U.S. patent application number 15/567042 was filed with the patent office on 2018-05-10 for automatic after call survey and campaign-based customer feedback collection platform.
The applicant listed for this patent is OnePIN, Inc.. Invention is credited to Feyzi CELIK, Marcin NOWAK.
Application Number | 20180130076 15/567042 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57217790 |
Filed Date | 2018-05-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180130076 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CELIK; Feyzi ; et
al. |
May 10, 2018 |
AUTOMATIC AFTER CALL SURVEY AND CAMPAIGN-BASED CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
COLLECTION PLATFORM
Abstract
This disclosure provides systems, methods, services, and
platforms for automatically prompting a user of a mobile device to
send feedback after a triggering event. This disclosure enables
Mobile Network Operators to immediately solicit timely feedback
from a mobile user after an interaction with the user. When a
business, group, or other entity has an active survey campaign, a
survey message comprising one or more response options is
automatically sent to a mobile device after a triggering event
occurs. Based on the user's selected response option, subsequent,
follow-up survey messages can be automatically sent to the mobile
device.
Inventors: |
CELIK; Feyzi; (Hopkinton,
MA) ; NOWAK; Marcin; (Westborough, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
OnePIN, Inc. |
Westborough |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57217790 |
Appl. No.: |
15/567042 |
Filed: |
May 4, 2016 |
PCT Filed: |
May 4, 2016 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US16/30664 |
371 Date: |
October 16, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62156723 |
May 4, 2015 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 1/2757 20200101;
H04M 3/42195 20130101; H04M 15/735 20130101; H04M 15/844 20130101;
H04M 7/0042 20130101; G06F 9/542 20130101; H04W 4/60 20180201; G06Q
30/0203 20130101; H04M 1/72525 20130101; H04M 15/705 20130101; H04W
4/14 20130101; H04W 4/16 20130101; G06Q 30/0251 20130101; G06Q
30/0245 20130101; H04W 4/00 20130101; G06Q 30/0201 20130101; G06Q
30/01 20130101; H04M 3/4931 20130101; H04M 15/58 20130101; G06Q
30/016 20130101; G06F 16/972 20190101; H04M 2203/651 20130101; H04M
3/42357 20130101; H04M 15/62 20130101; H04W 8/18 20130101; H04M
15/84 20130101; G06Q 50/01 20130101; H04M 1/72561 20130101; H04M
3/42102 20130101; H04M 3/42365 20130101; H04M 15/80 20130101; H04M
2215/8158 20130101; H04M 3/42153 20130101; H04M 15/856 20130101;
H04M 3/42059 20130101; H04M 2203/655 20130101; H04W 8/26 20130101;
G06Q 30/0267 20130101; G06F 16/955 20190101; H04M 1/72563 20130101;
G06Q 30/0207 20130101; H04W 4/21 20180201; H04M 15/7556 20130101;
H04M 15/848 20130101; H04M 15/852 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02; H04W 4/14 20060101 H04W004/14 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for automatically prompting a
mobile device user to provide feedback after a triggering event,
the method comprising: receiving, at the processor in the mobile
phone, an indication that a triggering event has occurred;
receiving at the mobile device a first survey message comprising
one or more first actionable response options; and displaying the
first survey message on the screen of the mobile device.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising playing an alert tone
on the mobile device when the first survey message is
displayed.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising launching an
application installed on the mobile device, wherein the application
causes the first survey message to be displayed.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the application causes an alert
tone to be played on the mobile device.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein the application is installed on
the SIM card of the mobile device.
6. The method of claim 3, wherein the application is installed on
the operating system of the mobile device.
7. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving, in the
application, the first actionable response option selected on the
mobile device.
8. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying a second
survey message comprising one or more second actionable response
options.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving, in the
application, the second actionable response option selected on the
mobile device; and sending a communication comprising the second
actionable response option selected on the mobile device.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication further
comprises the first actionable response option selected by the
user.
11. The method of claim 7, further comprising: sending a
communication comprising the first actionable response option
selected on the device; receiving at the mobile device a second
survey message comprising one or more second actionable response
options; and displaying the second survey message on the screen of
the mobile device.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending a
communication comprising the second actionable response option
selected by the user.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving, in the
application, the second survey message comprising one or more
second actionable response options; and receiving, in the
application, the second actionable response option selected on the
mobile device; and sending a communication comprising the second
actionable response option selected on the mobile device.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is selected
from the group consisting of a phone call placed from the mobile
device to a first phone number, a phone call received at the mobile
device from a second phone number, navigation to a specific web
address on the mobile device, and navigation away from a specific
web address on the mobile device.
