GB2517213A - A payment device, a system and a method for collecting consumer ratings - Google Patents

Abstract

A payment device 103,105, such as a PIN entry device at a point of sale (POS), is used in a system 100 for collecting consumer ratings. The device comprises a keypad and a display, the device arranged to display one or more questions on the display, the questions relating to an aspect of the service provided by a business associated with the device, and to record a user response entered via the keypad. The user response is a numerically graded input, indicative of a rating associated with said one or more questions. The system for collecting consumer ratings further comprises an associated ratings server 101, having a ratings database 102, a business analytics website 108 arranged to communicate with the ratings server, and to provide businesses with access to a first set of information relating to said user responses and a reviewing website. The advantage of this system is that it enables better support of customer ratings and business analytics by providing a numerical response rather than a yes/no answer.

Description

A payment device, a system and a method for collecting consumer ratings

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a payment device, a system and a method for collecting consumer ratings.

Background to the Invention

In the service industry, it is desirable for businesses to receive feedback from customers. Customer feedback may be used by a business to improve the service it offers. Historically, customer feedback was provided in person, by filling out a questionnaire aftcr thc scrvicc had bccn provided. Alternatively, a busincss may ask a customer for feedback by emailing the customer after the service has been delivered.

The Internet now enables customers to provide their feedback publicly. For example, online review websites enable customers to provide feedback on services such as hotel stays and restaurant dinning. Such feedback may be used by the businesses being reviewed, to improve theft service, or by the general public, to help make decisions about where to stay.

There is a problem with such feedback methods and review websites. Firstly, feedback is gathered after the event which is far less accurate than at the point of sale.

Also, a very small percentage of customers actually engage in the feedback process, which means that results are never representative of the customer base. With review wcbsitcs, the problem lies in that the credibility of the reviews provided by customers can not be validated. The so-called 90-9-1 rule is said to apply to such websites. 90% of users view the reviews but never give any of their own. 9% give very infrequent or one-off reviews, and 1% provide regular reviews. The 1% who provide a review have a tendency to be particularly biased. There is also the problem of fake reviews (positive or negative) being given. There is therefore a need for feedback systems which encourage more accurate feedback from a greater number of customers.

Thc use of PIN Entry Devices (PED5) as the preferred method of authorising EMY (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) card transactions is now commonplace in many countries. For example, in the UK and many other European countries, the favoured Point of Sale (P05) method is Chip-and-Pin. PED systems require the cardholder to enter their PIN into the device. The fact that the customer has to physically interact with a PED provides an opportunity to obtain other information from a customer. For example, it is known to ask a customer a question, using the PED, during a transaction, about the service provided by the business which led to the transaction.

For example, it is known to ask questions such as "Did the fruit look fresh today?", which require a "Yes/No" response. However, these systems are only implemented within individual businesses on integrated systems. It is also known to ask a customer to provide a charity donation by rounding the amount of their bill up to the nearest who unit of currency, or to give a tip to the customer service agent.

There is a need for improved systems, devices and methods which enable a customer to provide feedback on a particular service using a point of sale device.

There is also a need for systems, devices and methods to enable that feedback to be shared with businesses and customers.

Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a payment device for use in a system for collecting consumer ratings, the device comprising: a keypad and a display, the device arranged to display one or more questions on the display, the questions relating to an aspect of the service provided by a business associated with the device, and to record a user response entered via the keypad; wherein the user response is a numerically graded input, indicative of a rating associated with said one or more questions.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a system for collecting consumer ratings, the system comprising: a ratings server, having a ratings database; and a plurality of payment devices, each device comprising: a keypad and a display, the devices arranged to display one or more questions on the display, the questions relating to an aspect of thc service provided by a business associated with the device, and to record a user response entered via the keypad; wherein the user response is a numerically graded input, indicative of a rating associated with said one or more questions; wherein each device is arranged to send said user responses to said ratings server, and to receive said one or more questions from the server; and the ratings database is arranged to store said user responses and said one or more questions.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a system for collecting consumer ratings, the system comprising: a ratings server, having a ratings database; a plurality of payment devices, each device comprising: a keypad and a display, the devices arranged to display one or more questions on the display, the questions relating to an aspect of the service provided by a business associated with the device, and to record a user response entered via the keypad; a business analytics website arranged to communicate with the ratings server, the business analytics website arranged to provide businesses with access to a first set of information relating to said user responses; and a user ratings website arranged to communicate with the ratings server, the user ratings website arranged to provide users with access to a second set of information relating to said user responses; wherein each device is arranged to send said user responses to said ratings server, and to receive said one or more questions from the server; and the ratings database is arranged to store said user responses and said one or more questions.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method of collecting consumer ratings, the method comprising: displaying one or more questions on a display of a payment device, the questions relating to an aspect of the service provided by a business associated with the device; and recording a user response entered via a keypad of the device; wherein the response is a numerically graded input, indicative of a rating associated with said one or more questions..

