Method and system for automated customer services

• US 6,327,363 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1998
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Hernandez, David A., Henderson, Karl M., Mir, Kamran W., Hoggatt, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US09/198,721
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/91.01, 379/93.03, 379/113, 379/114
• US Class Current: 379/265.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/305 using wired telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A system and method for accepting customer calls for product related services and directing these calls to an appropriate customer service center. The system contains a customer service network and a customer transaction database for storing a plurality of product information and vendor/customer data. A transaction processor is arranged to process calls received through the network and to route the calls to an appropriate care center for a particular customer in accordance with data associated with a customer-entered personal identification number provided to the customer at the time of purchase. The services are provided on the basis of a pre-paid account, which is debited after a service agent answers the customer call based on signaling generated at the call center.

Claims

1. A system for automating the routing of a customer call for a service and the debiting of pre-paid accounts in payment for said service, said system comprising:

a customer service network;

a customer transaction database coupled to said customer service network for storing an account record;

a transaction processor coupled to said customer transaction database and configured to process said customer call received through said customer service network and to route said customer call to an appropriate service center in accordance with criteria relating to data recorded in said account record;

an agent station located at said appropriate service center and coupled to said transaction processor to receive said customer call; and

a triggering signal to trigger a debit in said account record after an answer is detected at said agent station.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein said means for triggering a debit comprises a DTMF detection resource connected to said customer call and coupled to said transaction processor for detecting a DTMF signal that indicates an answer by a service agent.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein said means for triggering a debit further comprises:

a message sent by said agent station; and

switching logic that receives said message and sends said DTMF signal to said DTMF detection resource.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein said means for triggering a debit comprises an internet protocol network coupling said transaction processor and said agent station for communicating a message indicating that said customer call was answered at said agent station.

5. A system for accepting a call from a customer for a service relating to a product, customer or vendor and directing said call to an appropriate service center, said system comprising:

a customer service network;

a customer transaction database coupled to said customer service network for storing an account record; and

a transaction processor coupled to said customer transaction database and configured to process said customer call received through said customer service network and to route said customer call to said appropriate service center in accordance with criteria relating to data recorded in said account record, wherein an agent station located at said appropriate service center and coupled to said transaction processor receives said customer call and said transaction processor triggers a debit in said account record after an answer is detected at said agent station.

6. The system according to claim 5 further comprising an Interactive Voice Recognition application that receives said call from said customer and converts audio signals from said call into data signals.

7. The system according to claim 5 wherein said transaction processor is configured to receive a customer identification number from said customer during said call and to authorize said service for said customer in accordance with an account status recorded in said account record.

8. The system according to claim 5 wherein said transaction processor is configured to receive a customer identification number from said customer during said call and to authorize said service for said customer in accordance with an account balance recorded in said account record.

9. The system according to claim 5 wherein said customer service network is call accessible with a dedicated toll-free number.

10. The system according to claim 5 wherein said account record comprises at least one of product data, vendor data, and customer data.

11. The system according to claim 5 wherein said transaction processor is configured to limit an amount of said service authorized for said customer in accordance with data stored in said account record.

12. The system according to claim 5 wherein said account record comprises an account balance data element defining a limit on said service authorized for said customer, said transaction processor being configured to terminate said call when an amount of said service reaches said limit.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein said account balance represents a total amount of service time authorized for said customer.

14. The system according to claim 12 wherein said account balance represents a total number of service incidents authorized for said customer.

15. The system according to claim 5 further comprising an agent station at which data recorded from said account record is presented to a service agent prior to said call being answered by said service agent.

16. The system according to claim 5 wherein said appropriate service center is coupled to said transaction processor, and further comprising:

a first call leg established between said customer and said transaction processor; and

a second call leg established between said transaction processor and said service center, said first and second call legs being maintained separately until an answer is detected on said second call leg.

17. The system according to claim 16 wherein said detected answer is caused by a service agent.

18. The system according to claim 16 wherein said detected answer is caused by an automated call distribution application.

19. The system according to claim 5 wherein said transaction processor comprises an intelligent network overlay including an intelligent peripheral, a service switching and service control point, and a service data point.

20. The system according to claim 5 further comprising an intelligent services network coupled to said customer support network for providing operator assistance.

21. The system according to claim 20 wherein said intelligent services network comprises a link to said customer transaction database for recharging an account balance of said account record.

22. The system according to claim 5 wherein said appropriate service center includes an automated call distribution application coupled to said transaction processor, and further comprising an internet protocol network coupling said appropriate service center to said customer transaction database.

23. The system according to claim 22 further comprising a host computer system coupled to said internet protocol network for storing said customer transaction database.

24. A system for triggering a debit in a pre-paid account in payment for a service relating to a call between a customer and a service agent, said system comprising:

a call service center including an agent station;

a customer transaction database coupled to said call service center for storing an account record associated with said customer; and

a transaction processor coupled to said customer transaction database that receives said call from said customer and forwards said call to said call service center, said transaction processor being configured to debit said account record after said call is answered at said agent station.

25. The system according to claim 24 further comprising an administration application executing on said transaction processor for allowing an authorized representative to modify said account record.

26. The system according to claim 25 further comprising a password verification routine executing on said transaction processor for verifying authorization of said authorized representative.

