Method and system for routing calls to an advisor from mobile customers within a mobile vehicle communications system

• US 8,103,256 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Gilmartin, David P., Chrumka, Edward P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US12/113,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20090275311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/414.1, 455/411, 455/404.1, 455/426.1, 455/445, 455/456.3, 455/563, 455/428, 340/436, 340/425.5, 370/328, 701/29, 701/33, 701/209, 701/214, 701/200, 701/35, 700/245
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends

Abstract

A method is disclosed for enhancing call center services. The method comprises: receiving at the call center a call from a user; analyzing a phone number associated with the call, a location of a vehicle associated with the call, a current request of the user, a previous request of the user, and a time period between the previous request and the current request; presenting a list of menu options to the user based on the analysis; and routing the call to an advisor based on a received user selected menu option. In addition, a system is disclosed for enhancing call center services.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing call center services, the method comprising:

receiving, at the call center, a call from a user;

receiving data associated with the call at the call center, wherein the data includes a phone number associated with the call, a location of a vehicle associated with the call, a current request of the user, and vehicle identification information;

analyzing, via a communication services manager, the phone number associated with the call, the location of a vehicle associated with the call, the current request of the user, a previous request of the user, a time period between the previous request and the current request, a vehicle identification number (VIN), and a device identification code selected from a telematics device electronic serial number and a telematics device mobile identification number;

generating a list of menu options based on the analysis;

presenting the list of menu options to the user;

inputting a user selected menu option via an in-vehicle telematics unit, a wireless device, or a landline telephone;

transmitting, via a communications system operatively connecting the in-vehicle telematics unit or the wireless device or the landline telephone with the call center, the user selected menu option to the call center; and

routing the call to an appropriate advisor based on a received user selected menu option.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising providing services to the user, the services including enrollment services, navigation assistance, directory assistance, roadside assistance, business assistance, residential assistance, information services assistance, emergency assistance, communications assistance, retrieval of vehicle telematics data, or combinations thereof.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein prior to routing the call, the method further comprises providing the appropriate advisor with information pertaining to at least one of the current request of the user or the user selected menu option.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

identifying the user;

accessing a profile of the user to look up the previous request of the user; and

determining the time period between the previous request and the current request.

11. The method as defined in claim 10 wherein identifying the user includes querying a call center database for a subscriber associated with the vehicle identification information.

12. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the menu options are choices for the user, wherein the choices are related to i) a nature of the current request, ii) a previous behavior of the user, iii) previous calls made by the user, iv) the location of the vehicle, or v) combinations of i, ii, iii, and iv.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising placing the call on hold while the analyzing takes place.

4. A system for enhancing call center services, the system comprising:

a telephony system at a call center for receiving a call from a user;

data associated with the call and transmitted to the call center during the call, the data including a phone number associated with the call, a location of a vehicle associated with the call, and vehicle identification information;

other data stored in a profile at the call center, the other data including a previous request of the user and a time period between the previous request and a current request;

a module at the call center configured to i) analyze the phone number associated with the call, the location of a vehicle associated with the call, the current request of the user, the previous request of the user, the time period between the previous request and the current request, a vehicle identification number (VIN), and a device identification code selected from a telematics device electronic serial number and a telematics device mobile identification number, and ii) generate a list of menu options based on the analysis;

an in-vehicle telematics unit, a wireless device, or a landline telephone configured to i) make the call, ii) receive the list of menu options, and iii) receive a user selected menu option;

a communication system operatively connecting the in-vehicle telematics unit, the wireless device, or the landline telephone with the call center to transmit the user selected menu option to the telephony system; and

an appropriate advisor configured to receive the call from the telephony system after the call is routed based on the user selected menu option.

5. The system as defined in claim 4 wherein the appropriate advisor is capable of providing services to the user, the services including enrollment services, navigation assistance, directory assistance, roadside assistance, business assistance, residential assistance, information services assistance, emergency assistance, communications assistance, retrieval of vehicle telematics data, or combinations thereof.

6. The system as defined in claim 4 wherein the appropriate advisor is configured to receive information pertaining to at least one of the current request of the user or the user selected menu option prior to receiving the call.

7. The system as defined in claim 4, further comprising a record, associated with the user and maintained at the call center, for storing the previous request and a time and date associated therewith.

8. A system for enhancing call center services, comprising:

a call center;

a vehicle;

an electronic device chosen from an in-vehicle telematics unit, a wireless device, or a landline telephone associated with the vehicle for communicating with the call center, for receiving a list of menu options from the call center, and for receiving a user selected menu option;

data associated with a call made from a user of the electronic device to the call center, the data including a phone number associated with the electronic device, a location of the vehicle, and vehicle identification information;

a plurality of operator stations at the call center;

other data stored in a profile at the call center, the other data including a previous request of the user and a time period between the previous request and a current request of the user of the electronic device;

a module at the call center for;

analyzing the phone number associated with the electronic device, the location of the vehicle, the current request of the user of the electronic device, the previous request of the user, the time period between the previous request and the current request, a vehicle identification number (VIN), and a device identification code selected from a telematics device electronic serial number and a telematics device mobile identification number; and

generating the list of menu option based on the analysis; and

a telephony system at the call center for;

receiving the call from the user of the electronic device;

receiving a user selected menu option from the electronic device; and

routing the call to an appropriate one of the plurality of operators based on the received user selected menu option.

9. The system as defined in claim 8 wherein the advisor is capable of providing services to the user, the services including enrollment services, navigation assistance, directory assistance, roadside assistance, business assistance, residential assistance, information services assistance, emergency assistance, communications assistance, retrieval of vehicle telematics data, or combinations thereof.