KR20070087192A - Process for real-time, dynamic routing of customer contacts to service providers - Google Patents

Abstract

The dynamic contact routing system includes creating a plurality of service provider accounts. Service providers submit bids for fee per contact. A contact list is generated where service providers are sorted from highest bidder to lowest bidder. Contacts received from potential buyers are routed to the service provider who is the highest ranking bidder on the contact list. If the contact does not respond or is rejected, it is rerouted to the next highest ranked service provider on the contact list. The account of the service provider who received the contact is charged a pre-contact amount by the service provider.

Description

PROCESS FOR DYNAMIC ROUTING OF CUSTOMER CONTACTS TO SERVICE PROVIDERS IN REAL TIME}

The present invention generally relates to routing customer contacts, such as telephone call routing. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for dynamically routing such contacts to bidding service providers to obtain an opportunity to accept the contacts of the customer.

Customers who wish to receive services must first find service providers who can provide the services they need. Typically, this means that you have to look in the phone book and choose a service provider from a long list of service providers. In some regions, it is necessary to determine a service provider geographically close enough to the customer in handling the customer's needs at a reasonable cost within a reasonable period of time. This process can be wasteful and time consuming, especially if you have to leave a message to a service provider who can't get your call right away. In this case, the customer will leave a message with the hope that the service provider will be in contact with them soon, or leave multiple messages to multiple service providers until an available service provider appears, and services that are no longer needed. You will be faced with the choice of whether to handle a response from a service provider who wants to supply the service provider.

Many customers now have computers with access to the Internet. Search can be used to find service providers on the Internet. Some of the service providers have websites that provide information that may be useful to the customer. Traditionally, service providers and other companies on the Internet have paid for each 'hit' or whenever an online user clicks or selects their link to their website. This requires two steps: identifying the service provider on the website and creating a call request or email request. In addition, it has been found that the hits are not completely reliable because online users may surf the web by selecting and visiting several websites before calling a business or service provider. Also, since the probability of a transaction closing from a given hit is low, typically the 'hits' only pay a very small amount to the website owner.

However, there are many drawbacks to informing yourself for service providers to customers who want to shop online. First, an appropriate internet search must be performed to connect to the service provider. Next, the online customer must determine which service providers are in geographically close locations or are suitable for the services they need, and select from a number of service providers. This, of course, presupposes that customers have computers with adequate internet access. In addition, about 70% of small and midsize companies are known to have no valid website. Thus, there are millions of service providers such as restaurants, plumbers, and other small businesses that can't trade online or exist on any web.

As disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,704,403, Ingenio, Inc. has developed an online based pay per call system for routing telephone calls made by customers to advertisers. The advertiser-for example, the service provider-registers so that its name and telephone number (a dedicated number free of long distance charges for the particular service provider / advertiser) can be seen on the Internet. When an online customer searches for a particular service, a list of service providers / advertisers is shown to the customer. The customer can select from this list and call the service provider's telephone number. If the service provider is absent, leave a message to the service provider. There is a flat fee already set for each call connected to the service provider. The '403 patent describes that the fee is paid by the potential customer so that service providers are compensated for the time it took to answer the customer's call. In addition, the '403 patent states that after an initial period of time, such as 10 minutes, a fee per minute is charged to either the service provider or potential customer. The rationale for this fee is that if a potential customer is calling the service provider for a significant amount of time, the service provider is likely to actually sell the product or provide the service to the customer. Thus there is no need to pay for incredible 'hits' or to maintain reality on a website or other internet.

But the Ingenio system has some drawbacks. First, customers must have a computer with access to the Internet. Next, in order to find a list of service providers for the service the customer needs, the customer must perform an online search. This may not take into account the geographic location of the customer. And the customer selects one service provider, and if the service provider is absent, the customer must leave a message. Although the '403 patent discloses a technology that makes it easy for a service provider to respond to a customer's telephone call, the customer still has to wait for the service provider to respond to the customer's call or call another service provider on the list. There is an unavoidable choice of whether. Without the Ingenio system, it would be helpful for a variety of service providers who would not be able to exist on the Internet, but it would be of little benefit to their customers. In addition, the '403 patent does not take into account contact means or other contacts originating from customers such as satellite enabled voice link, VOIP contacts, or electronic messages.