In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a method of communication in a system for collecting consumer ratings, comprising: transmitting a request message from a ratings client to a ratings server, the request message comprising one or more user responses; storing said responses in a ratings database on said ratings server; transmitting a response message to said ratings client, the response message comprising a valid set of one or more questions; storing said questions in a local data store.

Further features of the invention are defined in the appended dependent claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a point of sale terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a representation of the software arranged to run on the terminal of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a representation of a database arranged to run on the a server in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the system of Figure 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the system of Figure 1 in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention.

S

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention Embodiments of the present invention provide a ratings collection system. The system is used in conjunction with an electronic payment system. For example, the system may be used with standalone pin entry devices (PED5 -sometimes referred to as chip-and-pin devices), or with electronic point of sale (EPOS) systems. The ratings collection system enables customers to provide feedback on services they have used during a point of sale (POS) transaction. In particular, the ratings collection system asks a user to provide a rating in response to a particular question during a payment transaction. Preferably, the system uses pin entry devices (PED5) as the input mechanism.

Thc ratings collection system is arranged to opcratc with a numbcr of diffcrcnt POS systems. In particular, the system is arranged to operate with standalone POS systems, standard EPOS systems, and bespoke EPOS systems. In standalone systems, the PED communicates directly with the acquiring bank. Standalone systems are typically used by small businesses that require only one or two PEDs. In standard EPOS systems, a business will have a central EPOS server (typically the cash tilllregister), to which various PEDs may connect. EPOS systems of this kind are used by small to medium sized businesses that rcquire several PEDs on a single site.

Bespoke EPOS systems are essentially the same as standard EPOS systems, but have been designed for a particular business. Bespoke systems are typically used by larger corporations, such as supermarkets.

Figurc 1 shows a ratings collection system 100 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The ratings collection system 100 includes a ratings collection server 101. The ratings collection server 101 is central to the ratings collection system 100 and is the point through which all other components of the system communicate. The ratings collection server 101 comprises a ratings collection database 102. The ratings management database 102 is arranged to store various types of data and to administer certain aspects of the system. In particular, the ratings collection database 102 is arranged to store ratings provided by users of the system.

The ratings collection database 102 is also arranged to store questions which are put to users in order to elicit a rating. The ratings collection server 101 is connected to the Intcrnct so that it may communicatc with other componcnts of the system.

The ratings collection system 100 also includes standalone point of sale (POS) dcviccs 103A, 103B. Thc standalone PED dcvices 103A, 103B are pin cntry deviccs (PEDs for use in Europay, Mastercard, Visa (EMV payment transactions. For example, the standalone PED devices 103A, 103B may be chip and pin devices as used in a number of countries. Standalone PED devices 103A, 103B are also arranged to connect to the Internet to communicate directly with an acquiring bank in order to complete payment transactions. The standalone PED devices 103A, 103B also communicate via the Internet with ratings collection server 101. The standalone RED devices 103A, 103B are arranged to download questions from the ratings collection database 102 and present these questions to users making paymcnt transactions on thc standalone PED devices 103A, 103B. A user enters a rating into the standalone PED device 103A, 103B which is communicated to the ratings collection database 102.

Further features and the operation of these devices will be described in more detail below.

The ratings collection system 100 also comprises an electronic point of sale (EPOS) server 104. The EPOS server 104 is connected to networked PED devices 1OSA, 1OSB. The EPOS server 104 is connected to the Internet and is ananged to communicate with the ratings collection server 101. The questions stored in the ratings collection database 102 are sent to the EPOS server 104 and user ratings are sent from the EPOS server 104 to the ratings collection database 102. The EPOS server 104 is arranged to display the questions on thc network PED devices 105A, 105B during a paymeilt trailsaction. The ratings provided by users of the devices 105A, 105B are sent back to the EPOS server 104 where they may be stored prior to bcing scnt to the ratings collcction databasc 102.

The ratings collection system 100 also includes a ratings review website 106.

The ratings review website 106 provides information concerning the ratings provided by users to users I 07A, I 07B. Access to the ratings review website 106 maybe public or may be provided to registered users only.

