System and method of automated order status retrieval

• US 9,729,719 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bushey, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh
• Application Number:
  US14/738,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20150281455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 37926513, 37926501, 37926601, 379309
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising receiving an indication of availability of status information and transferring a communication to a particular destination based on a reason for the communication corresponding to a query of the status information, where the communication is transferred to the particular destination in response to receiving the indication of availability of the status information.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

during a communication, receiving a query for status information, the query received from a user device;

transmitting a request for availability of the status information to an automated system;

receiving an indication of availability of the status information from the automated system; and

transferring the communication to a particular destination based on the indication of availability of the status information.

2. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the communication;

prompting a user associated with the communication to indicate a reason for the communication;

receiving an indication of the reason for the communication; and

determining that the reason for the communication corresponds to the query of the status information.

3. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, prior to transferring the communication, selecting the particular destination, wherein the particular destination is selected to be the automated system in response to the status information being available, and wherein the particular destination is selected to be equipment of a customer service agent in response to the status information not being available.

4. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, after transferring the communication to the particular destination, receiving the communication from the particular destination responsive to the particular destination providing the status information.

5. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to receiving the indication of availability of the status information:

retrieving the status information from a status information database;

providing the status information to the user device during the communication;

after providing the status information to the user device, prompting the user device to indicate whether further assistance is requested; and

disconnecting the communication in response to receiving an indication that further assistance is not requested.

6. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the query for status information includes user input including identifier information, wherein the status information is associated with a status of a pending order, and wherein the identifier information identifies the pending order.

7. The computer-readable storage device of claim 6, wherein the identifier information comprises a telephone number.

8. The computer-readable storage device of claim 6, wherein the identifier information is received via a series of touch tones from the user device.

9. The computer-readable storage device of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise determining the availability of the status information based on the identifier information by determining that the identifier information is valid and querying a status information database using the identifier information.

10. The computer-readable storage device of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the identifier information is valid by comparing the identifier information to a plurality of valid identifiers from an identifier database.

11. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein determining whether the identifier information is valid comprises identifying a match of the identifier information to a particular identifier of the plurality of valid identifiers.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 6, wherein the status information includes an indication of a date that the pending order is scheduled to be completed.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the particular destination comprises equipment of a customer service agent, and wherein the communication is transferred to the equipment of the customer service agent in response to a determination that the status information is unavailable.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises a call, and wherein transferring the communication comprises routing the call to the particular destination.

15. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to, during a communication associated with a user device, store status information in the memory, the status information received from the user device responsive to a query, the processor further configured to initiate transmission of a request for availability of the status information to an automated system, to receive an indication of availability of the status information from the automated system, and to transfer the communication to a particular destination based on the indication of availability of the status information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the status information includes an indication of whether a pending order is active.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

send a first prompt to the user device during the communication for identifier information that identifies a pending order, wherein the identifier information includes an account number;

send a second prompt to the user device to identify a reason for the communication;

receive the identifier information via a series of touch tones; and

validate the identifier information.

18. A method comprising:

during a communication, receiving, at a device, a query for status information, the query received from a user device;

transmitting, from the device, a request for availability of the status information to an automated system;

receiving, at the device, an indication of availability of the status information from the automated system; and

transferring, by the device, the communication to a particular destination based on the indication of availability of the status information.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, at the device, an indication that a reason for the communication is to request the status information;

sending, from the device to the user device, a prompt during the communication for identifier information that identifies a pending order, wherein the status information is associated with the pending order;

receiving, at the device, the identifier information;

determining, at the device, whether the identifier information is valid; and

in response to determining that the identifier information is valid, determining based on the identifier information whether the status information is available by querying a status information database using the identifier information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the pending order is associated with a communication service.