System and method for improved directory assistance searches

• US 8,184,797 B1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard Rosen
• Original Assignee: Richard Rosen
• Inventors: Rosen, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gay, Sonia
• Application Number:
  US12/152,848
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 379/218.01, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 37926511-26513, 379/265.06, 705/1, 705/26, 705/37
• US Class Current: 379/218.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/401 Performance feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/555 Statistics, e.g. about subscribers but not being call statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/559 Sorting systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends

Abstract

A system and method for improved directory assistance searches involving feedback from previous calls made to telephone numbers in a vendor database, in order to improve the quality of customer service and satisfaction by the vendors associated with the telephone numbers, and to find the vendors associated with the telephone numbers that have provided quality customer service in the past. The system and method automatically rates a telephone number according to a plurality of parameters. The rating produces a relevancy score relating to the quality of customer service and satisfaction (QOCS) associated with calling the vendor telephone number. Vendors associated with telephone numbers that score high on the QOCS scale are given priority to incoming calls from consumers seeking directory assistance in the vendors'"'"' field. Feedback between a calling party customer and a called party vendor is possible, in real time, before, prior to, or after the actual conversation between customer and vendor, and multiple vendors may be called and screened automatically by the system in response to specific calling party needs. In one embodiment of the system, dirty numbers (numbers reassigned to a second party from a previous party) are screened. In another embodiment, vendors who consistently score high on the QOCS scale may be targeted for solicitation. In yet another embodiment, a method is disclosed for assessing an advertising fee based on referrals received by vendors using the present invention. In another embodiment, a web interface version of the invention is disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for directory assistance searches, comprising:

a database storing data;

a software system operatively connected to the database for matching data from an incoming communications device call to the data stored by the database;

a software portion from the software system for tracking a relevancy score relating to Quality of Customer Service or Satisfaction (QOCS), the relevancy score determined by parameters comprising the data from the database; and

,

the incoming call is routed according to the relevancy score;

a plurality of incoming calls are routed by the software system to a plurality of called parties and the relevancy score relating to QOCS is tracked for each of the plurality of called parties; and

,

the relevancy score is a weighted sum of the parameters, and the parameters are historic data derived from previous incoming calls to the called parties; and

,

a communications device for transmitting the data of the communications device call, the communications device selected from the group consisting of a plain old telephone service (POTS), landline telephone handset, handheld wireless mobile phone, cell phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) connected to make telephone calls, Skype-based device, and web-based internet browser connected to make telephone calls;

the software portion rates the plurality of called parties according to the relevancy scores, with the rating enabling ranking of the called parties; and

,

the relevancy score parameters are selected from the group consisting of average call length, an average historic relevancy score (AHRS) including the average call length, a differential historic relevancy score (DHRS) including the average call length, number of calls, an AHRS including the number of calls and a DHRS including the number of calls, and;

wherein the data from the communications device call is matched with data residing in a database, and the incoming call may be routed by the software system.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein:

the relevancy score parameters further comprises negative consumer feedback, and,

the relevancy score parameters are selected from the group consisting of disconnected numbers, busy signals, and not answered calls, an AHRS including the disconnected numbers, a DHRS including the disconnected numbers, an AHRS including the busy signals, a DHRS including the busy signals, an AHRS including the not answered calls, and a DHRS including the not answered calls and,

the software portion allowing a calling party to input data into the database to determine QOCS relevancy score, said calling party prompted by the software portion to rate one or more called parties at the conclusion of a call from the calling party to the called parties.

3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein:

the software portion allowing a calling party to input data into the software system to select a plurality of called parties, and interact with a plurality of called parties on the same incoming call; and

,

the relevancy score parameters further comprises negative consumer feedback, and,

the relevancy score parameters are selected from the group consisting of disconnected numbers, busy signals, and not answered calls, an AHRS including the disconnected numbers, a DHRS including the disconnected numbers, an AHRS including the busy signals, a DHRS including the busy signals, an AHRS including the not answered calls, and a DHRS including the not answered calls.

4. The invention according to claim 1, wherein:

the relevancy score parameters are selected from the group consisting of disconnected numbers, busy signals, and not answered calls, an AHRS including the disconnected numbers, a DHRS including the disconnected numbers, an AHRS including the busy signals, a DHRS including the busy signals, an AHRS including the not answered calls, and a DHRS including the not answered calls.

5. The invention according to claim 4, wherein:

the software portion identifies a calling party and initiates contact with the calling party, to allow the calling party to input data into the database regarding the called party to determine QOCS relevancy scores; and

,

the relevancy score parameters further comprises negative consumer feedback.

6. The invention according to claim 1:

the software portion allowing a calling party to input data into the database to determine QOCS relevancy scores;

a voice recognition software portion in the software system, the voice recognition software recognizing voice-based data from the calling party;

wherein the software system accessing the database according to an expert system selected from the group consisting of a rules-based expert system, a knowledge-based expert system, or a hybrid-based expert system; and

,

the relevancy score parameters further comprises negative consumer feedback, and,

the relevancy score parameters are selected from the group consisting of disconnected numbers, busy signals, and not answered calls, answering machine reached, voicemail reached, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) reached, AHRS and DHRS of these group of parameters;

wherein the database is queried by the software system to match data according to a Structured Query Language (SQL) query.

7. A method for directory assistance searches comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming call placed from a telephony communications device to a software-based system for routing calls;

storing data in a database, the database operatively connected to the software-based system, the database data relating to historic data derived from previous calls to the software-based system;

matching data from the database to data from the incoming call;

routing the incoming call to a called party according to parameters comprising the data in the database; and

,

calculating a relevancy score from the parameters, the relevancy score relating to Quality of Customer Service or Satisfaction (QOCS), the relevancy score is a weighted sum of the parameters, and the parameters are historic data derived from previous incoming calls to the called parties; and

routing the incoming call according to the QOCS relevancy score; and

,

routing a plurality of incoming calls to a plurality of called parties;

tracking the relevancy score relating to QOCS for each of a plurality of the called parties; and

determining the relevancy score parameters, such parameters are selected from the group consisting of average call length, an average historic relevancy score (AHRS) including the average call length, a differential historic relevancy score (DHRS) including the average call length, number of calls, an AHRS including the number of calls and a DHRS including the number of calls; and

,

wherein the data from the incoming call is matched with the data from the database, and the incoming call is routed by the software-based system.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

determining the relevancy score parameters and further including in the relevancy score the parameter of negative consumer feedback, and further including as the relevancy score parameters such parameters selected from the group consisting of disconnected numbers, busy signals, and not answered calls and the AHRS and DHRS of these parameters.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

dialing a plurality of called parties using the software-based system, based on the QOCS relevancy score of the called parties, in parallel during the same incoming call;

allowing a calling party to input data to select from the plurality of called parties during the same incoming call, the data by the calling party comprising a list of demands identified by the calling party; and

,

ranking a plurality of called parties during the same incoming call by a calling party;

wherein a calling party may select from a plurality of called parties during the same call.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

ranking the called parties according to the QOCS relevancy score, the called parties comprising vendors;

querying the database for ranked vendors; and

,

initiating calls to the ranked vendors for purposes of solicitation of the ranked vendors.