Predicting and responding to customer needs using local positioning technology

• US 9,691,092 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Scanlon, Sharon, Stittsworth, Kim, Hanson, Carrie Anne, Grigg, David M., Gill, Davindar
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): TARDIF, DAVID P
• Application Number:
  US14/327,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20160012505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 235432
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods and systems for predicting and responding to customer needs using local positioning technology are presented. In some embodiments, a customer assistance computing platform may receive one or more attributes associated with a beacon signal received by a customer computing device and an identifier associated with the customer computing device. Subsequently, the computing platform may determine an identity of a customer using the customer computing device. The computing platform then may determine a location of the customer using the customer computing device based on the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal. Thereafter, the computing platform may determine one or more predicted needs of the customer. Then, the computing platform may generate a notification based on the predicted needs of the customer and may send the notification to the customer computing device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a customer assistance computing platform comprising at least one processor, memory, and a communication interface;

receiving, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, from a customer computing device, one or more attributes associated with a beacon signal received by the customer computing device and an identifier associated with the customer computing device, wherein the beacon signal received by the customer computing device is associated with at least one beacon deployed at a banking center, wherein the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal received by the customer computing device include a unique identifier associated with the at least one beacon deployed at the banking center;

determining, by the at least one processor, an identity of a customer using the customer computing device based on the identifier associated with the customer computing device, wherein the identifier associated with the customer computing device includes user account information associated with a mobile banking application on the customer computing device;

determining, by the at least one processor, a location of the customer using the customer computing device based on the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal received by the customer computing device;

determining, by the at least one processor, one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device based on the identity of the customer using the customer computing device and based on the location of the customer using the customer computing device;

generating, by the at least one processor, based on the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device, a notification; and

sending, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, to the customer computing device, the notification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, from the customer computing device, biometric input information captured by the mobile banking application on the customer computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the identity of the customer using the customer computing device includes confirming the identity of the customer using the customer computing device based on the biometric input information captured by the mobile banking application on the customer computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the customer using the customer computing device includes accessing beacon deployment information that maps identifiers for a plurality of beacons to corresponding deployment locations of the plurality of beacons.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the location of the customer using the customer computing device includes determining that the customer using the customer computing device is located in a specific area of the banking center.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device are determined based on online account activity information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device are determined based on transaction history information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device are determined based on customer demographic information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is configured to prompt the customer using the customer computing device to identify one or more actual needs.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is configured to instruct the customer using the customer computing device to proceed to a specific area at the banking center.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is configured to prompt the customer using the customer computing device to make an appointment at a location different from the banking center.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, from the customer computing device, needs input information; and

updating, by the at least one processor, the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device based on the needs input information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein updating the one or more predicted needs of the customer comprises (i) adding one or more needs to the one or more predicted needs, (ii) removing one or more needs from the one or more predicted needs, or (iii) confirming one or more needs included in the one or more predicted needs.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the at least one processor, a notification configured to advise at least one banking center associate of the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device; and

sending, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, to an associate computing device, the notification.

15. A system, comprising:

at least one processor;

a communication interface communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive, via the communication interface, from a customer computing device, one or more attributes associated with a beacon signal received by the customer computing device and an identifier associated with the customer computing device, wherein the beacon signal received by the customer computing device is associated with at least one beacon deployed at a banking center, wherein the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal received by the customer computing device include a unique identifier associated with the at least one beacon deployed at the banking center;

determine an identity of a customer using the customer computing device based on the identifier associated with the customer computing device, wherein the identifier associated with the customer computing device includes user account information associated with a mobile banking application on the customer computing device;

determine a location of the customer using the customer computing device based on the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal received by the customer computing device;

determine one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device based on the identity of the customer using the customer computing device and based on the location of the customer using the customer computing device;

generate, based on the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device, a notification; and

send, via the communication interface, to the customer computing device, the notification.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable instructions cause the system to:

receive, via the communication interface, from the customer computing device, needs input information; and

update the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device based on the needs input information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein updating the one or more predicted needs of the customer comprises (i) adding one or more needs to the one or more predicted needs, (ii) removing one or more needs from the one or more predicted needs, or (iii) confirming one or more needs included in the one or more predicted needs.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, memory, and a communication interface, cause the computing device to:

receive, via the communication interface, from a customer computing device, one or more attributes associated with a beacon signal received by the customer computing device and an identifier associated with the customer computing device, wherein the beacon signal received by the customer computing device is associated with at least one beacon deployed at a banking center, wherein the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal received by the customer computing device include a unique identifier associated with the at least one beacon deployed at the banking center;

determine an identity of a customer using the customer computing device based on the identifier associated with the customer computing device, wherein the identifier associated with the customer computing device includes user account information associated with a mobile banking application on the customer computing device;

determine a location of the customer using the customer computing device based on the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal received by the customer computing device;

determine one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device based on the identity of the customer using the customer computing device and based on the location of the customer using the customer computing device;

generate, based on the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device, a notification; and

send, via the communication interface, to the customer computing device, the notification.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the computing device to:

receive, via the communication interface, from the customer computing device, needs input information; and

update the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device based on the needs input information.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein updating the one or more predicted needs of the customer comprises (i) adding one or more needs to the one or more predicted needs, (ii) removing one or more needs from the one or more predicted needs, or (iii) confirming one or more needs included in the one or more predicted needs.