SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO ENROLL USERS FOR REAL TIME COMMUNICATIONS CONNECTIONS

• US 20160352901A1
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ingenio LLC
• Original Assignee: Ingenio LLC
• Inventors: Jandwani, Neeraj
• Granted Patent: US 9,838,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2033 Call handling or answering restrictions, e.g. specified by the calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2038 Call context notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2077 Call queuing apart from automatic call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A computing apparatus uses an interactive user assessment test to identify and/or assess the need and skills of the user as part of an enrollment process for the user to register for the services of the system that provides real time communications connections between users and advisers. The advisers provide coaching services over real time communications connections provided via the system. A recommendation engine is configured to use the assessment results to recommend advisers for the user based on the need and skills of the user, as well as the real time availability of the advisers to provide the coaching services.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a connection server configured to establish real time communication connections between telephonic devices, wherein;

the connection server is coupled with a data store storing;

communication references of a first set of telephonic devices registered in the data store, and

information about first users of the first set of telephonic devices; and

the connection server is configured to;

present the information of the first users of the first set of telephonic devices to second users of a second set of telephonic devices;

receive requests from the second users identifying selected ones of the first users; and

in response to the requests, establish telephone connections between respective telephonic devices of the second users and respective telephonic devices of the selected ones of the first users based on communication references in the data store;

providing a web server coupled with the connection server;

before a user of a web browser is enrolled for a service of the connection server;

presenting, by a web server to the web browser, a user interface of an interactive test that includes a plurality of questions;

receiving, in the web server via the web browser, answers to the questions from the user of the web browser;

determining, by a computing apparatus including the web server and the connection server, personalized ranks of the information of first users of the first set of telephonic devices based on the user answers;

selecting, by the computing apparatus, a subset of the first users based on the personalized ranks determined from the user answers;

presenting, by the web server to the web browser, the information about the subset of the first users;

receiving, in the web server, a user selection of a particular one of the first users from the subset presented in the web browser; and

in response to the user selection, prompting, by the web server, the user to enroll in the service of the connection server; and

after the user enrolls in the service of the connection server,

identifying, from the data store, a communication reference of the particular one of the first users; and

establishing, using the communication reference, a real time communication connection between a telephonic device of the user and a telephone device of the particular one of the first users.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to presenting the test to the user:

presenting the test to a plurality of third users;

receiving, from the third users, answers of the third users to the test;

presenting the information of first users to the third users;

receiving, from the third users, selections of the first users based on the information of the first users presented to the third users;

establishing, by the connection server, real time communication connections between the third users and selected ones of the first users; and

identifying, by the computing apparatus, correlation patterns in the answers of the third users and the real time communication connections between the third users and the selected ones of the first users;

wherein the personalized ranks are determined based on the answers to the questions from the user of the web browser and the correlation patterns.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the questions are designed to reveal needs of a person providing answers to the questions.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the questions are designed to reveal skills of a person providing answers to the questions.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the questions are designed to reveal states of a person providing answers to the questions.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifying of the correlation patterns includes statistically correlating the answers of the third users and the real time communication connections between the third users and the selected ones of the first users.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the statistically correlating the answers of the third users and the real time communication connections between the third users and the selected ones of the first users includes correlating clusters of answers and clusters of real time communications to the first users.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first users are registered in the data store to provide services via real time communications established via the connection server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the services include coaching.

10. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions configured to instruct a computing apparatus to perform a method, the method comprising:

storing, in a data store,

communication references of a first set of telephonic devices registered in the data store, and

information about first users of the first set of telephonic devices;

wherein the data store is coupled with a connection server configured to establish real time communication connections between telephonic devices, by

presenting the information of the first users of the first set of telephonic devices to second users of a second set of telephonic devices;

receiving requests from the second users identifying selected ones of the first users; and

in response to the requests, establishing telephone connections between respective telephonic devices of the second users and respective telephonic devices of the selected ones of the first users based on communication references in the data store;

providing a web server coupled with the connection server;

before a user of a web browser is enrolled for a service of the connection server;

