GB2219713A

GB2219713A - Method and apparatus for automated referral services

Info

Publication number: GB2219713A
Application number: GB8807911A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Walling Bexon; Andrew Cameron Moir; Robin Clifford Hackney; Michael John Bostock
Original assignee: ROOM SERVICE Ltd
Current assignee: ROOM SERVICE Ltd
Priority date: 1988-04-05
Filing date: 1988-04-05
Publication date: 1989-12-13
Also published as: GB8807911D0

Abstract

An automatic hotel accommodation system operates by automatically connecting a caller, using an autodialler 40, with required hotels in a location identified by the caller. Once a room is accepted by the caller the booking is recorded on automatic recording equipment thereby ensuring the accuracy of the system. Information regarding hotels is held in a database 30/32, which the caller interrogates via a voice recognition equipment 20. <IMAGE>

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATED REFERRAL SER';TcES The present invention relates to automated director and referral services, wherein the system acts as an intermediary between the customer and the vendor, imparting information on the vendor(s) products/services while allowing the customer to control the level of information delivered and to activate the sequence of events leading to automatic direct access to the vendor(s) elected as a result of the customer' interrogation of the information prpvided on the vendor(s) by the system in an automated process.

;N1ore particularly the system has been developed ,o provide a number of applications suited to access by the generni. I;ubiic and referral to a closed user group of subscribers and data providers. These include: Hotel directory and accommodation booking service.

Insurance quotation and policy writing service.

Financial information and brokerage service.

Leisllre events directory and ticket sale service.

Restaurant directory and table booking service.

Product information and agent (retail) referral service.

For the purpose of describing this invention and its practical application, we will describe the invention in relation to an accommodation booking service.

Present procedures for booking hotel rooms involve the caller (prospective room occupier) contacting a central service which then books the room on his behalf, or the caller contacting several hotels to ascertain firstly if they are suitable and secondly if they have accommodation available that meets his requirements.

Both these systems have disadvantages. In the first example the caller does not have direct contact with the hotel and thus may lack confidence in either the suitability or the actual status of his booking. In the second example the caller may have to contact a large number of hotels to complete his booking, and would invariably need to spend additional time and have to acquire some published source of hotel information (address, facilities, telephone number etc.

The present invention in its first aspect provides a method of booking accommodation including the steps of energizing a central facility by voice communication to select the location of the required hotel(s); the central office then communicating with at least one hotel in the required location, providing the caller with details of the hotel(s), accessing the hotel's availability to meet the required dates, specifications and. if available connecting the caller to the hotel te make and to confirm the booking.

The present invention in its second aspect provides apparatus for automatically booking accommodation including a central office, the central office providing voice recognition equipment and automatic dialling facilities (AD) activated by means of voice/frequency communication to automatically allow the caller to identify and learn relevant information on available choices, instruct the central service on a selection, activate the central service to contact at least one of the establishments chosen, the central service then automatically contacting the establishment(s) to confirm (or otherwise) availability of the required accommodation, followed by the direct connection of the caller to the hotel to make and confirm a booking (or otherwise interact) between the parties.

Preferably the voice recognition equipment (VR) includes, generated voice means for requesting information from the caller as to the details of his requirement, means for providing in response, information as requested by the caller, means for controlling the sequence of events of the automatic dialing equipment, such that only the hotels selected by the caller are contacted (either in parallel or sequentially) means for questioning establishments contacted on availability, means for interpreting the response from the establishment.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows schematically the system in block diagrammatic form; Figure 2 shows schematically one path through the system in bloc diagrammatic form; and Figure 3 shows a simplified logic diagram sequence of events in an embodiment of the present invention.

The method and apparatus provides a bespoke hotel accommodation service using a register of approved hotels in various locations throughout the world. The central office 10 contains a voice recognition circuit 20, a computer 30 with memory 32, an autodialler 40 and a bypass switch 50. The central office 10 enables a caller CR to communicate with hotels HL in locations for example London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, New York, etc.

