VoIP application for a loyalty program

• US 8,315,209 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2012
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NRT Technology Corp.
• Original Assignee: Joingo, LLC (NRT Technology Corp.)
• Inventors: Boyle, Stephen S., Dao, Thang
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US13/481,816
• Time in Patent Office: 178 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.27
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6081 Service authorization mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements

Abstract

A method and system for providing voice based host services with CRM data without an end user'"'"'s phone number for loyalty program is disclosed herein. A VoIP application is resident on a mobile communication device of an end user. The VoIP application allows the end user to control how the loyalty program will identify the end user (without the end user'"'"'s phone number) when the end user requests loyalty program services from the loyalty program using the end user'"'"'s mobile communication device.

Claims

1. A method for providing voice based host services with CRM data without an end user'"'"'s phone number, the method comprising:

accessing a voice over internet protocol application on a mobile communication device of an end user, the voice over internet protocol application utilizing the end user'"'"'s loyalty account information for identification with a host device of the loyalty program without additional information from the end user;

transmitting from the mobile communication device a voice over internet protocol voice call request of the end user for a service from a loyalty program;

receiving the voice over internet protocol voice call request at a router server;

determining at the router server an appropriate host device of the loyalty program for the voice over internet protocol voice call request received from the end user device;

routing the voice over internet protocol voice call request from the router server to the appropriate host device of a customer service representative of the loyalty program; and

receiving the voice over internet protocol voice call request at the appropriate host device of a customer service representative and CRM information for the end user from a CRM database of a loyalty server of the loyalty program;

wherein the voice over internet application allows the end user to have a voice communication with a customer service representative of the loyalty program without the phone number of the end-user'"'"'s mobile communication device.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the host device is a stationary device or a mobile communication device.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the end user'"'"'s loyalty account information for identification utilized by the voice over internet protocol application is one of a device ID that does not include the phone number of the mobile communication device, an application ID associated with the voice over internet protocol application that does not include the phone number of the mobile communication device, or a loyalty account number for the end user which does not include the phone number of the mobile communication device.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the mobile communication device is a mobile phone or a tablet computer.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the CRM information is transmitted to the host device with the voice over internet protocol voice call request, wherein once the relationship between the end user and the loyalty program is terminated, the loyalty program retains no personal information of the end user other than the end user'"'"'s name.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the CRM information is transmitted separately to the host device and the voice over internet protocol voice call request is transmitted separately to the host device.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the voice over internet protocol voice call request comprises a CRM account number for the end user, and the host device queries a CRM database with the CRM account number for the end user to obtain CRM information for the end user.