27. The system according to claim 24 further comprising:

switching logic for detecting an answer of said call at said agent station and sending a DTMF pulse to said transaction processor; and

a DTMF detection resource connected to said call by said transaction processor that detects said DTMF pulse sent by said switching logic and triggers said transaction processor to debit said account record.

28. The system according to claim 27 wherein said switching logic is an automated call distribution system.

29. The system according to claim 24 further comprising:

a message sent by said agent station to indicate an answer of said call at said agent station;

switching logic for receiving said message from said agent station and sending a DTMF pulse to said transaction processor; and

a DTMF detection resource connected to said call by said transaction processor that detects said DTMF pulse sent by said switching logic and triggers said transaction processor to debit said account record.

30. The system according to claim 29 wherein said switching logic is an automated call distribution system.

31. The system according to claim 24 further comprising:

a prompt provided by said transaction processor to said agent station for instructing a service agent to enter a DTMF pulse to be forwarded to said transaction processor;

a DTMF detection resource connected to said call by said transaction processor that detects said DTMF pulse entered by said service agent and triggers said transaction processor to debit said account record.

32. The system according to claim 24 further comprising switching logic for detecting said answer of said call at said agent station and sending a message to said transaction processor for debiting said account record upon receipt of said message.

33. The system according to claim 32 wherein said switching logic is an automated call distribution system.

34. The system according to claim 24 further comprising:

an internet protocol network coupling said transaction processor and said call service center; and

a message sent across said internet protocol network indicating that said call was answered at said agent station.

35. The system according to claim 34 wherein said transaction processor includes said customer transaction database and said agent station is configured to send said message to said transaction processor.

36. The system according to claim 34 wherein said transaction processor includes said customer transaction database, and further comprising a computer/telephony integration server coupled to said agent station for detecting that said call was answered at said agent station, said computer/telephony integration server being configured to send said message to said transaction processor.

37. The system according to claim 34 further comprising a host computer system coupled to said internet protocol network for storing said customer transaction database, said transaction processor being configured to query said host computer system for said account record and said agent station being configured to send said message to said transaction processor through said host computer system.

38. The system according to claim 34 further comprising:

a host computer system coupled to said internet protocol network for storing said customer transaction database, said transaction processor being configured to query said host computer system for said account record; and

a computer/telephony integration server coupled to said agent station for detecting that said call was answered at said agent station and for sending said message to said transaction processor through said host computer system.

39. A method of routing a call from a customer for a service and debiting a pre-paid account record in payment for said service, said method comprising:

receiving said call and a customer identification number;

using said customer identification number to locate said pre-paid account record in a customer transaction database;

routing said call to an appropriate service center in accordance with data contained in said pre-paid account record;

detecting an answer of said routed call by a service agent; and

debiting an account balance in said pre-paid account record, responsive to said operation of detecting an answer.

40. A method of routing a call from a customer for a service, said method comprising:

receiving said customer call and a customer identification number;

using said customer identification number to locate an account record in a customer transaction database;

routing said customer call to an appropriate service center in accordance with data contained in said account record, wherein an agent station located at said appropriate service center and coupled to a transaction processor receives said customer call and said transaction processor triggers a debit in said account record after an answer is detected at said agent station.

41. The method of claim 40 further comprising presenting information from said account record to said service agent about at least one of a customer, a product, and a vendor.

42. A method for debiting an account record in payment for a service relating to a call between a customer and a service agent, said method comprising:

receiving said call and a customer identification number;

using said customer identification number to locate an account record in a customer transaction database;

detecting an answer of said routed call by a service agent; and

debiting an account balance in said account record, responsive to said operation of detecting an answer.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein said call has a duration, and further comprising the operation of limiting said duration of said call in accordance with said account balance.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the operation of limiting said duration of said call comprises:

prompting said customer with a recharge instruction if said account balance is substantially depleted;

receiving information from said customer to recharge said account; and

modifying said account balance in accordance with said received information.

45. The method of claim 43 wherein the operation of limiting said duration of said call comprises terminating said call if said account balance is depleted.

46. A program storage medium, readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer for routing a call from a customer for a service and triggering a debit in an account record in payment for said service, the program comprising instructions for:

receiving said call and a customer identification number;

using said customer identification number to locate said account record in a customer transaction database;

routing said call to an appropriate service center in accordance with data contained in said account record;

detecting an answer of said routed call by a service agent; and

triggering a debit in an account balance in said account record, responsive to said operation of detecting an answer.

47. A program storage device, readable by a computer, tangible embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer for routing a call from a customer for a service, the program comprising instructions for:

receiving said customer call and a customer identification number;

using said customer identification number to locate an account record in a customer transaction database; and

routing said customer call to an appropriate service center in accordance with data contained in said account record, wherein an agent station located at said appropriate service center and coupled to a transaction processor receives said customer call and said transaction processor triggers a debit in said account record after an answer is detected at said agent station.

48. A program storage medium, readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer for triggering a debit in an account record in payment for a service relating to a call between a customer and a service agent, the program comprising instructions for:

receiving said call and a customer identification number;

using said customer identification number to locate said account record in a customer transaction database;

detecting an answer of said routed call by a service agent; and

triggering a debit in an account balance in said account record, responsive to said operation of detecting an answer.