Thus, there is a continuing need for a dynamic contact routing system that charges a service provider only for received contacts, which not only meets the needs of customers, but also overcomes the drawbacks described above. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.

The present invention is directed to a process for dynamically routing contacts generated from a customer to service providers. The process of the present invention provides a real-time conversation or instant feedback to a potential customer, instead of waiting for the service provider until the customer leaves a message and responds to a call request or contact.

The process of the present invention involves creating an account for multiple service providers. Service providers bid each other for a fee per contact. A minimum cost per contact may be set for each received contact. A contact list is generated that includes a number of service providers listed from the highest bidder to the lowest bidder. When a contact is received from the customer, the contact from the customer is routed to the service provider who is the highest bidder available on the contact list. The amount per contact that the service provider bids is then billed in the account of the service provider that received the contact.

Contact generated from a customer includes a real time conversation using a real time communication link, such as a telephone link, a voice packet network (VOIP) link, or a satellite voice link. Optionally, the contact may include an electronic message generated from the customer. The electronic message may include a text message, an SMS message, an email message, and the like.

If the contact originated from the customer is a telephone call, it is preferable that the telephone number is a telephone number where the long distance charges implying a group of service providers are free. The promoter can be used to advertise phone numbers or other contact information to customers and to obtain a service provider account. In such a case, the system host or owner of the process, and the promoter of the process share a per-contact fee.

The service provider typically deposits funds in his or her account so that after the service provider accepts the contact, the charge per contact can be automatically deducted from the service provider's account. Account status can be obtained by the service provider via email, account login, telephone, customer support or mail. When the service provider's account balance reaches a certain level, the service provider is removed from the contact list, which is paid from the balance of the account that is the contact received, such as if the bid amount per service provider's bid exceeds the account balance. Say it can't be. If the account balance reaches a certain level at which the received contact cannot be paid out of the account balance, it notifies the service provider.

In certain preferred embodiments, bids of service providers are in progress and the service providers may enter a new bid for the fee per contact. If the bid rank on the contact list changes, notify the service providers. Although contact lists are typically generated according to the type and geographic location of the service provider, for example, if the service provider provides multiple services or has branches in multiple regions, the service providers may generate one or more contact lists. The present invention contemplates that it can be selected.

Typically, when a customer makes a contact or request, the geographic location of the customer is determined to select a contact list based on the geographic location. This may be done automatically by obtaining the geographic location from the customer's telephone contact identification. In addition, the customer's geographic location can be determined using GPS-assisted location, triangulation, operator-assisted location, or cell-phone company assisted location. Can be determined or obtained using Optionally, geographical location information can be provided by the customer, thereby routing the service provider to a contact list containing the corresponding geographical location. This can be achieved, for example, via speech recognition or telephone keypad input. In some cases, to facilitate proper routing of customer contact, the customer may make a choice before routing to the service provider, or have the choice after routing to the service provider. This can also be done with voice recognition or telephone keypad input.

The customer's contact is sent to the service provider who is the highest bidder on the contact list. However, if the highest priority service provider has no answer or response to the contact, the customer contact will be rerouted to the service provider who is the next highest bidder on the contact list. Optionally, the highest priority service provider can determine whether to accept or reject the contact, such as by voice recognition or telephone keypad entry. The present invention allows service providers to set the time it takes to accept and reject a contact. If the highest priority service provider does not accept the contact, the contact is rerouted to the next highest priority service provider on the contact list.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the idea of the invention in an exemplary manner.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

1 is a flow diagram illustrating steps generally performed in accordance with the present invention for routing a contact generated from a customer to a service provider.

2 is a flow diagram illustrating other steps including the step of installing a system embodying the present invention.

3 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps involved in creating an account of a service provider and bidding a service provider's fee per contact in accordance with the present invention.

