GB2353175A

GB2353175A - Telephone contact system

Info

Publication number: GB2353175A
Application number: GB9919221A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Taylor; Joanna Sarchet Chubb
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-08-13
Filing date: 1999-08-13
Publication date: 2001-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 2019-08-13
Also published as: GB9919221D0; GB2353175B

Abstract

A system for automatically selecting and dialling a service provider in any location uses coded locations, services and service providers an d automatic selection means and so avoids the need for human operators.

Description

2353175 Telephone Contact System The present invention relates to a method

and equipment for automatically contacting a selected range of people who can be identified by occupation, location or other criteria.

There are telephone directories in which tradesman or other service providers are listed by their occupation so that a person wishing to seek a particular service provider will look up the occupation and choose from amongst those listed. Also available are similar services provided by telephone, in which an operator is contacted who can look up the service provider in a directory or other data bank and inform the person making the enquiry. This is useful where the enquirer does not have the appropriate directory or is in another location etc.

is However such telephone systems require the use of trained or partially trained personnel and, as a consequence, they are expensive to run and operate, particularly on a twenty four hour basis.

We have now devised an automatic system which does not require the services of people, but which operates automatically.

According to the invention there is provided a call system in which a plurality of locations are each given an individual location identifier number, each of the services to be provided are given a service identifier number and, in each location, a selected number of service providers for each service in each location are given provider identifier numbers, there being a dialling selection means whereby, when a user dials the system on a telephone there is a means for automatically interrogating the user so that, in response to pre-recorded prompts, the user can key or dial on his telephone the location identifier number, the service identifier number and one of the provider identifier numbers and there is a means which automatically dials the telephone number of that service provider.

Te;ephone Contact System 12-Aug-99 06:11 2 Optionally, when a provider identifier number is keyed in, the user can receive a pre recorded message relating to that service provider before the service provider's telephone number is automatically dialled. This enables a user to listen e.g. to a description of the particular services provided by several providers, before contacting one of the providers.

Preferably the service identifier number is the same in each location.

In operation, each town in which the service operates is allocated a number and this number can have as many digits as required. For the services provided, each service is preferably given a number which will be the same for that service in any location.

When a user uses his telephone or other means to access the system lie dials the system and a pre-recorded message will automatically ask the user to key in the identifier for the town where the service is required. When this has been done the system automatically asks the user to key in the particular service required by its identifier number. There can be a list of types of services and there key numbers already provided or they can be given to the user by the user keying a'number is response to a question from the system. 20 After the user has keyed in the location and the service to be provided, the user is then given information about the service providers which provide that service in that location together with their identifier number. This can be for any number of providers, but normally there will be up to about five in each location. The user then 25 dials or keys in the identifier number of a provider and is given the choice of that provider's number being dialled directly or of hearing a pre- recorded message relating to that provider and then either having that provider's number dialled automatically or choosing another provider and having this other provider's number dialled or hearing a message relating thereto. 30 It is a feature of the invention that it enables a user to be able to choose a provider of a service in a location and having the provider's number dialled automatically Te;ephone Contact System 12-Aug-99 06:11 3 without having to look up and dial that number or making another telephone call speaking to another person.

This greatly reduces the cost compared with systems using human operators and enables the system to be used twenty-four hours a day at no extra cost.

The system is particularly useful for finding service provider's in locations at a distant from the user where the user would not have access to a relevant telephone directory and is unfamiliar with the location. 10 The play back means and the means for pre-recording messages and playing them back are well known and proprietary widely available equipment can be used.

The telephone number initially dialled can be a free phone number so the service is free to the user, the operator earning his income by charging the service provider.

Telephone Contact System 12-Aug-99 06:11 4

Claims

1. A call system in which a plurality of locations are each given an individual location identifier number, each of the services to be provided are given a service identifier number and, in each location, a selected number of service providers for each service in each location are given provider identifier numbers, there being a dialling selection means whereby, when a user dials the system on a telephone there is a means for automatically interrogating the user so that, in response to pre-recorded prompts, the user can key or dial on his telephone the location identifier number, the service identifier number and one of the provider identifier numbers and there is a means which automatically dials the telephone number of the chosen service provider.

2 A system as claimed in claiml in which there is a play back means on which is recorded a message relating to the provider so that when a provider identifier number 15 is keyed in, the user can receive a pre-recorded message from the play back means relating to that service provider before the service provider's telephone number is automatically dialled.

3. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which each town in which the 20 service operates is allocated a number.

4. A system as claimed in 3 in which each service is allocated a number which will be the same for that service in any location.

5. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which, when a user dials the system a play back means automatically plays a prerecorded message which asks the user to key in the identifier for the town where the service is required, and when this has been done the play back means automatically asks the user to key in the particular service required by its identifier number and after the user has keyed in the 30 location and the service to be provided, the play back means then gives information about the service providers which provide that service in that location together with their identifier number and when the user dials or keys in the identifier number of a provider there means to give the choice of that provider's number being dialled Telephone Contact System 12-Aug-99 - 06:11 directly or of hearing a pre-recorded message relating to that provider and there are means to either dial that provider's number automatically or to choose another provider and to dial this other provider's number or to play a message relating thereto.