Automated complaint resolution system

• US 7,343,295 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2001
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brenda Pomerance
• Original Assignee: Brenda Pomerance
• Inventors: Pomerance, Brenda
• Primary Examiner(s): Mooneyham; Jan
• Application Number:
  US09/793,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,570 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/36, 705/27, 705/80, 705/1, 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/309
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/182 Alternative dispute resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A complaint resolution system, also referred to as a disputes system, enables registered consumers to file a complaint against a merchant. During complaint preparation, the disputes system advises the consumer of relevant cases and other information, allows the consumer to vent their emotions, and prepares a well-formed complaint on behalf of the consumer. After the consumer approves filing of the complaint, the complaint is compared with the merchant'"'"'s stored business rules. If the merchant'"'"'s solution for the problem and the consumer'"'"'s desired solution match, then the disputes system automatically forms an agreement. The disputes system monitors compliance with the agreement by the merchant and consumer. If the merchant has specified a business rule for the problem, but the merchant'"'"'s solution for the problem and the consumer'"'"'s desired solution differ, then the disputes system initiates automated mediation, automatically preparing an Answer comprising the solution from the merchant'"'"'s business rule as the merchant'"'"'s starting negotiating position. If the merchant has not specified a business rule for the consumer'"'"'s problem, then the disputes system initiates automated mediation, asking the merchant for his or her Answer to the consumer'"'"'s complaint. During processing of the consumer'"'"'s complaint, the disputes system maintains and updates a detailed case record. At the conclusion of the case, the disputes system automatically prepares an anonymized case summary, and adds the anonymized case summary to a database of anonymized case summaries.

Claims

1. A method for automated resolution of a complaint from a complainer against a respondent, the complaint having a desired remedy, comprising:

receiving, at a computer, emotional detail information from the complainer,

summarizing, at the computer, the emotional detail information to generate emotional state information for the complaint,

comparing, at the computer, the desired remedy with business rules previously supplied by the respondent to detect whether there is a match between the desired remedy and solutions that the respondent agrees to, at least one of the business rules depending on the emotional state information.

2. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, at a computer, an agreement resolving the complaint, the agreement being voluntarily entered into between the complainer and respondent and not being a judgment from an entity other than the complainer or the respondent, and

monitoring, at the computer, compliance by at least one of the complainer and the respondent with terms of the agreement,

wherein monitoring compliance includes receiving, at the computer, compliance information from at least one of the complainer and the respondent.

3. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, at a computer, an agreement resolving the complaint, the agreement being voluntarily entered into between the complainer and respondent and not being a judgment from an entity other than the complainer or the respondent, and

monitoring, at the computer, compliance by at least one of the complainer and the respondent with terms of the agreement,

wherein monitoring compliance includes receiving, at the computer, compliance information from an external source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the summarizing includes

extracting an adjective from the emotional detail information,

looking up a synonym in accordance with the extracted adjective, and

inserting the synonym into a summary template to generate the emotional state information.

5. A method for automated resolution of a complaint from a complainer against a respondent, the complaint having a desired remedy, comprising:

comparing, at a computer, the desired remedy with business rules previously defined by the respondent to generate a comparison,

detecting, at the computer, lack of agreement between the complainer and the respondent based on the comparison, and

at the computer, performing a procedure to enable the respondent to create a first response for the complainer, and again performing the procedure to enable the complainer to create a second response for the respondent, wherein the procedure includes;

(a) providing at least two of historical information, advisory information and contra-party current position information to a response creator, the response creator being one of the complainer and respondent, the contra-party being the other of the complainer and respondent,

(b) suggesting a solution to the response creator when the response creator does not agree with a desired outcome identified in the contra-party current position,

(c) receiving input from the response creator in response to the suggested solution,

(d) preparing a draft response including at least predefined parameters based on the received input,

(e) displaying the draft response to the response creator,

(f) receiving an approval of the draft response from the response creator, and

(g) sending the approved draft response as the response from the response creator to the contra-party,

wherein the input from the response creator includes emotional detail information and the draft response includes emotional state information.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising automatically monitoring compliance by at least one of the complainer and the respondent with terms of an agreement resolving the complaint.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein automatically monitoring compliance includes receiving compliance information from at least one of the complainer and the respondent.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein automatically monitoring compliance includes receiving compliance information from an external source.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising automatically preparing a summary of processing of the complaint.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the summary is anonymized.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the summary has at least two levels of information granularity.

12. A method for automated resolution of a complaint from a complainer against a respondent, the complaint having a desired remedy, comprising:

comparing, at a computer, the desired remedy with business rules previously defined by the respondent to generate a comparison,

detecting, at the computer, lack of agreement between the complainer and the respondent based on the comparison,

at the computer, performing a procedure to enable the respondent to create a first response for the complainer, and again performing the procedure to enable the complainer to create a second response for the respondent, wherein the procedure includes;

(a) providing at least two of historical information, advisory information and contra-party current position information to a response creator, the response creator being one of the complainer and respondent, the contra-party being the other of the complainer and respondent,

(b) suggesting a solution to the response creator when the response creator does not agree with a desired outcome identified in the contra-party current position,

(c) receiving input from the response creator in response to the suggested solution,

(d) preparing a draft response including at least predefined parameters based on the received input,

(e) displaying the draft response to the response creator,

(f) receiving an approval of the draft response from the response creator, and

(g) sending the approved draft response as the response from the response creator to the contra-party,

receiving, at the computer emotional detail information from the complainer, and

generating, at the computer, emotional state information for the complaint that summarizes the emotional detail information.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising presenting relevant contextual information to the complainer during preparation of the complaint.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the relevant contextual information is based on a set of advisory rules.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically determining what information is needed to detect lack of agreement based on information previously supplied by the respondent, and automatically collecting the needed information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the previously supplied information includes values for parameters relating to the complainer or to a subject of the complaint.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically generating the respondent'"'"'s answer to the complaint.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein generating the respondent'"'"'s answer to the complaint occurs when the complaint'"'"'s desired solution does not match acceptable solutions specified in the business rules of the respondent.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating includes

extracting an adjective from the emotional detail information,

looking up a synonym in accordance with the extracted adjective, and

inserting the synonym into a summary template to generate the emotional state information.