Technique for providing a telecommunication service including information assistance

• US 20030165223A1
• Filed: 02/14/2003
• Published: 09/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Metro One Telecommunications, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Metro One Telecommunications, Inc.
• Inventors: Timmins, Timothy A., Baker, Nathan B.
• Application Number:
  US10/366,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20030165223A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/207.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

A user of an enhanced telecommunications service in accordance with the invention may invoke information assistance while the user is connected to a destination party. The information assistance may include, for example, a concierge-type service feature whereby the user may make restaurant reservations, purchase goods and services, etc. with an operator'"'"'s assistance. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a first information assistance center which receives a concierge request from a user also provides information concerning fulfillment of the request to the user, even though the request may be fulfilled by an agent in a second information assistance center, located in a different region than the first information assistance center. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the operators who handle a user'"'"'s calls may be rated by the user in terms of their performance. The user'"'"'s calls may subsequently be assigned to those operators preferred by the user, as reflected by the user'"'"'s rating thereof. In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, subscribers to third party services who have no relationship with the provider of the concierge-type service may take advantage of the service through the respective third party services.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user with telecommunication service including information assistance, comprising:

establishing, for the user, a call connection to a called party;

monitoring the call connection for a predetermined signal initiated by one of the user and the called party;

allowing access to the information assistance upon a detection of the predetermined signal;

determining call charges as a function of a duration of the call connection, regardless of the number of accesses to the information assistance during the call connection; and

providing data concerning the call charges for billing the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the information assistance includes a concierge-type service.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of accesses is more than one.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined signal includes a DTMF tone.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined signal includes a voice command.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the call charges include at least a predetermined fee for a fixed amount of time of the call connection.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the telecommunication service includes a local telephone service.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the telecommunication service includes a long distance telephone service.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first agent, said second agent and said third agent comprises a human agent.

9. A method for providing a concierge-type service, comprising:

receiving, by a first agent in a first facility in a first geographic region, a request for fulfillment of a concierge request from a user;

conveying said concierge request to a second facility in a second geographic region;

assigning a second agent in said second facility to attempt to fulfill the concierge request; and

assigning a third agent in said first facility to contact the user with information regarding said attempt to fulfill the concierge request.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said second geographic region is closer to a third geographic region in which the user desires fulfillment of said concierge request than said first geographic region.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said first geographic region is closer to a user'"'"'s home geographic region than said second geographic region.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein calls from said first geographic region to said user'"'"'s home geographic region comprise local calls.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said first geographic region and said user'"'"'s home geographic region are in the same state.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said first facility comprises an information assistance center.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said information assistance center is closer to the user'"'"'s home geographic region than any other information assistance center administered by a provider of the concierge-type service.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said second facility comprises a second information assistance center.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein said assigning a third agent comprises assigning said first agent as said third agent.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said first agent is available.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein if said first agent is not available, said first agent going to contact the user after said first agent becomes available.

20. The method of claim 9 wherein said assigning a third agent comprises selecting an agent whom the user has identified as a preferred agent.

21. The method of claim 9 further comprising notifying said third agent to contact the user.

22. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing said third agent with a message to be conveyed to the user.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said message is generated automatically.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein said message is generated by said second agent.

25. The method of claim 9 further comprising said third agent contacting the user by telephone.

26. The method of claim 9 further comprising said third agent contacting the user by at least one of the following methods:

mail, facsimile, wireless device, pager, SMS device, e-mail, cable network.

27. The method of claim 9, wherein said first agent comprises an agent whom the user has identified as a preferred agent.

29. A method for providing a concierge-type service comprising:

receiving, by a first agent in a first facility in a first geographic region, a concierge request from a user;

conveying said concierge request to a second facility in a second geographic region;

assigning a second agent in said second facility to attempt to fulfill the concierge request;

assigning said first agent to contact the user with information regarding said attempt to fulfill the concierge request if said first agent is available; and

assigning said second agent to contact the user with information regarding said attempt to fulfill the concierge request if said first agent is not available.

30. A method for providing a concierge-type service comprising:

receiving, by a first agent in a first facility, a concierge request in a first geographic region from a user;

conveying said concierge request to a second facility which is closer to the first geographic region than said first facility;

assigning a second agent in said second facility to attempt to fulfill the concierge request; and

assigning a third agent in a third facility to contact the user with information regarding said attempt to fulfill the concierge request, wherein said third facility is closer to the user'"'"'s geographic region than said second facility.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said first facility is the same facility as said third facility.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein said third agent is the same agent as said first agent.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein said first facility and said second facility comprise information assistance centers.

34. A method for distributing an incoming call to one of a plurality of agents comprising:

(a) receiving an incoming call from a caller;

(b) determining an identity of the caller before the caller is connected to any one of said plurality of agents;

(c) determining, from information stored about the caller, if the caller prefers one or more of said plurality of agents; and

(d) if the caller prefers one or more of said plurality of agents, connecting the caller to a selected one of the preferred agents.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein step (b) comprises determining the identity of the caller as a function of a telephone number of the caller.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein said telephone number is derive from an automatic number identification (ANI).

