E-mail response system

• US 8,145,646 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Droney, Benjamin E., Ma, Ying, Findley, David Norman, Kannan, Karthik, Cherukuri, Srinivas, Meyer, Robert, Hicks, Amy
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Tim T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Meng, Jau-Shya
• Application Number:
  US12/790,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20100241636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method includes receiving, at a message processing system that includes a processor and a memory, a message from an originator. The message includes content related to a particular service of a plurality of services. The method includes selecting a set of potential responses to the message at the message processing system based on the particular service. The method also includes retrieving account information related to the originator of the message at the message processing system. The method further includes filtering the set of potential responses at the message processing system to provide a filtered set of responses. The set of potential responses is filtered based on the account information. When a first response has a confidence level that exceeds a threshold confidence level, the method includes sending the first response from the message processing system to the originator of the message without sending the filtered set of responses to an agent.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a message processing system comprising a processor and a memory, a message from an originator, wherein the message identifies a particular service of a plurality of services;

selecting a set of potential responses to the message at the message processing system based on the particular service identified in the message;

retrieving account information related to the originator of the message at the message processing system, the account information identifying subscribed services associated with the originator of the message;

determining whether the originator of the message subscribes to the particular service identified in the message based on the account information;

filtering the set of potential responses at the message processing system to provide a filtered set of responses, wherein the set of potential responses is filtered based on whether the originator of the message subscribes to the particular service identified in the message; and

when a first response of the filtered set of responses has a confidence level that exceeds a threshold confidence level, sending the first response from the message processing system to the originator of the message without sending the filtered set of responses to an agent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning the message and the filtered set of responses to the agent when none of the responses in the filtered set of responses has a confidence level that exceeds the threshold confidence level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is at least one of an e-mail message, an instant message, and a voice message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the agent is determined based on the particular service and wherein the agent is one of an e-mail agent, and instant message agent, and a voice message agent.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the particular service includes a digital subscriber line service.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the particular service includes a wireless service.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

ordering the filtered set of responses based on particular criteria; and

providing the filtered set of responses to the agent in order of the particular criteria.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the particular criteria is the confidence level and wherein the filtered set of responses is ordered based on the confidence level.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the message includes at least one of an attached fax, an attached audio file, and an attached voice message that is routed to the agent along with the message.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising initiating presentation of at least a portion of the filtered set of responses within a graphical user interface configured to enable the agent to select a response from the filtered set of responses.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the set of potential responses at least in part based on payment history information, wherein the payment history information is included in the account information related to the originator of the message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the account information related to the originator of the message includes a physical address associated with the originator of the message and wherein the set of potential responses is filtered based on whether the particular service is available at the physical address.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising initiating presentation of at least a portion of the filtered set of responses within a graphical user interface that is configured to allow the agent to review the message and to forward the message to another agent.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes an attached form, and wherein the message processing system automatically determines that the message identifies the particular service based on an entry in the attached form.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscribed services associated with the originator of the message are identified by one or more purchased services of the plurality of services.

16. A non-transitory tangible memory comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a message from an originator via a communications network, wherein the message identifies a particular service of a plurality of services;

determine a routing destination for the message based on the particular service identified in the message;

retrieve a list of possible responses to the message based on the routing destination;

retrieve account information related to the originator of the message, the account information identifying subscribed services associated with the originator of the message;

determine whether the originator of the message subscribes to the particular service identified in the message based on the account information;

filter the list of possible responses based on whether the originator of the message subscribes to the particular service identified in the message;

assign a relevancy score to each possible response of the filtered list of possible responses; and

send a response from the filtered list of possible responses to the originator of the message when the relevancy score associated with the response exceeds a threshold relevancy level.

17. The non-transitory tangible memory of claim 16, wherein when none of the responses of the filtered list of possible responses exceeds the threshold relevancy level, the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

sort the filtered list of possible responses based on the assigned relevancy scores to produce a relevancy ordered list of responses; and

initiate display of the relevancy ordered list of responses at an agent terminal.

18. The non-transitory tangible memory of claim 16, wherein the particular service includes one of a digital subscriber line service and a wireless service.

19. A system, comprising:

a server comprising a memory and a processor, the memory including instructions that are executable by the processor to receive a message from an originator, the message identifying a particular service of a plurality of services, to select a set of potential responses to the message based on the particular service identified in the message, to retrieve account information related to the originator of the message, the account information identifying subscribed services associated with the originator of the message, to determine whether the originator of the message subscribes to the particular service identified in the message based on the account information, to filter the set of potential responses based on whether the originator of the message subscribes to the particular service identified in the message, and to send a response from the server to the originator of the message without sending the filtered set of potential responses to an agent when the response has a confidence level that exceeds a threshold confidence level.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the server is further operable to assign the message and the filtered set of potential responses to the agent when none of the responses has a confidence level that exceeds the threshold confidence level.