4 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps when a customer issues a contact or request to a service provider in accordance with the present invention.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, for illustrative purposes, the present invention is directed to a dynamic contact routing process for connecting customers who require a product or service to the service providers. As will be described in more detail herein, the present invention benefits both service customers as well as potential customers. It should be understood that the term 'customer' as used herein refers to any type of customer seeking any product or service or information. 'Service provider' refers to any entity or individual that provides the service, product or information and, as will be described in more detail herein, they belong to the system by creating an account.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the present invention is generally described. First customer contact is generated (10). This can take many forms. In certain preferred embodiments, the contact may be a real-time conversation rather than an existing telephone service over a real-time communication link, such as a satellite voice link, voice activated dialing link, VOIP, etc. It is preferably a service (POTS) phone call. An example of a satellite contact or voice link is a service provided by OnStar ™, which allows drivers or passengers in a car to make contact with the operator of the Operator by pressing a button. The user may inform the desired product or service and as will be described in more detail herein, the system of the present invention will route the contact. Of course, it will be appreciated that the contact generated from the customer may also include an electronic message such as a text message, email or SMS message 14. The electronic message may be generated from a user's computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), vehicle navigation assistance device, or the like.

The location of the customer is then determined 16. This can be done in a variety of ways. The geographic location may be automatically determined through a method of customer telephone identification, GPS location estimation, triangulation, operator location estimation, or cell phone location estimation. Optionally, geolocation information can be provided by the customer, which can be done in an automated manner by voice recognition or keypad input.

The customer contact is then dynamically routed 18 to the service provider, who accepts or responds to the customer contact or request 20. As will be described in detail herein, contacts are dynamically routed according to the customer's desired product or service, the customer's geographic location, and a hierarchical contact list of service providers.

Referring now to FIG. 2, first of all, the contact routing system and process of the present invention is established. Although the rights holder for the present invention may serve as a host nationally or even within a given geographic area, more generally, the promoter P is used to create an account in the system (100). That is, a promoter can negotiate to secure any local or any type of service provider. The promoter will create an account on the system owner or host of the present invention, for example using the Internet, using the telephone or even mail. The process of the present invention gives the promoter the ability to create a system for routing customer contacts to various service providers based on how the promoter has designed the contact routing task.

Once the promoter's account is created, the promoter can deposit money into the account. This can be done by submitting a check or money order or by providing a host-defined credit card. Optionally, without having to deposit money in the promoter's account, the promoter periodically pays for the contact that was received and the revenue share generated from the service provider's account-for example, monthly-to the host. I can pay

The promoter may set a minimum bid amount or listing fee that the service provider SP must pay in order to be included in the contact list in the system (102).

The promoter then decides whether to answer the received contact with a voice prompt, route it directly to the service provider, or combine both. In the case of a telephone call contact, the promoter or host preferably owns a telephone number reminiscent of a group of service providers. It is even more desirable that the telephone number is a toll free number such as a 1-800 or 1-866 telephone number. For example, the telephone number may be 1-800-PLUMBER, plumber, 1-800-FLOWERS, flower, 1-800-LAWYERS, or the like. In general, a promoter will advertise a phone number or other contact information and system services, for example within its geographic area, so potential service providers and customers will know. Such advertisement may be made through the Internet, a phone book, a billboard, a mass mailer, or the like. As such, service providers do not have to pay fees or have intellectual sophistication for them to exist on the Internet, and potential customers also need to know contact information for groups of service providers included in the system. You do not need to have a computer with access to it. It is most desirable for numbers that are reminiscent of toll-free toll-free numbers that potential customers can easily remember the numbers so that they can be reached through the memory when they need service, without having to refer to any additional material. something to do. However, the phone number does not have to be a free or reminiscent of long distance charges. It will be appreciated that the contact information may include information other than a telephone number, such as, for example, a website address, an email address, or other means. For example, satellite communications are becoming increasingly available to customers. One such well-known form of communication is the Ostarstar ™ service, where motorists or passengers can touch the operator of the Ostarstar ™, providing real-time accident or repair assistance, driving directions, etc. at the push of a button. You can talk. Using the present invention, motorists or passengers can request restaurants, hotels, repair shops, etc., within a given geographical location.

Referring again to FIG. 1, if the promoter sets up contacts to respond with a voice prompt, the promoter designs 106 a dedicated prompting menu appropriate for the specific business needs. For example, if a potential customer calls 1-800 LAWYERS, the prompting menu will prompt the potential customer to select a legal area such as intellectual property, real estate, civil law, or criminal law. The system may be designed to receive the selection by voice recognition or to receive the selection by prompting a potential customer to press any number or button on the telephone keypad. The prompting menu is typically provided to the customer as soon as the phone number is called before the contact is routed to the service provider, but may also be provided after the contact has been made so that a particular service provider may obtain any information before responding to the telephone contact. .

