Methods for verifying information during telemarketing operations

• US 6,275,940 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2000
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Anitec Verification Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Anitec Verification Incorporated
• Inventors: Taylor, Robert W., Edwards, Jim G., Middleton, Patricia A., Lauckner, Frederick G., Evans, Lynn A., Hokanson, William J., Martinez, Andres E., Jacobs, Edmond
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal, Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US09/553,091
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200, 713/201, 713/202, 380/24, 380/25, 711/163, 711/164
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26

Abstract

An automated third party verification system and method for verifying a customer'"'"'s authorization to switch long distance service providers. The system broadly comprises a customer database manager, a third party verification (TPV) interactive voice response (IVR) system, and a TPV management system. The customer database manager contacts the customer and, responsive to the customer'"'"'s authorization to switch long distance carriers, creates a text file of the customer'"'"'s responses to a series of questions supporting the authorization. The text file is sent to the TPV IVR system. The TPV IVR system directs a series of scripted questions, corresponding to those already asked by the customer database manager, to the customer and records the responses as voice clips. The TPV management system presents the voice clips and the corresponding text file to a verifier through a voice data verification module. Verifications made by the verifier through the voice data verification module are monitored by a quality assurance processor within the TPV management system. The quality assurance processor targets suspect verifications and accelerates the input of test entries to the voice data verification module to confirm invalid verifications. Final verification status, when determined, is sent by the quality assurance processor to the customer database manager.

Claims

1. Telemarketing method comprising the steps of:

establishing a first communications connection between a telemarketer and a customer;

receiving first information from the customer via the first communications connection in response to prompts from the telemarketer;

storing the first information received from the customer in a database; and

verifying the information received from the customer comprising the steps of;

establishing a second connection between the customer and an interactive voice response system;

prompting the customer with the interactive voice response system to input verifying information;

receiving and storing verifying information received from the customer in response to said step of prompting;

tagging the verifying information received from the customer with a tag for identification; and

retrieving the verifying information associated with the tag for use in verifying the first information stored in the database.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of establishing a first communications connection comprises the step of dialing the customer from a location associated with the telemarketer to establish a telephone connection.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said step establishing a telephone connection comprises the substep of dialing the customer with a predictive dialer system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of storing the first information received from the customer in a database comprises the step of storing the first information in a text file.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of storing the information received from the customer comprises the substep of tagging such information with an identification number associated with the telemarketer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of tagging the verifying information comprises the step of tagging the verifying information with an identification number associated with the telemarketer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of receiving and storing verifying data comprises the step of receiving and storing voice data from the customer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of establishing a second connection comprises the step of establishing a voice connection between the interactive voice response system and the customer with the telemarketer.

9. A method of verifying information received from a customer via a telecommunications system comprising the steps of:

establishing a voice connection between the customer and an interactive voice response system;

running a script with the interactive voice response system prompting an audible response from the customer;

tagging the voice response from the customer for later correlation the voice with the information from the customer being verified;

storing the tagged voice response from the customer;

retrieving the tagged voice response; and

verifying the information from the customer to be verified with the retrieved tagged voice response.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of verifying comprises the step of verifying the customer voice response using a voice recognition processor.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of verifying comprises the step of verifying the customer response using a human verifier.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of verifying comprises the step of verifying the customer response with both a human verifier and a voice recognition processor.

13. The method of claim 9 and further comprising the step of performing quality assurance by checking a result of said step of verifying.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of establishing a voice connection comprises the substep of initiating a telephone contact with the customer using from a telemarketing location.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the information received from the customer being verified comprises a text file stored in memory.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein said audible response comprises a voice response.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein said audible response comprises a touchtone response.

18. The method of claim 9 wherein said voice recognition processor comprises a speech recognition processor.