15. The method of claim 15, wherein the triggering event is a phone
call placed from the mobile device to a first phone number.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first survey message is
selected from the group consisting of binary SMS, flash SMS, MMS,
standard SMS, USSD notification, and email.
17.-28. (canceled)
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 62/156,723, filed May 4, 2015. The entire contents
of that application are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD
[0002] This application relates to mobile devices and mobile
networks. Specifically, this application relates to data pertaining
to mobile devices and mobile networks.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Customer feedback is more than simply a valuable tool in
improving products and services. It is an imperative--a necessary
facet of any company's continuous improvement plan. Most companies
recognize that soliciting feedback related to customer service or a
consumer's overall experience is best sought as close to the
company-consumer interaction as possible. As a result, companies
have implemented various mechanisms to collect this feedback such
as web surveys, live surveys during a phone call, or mail-in
surveys. Some companies employ market research firms that engage in
outbound calling campaigns to customers to gauge effectiveness and
overall brand impression. While all of these are valuable, they
often have limited responses because people view each mechanism as
too time consuming and simply not worth the effort. Consumers often
do not wish to stay on a phone line longer to answer several
questions after they have already conducted their necessary
business. The same is true for web sessions that launch after the
web transaction with the company is complete. Typically, these
types of surveys take up to a minute or more to complete. Giving a
company sixty seconds of undivided attention to provide feedback is
often considered an unpalatable effort by customers. Outbound
calling campaigns where a consumer is targeted are often the least
impactful, as they are even more time consuming for a customer. In
fact, some of the most valuable customers are never reachable with
these methods, resulting in a skewed data set and an imperfect
feedback loop. Often, only customers with an exceptionally poor
experience take the time to voice their opinions. While this is
valuable, a full circle picture is not obtained and product
managers and service department heads within companies have limited
data available to make fact-based analytical decisions about
improving their products and services. A solution that enables a
consumer to give near real-time responses after his experience that
takes only a matter of seconds allows companies to collect
immediate feedback from a wide range of consumers. Such a solution
is a novel approach to a basic need in the market.
SUMMARY
[0004] One aspect of this disclosure provides a
computer-implemented method for automatically prompting a mobile
device user to provide feedback after a triggering event. The
method comprises: receiving, at the processor in the mobile phone,
an indication that a triggering event has occurred; receiving at
the mobile device a first survey message comprising one or more
first actionable response options; and displaying the first survey
message on the screen of the mobile device. In some embodiments,
the method also comprises playing an alert tone on the mobile
device when the survey message is displayed.
[0005] In some embodiments, the triggering event is selected from
the group consisting of a phone call placed from the mobile device
to a first phone number, a phone call received at the mobile device
from a second phone number, navigation to a specific web address on
the mobile device, and navigation away from a specific web address
on the mobile device. In certain embodiments, the triggering event
is a phone call placed from the mobile device to a first phone
number.
[0006] In some embodiments, the survey message is selected from the
group consisting of binary SMS, flash SMS, MMS, standard SMS, USSD
notification, and email.
[0007] In some embodiments, the method further comprises launching
an application installed on the mobile device, wherein the
application causes the first survey message to be displayed. In
certain embodiments, the application causes the alert tone to be
played on the mobile device. In some embodiments, the application
is installed on the SIM card of the mobile device. In other
embodiments, the application is installed on the operating system
of the mobile device.
[0008] In some embodiments, the method further comprises receiving,
in the application, the first actionable response option selected
on the mobile device.
[0009] In further embodiments, the method further comprises
displaying a second survey message comprising one or more second
actionable response options. In some embodiments, the method
further comprises: receiving, in the application, the second
actionable response option selected on the mobile device; and
sending a communication comprising the second actionable response
option selected on the mobile device. In some embodiments, the
communication further comprises the first actionable response
option selected by the user.
[0010] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: sending a
communication comprising the first actionable response option
selected on the device; receiving at the mobile device a second
survey message comprising one or more second actionable response
options; and displaying the second survey message on the screen of
the mobile device. In further embodiments, the method also
comprises sending a communication comprising the second actionable
response option selected by the user.
[0011] In certain embodiments, the method further comprises:
receiving, in the application, the second survey message comprising
one or more second actionable response options; and receiving, in
the application, the second actionable response option selected on
the mobile device; and sending a communication comprising the
second actionable response option selected on the mobile
device.