presenting, by a web server to the web browser, a user interface of an interactive test that includes a plurality of questions;

receiving, in the web server via the web browser, answers to the questions from the user of the web browser;

determining, by a computing apparatus including the web server and the connection server, personalized ranks of the information of first users of the first set of telephonic devices based on the user answers;

selecting, by the computing apparatus, a subset of the first users based on the personalized ranks determined from the user answers;

presenting, by the web server to the web browser, the information about the subset of the first users;

receiving, in the web server, a user selection of a particular one of the first users from the subset presented in the web browser; and

in response to the user selection, prompting, by the web server, the user to enroll in the service of the connection server; and

after the user enrolls in the service of the connection server,

identifying, from the data store, a communication reference of the particular one of the first users; and

establishing, using the communication reference, a real time communication connection between a telephonic device of the user and a telephone device of the particular one of the first users.

11. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises, prior to presenting the test to the user:

presenting the test to a plurality of third users;

receiving, from the third users, answers of the third users to the test;

presenting the information of first users to the third users;

receiving, from the third users, selections of the first users based on the information of the first users presented to the third users;

establishing, by the connection server, real time communication connections between the third users and selected ones of the first users; and

identifying, by the computing apparatus, correlation patterns in the answers of the third users and the real time communication connections between the third users and the selected ones of the first users;

wherein the personalized ranks are determined based on the answers to the questions from the user of the web browser and the correlation patterns.

12. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a data store storing;

communication references of a first set of telephonic devices registered in the data store, and

information about first users of the first set of telephonic devices; and

a connection server coupled with the data store and configured to;

present the information of the first users of the first set of telephonic devices to second users of a second set of telephonic devices;

receive requests from the second users identifying selected ones of the first users; and

in response to the requests, establish telephone connections between respective telephonic devices of the second users and respective telephonic devices of the selected ones of the first users based on communication references in the data store;

a web server coupled with the connection server and configure to, before a user of a web browser is enrolled for a service of the connection server;

present, to the web browser, a user interface of an interactive test that includes a plurality of questions; and

receive, in the web server via the web browser, answers to the questions from the user of the web browser;

wherein the computing apparatus is further configured to;

determine personalized ranks of the information of first users of the first set of telephonic devices based on the user answers;

select a subset of the first users based on the personalized ranks determined from the user answers;

provide, via the web server to the web browser, the information about the subset of the first users;

receive, via the web server, a user selection of a particular one of the first users from the subset presented in the web browser; and

in response to the user selection, prompt, by the web server, the user to enroll in the service of the connection server; and

after the user enrolls in the service of the connection server,

identify, from the data store, a communication reference of the particular one of the first users; and

establish, using the communication reference, a real time communication connection between a telephonic device of the user and a telephone device of the particular one of the first users.

13. The computing apparatus of claim 12, further configured to, prior to presenting the test to the user:

present the test to a plurality of third users;

receive, from the third users, answers of the third users to the test;

present the information of first users to the third users;

receive, from the third users, selections of the first users based on the information of the first users presented to the third users;

establish, by the connection server, real time communication connections between the third users and selected ones of the first users; and

identify, by the computing apparatus, correlation patterns in the answers of the third users and the real time communication connections between the third users and the selected ones of the first users;

wherein the personalized ranks are determined based on the answers to the questions from the user of the web browser and the correlation patterns.

14. The computing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the questions are designed to reveal needs of a person providing answers to the questions.

15. The computing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the questions are designed to reveal skills of a person providing answers to the questions.

16. The computing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the questions are designed to reveal states of a person providing answers to the questions.

17. The computing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the correlation patterns is identified via statistically correlating the answers of the third users and the real time communication connections between the third users and the selected ones of the first users.

18. The computing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the statistically correlating the answers of the third users and the real time communication connections between the third users and the selected ones of the first users includes correlating clusters of answers and clusters of real time communications to the first users.

19. The computing apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first users are registered in the data store to provide services via real time communications established via the connection server.

20. The computing apparatus of claim 19, wherein the services include coaching.