Alternatively or additionally, when a potential customer generates a contact, the system is designed such that the caller is identified by the contact identification number, which includes the customer's telephone number 108. In this way, the system can detect the geographic location with which the customer contacts, and determine an appropriate service provider contact list, for example, a contact list based on the geographic location.

Also, as will be described in detail herein, when the caller identification number is blocked (110), other methods such as initiating a voice prompt, determining a location, or connecting a contact to a Customer Service Representative, may be made. May be designed for use.

Once the promoter and / or host has set up a software driven menu, the promoter advertises the contact routing system service. As mentioned above, the promoter advertises 112 the phone number to potential customers and service providers. In this method, a service provider who wishes to belong to the system may request that the customer's contact be added to the various contact lists to be directed to the service provider. Of course, service providers may also contact the promoter or host in a variety of ways, such as by visiting a website, calling a promoter, or mailing or faxing a registration form to a promoter or host. It may be. As will be discussed in detail herein, the customer also contacts 116 with various contact methods or dedicated telephone numbers to connect with the service provider, which will be described in detail in FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIG. 3, when advertising the system of the present invention, the potential service provider knows to pay the promoter and / or host only when the potential customer contact is substantially received. This removes a number of uncertainties associated with posting his phone number in the phone book or paying an internet advertiser for a 'hit'. First, the service provider creates a new account at the promoter and / or host (200). The account will contain minimal contact information, such as telephone number, email address, etc., to identify the service provider, through which contact can be provided directly to the service provider. The service provider deposits funds in the account via credit card, check, etc. (202).

After creating an account, the service provider selects a contact list to be included (204). The system can be designed such that the geographic location of the service provider is automatically associated with a particular contact list. In this case, there may be some geographic limitations and thus the service provider may be included in a national or global contact list. The service provider may also have several points, so the service providers can select multiple contact lists that represent the various geographic locations where their points are located. In addition, a service provider may provide substantially more than one type of service. For example, if the service provider is a law firm, the law firm may provide proxy rights in criminal law, real estate, litigation, and the like, and therefore it is desirable to be included in multiple contact lists even within one geographic location. Service providers may also bid different amounts for each geographic location. That is, for example, if a geographic location is a metropolitan area, or if a contact list is more specifically defined, such as a specific city compared to a valley or a county, what belongs to a specific contact list may be included in another contact list. It can be worth more than belonging.

The service provider then selects a listing fee or a fee per contact fee based on the set minimum bid and / or current market price (206). In general, the standard minimum fee per contact is set by the promoter and / or host. This will be the minimum per-contact fee for customer contact received from the service provider. For example, it can be set equal to one dollar per contact.

However, in certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, service providers may bid higher on each other in bids on amounts per contact. And the service provider can know the maximum or maximum bid amount on the contact list as well as the minimum set per-contact listing fee. The service provider may also call with a telephone number, such as a customer service number, to correct based on this information. As will be described in more detail herein, the contact list is listed from highest bidder to lowest bidder, and customer contacts are routed accordingly. Thus, even though the minimum listing fee or minimum fee per contact may be only $ 1, the market price that a service provider is willing to pay to receive the highest number of potential customer contacts is $ 2 or more, in order to receive the highest potential customer contact. With a high price per contact can be very high. In this case, the service provider may select a fee per contact and bid with other providers in the contact list. The service provider may choose to pay a higher bid amount to go to position 1, or pay a lower bid amount to place the service provider at a lower priority on the list. The lowest amount a service provider can choose is the minimum bid amount set. When a customer contact is routed to the service provider, the fee per contact, which is either the minimum bid or the amount the service provider bids, is deducted from the service provider's account.

The present invention contemplates that any service provider may be fixed at regular business hours, such as from 8:00 to 5:00, so that customer contact will not be routed to the service provider before 8:00 or after 5:00. The system may be designed to allow service providers to bid for a specific time of day, i.e., bid highest for contacts received from 8 pm to noon, bid low for contacts received in the afternoon, You may not bid outside of business hours. Additionally or alternatively, the service provider may specify some days of the week and some times of the day as long as the service provider can receive the contacts, so that the customer's contacts are not routed to the service provider where they are not available.

