Methods, apparatus, and computer readable media for confirmation and verification of shipping address data associated with a transaction

• US 7,403,967 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2002
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: West Corporation
• Inventors: Akhwand, Mahmood S., Pettay, Mark J., Vacek, Jill M., Rilantono, Hendryanto
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nano; Sargon N
• Application Number:
  US10/173,794
• Time in Patent Office: 2,226 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/216, 709/246, 709/202, 709/203, 705/26, 379/88.02
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and computer readable media for confirmation and verification of shipping address data associated with a transaction. The invention as described herein provides a method of verifying first and at least second shipping address information associated with transactions conducted over a telecommunications network. The first and second shipping address information can be stored respectively in a first format and a second format, such as respective speech and text formats. The method functions by accessing address information pertaining to a specific transaction by extracting the respective address information as stored in both formats. The address information is then compared to each other to ensure that they are consistent. If the address information as stored in the two respective formats are sufficiently inconsistent, the underlying transaction may be dispositioned in various ways according to the difference. Typically, the person with whom the transaction is conducted provides live voice data that is stored in a first data store, while a live operator interacting with the person transcribes this voice data for storage as text data in a second data store. The invention focuses on ensuring consistency between the address information as stored in these two different data stores for the purposes of both quality assurance and fraud prevention. Apparatus and computer readable media implementing the above-described method are also provided herein.

Claims

1. A computer-based method of verifying first and at least second shipping address information associated with at least one transaction conducted over a telecommunications network and stored respectively in a first format and in at least a second format, the method including at least the following:

locating the first shipping address information as stored in the first format, wherein the first shipping address information is provided during a customer initiated call over the telecommunications network;

comparing the first address information to the at least second address information as stored in the at least second format, wherein the comparing includes a field-by-field comparison of the first address information and the second address information;

quantifying a difference between the first address information and the at least second address information as represented in the first and at least second formats, wherein the quantifying generates a score indicating how closely the field-by-field comparison match;

wherein if the field-by-field comparison are closely matched relating to city and state data of the address information, quantifying a difference between a street address portion of the address information; and

dispositioning the transaction according to either of the differences.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least comparing the first address information to the at least second address information and quantifying a difference between the first address information and the at least second address information are performed in real time relative to acquisition of the first and at least the second address information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein locating the first address information includes locating address information stored as a text record.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first address information includes converting the at least second address information stored as a speech record into a text equivalent, and comparing the text equivalent to the first address information stored as text.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein quantifying a difference includes identifying a difference in respective data fields between the text equivalent and the first address information stored as text.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein locating the first address information includes locating the first address information stored as a speech record.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein locating the first address information includes using an indexing mechanism to locate the first address information stored as a speech record.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first address information includes comparing the first address information stored as a speech record to the at least second address information stored as a text record.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein quantifying a difference includes identifying a difference in respective data fields between the first address information stored as a speech record and the at least second address information stored as a text record.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein quantifying a difference includes establishing at least one threshold for a difference between respective text and speech representations of the first and at least second address information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein quantifying a difference includes establishing a first threshold and at least a second threshold for a difference between respective text and speech representations of the first and at least second address information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein dispositioning the transaction includes suspending processing of the transaction.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein dispositioning the transaction includes taking immediate action regarding an agent processing the transaction.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein dispositioning the transaction includes reviewing the first and at least the second address information associated with the transaction in a batch process before sending the transaction to a fulfillment entity.

15. Apparatus for verifying first and at least second shipping address information associated with at least one transaction conducted over a telecommunications network and stored respectively in a first format and in at least a second format, the apparatus including at least the following:

means for locating the first shipping address information as stored in the first format, wherein the first shipping address information is provided during a customer initiated call over the telecommunications network;

means for comparing the first address information to the at least second address information as stored in the at least second format, wherein the comparing includes a field-by-field comparison of the first address information and the second address information;

means for quantifying a difference between the first address information and the at least second address information as represented in the first and at least second formats, wherein the quantifying generates a score indicating how closely the field-by-field comparison match;

wherein if the field-by-field comparison are closely matched relating to city and state data of the address information, quantifying a difference between a street address portion of the address information; and

means for dispositioning the transaction according the difference.

16. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for verifying first and at least second shipping address information associated with at least one transaction conducted over a telecommunications network and stored respectively in a first format and in at least a second format, the method comprising at least the following:

locating the first shipping address information as stored in the first format, wherein the first shipping address information is provided during a customer initiated call over the telecommunications network;

comparing the first address information to the at least second address information as stored in the at least second format, wherein the comparing includes a field-by-field comparison of the first address information and the second address information;

quantifying a difference between the first address information and the at least second address information as represented in the first and at least second formats, wherein the quantifying generates a score indicating how closely the field-by-field comparison match;

wherein if the field-by-field comparison are closely matched relating to city and state data of the address information, quantifying a difference between a street address portion of the address information; and

dispositioning the transaction according to either of the differences.