[0012] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a
computer-implemented method for automatically prompting a user to
provide feedback on a mobile device after a triggering event, the
method comprising: receiving, at a server, an indication that a
triggering event has occurred; receiving, at the server, an
indication that the triggering event matches a triggering event
stored in a database operably connected to the server; receiving,
at the server, a communication comprising the Mobile Station
International Subscriber Directory Number of the mobile device;
preparing a first survey message comprising one or more first
actionable response options; and sending the first survey message
to the mobile device.
[0013] In some embodiments, the triggering event is selected from
the group consisting of a phone call placed from the mobile device
to a first phone number, a phone call received at the mobile device
from a second phone number, navigation to a specific web address on
the mobile device, and navigation away from a specific web address
on the mobile device. In certain embodiments, the triggering event
is a phone call placed from the mobile device to a first phone
number.
[0014] In some embodiments, the survey message is selected from the
group consisting of binary SMS, flash SMS, MMS, standard SMS, USSD
notification, and email.
[0015] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving
information about the triggering event, the information comprising
the destination address of the triggering event; comparing the
destination address to destination addresses stored in a database;
and determining whether the destination address matches an active
survey campaign.
[0016] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:
receiving, at the server, a communication comprising the first
actionable response option selected on the mobile device; preparing
a second survey message comprising one or more second actionable
response options; and sending the second survey message to the
mobile device. In some embodiments, the method also comprises
determining whether the first actionable response option selected
on the mobile device indicates a desire to receive another survey
message. In certain embodiments, the method further comprises
logging the first actionable response option selected by the
user.
[0017] In some embodiments, the method additionally comprises:
preparing a second survey message comprising one or more second
actionable response options when the first actionable response
option selected by the user indicates a desire to receive another
survey message; and sending the second survey message to the mobile
device. In further embodiments, the method further comprises:
receiving, at the server, a communication comprising the second
actionable response option selected on the mobile device; logging
the second actionable response option selected on the mobile
device; preparing a final message; and sending the final message to
the mobile device. In certain embodiments, the method additionally
comprises receiving, at the server, a communication comprising the
second actionable response option selected by the user. In some
embodiments, the method further comprises logging the second
actionable response option selected by the user.
[0018] In some embodiments, the method also comprises: preparing a
final message; and sending the final message to the mobile
device.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0019] FIG. 1 is a graphical overview illustrating the user
interface by which a user may provide feedback to a business or
brand via an interactive prompt after a phone call or web session
event.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the basic architecture of
the SurveyXpert platform.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the steps related to a
phone call event that will lead to the eventual triggering of
SurveyXpert.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the Mobile Operator
network as it would interact with the SurveyXpert platform.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the exemplary process of
the logic the SurveyXpert platform uses to determine if a campaign
message should be sent to a specific targeted mobile
subscriber.
[0024] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the exemplary process of
how the SurveyXpert application is expressed and interacts with the
user device, and thus the user experience.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the exemplary process of
how the SurveyXpert platform logs the mobile device user's response
and determines if any follow-up questions should be sent as a
result of the user's response.
[0026] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the exemplary process of
how the SurveyXpert platform updates the database with subscriber
preference results, tracking the participation such that the MNO
may modify the frequency of campaign depending on subscriber
responsiveness.
[0027] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the exemplary process of
how a SurveyXpert campaign is designed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] This application provides aspects and embodiments of
OnePIN's SurveyXpert.TM. platform. The term "SurveyXpert" is used
throughout this application to refer to multiple aspects and
embodiments of the methods, applications, services, systems, and
platforms disclosed herein. The name "SurveyXpert" is not limited
to any specific embodiment and can refer to multiple embodiments or
individual embodiments. Furthermore, other names are also used to
refer to embodiments described herein.
[0029] As used herein, the terms "a" and "an" mean one or more than
one.
[0030] Aspects and embodiments of SurveyXpert enable enterprises
and small businesses to collect immediate customer feedback and
determine customer service satisfaction levels when consumers call
into a business line from a mobile phone, when a consumer receives
a call from a business on their mobile phone, or when a consumer
visits a business or brand web page on their mobile device. In the
after-call embodiments, the service automatically detects that a
specific phone number for a business or enterprise was dialed by
the mobile subscriber, or that the mobile consumer received a call
from a designated business. At the end of the phone call, the
mobile subscriber is prompted to answer several survey questions
via a simple interactive interface that could be related to any of
the following: [0031] Level of service received [0032] Feelings
about the call [0033] General customer service satisfaction [0034]
General product or service feedback [0035] Inquiries/interest about
new products or services offered by the company [0036] Inquires
related to receiving future promotions, coupons or product
information
[0037] The consumer receives a text based prompt immediately after
the phone call. In other embodiments, the prompt could also contain
logos, images, photos, pictures, music, weblinks, or other
multimedia communications. The consumer is able to answer a single
question, or a series of questions depending on the campaign with
only a few clicks. The mobile user does not need to open any
additional mobile applications, navigate to an SMS or email inbox,
or type any information on the device in order to provide a
response to the survey campaign.
