Method and apparatus to allow customers to initiate call center contact

• US 7,330,539 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Protecticom Corporation
• Original Assignee: Protecticom Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, J Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US10/905,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/201.04, 379/201.11, 379/201.12, 379/211.01, 379/211.02
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/652 Call initiation triggered by text message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26

Abstract

A network operation center is provided. The network operation center provides a message to a customer over a communication link and waits for a reply to the message from the customer. When the reply is received, the network operation center determines whether the reply indicated the customer is receptive to contact from a call center. If the reply indicates the customer is receptive, the network operation center provides a notification to the call center along with customer contact information. The call center contacts the customer based on the notification.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a customer to initiate call center contact, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at a network operation center a message to be transmitted to a customer;

initiating a communication with the customer by transmitting the message to a customer device;

waiting for a reply from the customer that relates to the message;

first determining whether the reply is received;

if the reply is received, second determining whether the reply is a positive reply;

if the reply is the positive reply, alerting a call center that the customer has indicated the positive reply; and

providing customer contact information to the call center so the call center can contact the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of composing the message to be sent to the customer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of receiving from a company the message at the network operations center, where the company uses the call center to solicit purchases.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of receiving from the company the message receives the message in a first protocol;

and further comprising the step of converting the message from the first protocol to a second protocol wherein the second protocol is used to transmit the message to the customer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein if it is determined the reply is not received, retransmitting the message to the customer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of collecting demographic data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reply is selected from the group of replies consisting of yes, affirmative, positive, no, negative, save, or discard.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an advertising message at the network operation center from a third party for transmission to the customer;

transmitting the advertising message to the customer; and

receiving a response from the customer relating to the advertising message.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of collecting advertising demographic data based on the response.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, the customer is a residential customer.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the company is selected from a group of companies consisting of medical supply companies, grocery companies, retail companies, delivery companies, or office supply companies.

12. A method of transmitting messages from a company to a customer and receiving a reply from the customer indicative that the customer is receptive to being contacted by a call center, the method comprising the steps of:

composing a message to be transmitted to the customer;

transmitting the message to a network operation center;

packaging the message into a protocol capable of being delivered to the customer;

initiating a communication with the customer by delivering the message to a customer device of the customer in a manner that pushes the message to the customer;

displaying the message on the customer device;

generating a reply message from the customer using the customer device;

transmitting the reply from the customer to the network operation center;

receiving the reply from the customer; and

if the reply from the customer indicates the customer is receptive to being contacted, instructing a call center to contact the customer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the delivering the message step and the transmitting the reply step use a communication protocol selected from the group of communication protocols consisting of cellular protocols, network protocols, radio protocols, POTS, or pager protocols.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the pager protocols include ReFLEX protocols.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising broadcasting data from a delivery vehicle to the customer device.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising polling the customer device using a radio located in a delivery vehicle.

17. A network operation center for delivering content to a customer and providing instruction to a call center that the customer is receptive to communication, the network operation center comprising:

a transmitter, the transmitter packages content and initiates a communication with the customer by transmitting the content to the customer without recquiring action on the customer'"'"'s behalf;

a receiver, the receiver waits for a reply to the content transmitted to the customer;

a determinator, the determinator determines whether the reply is a positive reply; and

a notifier, the notifier delivers a notification to a call center when the determinator determines the replay is the positive reply, wherein

the notification from the notifier includes contact information of the customer.

18. The center of claim 17, wherein the notification further includes information regarding the content to which the customer sent the reply.

19. The center of claim 17, further comprising:

a storage device, the storage device stores, demographic data relating to at least one of the customer, the content, and the reply.

20. The center of claim 17, wherein the receiver receives third party advertising content from a third party advertiser and the transmitter packages the third party advertising and transmits the third party advertising to the customer, wherein the receiver also waits for an advertising reply.

21. The center of claim 17, wherein the transmitter and the receiver use a wireless protocol.

22. The center of claim 21, wherein the wireless protocol is a two way radio protocol.

23. The center of claim 21, wherein the wireless protocol is a pager protocol.

24. The center of claim 17, wherein the notifier delivers the notification over a network connection.

25. The center of claim 24, wherein the network connection is selected from a group of network connections consisting of:

a LAN, a WAN, a WLAN, a WiFi, an Ethernet, or the Internet.

