Personalizing communications services using environmental data

• US 9,264,542 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stine, Ted, Speeney, Joseph Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Asanbayev, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US13/307,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20130136247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/265.05, 379/265.11, 379/266.01, 379/266.08, 704/240, 704/262
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/357 Autocues for dialog assistance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/555 Statistics, e.g. about subscribers but not being call statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• 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 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements

Abstract

Personalized communications services are provided when a communication from an initiating party is received at an interactive system. A computer of the interactive system automatically determines predictive information for the communication based on environmental data provided for the communication independent of information provided by the initiating party during the communication. A script for communicating with the initiating party is dynamically updated based on the predictive information. Communications with the initiating party are provided in accordance with the dynamically updated script.

Claims

1. A method for providing personalized communications services, comprising:

receiving, at an interactive system, a communication from an initiating party;

checking a purchase history for the initiating party;

automatically determining, by a computer of the interactive system, predictive information that assigns a probability to a potential objective sought by the initiating party in initiating the communication based on environmental data, including data of an item of the initiating party known from the purchase history, provided for the communication independent of information provided by the initiating party during the communication;

dynamically updating an order of presentation of presentable options within a script for communicating with the initiating party based on the predictive information and based on information known for the item known from the purchase history, by arranging an order of the presentable options in the script based on an assigned probability for each presentable option addressing an unidentified problem for which the initiating party has initiated the communication; and

communicating with the initiating party in accordance with the dynamically updated script,

wherein the information known for the known item is information obtained by previous communications from another initiating party.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the environmental data further includes data of a location of the initiating party.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the script is updated based on information known for the location.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the information known for the location is information obtained by previous communications from another initiating party.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the communications with the initiating party are presented to the initiating party visually.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the script is updated also based on information obtained from a media account of the initiating party.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the media account is a social media account.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

updating the social media account of the initiating party based on the communication.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing to the initiating party a profile of an agent that communicates with the initiating party in the communication.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the interactive system is an interactive voice response system.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the initiating party profiles of each of a plurality of agents that can communicate with the initiating party.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing the initiating party times when each of the plurality of agents will be available and an option to select any of the agents to schedule a communication.

13. The method of claim 11,

wherein a profile of each agent includes a subject matter specialization of the agent.

14. The method of claim 11,

wherein the profiles includes a profile of another agent with whom the initiating party has previously communicated, and the profile of the other agent is provided based on the previous communication.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a set of executable instructions for providing personalized communications services, the executable instructions, when executed by a processor, causing a computer to:

receive, at an interactive system, a communication from an initiating party;

check a purchase history for the initiating party;

automatically determine, by a computer of the interactive system, predictive information that assigns a probability to a potential objective sought by the initiating party in initiating the communication based on environmental data, including data of an item of the initiating party known from the purchase history, provided for the communication independent of information provided by the initiating party during the communication;

dynamically update an order of presentation of presentable options within a script for communicating with the initiating party based on the predictive information and based on information known for an item known from the purchase history, by arranging an order of the presentable options in the script based on an assigned probability for each presentable option addressing an unidentified problem for which the initiating party has initiated the communication; and

communicate with the initiating party in accordance with the dynamically updated script, wherein the information known for the known item is information obtained by previous communications from another initiating party.

16. A computer platform of an interactive system that executes executable instructions for providing personalized communications services, the computer platform comprising:

memory; and

a processor,

wherein the processor executes the executable instructions, and the instructions, when executed, cause the computer platform to;

receive, at the interactive system, a communication from an initiating party;

check a purchase history for the initiating party;

automatically determine, by a computer of the interactive system, predictive information that assigns a probability to a potential objective sought by the initiating party in initiating the communication based on environmental data, including data of an item of the initiating party known from the purchase history, provided for the communication independent of information provided by the initiating party during the communication;

dynamically update an order of presentation of presentable options within a script for communicating with the initiating party based on the predictive information and based on information known for the item known from the purchase history, by arranging an order of the presentable options in the script based on an assigned probability for each presentable option addressing an unidentified problem for which the initiating party has initiated the communication; and

communicate with the initiating party in accordance with the dynamically updated script, wherein the information known for the known item is information obtained by previous communications from another initiating party.