[0038] The service is preferably used with a mobile phone, but can
also be used with other devices that can be configured to make
phone calls. For example, tablets and other computers that include
Skype or Google Voice can be utilized with the services.
[0039] Example: Linda calls Visa customer service to inquire about
a charge on her credit card statement. At the conclusion of her
call, she is asked via a prompt on her mobile phone to provide
feedback on the service interaction she just encountered with Visa.
The survey feedback prompt is fully customizable by the business or
enterprise collecting the feedback, in this case, Visa. In an
exemplary embodiment, the survey prompt Linda sees on her phone
reads:
[0040] How was your experience today with Visa? [0041] Fast and
easy [0042] As expected [0043] On hold for too long [0044] Poor
[0045] Linda chooses "On hold for too long." The SurveyXpert
application on Linda's mobile phone submits this selection to the
cloud platform. The cloud communicates with the application on the
mobile phone. In this instance, based on Linda's selection, a
follow-up question is generated by the cloud and sent to Linda's
mobile phone. Linda sees:
[0046] How long was your hold time? [0047] About 1 minute [0048]
2-3 minutes [0049] 3-5 minutes [0050] Greater than 5 minutes
[0051] Linda makes another selection: "3-5 minutes." This selection
is again transmitted to the cloud platform. Next, Linda receives a
final message. This message arrives on her mobile phone as an SMS,
and states: [0052] "Thank you for your feedback. You have been
entered to win a $100 prepaid Visa gift card in our monthly
drawing. More details can be found at
www.visa.com/surveyrewards"
[0053] The number of survey questions and follow-up questions based
on customer responses is flexible and can be determined by the
business or enterprise collecting the customer feedback. The final
thank you message is also fully customizable. In this example, the
thank you message is sent as an SMS message (commonly known as a
text message) to Linda's mobile phone from the SurveyXpert cloud
platform. Notably, other messaging types can also be used. For
example, the cloud could be configured to send an e-mail, an
instant message, an MMS message, a USSD message, or a Facebook
message. Additionally, it could Tweet a message (e.g., via
Twitter), send an iMessage, send a What's App message, or any other
message using an IP based backbone. Messages could also be sent via
existing mobile applications such as Viber, Snap Chat, Instagram,
or What's App. The type of message sent may or may not be dependent
on the type of mobile device that Linda used to make the phone
call, or the type of device that Linda has used in the past and
which is registered with the SurveyXpert platform.
Benefits for the Business/Enterprise/Entity:
[0054] Simplicity: Establishing survey campaigns is a simple and
straightforward process for businesses. They can easily collect
customer feedback in a very simple fashion without needing to
employ an outside firm or to a large number of resources.
[0055] Immediacy: Businesses and enterprises receive valuable
customer feedback very promptly, and can adjust and address service
performance issues very quickly. The feedback "loop time" is
shortened, enabling businesses to improve their overall service
levels.
[0056] Customization: Businesses can tailor their surveys for a
large array of uses. They are able to collect a wide range of
customer feedback related to customer service as well as new
product introductions and general customer satisfaction. Survey
questions can be changed mid-campaign based on responses already
received.
[0057] Wide Reach: Enterprises are able to collect customer
feedback from a vast array of customers across multiple segment
types. Especially in developing areas, this is key as many survey
participants may not have access to a computer or landline phone or
physical store location (i.e., typical ways in which customer
feedback is traditionally collected). However, these customers do
have mobile phones, and can be valuable participants in the
feedback process.
[0058] Real, Unfiltered Customer Feedback: Measuring customer
service performance and satisfaction is becoming more important,
especially in an increasingly automated customer service
environment. With SurveyXpert, businesses receive real responses
from customers in an unbiased fashion.
[0059] High Value: Billing models can be structured such that
businesses only have to pay for actual responses received from
mobile subscribers.
[0060] Extend Brand Awareness: Businesses are continually looking
for ways to further their relationship with customers. SurveyXpert
gives them another positive touch point with customers and provides
the business with an opportunity to deepen the connection.
Benefits for Mobile Operator:
[0061] Revenue Generating Service: Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
are able to offer a differentiating service to their Business and
Enterprise customers. Enterprises pay for valuable customer
feedback, creating a significant revenue generator for MNOs, as
each customer survey response represents a billed event.
