posted to a social networking account for each of the plurality of poll targets.

42. The method of claim 37 such that the poll notification message is posted to a social networking account for an entity interested in the results of the poll.

43. A computer-readable storage medium for tangibly storing thereon computer readable instructions for a method comprising:

for each of the plurality of in-bound phone numbers;

receiving, over a voice network, a voice call from the respective phone number;

conducting, using the computing device, a voice response survey using a poll definition comprising at least one question, such that a person making the inbound call is asked the at least one question using a voice capability provided via the computing device;

receiving, over the voice network, an answer to the at least one question; and

storing, using the computing device, the answer to a poll run answers database.

44. A computing device comprising:

a processor memory;

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

logic for, for each of the plurality of in-bound phone numbers;

receiving, over a voice network, a voice call from the respective phone number;

conducting, using the computing device, a voice response survey using a poll definition comprising at least one question, such that a person making the inbound call is asked the at least one question using a voice capability provided via the computing device;

receiving, over the voice network, an answer to the at least one question; and

storing, using the computing device, the answer to a poll run answers database.

45. A method comprising:

calling, over a voice network, a target phone number using an outbound caller ID number;

receiving, over a voice network, a voice call from the target phone number at a number corresponding to the outbound caller ID number;

conducting, using the computing device, a first voice response survey using a poll definition comprising at least one question, such that a person making the inbound call is asked the at least one question using a voice capability provided via the computing device;

receiving, over the voice network, a first answer to the at least one question; and

storing, using the computing device, the first answer to the poll run answers database.