The service operates by an initial telephone call (using the telephone network - PSTN) from a caller who wishes to locate an hotel and book a room in for example Paris. In the equipment shown in Figures 1 and 2 the call is initially answered by VR circuit 20 which, by posing a series of questions will obtain and recognise information on the hotel required by the caller. This stage can, alternatively in less sophisticated equipment, be commenced by an operator according to stages A to D.

The service will operate in the following sequence: A. Caller rings service 10 on PSTN circuit.

B. Tele-operator answers call, takes kes data from caller.

C. Key data passed to computer 30, search conducted 32.

D. Operator informed by 30 that choice exists.

E. Operator passes CL to VR system 20.

F. Hotel description(s) passed from 32 to CL via VR 20.

G. CL asked if hotel A acceptable, (if) OR passed to VR 22.

H. CL continues to hear details, asked if each is OK.

I. VR 22 via AD 40 calls hotel, asks if booking OK.

J. If OR V)R 22 holds line, informs VR 20 of status.

E. VR 20 informs CL booking A OK, asks OK to proceed.

L. If CL accepts; VR 20 passes CL to hotel via VR 22.

M. CL makes arrangements with hotel, VR 20 monitors.

N. Hotel acknowledges booking status to VR 22.

O. Call ends, all data logged by VR 20 to memory 30, 32.

P. Invoicing conducted from data on file 30, 32.

The sequence can be seen from Figure 3, and from this sequence of actions it may be seen that the VR circuits 20, 22 may be connected variously both to receive information from the caller, and to send and receive information from the hotels.

Various interrupt facilities may be provided to allow the caller to change his mind and for example revert to the list of hotels should one prove not acceptable at stage K. Also the caller may be given a reference number of the hotel at stage J for example so that should he wish to consult a third party and therefore disconnect the procedure for a while for such consultation he can re-enter the system by giving the reference to TR circuit 20 for direct connection to the hotel or to the operator 10 for rapid access to the system.This procedure may be used after confirmation if for example a booking change is required and thereby the caller can use the reference number to circumvent the procedure to gain rapid access to the hotel, alternatively it may be used if no hotel can confirm availability at the time and re-entry at a later date is sought or prompted by a return call from the central service provider.

Because the equipment employs VR techniques it is relatively simple to include voice record preferably in digital format to provide a record of the details regarding the transaction, particularly those parts relating to the conversation regarding actual confirmation.

At stage I the requested information from the hot.el can be by MK nulti-frequency) coding techniques with specific codes being used for example covering availability of single or double rooms, bath or shower, specific dates and such like. This procedure can be fully automated at the central service provider end, allowing significant time savings and productivity gains thereby reducing service provision costs.

Claims

1. A method of booking accommodation including the steps of energising a central facility by voice communication to select the location of the required hotel(s); the central office then communicating with at least one hotel in the required location, providing the caller with details of the hotel(s), accessing the hotel's availability to meet the required dates, specifications and, if available connecting the caller to the hotel to make and to confirm the booking.

2. Apparatus for automatically booking accommodation including a central office, the central office providing voice recognition equipment and automatic dialling facilities (AD) activated by means of voice/frequency communication to automaaically allow the caller to identify and learn relevant information on available choices, instruct the central service on a selection, activate the central servie to contact at least one of the establishments chosen, the central service then automatically contacting the establishment(s) to confirm (or otherwise) availability of the required accommodation, followed by the direct connection of the caller to the hotel to make and confirm a booking (or otherwise interact) between the parties.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the voice recognition equipment (VR) includes, generated voice means for requesting information from the caller as to the details of his requirement, means for providing in response, information as requested by the caller, means for controlling the sequence of events of the automatic dialing equipment, such that only the hotels selected by the caller are contacted (either in parallel or sequentially) means for questioning establishments contacted on availability, means for interpreting the response from the establishment.

4. A method of booking accommodation substantially as described with reference to the accomapanying drawings.

Apparatus for automatically booking accomodation substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.