Benefits for the Mobile Subscriber
[0062] Relevance: Customers can provide immediate feedback on their
experiences. The survey questions posed to the mobile subscriber
are timely and directly relevant to the interactions with the
company the customer just experienced.
[0063] Interoperability: The services work across all mobile
devices so subscribers have a similar experience regardless of what
type of mobile device or tablet they are using.
[0064] The SurveyXpert platform includes a web interface that
enables businesses, enterprises, marketers, or platform
administrators to log in and define a "campaign." Within the
campaign event, businesses or mobile operators can enter relevant
information including, but not limited to, the target phone
number(s) that will trigger the survey campaign when called and the
timeframe during which a campaign will be relevant.
[0065] The user interface specifics (i.e., the wording mobile
consumers will see) can be entered via the web interface. This
includes the set of questions the business or other entity would
like to ask its customers after a call to the business has ended.
The business/enterprise/entity is also able to specify the maximum
number of people it would like surveyed in a single day, and the
length of time (days or hours) the survey campaign should be
executed. The business also has the opportunity to set a regional
campaign, based on a calling party's area code. In this instance,
the business can set a campaign where only customers in a specific
geographic region (as determined by their mobile area code where
applicable) are targeted for surveys. Other geographic campaigns
can be configured based on cell tower location. As used herein, the
term "business" refers to any business, corporation, non-profit
entity, political campaign, partnership, company, or other entity.
Each of these entity types can use and benefit from
SurveyXpert.
[0066] In some embodiments, the SurveyXpert cloud (server) is
connected to a mobile network operator's call switch via an
Application Programming Interface (API). Alternatively, the cloud
platform can also be connected to the mobile operator's billing
platform via an API, depending on the operator's network structure.
When a designated campaign number is dialed (i.e., a business's
phone number), the API informs the cloud platform. In some
embodiments, the business phone number and the mobile subscriber's
phone number (MSISDN) are both passed to the SurveyXpert platform
via the API, in addition to the date and time.
[0067] When the SurveyXpert cloud receives communications via the
API, the business phone number is checked to determine which
campaign should be executed (as there can, in some instances, be
multiple campaigns for different businesses running on the platform
at the same time). In some embodiments, the platform also checks
the caller's phone number to determine if the calling party has
opted out from receiving SurveyXpert prompts. The opt out process
is explained in further detail below. If the calling party has
opted out of the service, then processing ends and no further
communications are sent to the calling party.
[0068] If the calling party is not on the opt-out list, then an
appropriate campaign message is prepared based on the configuration
criteria and sent to the mobile subscriber. Here, this
communication is described as an SMS which triggers a remote
application on the calling party's mobile phone. This could be a
binary SMS, standard text SMS, a specialized (flash, class 1) SMS,
or a class 2 SMS which the handset passes to a SIM card within the
device. Alternatively, communications can occur via MMS, email,
USSD, or via other web-based communications channels between the
mobile phone and the SurveyXpert platform.
[0069] When the message is received on the calling party's mobile
device, the client application displays the prompt the caller. In
an exemplary embodiments, the can see the following displayed on
the screen of the mobile device: [0070] Rate the service level you
just received: [0071] 5=Exceptional [0072] 4=Very Good [0073]
3=Satisfactory [0074] 2=Disappointing [0075] 1=Very Poor
[0076] The user is able to navigate through the menu and select a
response, which is then sent back to the SurveyXpert cloud via the
application. Communication back to the cloud can be via a data
channel, SMS, MMS, etc.
[0077] The above embodiments can also be implemented in a manner
where a client application (either on the phone or on the SIM card)
is not required. In this instance, a USSD channel is opened and the
communications between the mobile subscriber and the SurveyXpert
platform occur via USSD communications.
[0078] In some embodiments, the SurveyXpert platform collects the
device type of the respective mobile devices and can send a message
to the respective client applications to "turn off" the SurveyXpert
client application in mobile devices that have known issues and/or
bugs that interfere with the service.
Intelligent Campaign Based Approach
[0079] In addition to after-call techniques, SurveyXpert campaign
can be conducted in an intelligent campaign manner. In some
embodiments, the SurveyXpert platform is able to track calls that
individual subscribers make to businesses. If a business would like
to run a campaign at a later date, subscribers who have called that
business in the past can be targeted. This makes the prompts to the
mobile subscribers relevant, as a previous relationship with the
company had already been established by the mobile consumer.
Consumers targeted in this manner receive a prompt, similar to that
outlined in the before mentioned embodiments. The intelligent
campaigns can be arranged to run a predefined dates and times, and
for selected groups of subscribers in a regional area based on the
subscriber's area code.
