Expert system adapted dedicated internet access guidance engine
First Claim
1. A method for recommending a product to a customer, the method comprising:
- a) presenting a set of problem questions to a customer, the set of problem questions including one or more questions presented to determine one or more product needs of the customer;
b) receiving a set of problem answers from the customer, the set of problem answers including one or more answers to the set of problem questions, the one or more answers corresponding to the one or more product needs of the customer;
c) determining a problem domain based at least in part on the set of problem answers;
d) presenting a set of needs questions to the customer, the set of needs questions including one or more questions corresponding to the determined problem domain;
e) receiving a set of needs answers from the customer, the set of needs answers including one or more answers to the set of needs questions, each needs answer corresponding to at least one of the one or more product needs of the customer;
f) transforming at least a part of the set of needs answers into one or more values to represent a set of product traits, the one or more values comprising at least one of a fuzzy value or a crisp value, at least a portion of the one or more values corresponding to at least one of the one or more product needs of the customer;
g) processing at least one of the one or more values to produce one or more product recommendations, wherein the one or more product recommendations correspond to the determined problem domain, wherein at least a portion of the step of processing is performed on a computer processor using fuzzy logic; and
h) providing at least one of the one or more product recommendations to the customer.
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Abstract
An expert system adapted dedicated Internet access guidance engine. The invention allows an agent to interact with a customer and to provide selection and recommendation of data network products and/or services for the customer. The invention allows for the use of agents of varying skill levels, including relatively low skill level, without suffering deleterious performance. The dedicated Internet access guidance engine is operable to perform selection and rating of Internet access products and/or services to provide a solution that meets the needs of a customer. The dedicated Internet access guidance engine is operable to select recommended solutions from among a number of potential solutions that may include compatible solutions. The dedicated Internet access guidance engine is one of the underlying engines within the expert system that allows the agent to provide real time interaction with a customer and to provide a real time recommended solution to that customer.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method for recommending a product to a customer, the method comprising:
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a) presenting a set of problem questions to a customer, the set of problem questions including one or more questions presented to determine one or more product needs of the customer;
b) receiving a set of problem answers from the customer, the set of problem answers including one or more answers to the set of problem questions, the one or more answers corresponding to the one or more product needs of the customer;
c) determining a problem domain based at least in part on the set of problem answers;
d) presenting a set of needs questions to the customer, the set of needs questions including one or more questions corresponding to the determined problem domain;
e) receiving a set of needs answers from the customer, the set of needs answers including one or more answers to the set of needs questions, each needs answer corresponding to at least one of the one or more product needs of the customer;
f) transforming at least a part of the set of needs answers into one or more values to represent a set of product traits, the one or more values comprising at least one of a fuzzy value or a crisp value, at least a portion of the one or more values corresponding to at least one of the one or more product needs of the customer;
g) processing at least one of the one or more values to produce one or more product recommendations, wherein the one or more product recommendations correspond to the determined problem domain, wherein at least a portion of the step of processing is performed on a computer processor using fuzzy logic; and
h) providing at least one of the one or more product recommendations to the customer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for recommending a product to a customer, the method comprising:
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a) presenting a GUI to a human agent, the GUI including one or more fields for entry by the agent of information relating to a customer'"'"'s product needs;
b) receiving input from the agent via the GUI, the input comprising information relating to a customer'"'"'s product needs;
c) processing the received input through fuzzy logic to produce one or more product recommendations corresponding to the customer'"'"'s product needs, the step of processing comprising transforming at least a part of the information relating to a customer'"'"'s product needs into at least one of a fuzzy value or a crisp value; and
d) displaying an output to the agent via the GUI, the output comprising the one or more product recommendations. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 32, 33)
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31. A method for recommending a product to a customer, the method comprising:
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a) presenting a set of questions to a customer via a human agent, the set of questions comprising one or more questions relating to the customer'"'"'s product needs;
b) receiving a set of answers from the customer via the agent in response to the set of questions, the answers comprising one or more answers relating to the customer'"'"'s product needs;
c) entering information corresponding to the set of answers into a computer system via a GUI, the information being entered by the agent;
d) receiving output from the computer system, the output being displayed to the agent via the GUI, the output being produced by the computer system, wherein the output is produced by the computer system via a process comprising;
i) transforming at least a part of the set of answers into one or more values to represent a set of product traits, the one or more values comprising at least one of a fuzzy value or a crisp value, at least a portion of the one or more values corresponding to at least one of the one or more product needs of the customer, and ii) processing at least one of the one or more values to produce one or more product recommendations, wherein at least a portion of the step of processing is performed on a computer processor using fuzzy logic within the computer system, wherein the output comprises one or more product recommendations corresponding to the customer'"'"'s needs; and
e) presenting at least a portion of the output to the customer via the agent.
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Specification