Detecting customer dissatisfaction using biometric data

• US 9,299,084 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Argue, Stuart, Marcar, Anthony Emile
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jayesh A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Summers, Geoffrey E
• Application Number:
  US13/687,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20140147018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/53 Recognition of crowd images, e.g. recognition of crowd congestion
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for improving customer service. A video feed of a camera viewing a POS queue is analyzed to identify customers and measure customer biometric data. The biometric data is analyzed and used to generate customer service actions such as alerting a representative or calling in additional staff if the data indicates customer dissatisfaction. The biometric data of a customer may be correlated to transaction data of the customer in order to detect changes of the purchase habits of the customer due to dissatisfaction. Changes in purchase habits, such as a loss of a customer, may be used in combination with the biometric data to establish thresholds of biometric data used to generate customer service actions.

Claims

1. A method for improving customer service, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, a video feed from a camera viewing a point of sale (POS) queue of a store;

identifying, by the computer system, individuals in the video feed;

detecting, by the computer system, biometric data of the identified individuals using the video feed;

identifying, by the computer system, times at which the identified individuals are positioned adjacent the POS;

correlating, by the computer system, transactions of the identified individuals with the detected biometric data of the identified individuals using the identified times;

identifying a loss of a customer according to the correlation of transactions of the identified individuals and detected biometric data;

establishing a threshold defined by the steps of;

characterizing customer purchase trends from customer purchase history,

correlating the customer purchase trends with the detected biometric data,

utilizing the correlation to identify changes in a customer relationship with the store;

calculating a characteristic value of the changes in the customer relationship with the store, and

establishing the threshold by taking a percentage of the calculated characteristic value;

characterizing, by the computer system, customer dissatisfaction from the detected biometric data; and

generating, by the computer system, a customer service action when the characterization of the customer dissatisfaction exceeds the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer service action is an alert transmitted to a device of a merchant representative.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer service action is a message transmitted for display to an on-call employee, the message instructing the on-call employee to come to the store.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, by the computer system, the customer service action in accordance with the characterization of the customer dissatisfaction further comprises:

comparing the detected biometric data of at least one of the identified individuals to the threshold; and

generating the customer service action in accordance with the comparison.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the customer service action in accordance with the comparison if a predetermined number of the identified individuals in the queue have detected biometric data above the threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting, by the computer system, biometric data of the identified individuals using the video feed further comprises:

identifying each of the identified individuals upon enqueuing;

tracking each of the identified individuals as the identified individuals advance in the POS queue; and

periodically measuring the biometric data of each of the identified individuals.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising comparing biometric data of the identified individuals detected upon enqueuing to biometric data periodically measured for the identified individuals.

8. A system for improving customer service, the system comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices operably coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memory devices storing executable and operational code effective to cause the one or more processors to:

receive a video feed from a camera viewing a point of sale (POS) queue of a store;

identify individuals in the video feed;

detect biometric data of the identified individuals using the video feed;

identify times at which the identified individuals are positioned adjacent the POS;

correlate transactions of the identified individuals with the detected biometric data of the identified individuals using the identified times;

identify a loss of a customer according to the correlation of transactions of the identified individuals and detected biometric data;

establish a threshold, wherein the executable and operational code effective to cause the one or more processors to establish the threshold are further effective to cause the one or more processors to;

characterize customer purchase trends from customer purchase history,

correlate the customer purchase trends with the detected biometric data,

utilize the correlation to identify changes in a customer relationship with the store,

calculate a characteristic value of the changes in the customer relationship with the store, and

establish the threshold by taking a percentage of the calculated characteristic value;

characterize customer dissatisfaction from the detected biometric data; and

generate a customer service action when the characterization of the customer dissatisfaction exceeds the threshold.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the customer service action is an alert transmitted to a device of a merchant representative.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the customer service action is a message transmitted for display to an on-call employee, the message instructing the on-call employee to come to the store.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the executable and operational code are further effective to cause the one or more processors to generate the customer service action in accordance with the characterization of the customer dissatisfaction by:

comparing the detected biometric data of at least one of the identified individuals to the threshold; and

generating the customer service action in accordance with the comparison.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the executable and operational code are further effective to cause the one or more processors to generate the customer service action in accordance with the comparison if a predetermined number of the identified individuals in the queue have detected biometric data above the threshold.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the executable and operational code are further effective to cause the one or more processors to detect biometric data of the identified individuals using the video feed by:

identifying each of the identified individuals upon enqueuing;

tracking each of the identified individuals as the identified individuals advance in the POS queue; and

periodically measuring the biometric data of each of the identified individuals.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the executable and operational code are further effective to cause the one or more processors to compare biometric data of the identified individuals detected upon enqueuing to biometric data periodically measured for the identified individuals.