26. The center of claim 17, wherein the receiver receives the content from a company.

27. The center of claim 26, wherein, the receiver receives third party advertising content from a third party advertiser and the transmitter packages the third party advertising and transmits the third party advertising to the customer, wherein the receiver also waits for an advertising reply.

28. The center of claim 27, wherein the receiver comprises a plurality of receivers such that at least one of the plurality of receivers corresponds to a first communication protocol associated with the customer, a second communication protocol associated with the company, and a third communication protocol associated with the third party advertiser.

29. The center of claim 28, wherein the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol, and the third communication protocol are selected from the group of communication protocols consisting of:

plain old telephone system, wireless cellular protocols, cabled network protocols, wireless network protocols, radio protocols, and pager protocols.

30. The center of claim 29, wherein the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol, and the third communication protocol are the same.

31. The center of claim 29, wherein the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol, and the third communication protocol are different.

32. The center of claim 31, wherein at least one of the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol, and the third communication protocol is different than the other two.

33. A system for allowing a customer of a company to initiate call center contact to solicit pre-orders, the system comprising:

a company;

a network operation center;

a customer; and

a call center, wherein

the company is connected to the network operation center by a first communication protocol;

the customer is connected to the network operation center by a second communication protocol;

the call center is connected to the network operation center by a third communication protocol; and

the call center is connected to the customer by a fourth communication protocol, such that

the company provides content to the network operation center for transmission to the customer using the first communication protocol;

the network operation center receives the content from the network operation center and initiates a communication with the customer by transmitting the content to the customer using the second communication protocol in a manner that pushes the message to the customer without requiring action on the customer'"'"'s behalf;

the customer receives the content from the network operation center and transmits a reply to the content to the network operation center using the second communication protocol;

the network operation center receives the reply and determines whether the customer desires the call center to contact the customer;

if the network operation center determines the customer desires contact, the network operation center transmits a notification to the call center using the third communication protocol; and

the call center receives the notification from the call center and contacts the customer using the fourth communication protocol.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the company is a delivery company selected from the group of delivery companies consisting of:

food delivery companies, medical supply delivery companies, and office supply delivery companies.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the customer is selected from the group of customers consisting of:

residential customers and commercial customers.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the first communication protocol is selected from the group of communication protocols consisting of:

plain old telephone system, wireless cellular protocols, cabled network protocols, wireless network protocols, radio protocols, and pager protocols.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the second communication protocol is selected from the group of communication protocols consisting of:

plain old telephone system, wireless cellular protocols, cabled network protocols, wireless network protocols, radio protocols, and pager protocols.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the third communication protocol is selected from the group of communication protocols consisting of:

plain old telephone system, wireless cellular protocols, cabled network protocols, wireless network protocols, radio protocols, and pager protocols.

39. The system of claim 33, wherein the fourth communication protocol is selected from the group of communication protocols consisting of:

plain old telephone system, wireless cellular protocols, cabled network protocols, wireless network protocols, radio protocols, and pager protocols.

40. The system of claim 33, wherein the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol, the third communication protocol, and the fourth communication protocol are the same.

41. The system of claim 33, wherein at least one of the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol, the third communication protocol, and the fourth communication protocol is different than the other communication protocols.

42. The system of claim 33, wherein the network operation center records demographic data based on the reply.

43. The system of claim 33, wherein the notification includes customer contact information.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the notification includes information regarding the content.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the notification includes information regarding the reply.

46. The system of claim 43, wherein the notification includes information regarding the content and information regarding the reply.

47. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

a third party advertiser,

the third party advertiser is connected to the network operation center by a fifth communication protocol,

the third party advertiser provides advertising content to the network operation center to be transmitted to the customer using the second communication protocol and receives demographic data from the network operation center.

48. The system of claim 33, wherein the network operation center converts the content from the first communication protocol to the second communication protocol.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the network operation center converts third party advertising from the fifth communication protocol to the second communication protocol.

50. The system of claim 33, wherein the delivery company provides the content by emailing the content to the network operation center.

51. The system of claim 33, wherein the delivery company provides the content to the network operation center through a network portal.

52. The system of claim 33, wherein the fourth communication protocol comprises a telephone call.

53. The system of claim 33, wherein the fourth communication protocol comprises an email.