Interactive survey and data management method and apparatus

• US 7,606,726 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quality Data Management, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quality Data Management, Inc.
• Inventors: Nelson, Eugene C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayat; Bradley
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOFTIS, JOHNNA RONEE
• Application Number:
  US09/871,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20020120491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,064 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/1, 379/265.13, 379/210.01
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls

Abstract

An interactive survey and data management method and apparatus for collecting and processing survey information in which a questioning series of core item questions is asked of a sample participant and only when a core item response is within a predetermined range a second questioning series of drill-down questions that enable a more focused survey is then asked of the sample participate, otherwise the survey continues with the core item questions. The second questioning series may also contain open-ended questions called verbatims where the survey participant may give a detailed response to further explain an answer.

Claims

1. A computerized surveying system for collecting survey information comprising:

a communication device that initiates establishment of a communication channel between the system and a survey participant for presenting a question to the survey participant about a product, a service, or a product and a service with which the survey participant has experience;

a server for serving a first questioning series of core item questions developed to elicit feedback from the survey participant regarding the product, service, or product and service; and

wherein

said server is also for serving a second questioning series of drill-down questions, wherein each one of the drill-down questions is associated with one of the core item questions or another drill-down question and is presented only when a response to the associated question meets a specified criterion;

an interactive voice recognition unit including a computer for executing software for providing said questions to the survey participant in a verbal manner, wherein

said interactive voice recognition unit also receives the responses to said questions in a verbal manner;

a database server for storing survey participant answers to said core item questions and/or said drill-down questions communicated to the interactive voice recognition unit via the communication channel established for presenting the question to the survey participant; and

a survey presentation unit including a computer for executing software for automatically formatting and presenting said survey participant answers as a survey result to a user, wherein

a verbatim question is served to the survey participant by said server when a response to a previous question meets a specified criterion but no verbatim question is provided if the response does not meet the specified criterion, and wherein

said survey system includes a voice recorder for digitally recording said verbatim answer given by the survey participant for audio playback to the user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display for presenting said questions to an agent, wherein said system monitors said answers of the participant and switches to a manual survey mode if the participant requests a transfer to said manual survey mode or said system switches to said manual survey mode in response to an evaluation of one or more of said answers of the participant or in response to a lack of an expected answer of the participant, and wherein said server serves the same questions to the agent that said server would automatically present to the participant so that the agent can present said same questions to the participant.

3. The System of claim 2, wherein the user is validated by said system prior to said survey result.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is an automated outgoing call device that dials a programmed series of participant telephone numbers at scheduled times.

5. A method of using a computerized survey system including at least one computer for collecting and managing survey data comprising the steps of:

using the computerized surveying system for initiating a process of establishing communication with a survey participant, wherein

said survey participant is randomly selected from a pool of potential participants who had been provided a product or service within 72 hours of said initiating by the computerized surveying system;

using the computerized surveying system for presenting a first core item question about a product, a service, or a product and a service with which the survey participant has experience to the survey participant and recording a response to the first core item question in a database;

using the computerized surveying system for automatically interpreting the first core item response for meeting a specified criterion;

using the computerized surveying system for presenting at least one drill-down question to the participant and recording a response of the participant to the drill-down question in the database, said presenting of said at least one drill-down question occurring only if the first core item response meets the first specified criterion,

using the computerized surveying system for automatically interpreting the response to the drill-down question for being within a predetermined acceptable response range, and

using the computerized surveying system for presenting at least one verbatim question to the participant and recording a verbal response of the participant in the database, said presenting of said at least one verbatim question occurring only if the drill-down response is not within the predetermined acceptable response range;

using the computerized surveying system for presenting a second core item question and recording a response to the second core item question; and

using the computerized surveying system for automatically compiling and presenting a survey report to a user within 24 hours of said initiating, said survey report utilizing the answers collected from said survey participant for said report.

6. A method using a computerized survey system including at least one computer for collecting survey information, said method comprising the steps of:

using the computerized survey system for providing a list of core item questions about a product, a service, or a product and a service with which the survey participant has experience;

using the computerized survey system for providing a list of drill-down questions, wherein each one of said drill-down questions is associated with one or more of said core item questions and/or is associated with one or more different ones of said drill-down questions;

using the computerized survey system for providing a list of verbatim questions, wherein each one of said verbatim questions is associated with one or more of said core item questions and/or is associated with one or more of said drill-down questions;

using the computerized survey system for contacting a survey participant;

one of a plurality of agents using the computerized survey system for requesting that the participant participate in an automated survey;

if the participant agrees to participate in said automated survey, using the computerized survey system for conducting an automated survey including the steps of;

using the computerized survey system for automatically presenting one or more of said core item questions to the survey participant;

using the computerized survey system for automatically storing an answer of the survey participant to said one or more of said core item questions in a database, wherein said recording includes voice recognition of said answer prior to said recording;

using the computerized survey system for automatically presenting at least one of said drill-down questions to the survey participant only if said answer of the participant to a prior presented core item question or a prior presented drill-down question associated with said at least one drill-down question meets a specified criterion;

using the computerized survey system for automatically storing an answer of the survey participant to said at least one drill-down question in said database, wherein said recording includes voice recognition of said answer prior to said recording;

using the computerized survey system for automatically presenting at least one of said verbatim questions to the survey participant only if said answer of the participant to a prior presented core item question or a prior presented drill-down question associated with said at least one verbatim question meets a specified criterion;

using the computerized survey system for automatically recording a verbal answer of the survey participant to said at least one verbatim question and storing said recording in said database, wherein said recording is a literal recording of the participant'"'"'s spoken answer;

using the computerized survey system for automatically transferring from said automated survey to a manual survey if one or more of (1) the participant requests an agent, (2) the participant fails to respond to a question, and (3) an answer given by the participant meets at least one specified criterion;

if the participant does not agree to an automated survey, using the computerized survey system for requesting the participant to participate in said manual survey, or if transferred from said automated survey, using the computerized survey system for conducting said manual survey, wherein said manual survey utilizes the automated survey method except that said questions are first automatically presented to one of the agents and then provided by said one of the agents to the participant; and

using the computerized survey system for using said answers in said database for generating a survey report, wherein said report includes playing back said verbal answer of the survey participant.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein none of the answers provided by the participant are provided using a touch-tone system.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

automatically compiling said answers into said survey report; and

presenting said survey report to an authenticated user of said system.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein all of the answers provided by the participant are provided orally and wherein all of said answers except answers to said verbatim questions are interpreted by using automated voice recognition.

10. A method of using a computerized surveying system including at least one computer for collecting and managing survey data comprising the steps of:

using the computerized surveying system for initiating a process of establishing communication with a survey participant, wherein

said survey participant is randomly selected from a pool of potential participants who had been provided a product or service within 72 hours of said initiating by the computerized surveying system;

using the computerized surveying system for presenting said survey participant with a survey including at least one verbatim question and recording a verbal response of the participant to said verbatim question for storing in a database, said presenting of said at least one verbatim question occurring only if the response to a previous question is not within a predetermined acceptable response range;

using the computerized surveying system for automatically compiling and presenting a survey report to a user within 24 hours of said initiating, said survey report including playing said recorded verbatim response to the user.