Menuing method and system

• US 6,819,748 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2001
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Capital One Financial Corporation
• Inventors: Bass, William S., Weiss, David L., Jernigan, Patrick L., Easley, Shannon Nicole
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US09/966,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20030059008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88-9-, 379/917, 379/93.12, 379/114.16, 379/142.04, 379/142.05, 379/142.06, 705/35, 705/38, 705/75, 705/39
• US Class Current: 379/93.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10

Abstract

A method and system for menuing on a voice response unit (VRU) or the like that avoids creating customer confusion on low volume calls that results in customer service representatives having to spend time clearing up that confusion without otherwise adversely affecting the system. For example, a menu for non-bankruptcy reaffirmation account and the like is included in the menus of a credit card VRU system. The menu and its sub-menus eliminate the options of balance transfers and credit limit increases that are inapplicable to those customers and result in an inordinate number of lengthy conversations.

Claims

1. A menuing method for a voice response unit system comprising:

receiving an identifier associated with a caller;

identifying the caller and an associated account based on the identifier;

determining whether the identifier caller has demonstrated financial difficulty including

determining an account identifier associated with the account, and

determining whether the identifier account is at least one of a non-bankruptcy reaffirmation account based on the account identifier and an account that is at least a predetermined number of days in arrears based on the account identifier; and

automatically presenting a menu to the caller, the menu excluding at least one menu option that would be presented to another caller not demonstrating financial difficulty, if it is determined that the caller has demonstrated financial difficulty,

the at least one menu option including an increasing credit limit option or a transferring balance option if the account identifier is associated with the at least one of the non-bankruptcy reaffirmation account and the account that is at least the predetermined number of days in arrears.