Each service provider can access his or her account by logging in via the Internet, calling, or the like. It is desirable that the accounts be accessible via the Internet so that the information can be completely provided to the service provider on the provider's website or the host's website. If the login is unsuccessful, the customer service department can provide help to the service provider or send the password to the service provider by e-mail (210).

Once the service provider successfully logs into the account, they deposit funds in the account, determine the current ranking of the provider, increase the bid amount per contact, check the account balance, check the charges and records of the contact, In addition, it is possible to check the account status (212). Thus, it is desirable that the fee-per-contact bid amount can be changed continuously, except as soon as the account is registered. In this way, service providers can change the rank on the contact list and determine higher price per contact received according to the free market, which will maximize the revenue of the promoter or host, and service according to the number of contacts received. It will give providers some degree of control.

If the 'listing fee' or bid amount of the service provider is greater than the available funds of the service provider account (214), the service provider is removed from the contact list (216). Instructions are sent to the service provider to add additional funds to the account in order to be relocated on the contact list with an indication of insufficient funds (218). Such guidance can be performed automatically via e-mail messages, instance messages, phone messages, postcards and the like, for example. Thus, the service provider is given an opportunity to pay additional funds to the account, for example, by approving a credit card transaction, or passing a check or other payment method to the promoter or host (220). If the service provider does not pay funds after a predetermined time, for example two days, an additional notice may be sent to the service provider that they must pay the account to relocate on the contact list. If the service provider did not want to be relocated on the contact list, preferably periodically a message indicating how many customers were directed to other service providers during this time to persuade the service provider to re-register with the system. It is forwarded to the service provider (226). If the service provider wants to return to the contact list again, the service provider is informed of the maximum or highest bid amount and requested to set a new bid amount or to select a set minimum bid amount (228). The service provider is then placed back on the list (230). Once on the contact list, customer contacts are routed to the service provider in accordance with the present invention.

If the service provider's bid is less than the account's available funds, the service provider remains on the contact list (232). Optionally, the service provider may have an open account, in which case the service provider is billed periodically—for example, once a month—and thus even to accommodate the bid amount per contact of the service provider. Even if there is insufficient funds in the account, the service provider remains on the contact list. As described above, the service provider may access its account, add funds periodically as needed, determine its current ranking and increase its bid amount. If a new service provider or an existing service provider on the contact list bids higher than the current service provider to get to the top position or the highest ranking position on the contact list (234), a message notifying the change in location is displayed. It is forwarded to the service provider (236). As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, messages may be automatically sent via electronic mail, instant messaging, telephone voice mail messaging, and the like. The service provider may increase the bid amount to change his position on the contact list, or do nothing to log on to his account to maintain his current low position (238). As part of the message sent to the service provider, the service provider may be informed of the current maximum bid amount and requested to enter a new bid amount (240). For example, when registered, the service provider may provide a credit card or account number, which may be automatically deducted by the promoter or host for the service provider's instructions. The window-driven portion of the voice recognition or message delivered to the service provider may provide a menu, for example to fill an insufficient account or to increase its bid amount per received contact. In order to do so, you may choose to deposit additional funds in your account. In this way, the service provider is not required to log in to his account to handle these two tasks. The automated system can inform the service provider of the balance of the account and the new minimum bid amount. The steps may be handled via a two-way voice recognition drive menu, or if a telephone message is delivered to the service provider, if the service provider contacts the promoter or host's customer service number, via email, instant messaging, or Or by logging on to the service provider's account. Of course, it will be appreciated that a promoter or host may receive a response to a request for a service provider's account and may hire an operator or customer service department that can assist customers.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a process for routing a contact generated from a customer in the form of a telephone call is shown. A potential customer calls a phone number (300), which is preferably a toll-free number as described above, but may also be a local or long distance number, or even a 1-900 number. It may be a specific number or any other suitable telephone number. It is then determined whether the number is menu supported or menu supported (302). If the system is configured to identify the caller's geographic location via the caller identification number (304), the call is automatically routed to a service provider that is the first position or highest bidder on the call list (306). If there is no geographic limitation, the call can be automatically routed by simply routing the call to a service provider at a first location on the call list without having to identify the caller's telephone identification number.

