Methods and systems for processing and managing telephonic communications

• US 8,755,511 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invoca, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Invoca, Inc.
• Inventors: Duva, Robert J., Kelley, Colin D., Spievak, Jason S., Trandal, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US14/069,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20140058831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 229 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.09, 379/265.01, 379/266.01, 379/266.07, 379/201.01, 379/309
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• 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 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

An online and offline communication processing and tracking using data processing and data/voice networks is described. A phone address from a phone address number pool is automatically assigned to a first entity. A call quality rating is determined and recorded. A call from a caller directed to the phone address is received at a call bridging system coupled to at least one network, wherein the call is associated with call signaling information. Based at least in part on the call quality associated with the caller call, the caller call is assigned to a first location in a call queue. An outbound call is generated from the call bridging system and the inbound and the outbound calls are bridged. One or more parameters of the bridged call are compared to the call quality rating. An indication is recorded regarding the successful bridging of the calls in association with an entity identifier.

Claims

1. A method of call routing, the method comprising:

assigning, by a marketing automation computing system, one or more phone numbers to one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service in response to at least a first condition, wherein a first media element of the marketing campaign comprises a web-based landing page;

receiving, at the marketing automation computing system, a first call initiated by a customer prospect directed to a first of the one or more assigned phone numbers assigned to the one or more media elements;

detecting, by the marketing automation computing system, during the first call one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect;

enhancing a lead score associated with the customer prospect based at least in part on the detected one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect, wherein enhancing the lead score comprises improving the lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the customer prospect will be a customer for the good or service; and

decreasing or not changing a lead score associated with a second customer prospect based at least in part on not detecting one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the second customer prospect, wherein decreasing the lead score associated with the second customer prospect comprises reducing the second customer prospect lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the second customer prospect will not become a customer for the good or service.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect comprise one or more single words, one or more multiple word phrases, or one or more single words and one or more multiple word phrases.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect comprise the multiple word phrase “

credit card”

.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising translating at least a portion of a voice communication from the customer prospect within the first call by the marketing automation computing system into text, wherein the detection of one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect is based at least in part on a comparison of the text to a dictionary of keywords.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising translating at least a portion of a voice communication from the customer prospect within the first call by the marketing automation computing system into text, and storing at least a portion of the voice communication and the text in association with a customer prospect account record.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the detection of one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect is based at least in part on the use of speech recognition technology.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising originating an outbound call to a call center and bridging the received first call and the outbound call.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising originating an outbound call to a call center and bridging the received first call and the outbound call, wherein the detection of one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect is performed with respect to speech from the customer prospect received over a voice channel associated with the first call and not for speech from a call center agent received over a voice channel associated with the outbound call.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more media elements comprise an email.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more media elements comprise a web form.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first condition comprises a display of the web-based landing page.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first condition comprises a display of a video on the web-based landing page.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first condition comprises a download on the web-based landing page.

14. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the customer prospect is an existing customer.

15. A method of telephony sales attribution, the method comprising:

assigning, by a marketing automation computing system, one or more phone numbers to one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service,

wherein a first media element of the marketing campaign comprises a web-based landing page;

receiving, at the marketing automation computing system, a first call initiated by a customer prospect directed to a first of the one or more assigned phone numbers assigned to the one or more media elements;

registering, by the marketing automation computing system, a sale to the customer prospect of the good or service during the first call;

based at least in part on the receipt of the first call to the first of the one or more assigned phone numbers and the sale to the customer prospect of the good or service during the first call, attributing by the marketing automation computing system, the sale of the good or service, to the customer prospect, to the first media element; and

decreasing or not changing a lead score associated with a second customer prospect based at least in part on not detecting one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the second customer prospect, wherein decreasing the lead score associated with the second customer prospect comprises reducing the second customer prospect lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the second customer prospect will not become a customer for the good or service.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, the method further comprising determining a payout associated with the first call wherein the payout is associated with an entity displaying the first media element.

17. The method as defined in claim 15, the method further comprising translating at least a portion of a voice communication within the first call by the marketing automation computing system into text and storing at least a portion of the voice communication and the text in association with a customer prospect account record.

18. The method as defined in claim 15, the method further comprising originating an outbound call to a call center and bridging the received first call and the outbound call.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the outbound call to the call center is directed to at least one sales agent.

20. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the one or more media elements comprise an email.

21. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the one or more media elements comprise a web form.

22. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the customer prospect is an existing customer.

23. The method as defined in claim 15, the method further comprising:

detecting, by the marketing automation computing system, during the first call one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect; and

attributing by the marketing automation computing system the sale of the good or service to the first media element based in part on the detection of the one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect.

24. A system comprising:

at least one computer processor; and

a non-transitory memory embodied with a computer program comprising instructions which when executed by the at least one computer processor cause the system to perform operations comprising;

assigning one or more phone numbers to one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service,

wherein a first media element of the marketing campaign comprises a web-based landing page;

receiving a first call initiated by a customer prospect to a first of the one or more assigned phone numbers assigned to the one or more media elements;

registering a sale of the good or service to the customer prospect during the first call; and

based at least in part on the receipt of the first call to the first of the one or more assigned phone numbers and the sale of the good or service to the customer prospect during the first call, attributing the sale of the good or service to the first media element;

decreasing or not changing a lead score associated with a second customer prospect based at least in part on not detecting one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the second customer prospect, wherein decreasing the lead score associated with the second customer prospect comprises reducing the second customer prospect lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the second customer prospect will not become a customer for the good or service.

25. The system as defined in claim 24, the operations further comprising determining a payout associated with the first call wherein the payout is associated with an entity displaying the first media element.

26. The system as defined in claim 24, the operations further comprising translating at least a portion of a voice communication within the first call by the marketing automation computing system into text and storing at least a portion of the voice communication and the text in association with a customer prospect account record.

27. The system as defined in claim 24, the operations further comprising originating an outbound call to a call center and bridging the received first call and the outbound call.

28. The system as defined in claim 27, wherein the outbound call to the call center is directed to at least one sales agent.

29. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the one or more media elements comprise an email.

30. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the one or more media elements comprise a web form.

31. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the customer prospect is an existing customer.

32. The system as defined in claim 24, the operations further comprising:

detecting, by the marketing automation computing system, during the first call one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect; and

attributing by the marketing automation computing system the sale of the good or service to the first media element based in part on the detection of the one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect.

33. A system comprising:

at least one computer processor; and

a non-transitory memory embodied with a computer program comprising instructions which when executed by the at least one computer processor cause the system to perform operations comprising;

assigning, by a marketing automation computing system, one or more phone numbers to one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service in response to at least a first condition, wherein a first media element of the marketing campaign comprises a web-based landing page;

receiving, at the marketing automation computing system, a first call initiated by a customer prospect directed to a first of the one or more assigned phone numbers assigned to the one or more media elements;

detecting, by the marketing automation computing system, during the first call one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect;

enhancing a lead score associated with the customer prospect based at least in part on the detected one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the customer prospect, wherein enhancing the lead score comprises improving the lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the customer prospect will be a customer for the good or service; and

decreasing or not changing a lead score associated with a second customer prospect based at least in part on not detecting one or more purchase intent keywords spoken by the second customer prospect, wherein decreasing the lead score associated with the second customer prospect comprises reducing the second customer prospect lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the second customer prospect will not become a customer for the good or service.