VoIP application for a loyalty program

• US 9,007,998 B1
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• 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:
  US13/672,674
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• 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 loyalty program system utilizing a voice over internet protocol application, the system comprising:

a plurality of mobile communication devices, each of the plurality of mobile communication devices associated with an end-user and each mobile communication device comprising a voice over internet protocol application comprising a voice over internet protocol endpoint that utilizes the end user'"'"'s loyalty account information for identification;

a loyalty program server comprising a customer relationship management (CRM) database with a plurality of voice over internet protocol accounts, each of the voice over internet protocol accounts identified by information in the voice over internet protocol account of the end user;

a plurality of host devices for customer service; and

a router server in communication with the plurality of host devices, the loyalty program server and each of the plurality of mobile communication devices to receive voice over internet protocol requests from the voice over internet protocol application of the plurality of mobile communication devices and determine which host device of the plurality of host devices to transmit the voice over internet protocol request to along with transmission of CRM information for an end user from the CRM database of the loyalty server;

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

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of mobile communication devices is a mobile phone or a tablet computer.

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

4. The system 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 VoIP 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.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein a customer service representative is associated with each of the plurality of host devices, and the customer service representative receives the voice over internet protocol call request and the CRM information on the same host device.

6. A method for providing voice based host services with customer relationship management (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 a voice over internet protocol request for a service from a loyalty program host;

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

transmitting from the router server to the voice over internet protocol application of the end user device a contact number for a host device of the loyalty program host for the voice over internet protocol request;

connecting end user device to the contact number for the host device of the loyalty program; and

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

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

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the host device is a stationary device or a mobile communication device.

8. The method according to claim 6 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.

9. The method according to claim 6 wherein the mobile communication device is a mobile phone or a tablet computer.

10. The method according to claim 6 wherein the CRM information is transmitted to the host device with the voice over internet protocol request.

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

12. The method according to claim 6 wherein the voice over internet protocol 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.

13. The method according to claim 6 wherein the host device logs the call and contact automatically as a CRM contact record in the CRM database.

14. A method for providing voice based host services with customer relationship management (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 a voice over internet protocol request for a service from a loyalty program host, the voice over internet protocol request comprising a device ID;

receiving the voice over internet protocol request with the device ID at a router server;

translating the device ID into a CRM account number for the end user;

determining a host device of the loyalty program host for the voice over internet protocol request received from the end user device;

routing the voice over internet protocol request to the host device of the loyalty program; and

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

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

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the device ID is generated from a number associated with the mobile communication device of the end user that is not the phone number of the mobile communication device of the end user.

16. The method according to claim 14 wherein the CRM information is transmitted to the host device with the voice over internet protocol request.

17. The method according to claim 14 wherein the CRM information is transmitted separately to the host device and the voice over internet protocol request is transmitted separately to the host device.

18. The method according to claim 14 wherein the voice over internet protocol request is sent with the 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.

19. The method according to claim 14 wherein the host device logs the call and contact automatically as a CRM contact record in the CRM database.

20. A method for providing voice based host services with customer relationship management (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 a voice over internet protocol request for a service from a loyalty program host, the voice over internet protocol request comprising an application ID;

receiving the voice over internet protocol request with the application ID at a router server;

translating the application ID into a CRM account number for the end user;

determining a host device of the loyalty program host for the voice over internet protocol request received from the end user device;

routing the voice over internet protocol request to the host device of the loyalty program; and

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

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

21. The method according to claim 20 wherein the application ID is associated with the application resident on the mobile communication device of the end user and is not the phone number of the mobile communication device of the end user.