If the number uses a menu, such as if the caller identification number is blocked or the system is designed to be driven by a menu, the customer may press the '0' button on the telephone keypad or speak on the phone in the same way. You are prompted or asked to select a service. As described above, the prompting may be directed to the geographic location of the customer or to the geographic location of the service to be provided. In this case, the customer may enter an area code, postal code, city, state, or the like through voice recognition or keypad input. If the prompting is not directed to a geographic location, but to some other choice-for example, a form of service-the customer is asked to choose how to speak by phone or press a key on the telephone keypad (308). For example, a customer may be asked for the type of car they want to rent. Customers can choose between luxury cars, compact cars and mini-vans. This may occur before or after the call is routed and before the service provider answers the call as described above (310).

If the customer has difficulty in menu selection, the customer may press '0' to connect to the customer service (312), or otherwise call the customer service by speaking over the phone, where The customer service department will route the call to the service provider 306 at the first location on the call list (314). However, if the customer does not select customer service and instead is prompted with a query list in the menu, the system will determine where to route the call (316), which is the service provider at the first location on the appropriate call list (306). ).

The present invention also contemplates a 'search engine', which is an automated telephone system similar to calling a 411 operator. In this embodiment, there are a wide variety of sectors or service providers who want to bid higher to accommodate calls in their field and / or selected geographic location. Customers will call the phone number that needs a phone query. Customers can then be routed as described herein by selecting a particular field or need, such as by speaking on the phone or entering information on the phone using the keypad.

Once routed to the service provider of the first location on the call list, the service provider must answer the call within a certain number of rings, such as three or four. If the provider does not do this, the system may prompt the customer to 'Please wait while being connected' (320) during which the call is routed to the next-order waiting service provider on the call list (322). In this case, if the service provider is busy, on vacation or otherwise absent, the customer is immediately routed to the service provider without having to leave a message. In addition, this allows service providers to accept calls, not the service provider, who is the highest ranking on the call list. However, it will be appreciated that the best ranking service provider will accept the largest number of customer contacts.

However, if the service provider answers the call within a certain number of rings (318), then the service provider is provided with a real-time customer call or the following system, which gives the service provider, for example, '1 to accept. Press and press 2 for rejection 'to provide a message from an automated system, such as a voice message, or to say whether the service provider accepts or rejects-which will be interpreted through voice recognition software, etc. It can be designed to If the service provider rejects the call, the service provider is typically removed from the call list and is not charged by the charging server (328). Optionally, the system may be designed such that the service provider is not removed from the call list, but instead can selectively accept or reject calls until the account balance falls below the service provider's minimum bid amount, or the service provider It may be designed to close your account. In any case, the system will route the call to the service provider, which is the next highest order on the call list (322).

If the highest priority service provider accepts the call by speaking explicitly or pressing a button to accept the call, or just answering the phone call 300 (330), the call is established and registered with the billing server. (332). The 'bid amount' of the service provider, which the service provider previously bid per call, is charged to the service provider's account (334). The bid amount charged per call is preferably automatically deducted from the service provider's account. This fee is then given to the promoter (336).

Although the description provided above with respect to FIG. 4 is represented by contact generated from a customer in the form of a telephone call, such as a 'terrestrial line' call, which is a cellular phone or an existing telephone service, the present invention is not so limited. As mentioned above, in addition to telephone calls, various forms of routing may be completed. Real-time voice conversations can be performed via the Internet or VOIP links, satellite up-links (such as Ozta ™), and autodial devices, which can be programmed with a phone or contact number that is already programmed, Include parts of other systems that do not require you to call. Dynamic routing of non-voice customer contacts, such as electronic messages, including text messages, SMS messages, email messages, and the like, has also been envisioned by the present invention. For example, customer contacts or requests generated in the form of email may be routed to the appropriate service provider's email address, telephonic device, SMS device, and the like. Similarly, customer requests generated in the form of SMS or text messages may be routed to the service provider's SMS device, telephone device, and the like. The service provider may respond via other methods of contacting potential customers, such as electronic messages or telephones. Similar steps disclosed in FIG. 4 may be applied to each of the various types of communication contacts originating from a customer, which may be routed to a service provider that accepts a response to a customer request.

