Call processing and subscriber registration systems and methods

• US 8,259,911 B1
• Filed: 08/01/2008
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Inventors: Trandal, David, Duva, Robert, Smith, Robert F., Day, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US12/184,953
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 379/88.18, 379/88.19, 379/373.01, 379/88.02, 379/142.15, 379/201.12, 705/5, 705/3, 709/231, 455/404.1, 455/412.1, 455/426.1, 455/445, 455/465
• US Class Current: 379/88.19
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• 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 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings

Abstract

The present invention relates to telecommunications, and in particular, to systems and processes for processing telephone calls and providing telephony services. In one embodiment, a call processing system, compromises a first telephony interface configured to receive a call from a caller, a storage device configured to store a greeting, and a call answering system. The call answering system is configured to play the greeting in response to receiving the call, record a voice message from the caller, determine when the caller has completed recording the voice message, after determining that the caller has completed recording the voice message, play a prompt regarding the caller becoming a subscriber to call services provided by the call processing system, receive from the caller information used to establish a call services account, and establish a call services account for the caller.

Claims

1. A method of processing a call at a first system, the method compromising:

receiving at a first system, the first system including at least one computing device, a first call from a caller, the first call intended for a user;

enabling a voice message from the caller to be recorded;

determining, by the first system, if a first parameter related to the caller is met based at least in part on information retrieved from a data store using caller identification information associated with the first call, wherein the first parameter is related to;

whether a first prompt has been previously played with respect to a previous call associated with the caller identification information;

a designation previously provided by the user with respect to the caller; and

/or

whether the caller identification information is associated with a subscriber of a service provided by the first system;

at least partly in response to determining that the first parameter is met, enabling, by the first system, a sales lead generation prompt to be played regarding a first subject to the caller;

receiving an instruction from the caller provided at least partly in response to the sales lead generation prompt;

at least partly in response to an indication of interest from the caller with respect to the first subject,

originating, by the first system, a second call to a call center; and

bridging the first call and the second call.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving information from the caller at the call center; and

establishing an account for the caller using at least a portion of the received information.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first parameter is related to the number of times the sales lead generation prompt has been played to the caller.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first parameter is related to the designation previously provided by the user with respect to the caller.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first parameter is related to whether the caller is already a first system subscriber.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising automatically populating at least a portion of a first form using the caller identification information.

7. A computer-based method of processing a call, the method compromising:

at least partly in response to a first call from a caller intended for a user being received at a first system, wherein the caller can record a message for the user;

determining by a computer system if a sales lead generation prompt is to be played to the caller based on information related to at least one of the following;

whether the sales lead generation prompt has been previously played with respect to a previous call associated with caller identification information obtained from signaling information;

a designation previously provided by the user with respect to the caller;

whether caller identification information obtained from first call signaling information is associated with a subscriber of at least a first service; and

selectively enabling the sales lead generation prompt to be played to the caller in accordance with the determination.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an instruction from the caller provided at least partly in response to the sales lead generation prompt;

at least partly in response to receiving the instruction, requesting information from the caller; and

recording requested information from the caller.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, further comprising providing call processing services for the caller based at least in part on the recorded information.

10. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

recording a voice message from the caller for the user during the first call; and

determining when the caller has completed recording the voice message prior to the sales lead generation prompt being played to the caller.

11. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising enabling the caller to be connected to a call center live agent at least partly in response to a caller instruction provided following the playing of the lead generation prompt.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, further comprising automatically populating at least a portion of a first registration form using caller identification information associated with the first call, wherein at least a portion of the requested information is manually entered into the registration form.

13. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

connecting the caller to an automated information gathering system at least partly in response to a caller instruction provided following the playing of the lead generation prompt;

requesting that the caller verbally provide information to be used to set up a call services account;

recording the verbally provided information; and

transmitting at least a portion of the verbally provided information to a service person.

14. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein, prior to playing the sales lead generation prompt, information is accessed indicating how many times the sales lead generation prompt has previously been played to the caller.

15. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein, prior to playing the sales lead generation prompt, a determination is made as to whether the user provided a designation related to the caller.

16. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein, prior to playing the sales lead generation prompt, information is accessed indicating whether the caller is already a subscriber of a service provided by the first system.

17. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

recording a voice message from the caller during the first call; and

streaming the voice message to a terminal associated with the user in substantially real time.

18. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

initiating a second call to a call center; and

populating an ANI field associated with the second call with a phone number obtained from an ANI field associated with the first call so that caller identification information can be presented to a call center agent.

19. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a second call with associated caller identification information from the caller;

based at least in part on the caller identification information associated with the second call, accessing information indicating how many times the sales lead generation prompt has been played to the caller; and

based at least in part on the accessed information, determining whether to play the sales lead generation prompt to the caller again.

20. A first system, compromising:

a first telephony interface configured to receive a call from a caller;

a storage device configured to store a greeting; and

a call answering system configured to;

play the greeting in response to receiving the call;

record a voice message from the caller;

determine if a prompt regarding the caller becoming a subscriber to a call service is to be played to the caller based on information related to one or more of the following;

whether the prompt has been previously played with respect to a previous call associated with caller identification information obtained from call signaling information;

a designation previously provided by the user with respect to the caller;

whether caller identification information obtained from call signaling information is associated with a subscriber of at least a first call processing service;

determine if the caller has completed recording the voice message;

selectively enable the prompt to be played at least partly based on the determination that the prompt is to be played.

21. The first system as defined in claim 20, wherein the call answering system is further configured to receive from the caller information used to establish a call services account.

22. The first system as defined in claim 20, wherein the call answering system is further configured to establish a call services account for the caller.

23. The first system as defined in claim 20, further comprising a call center configured to receive the caller information in substantially real time.

24. The first system as defined in claim 20, further comprising a client application configured to execute on a computer and receive caller voice message in a streamed manner.

25. The first system as defined in claim 20, further comprising a database the stores a value related to the number of times the prompt has been played with respect to a telephone number associated with the caller.

26. The first system as defined in claim 20, further comprising an automated information gathering system used to prompt the caller for the information used to establish the call services account.

27. The first system as defined in claim 20, further comprising a first instruction stored in computer readable memory configured to cause the first system to determine whether the call was forwarded to the first system.

28. The first system as defined in claim 20, further comprising a first instruction stored in computer readable memory configured to cause the first system to determine whether the a user for whom the call was intended has provided an indication that promotional prompts are not to be played to the caller.

29. The first system as defined in claim 20, further comprising a first instruction stored in computer readable memory configured to cause the first system to access identification information associated with the caller and to access information indicating whether the caller is already a subscriber of a service provided by the first system prior to playing the prompt.