37. The method of claim 34 wherein step (b) comprises prompting the caller to take an action from which the caller'"'"'s identity is discerned.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein said action comprises pressing keys on a caller'"'"'s telephone keypad.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein said action comprising the caller talking.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the caller'"'"'s identity is discerned by analyzing an utterance of the caller.

41. The method of claim 34 wherein step (d) comprises connecting the caller to one of said preferred agents as soon as said preferred agent becomes available.

42. The method of claim 34 wherein step (d) comprises connecting the caller to one of said preferred agents in accordance with a pre-defined algorithm.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein said pre-defined algorithm is specific to the caller.

44. The method of claim 42 wherein said pre-defined algorithm is specific to a group to which said caller belongs.

45. The method of claim 34 further comprising providing the selected preferred agent with information relating to previous calls from said caller.

46. The method of claim 34 further comprising creating said stored information about the caller as a function of information received from the caller in previous calls from the caller.

47. The method of claim 34 further comprising creating said stored information about the caller as a function of past requests for service made by the caller in previous calls from the caller.

48. A method of selecting one or more of a plurality of agents of a service provider which a subscriber to said service provider prefers, comprising:

(a) receiving an incoming call from the subscriber;

(b) selecting one of said plurality of agents to which the subscriber should be connected;

(c) connecting the subscriber to the agent selected in step (b);

(d) receiving a rating of the agent selected in step (b) from the subscriber;

(e) repeating steps (a) through (d) a plurality of times;

(f) selecting said one or more of the plurality of agents which the subscriber prefers as a function of the agent ratings received from the caller in step (d).

49. The method of claim 48 wherein said plurality of agents comprise a subset of a total number of agents of the service provider.

50. The method of claim 48 wherein said plurality of agents are located in a selected one of a plurality of service provider facilities which is closer to a subscriber geographic area than others of said plurality of service provider facilities.

51. The method of claim 48 wherein said service provider provides a concierge-type service.

52. The method of claim 48 wherein said service provider comprises an information service provider.

53. The method of claim 48 wherein step (b) is carried out in a manner that the subscriber is exposed to each of said plurality of agents.

54. The method of claim 48 wherein step (b) is carried out in a manner that the subscriber is equally exposed to each of said plurality of agents.

55. The method of claim 48, wherein step (d) further comprises subscriber indication of the rating of the agent as a function of an entry on a subscriber telephone keypad.

56. The method of claim 48 wherein the number of times that step (e) is carried out is specified by the subscriber.

57. The method of claim 48 wherein the number of times that step (e) is carried out is specified by the service provider.

58. The method of claim 48 wherein step (f) is performed by the subscriber.

59. The method of claim 48 wherein step (f) is performed by the service provider.

60. The method of claim 48 wherein the selecting in step (b) is performed in accordance with a pre-defined algorithm specific to the subscriber.

61. The method of claim 48 wherein the selecting in step (b) is performed in accordance with a pre-defined algorithm specific to a group to which said subscriber belongs.

62. A method for providing a concierge-type service by a concierge provider comprising:

receiving a first request for a concierge-type service from a user having a relationship with the concierge provider;

the concierge provider storing preference information associated with the user based on the relationship;

accessing selected preference information in response to the first request;

supplementing said first request with the selected preference information;

receiving a second request for a concierge-type service from a third party service provider, the second request being initiated by a subscriber to the third party service provider, the subscriber having no relationship with the concierge provider;

providing information concerning fulfillment of the first request to the user; and

and providing information concerning fulfillment of the second request to the third party service provider.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein said third party service provider comprises one of (i) a cable television service provider;

(ii) an Internet server.

64. A system for providing a user with telecommunication service including information assistance, comprising:

a mechanism for establishing, for the user, a call connection to a called party;

a device for monitoring the call connection for a predetermined signal initiated by one of the user and the called party, access to the information assistance being allowed upon a detection of the predetermined signal; and

a processor for determining call charges as a function of a duration of the call connection, regardless of the number of accesses to the information assistance during the call connection, data concerning the call charges being provided for billing the user.

65. The system of claim 64 wherein the information assistance includes a concierge-type service.

66. The system of claim 64 wherein the number of accesses is more than one.

67. The system of claim 64 wherein the predetermined signal includes a DTMF tone.

68. The system of claim 64 wherein the predetermined signal includes a voice command.

69. The system of claim 64 wherein the call charges include at least a predetermined fee for a fixed amount of time of the call connection.

70. The system of claim 64 wherein the telecommunication service includes a local telephone service.

71. The system of claim 64 wherein the telecommunication service includes a long distance telephone service.