When designing the system, it has been considered throughout the present invention to enable promoters to create a scoring system, which will rank the satisfaction or usefulness of the service provider by past customers. This information may allow the customer to select a 'four star' or 'highest rated' service provider, low rated service providers may require higher minimum bid fees, or even customers of the system. It can be used in a variety of ways, such as ending their participation in the system to maintain trust.

Typically, the promoter will have contractual obligations with the owner or host with the intellectual property rights of the system, so that the promoter who installs the system pays the host a fixed fee for each newly registered service provider, or each contact. A portion of this fee is distributed to promoters and host / intellectual property owners. This may be done periodically, such as by billing, or by submitting an account balance report, or allowing the promoter account to be automatically increased to an amount for each billed contact. The present invention allows the promoter to directly process the service provider account to pay the host periodically, or to pay the promoter an amount agreed upon for the host to maintain the system, receive the charge directly from the service provider, and distribute periodically. Consider doing.

The present invention allows service providers to advertise their services as needed to allow them to pay for advertising only when they need to work, and also to bid to be in a position to accommodate so many contacts. Those skilled in the art will appreciate. Customers are routed directly to service providers who can respond immediately to customer requests, without having to spend the tedious process of finding a particular service provider in the phone book or on the Internet.

In addition, the present invention allows a promoter to change to a routing system that suits specific vendor requirements to create a viable business that dynamically routes various vendor / service contacts to providers.

Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of disclosure, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims (49)