Opt-Out Process
[0080] In some embodiments, when a subscriber receives a message
from the SurveyXpert platform, he or she has the option not to
reply. The platform has the intelligence to count the number of
rejections and, based thereon, can ask the subscriber if he or she
would like to opt-out of the service if the service is not being
used. The opt-out counters for the subscribers who have used the
service and for the subscribers who have never used the service can
be different.
[0081] FIG. 1 showcases the user interface a mobile consumer would
see when the SurveyXpert service triggers and displays prompts to
the consumer after a phone call or other triggering event. Prior to
stage 100, a phone call placed to a business currently running a
SurveyXpert campaign disconnects. After the disconnection, an
interactive prompt displays. In some embodiments, the mobile device
also plays a tone in conjunction with displaying the interactive
prompt.
[0082] In some embodiments, the text displayed on the mobile device
is configurable by the company or business that was called. In this
example, a mobile user calls the Visa Customer Service department
to inquire about a charge on her credit card. After the phone call,
the mobile user sees an automatic, interactive prompt on her
handset directly on the screen. She is asked to rate her experience
with Visa.
[0083] In the embodiment where the mobile user interacts with the
campaign message and chooses to provide feedback, she is given a
list of options from which to choose in stage 105. Selecting one
sends a communication back to the cloud platform with the
selection. The session may continue with additional questions, or
may end at this point. In some embodiments, the mobile user may
receive a follow-up SMS message or other communication as shown in
stage 110 thanking the user for participating.
[0084] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the basic architecture of
the SurveyXpert platform. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, SurveyXpert
utilizes the following connectivity structure: [0085] Mobile
Subscriber A calls a number defined in the SurveyXpert target
database ("1"). The Operator Switch or HLR (Home Location Registry)
are in communication with the SurveyXpert platform ("2"). This
allows for the Mobile Operator Network to notify the SurveyXpert
platform when a specific target phone number is dialed. [0086]
After a target phone number is dialed and subsequently, the
required information necessary to trigger a campaign is passed to
the SurveyXpert platform (in some embodiments, via an API). Then,
the platform processes the information and prepares a campaign
message to be sent to a mobile subscriber. [0087] In one
embodiment, the SurveyXpert platform is connected to a Mobile
Network Operator SMSC (Short Message Service Center) via an SMPP
(Short Message Peer-to-Peer) connection ("3"). Other connection
types in other embodiments are also possible. In some embodiments,
the platform may also be connected to an MNO's MMSC (MultiMedia
Message Service Center). The Operator SMSC forwards the SurveyXpert
campaign message to Subscriber A's device ("4"). [0088] The
campaign message appears on Subscriber A's device as exemplified in
FIG. 1, at which point the subscriber selects his or her preferred
option. [0089] The SurveyXpert remote application within Subscriber
A's mobile device forwards the response to a designated short code
at the Operator SMSC ("5"). [0090] The Operator SMSC receives and
forwards the response to the SurveyXpert platform ("6"). In some
embodiments, the SMSC forwards the message in the form of a binary
SMS message. [0091] In some embodiments, the platform parses the
message and determines an appropriate response to Subscriber A
based on Subscriber A's initial response. Subsequent follow-up
questions may be sent, or a thank you SMS may be sent. [0092] In
the instance where a follow-up question is sent to the user, or in
the case where a final SMS thank you message is sent to the user,
the platform would send a message back to the subscriber (although
neither the follow up message nor the thank you message are
required). These messages would flow through the MNOs SMSC and MMSC
respectively ("7"). [0093] The Operator SMSC forwards the message
to the device user "(8)".
[0094] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the steps related to a
phone call event that will lead to the eventual triggering of the
SurveyXpert service. In stage 305, a mobile subscriber either
places a call, or receives a call from a company, brand, business,
or other group that created a targeted survey campaign. In stage
310, the call connects. A connected call can have a multitude of
scenarios including speaking with an actual individual, interacting
with an automated voice response system, or connecting to a
recorded message or voice mail system. In all cases, the call will
end as signified by stage 315. At this point, the call is
disconnected and communication between the SurveyXpert platform and
the Mobile Operator's network continue, as outlined in FIG. 4.
[0095] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the interactions between
the Mobile Operator Network and the SurveyXpert platform. In stage
405, a phone call is disconnected. The Call Disconnect is a formal
event recognized by the Mobile Operator network. This can be a
caller initiated Call Disconnect, or may be a Network Originated
Call Disconnect Event, meaning the called party terminates the call
or the network is not able to maintain the call and the call drops.
In some embodiments, when the call ends, the Mobile Operator
network will automatically check the phone number dialed to
determine if it is a number associated with a SurveyXpert campaign.
In some embodiments, this information is stored within a database
in the Mobile Operator's Network. In other embodiments, the
information can be stored within the SurveyXpert platform with
regular communications between the MNO network and the SurveyXpert
platform via web services or APIs. (Application Programming
Interfaces). If the phone number dialed in this embodiment does not
have an SurveyXpert campaign defined, then the flow ends as shown
in stage 415, and no further processing continues. If the phone
number called is associated with a campaign, then the Mobile
Operator network informs the SurveyXpert platform of the calling
event as outlined in stage 420. Relevant information to execute the
survey campaign is then passed from the Mobile Operator network to
the platform. This information includes the calling party's mobile
MSISDN (Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number).
In some embodiments, the calling party's mobile phone number is
also known as the OA, or Originating Address. In some embodiments,
the Mobile Operator network may also provide time and date to the
SurveyXpert platform. In some embodiments, the called phone number,
also referred to as the DA or Destination Address, is also sent to
the platform. This number may be a mobile phone number dialed, an
international number, a landline or fixed number, a 1-800 phone
number, a 1-900 phone number, an abbreviated number such as those
used for emergency services such as 911, a shortcode number often
used in the mobile industry for Short Message Service (SMS)
communications or any other number or address mechanism used for
connecting two or more parties to communicate. The SurveyXpert
platform then continues processing, as outlined in FIG. 5.
[0096] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary embodiment
of the logic process that the SurveyXpert platform uses to
determine if a campaign message should be sent to a specific
targeted mobile subscriber. In some embodiments, the SurveyXpert
platform receives the Origination Address, Destination Address, and
other information including date and time from the MNO network as
shown in stage 505. In other embodiments, the SurveXpert platform
only receives the Destination Address initially. In stage 510, the
SurveyXpert platform performs a check for the Destination Address,
for example to determine if the campaign is still relevant and/or
to determine if the date and time settings fall within
preconfigured allowable ranges. At stage 515, the Originating
Address, is also checked by the platform. If the SurveyXpert
platform only initially received the Destination Address, then, in
some embodiments, the SurveyXpert platform requests and obtains the
Origination Address after determining that a campaign is active and
relevant. Returning to stage 515, the SurveyXpert platform checks
to determine if the mobile subscriber has opted out of receiving
message notifications. In some embodiments, a mobile subscriber may
opt out of receiving any SurveyXpert notification for any brand,
company, business, or group called. In other embodiments, the
SurveyXpert platform and remote application residing within the
mobile subscriber's device are configured to allow the user to
manage which brands, businesses, companies, and groups he would
like to receive SurveyXpert notifications from after phone calls.
In stage 515, in some embodiments, the SurveyXpert platform is also
checking to ensure that the mobile subscriber has not exceeded
pre-configurable counters. In this embodiment, the counters track
the number of total SurveyXpert notifications the user has
received. In some embodiments, the SurveyXpert platform checks the
number of notifications received over a given timeframe, for all
brands, for specific brands, for all phone numbers called, and/or
for specific phone numbers dialed. This tracking ensures that the
user does not receive an overabundance of survey messages in a
short time period, which could lead to him opting out of all
notifications in the future. If the user has exceeded the allowable
limit, the processing ends as outlined in stage 516. In some
embodiments, this limit may be set by the user. In other
embodiments, the limit may be set by a network administrator
managing the platform and overall user experience. In the
embodiment where the mobile user has not exceeded the predefined
counter limits, a SurveyXpert message is prepared by the platform
and sent to the mobile subscriber at stage 520. The message sent
could be a standard SMS, binary SMS, a class 2 SMS which will
directly communication with a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card
within the mobile subscriber's mobile device, an MMS message, a
USSD message, or a web message sent over an IP (Internet Protocol)
network. Processing on the calling party's device then ensues, as
depicted in FIG. 6.
[0097] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary embodiment
of interactions and expressions of the SurveyXpert application on a
mobile device. This embodiment illustrate the user experience. In
stage 605, the SurveyXpert remote application is triggered on the
mobile user's device. In some embodiments, the application may play
a configurable tone as shown in stage 610. In some embodiments,
this tone can be configured by the mobile user. In other
embodiments, the tone can be configured by the platform
administrator. The tone can also be turned off for specific
subscribers, for specific campaigns, or for certain device types.