A method for dynamically routing customer contacts to a service provider, Establishing an account for a plurality of service providers; Allowing the plurality of service providers to bid each other for a fee per customer contact; Generating a contact list including the service providers listed in order from the highest bidder to the lowest bidder; Receiving a contact from a customer; Routing the contact from the customer to a service provider that is the highest bidder on the contact list; And Charging the amount per customer contact that the service provider has bid in the account of the service provider that received the contact. The method of claim 1, And the contact comprises a real time conversation over a real time communication link. The method of claim 2, The real time communication link comprises a telephonic link, a voice packet network (VOIP) link, or a voice link using satellites. The method of claim 1, Wherein the contact comprises an electronic message originating from a customer. The method of claim 4, wherein The electronic message comprises a text message, an SMS message, or an email message. The method of claim 1, If the best service provider does not respond to the customer contact, rerouting the customer contact to a next service provider. The method of claim 1, Informing the service provider if the bid ranking of the service provider has changed. The method of claim 7, wherein Causing the service provider to enter a new bid amount. The method of claim 1, Setting up the account includes allowing the service providers to select one or more contact lists. The method of claim 1, Generating the contact list comprises generating a contact list based on a geographic location of the service provider. The method of claim 10, Routing the contact comprises determining a geographic location of the customer and selecting a contact list based on the geographic location. The method of claim 11, The step of determining the geographic location is calculated by geographic information provided by the customer, customer caller identification number, location estimation using GPS, triangulation, location estimation using an operator, or location estimation using a mobile phone company, Dynamic contact routing method. The method of claim 12, Wherein determining the geographic location comprises prompting the customer to provide geographic location information to route the customer to a service provider contact list according to the corresponding geographic location. The method of claim 13, Wherein the customer provides geographical location information through voice recognition or keypad input. The method of claim 1, Prompting the customer to select to determine how to properly route the customer contact. The method of claim 15, Wherein the customer selection is accomplished in an automated manner using voice recognition or keypad input. The method of claim 1, Setting a minimum fee bid per contact for each received contact. The method of claim 1, The service providers depositing funds in their account, and the charging step includes automatically deducting a bid per contact from the service provider's account after the service provider accepts the contact. Dynamic contact routing method. The method of claim 18, Making service providers their account status available. The method of claim 18, Removing the service provider from the provider's contact list if the account balance reaches a stage where a received call cannot be paid to the service provider's account balance. The method of claim 20, Informing the service provider when the account balance reaches a step in which a received call cannot be paid to the service provider's account balance. The method of claim 1, Causing the service provider to which the customer contact is routed to accept or reject the contact. The method of claim 22, Wherein said accepting or rejecting is caused by voice recognition or keypad input. The method of claim 22, If the highest priority service provider has not accepted the contact, rerouting the customer contact to a next level service provider on the contact list. The method of claim 1, Dynamic service routing method for setting the time taken for the service providers to accept a contact. The method of claim 1, Advertising the service provider contact system to customers and using a promoter to obtain service provider accounts. The method of claim 26, The system host and the promoter share the per-contact fee for the service provider accounts. As a way to dynamically route customer contacts to service providers, Establishing an account for a plurality of service providers; Allowing the plurality of service providers to bid each other for a fee per customer contact; Generating contact lists based on the geographic location of the service providers, listed in order from the service provider that is the highest bidder to the service provider that is the lowest bidder; Receiving a contact from a customer, including a real time conversation over a real time communication link; Routing the contact from the customer to a service provider that is the highest bidder on the contact list; Charging the amount per customer contact that the service provider bids in the account of the service provider that received the contact; If the best service provider does not respond to the customer contact, rerouting the customer contact to a next service provider on the contact list; And Informing the service provider when the bid ranking of the service provider has changed, and forcing the service provider to enter a new bid amount. The method of claim 28, The real time communication link comprises a telephone link, a voice packet network (VOIP) link, or a voice link using satellites. The method of claim 28, Setting up the account includes allowing the service providers to select one or more contact lists. The method of claim 28, Routing the contact comprises determining the geographical location of the customer and selecting a contact list based on the geographical location. The method of claim 28, Prompting the customer to select to determine how to properly route the customer contact. The method of claim 28, Setting a minimum fee bid per contact for each received contact. The method of claim 28, The service providers depositing funds in their account, and the charging step includes automatically deducting a bid per contact from the service provider's account after the service provider accepts the contact. Dynamic contact routing method. The method of claim 34, wherein Removing the service provider from the provider's contact list if the account balance reaches a stage where a received call cannot be paid to the service provider's account balance. The method of claim 34, wherein Informing the service provider when the account balance reaches a step in which a received call cannot be paid to the service provider's account balance. The method of claim 28, Causing the service provider to which the customer contact is routed accept or reject the contact, and if the highest priority service provider does not accept the contact, rerouting the customer contact to a next-level service provider on the contact list. Dynamic contact routing method. The method of claim 28, Dynamic service routing method for setting the time taken for the service providers to accept a contact. As a way to dynamically route customer contacts to service providers, Establishing an account for a plurality of service providers; Allowing the plurality of service providers to bid each other for a fee per customer contact; Generating contact lists based on the geographic location of the service providers, listed in order from the service provider that is the highest bidder to the service provider that is the lowest bidder; Receiving a contact from the customer comprising an electronic message originating from the customer; Routing the contact from the customer to a service provider that is the highest bidder on the contact list; Charging the amount per customer contact that the service provider bids in the account of the service provider that received the contact; If the best service provider does not respond to the customer contact, rerouting the customer contact to a next service provider on the contact list; And Informing the service provider when the bid ranking of the service provider has changed, and forcing the service provider to enter a new bid amount. The method of claim 39, The electronic message comprises a text message, an SMS message, or an email message. The method of claim 39, Setting up the account includes allowing the service providers to select one or more contact lists. The method of claim 39, Routing the contact comprises determining the geographical location of the customer and selecting a contact list based on the geographical location. The method of claim 39, Prompting the customer to select to determine how to properly route the customer contact. The method of claim 39, Setting a minimum fee bid per contact for each received contact. The method of claim 39, The service providers depositing funds in their account, and the charging step includes automatically deducting a bid per contact from the service provider's account after the service provider accepts the contact. Dynamic contact routing method. The method of claim 45, Removing the service provider from the provider's contact list if the account balance reaches a stage where a received call cannot be paid to the service provider's account balance. The method of claim 45, Informing the service provider when the account balance reaches a step in which a received call cannot be paid to the service provider's account balance. The method of claim 39, Causing the service provider to which the customer contact is routed accept or reject the contact, and if the highest priority service provider does not accept the contact, rerouting the customer contact to a next-level service provider on the contact list. Dynamic contact routing method. The method of claim 39, Dynamic service routing method for setting the time taken for the service providers to accept a contact.

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