After the tone is played, the campaign message is displayed to the
calling party as shown in stage 615. The text shown to a mobile
user is fully configurable and can contain letters, numbers,
special characters and punctuation, or may contain UCS2 Unicode
encoded characters such as Greek, Cyrillic, or Mandarin characters
as an example. In this embodiment, the user may see a message such
as: [0098] "Thank you for contacting Visa Customer Service. To help
us continually improve our service to you, please click OK to rate
our performance today."
[0099] In most embodiments, the message displayed in stage 615 will
be actionable by the calling party. In stage 620, the user can
either choose to participate in the survey, or can choose to ignore
it or cancel the prompt. If the user decides to ignore the prompt,
or declines to participate (e.g., by selecting "Cancel" or "No") at
stage 620, the user sees no further information and his decline is
automatically sent back to the SurveyXpert server in stage 630. If
the user decides to participate at stage 620 (e.g., by selecting
"OK" or "Yes") his selection is sent back to the server where,
after receipt, additional messages to be displayed are sent back
from the SurveyXpert platform to the application. In some
embodiments, these additional messages with additional user
response options have already been received by the application and
are displayed after the user elects to participate in the survey,
as shown at stage 625. In some embodiments, the second survey
screen could display text such as: [0100] Rate the service you
received today: [0101] 5--Excellent [0102] 4--Good [0103] 3--Fair
[0104] 2--Poor [0105] 1--Unacceptable
[0106] The user's selection is sent back to the server platform in
stage 635. In some embodiments, the user's MSISDN, the date and
time or his response, the TAC (Type Allocation Code) of his device
type, and/or a campaign ID associated with the survey campaign are
also sent back to the platform.
[0107] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a
process illustrating how the SurveyXpert platform logs the mobile
device user's response and determines if another survey question
should be sent to the user based on the initial response. At stage
705, the mobile subscriber's selected response to the survey
campaign is received at the SurveyXpert platform. In stage 710, the
server processes the response by, in some embodiments, checking to
see if a campaign exists for the destination address. At stage 715,
the server determines if the user indicated a positive or negative
response. If the user did not wish to participate in the survey
campaign, the server logs the user's response at stage 720 for
further analysis, as defined in the flows in FIG. 8.
[0108] If the user provided a response to the campaign questions,
the platform checks to determine if any follow-up questions should
be sent at stage 730, based on the user's selection. If follow-up
questions are defined as part of the campaign, the platform
prepares the appropriate messages at stage 735 and sends these to
the user. In some embodiments, the process exemplified in FIG. 6
ensues.
[0109] If there are no follow-up survey questions, the platform
logs the user's initial response at stage 740. It then checks to
determine if a final email or SMS should be sent to the user, based
on the response provided, and prepares this message at stage 745.
In one embodiment, this message could be a thank you to the user
for his participation, such as: [0110] "Thank you. Your feedback is
valuable for the continuous improvement of our services. [0111]
Click here to receive 10% discount on your cash reward purchases:
www.company.com/reward"
[0112] At stage 750, the final message is sent to the user.
[0113] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary embodiment
of how the SurveyXpert platform updates the database with
subscriber preference results. The updates can include tracking the
participation such that the MNO may modify the frequency of
campaign depending on subscriber responsiveness. At stage 805, the
SurveyXpert server database is updated with the resulting user
selection from a targeted mobile subscriber. The platform looks to
determine if the mobile user responded in a positive or negative
fashion at stage 810 and updates configurable counters per MSISDN
accordingly.
[0114] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the exemplary process of
how a SurveyXpert campaign is designed. At stage 905, the campaign
is defined within the server. In some embodiments, this definition
includes the days and times during which the campaign will be
relevant. Specific geographic regions can also be configured. A
maximum number of targeted mobile subscribers can also be set. At
stage 910, called phone number(s) (destination address(es)) that
will trigger the campaign are defined. Websites that could trigger
the campaign (after a mobile user navigates to such a website from
his device) are also defined at this stage. Next, during stage 915,
the actual campaign text that will be displayed to a targeted
mobile user is defined. In stage 920, the survey questions that
will display to the mobile subscriber are defined. Any follow up
messages after the survey is completed by a user can also be
defined at this stage. In stage 925, configurable counters and
rules for the campaign are set. In one embodiment, this could
include the number of times a specific unique mobile subscriber, as
defined by his MSISDN, is prompted to answer survey questions after
dialing a business phone number.
EQUIVALENTS
[0115] It is to be understood that the foregoing description is
intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention,
which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled
in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain, using no more
than routine experimentation, numerous equivalents to the specific
embodiments described specifically in this disclosure. Such
equivalents, and other aspects, advantages, and modifications are
within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *
References