The ratings collection system 100 also includes a business analytics website 108. The business analytics website 108 provides information to business users 109A, 109B regarding ratings provided via PED devices located in their business. Business users 109A, 109B may only access the business analytics business 108 via a secure login.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the components of a PED device. In this example, the components of the PED device 200 are the same for both standalone and networked PED devices. The PED device 200 includes a display 201 and a keypad 202. In use, the display 201 is used to display information concerning the payment transaction which is being conducted by the device 200. In addition, the display 201 is used to display the questions which are designed to elicit a response from a user. The keypad 202 is used to input information during a payment transaction such as the user's pin. Furthermore, the keypad 202 is used for providing a numerically graded rating. For example, in response to a question regarding the service experience by the user, the user could enter a rating between 0 and 9. Further information regarding the questions and ratings will be provided below. The PED device 200 also includes a processor 203, memory 204 and storage 205. These components operate in a manner which will be familiar to the skilled person. In particular, the storage 205 is used to store a payment application which administers transactions carried out by the POS device 200. Finally, the device 200 includes a data connection module 206. The data connection module 206 is arranged to enable the PED device 200 to communicate with other components of the system 100. In the case of the standalone PED devices 103A, 103B the data connection module 206 may be a dial-up modem. In the case of network POS devices IOSA, IOSB the data connection module 206 may be a Wi-Fi® module or a Bluetooth® module which enable the PED device to connect to the EPOS server 104.

Figure 3 shows a representation of the software which is stored in storage 205 of the standalone PED devices 103A, 103B. The software includes an operating system 300 and device drivers 301A, 301B, 301C. The operating system 300 controls the overall operation of devices 103A, 103B and the device drivers 301A, 301B, 301C enable thc operating system to intethee with thc various hardware components including the display 201, keypad 202 and data connection module 206. In addition, at the application layer the software includes a payment application 302. The payment application 302 is lbr controlling the device during a payment transaction. The software also includes a ratings client 303, a ratings application 304 and a local data store (LDS) 305. The ratings client 303 is arranged to communicate with the ratings collection server 101 in order to transmit user ratings to the ratings collection database 102 and to receive questions am the ratings collection database. The ratings application 304 is!br controlling the standalone P05 device 103A, 103B when control is relinquished by the payment application 302 in order to display a question onthedisplay 201 andtorecordaresponse enteredinto keypad 202 byauser. The local data store 305 is lix storing questions and user responses.

The software stored on a networked PED device 105k IOSB is the same as that shown in Figure 3, except the ratings client 303 and the LDS 305 may be stored on the EPOS server rather than on the device. One ratings client 303 and one LDS 305 may serve a number of networked PED devices.

Further details regarding the LDS 305 will now be described. The LDS 305 provides a cache lbr storing the latest set of questions that have been downloaded from the ratings collection server 101. The LDS 305 aLso stores the response data received am the ratings application 304 until it is ready to be sent to the ratings management server 101. The skilled person will appreciate that the specific implementation of the LDS will depend on the particular system. For example, in situations where the ratings client 303 is running on the EPOS sewer 104 server, it may be most appropriate to use a relational database management system (DBMS).

However, on resource constrained devices such as standalone PED devices 103A, 103B this may not be possible. The ibllowing describes a potential simple architecture fbr such devices.

The LDS 305 design should adhere to two principles. First, the LDS should be small and lightweight, taking up a minimal memory fbotprint to ensure that it is able to run on the most resource constrained devices. Second, the LDS should be "renewed" after each successifil ratings client 303 exchange with the ratings management server 101. In the operation described below, a new LDS is created at the completion of each exchange.

The LDS 305 may be implemented as three simple text files: a) one for questions; b) one for ratings responses; and c) one for exchange metadata. Each file should be made up of a set of line delimited records, the fields of which are delimited by some other convenient delimiter (eg a pipe). The fields for each file are defined by the fields in the corresponding ratings and question sections of the request and response messages described below.

The question file is written by the ratings client 303 and read by the ratings application 304. The ratings file is written by the ratings application 304 and read by the ratings client 303. The metadata file may be treated as a typical properties or mi file, with a list of "key=value" lines.

In order to be sure that the LDS 305 does not grow in an uncontrolled fashion that may compromise the performance of the POS devices, it is important that under normal circumstances the LDS only holds current data. Any ratings data that has been uploaded is cleared from the LDS.

In one embodiment, a new LDS file is created every time a message exchange is completed successfully. The old file is then deleted. However, there is a potential problem with this process. It is possible that new transactions will occur after the ratings client 303 has completed assembling the request message, but before the response is received and the LDS is "renewed" with a new set of questions. These ratings would be lost in this design. A mechanism to prevent this is as follows. When an exchange is started, a new ratings file is created and the ratings application 304 is directed by the ratings client 303 to use it. All new ratings now go into the new file.

However the old question file continues to be used. If the final result of the exchange is an error, then the ratings application 304 is pointed back to the original file with instructions that before any new ratings are added, all the interim ratings should be copied from the new file to the original file, before deleting the new file. If the final result is successful, thcn a ncw question file is created with the new questions, thc ratings application is directed to use it, and both thc original ifies deleted. It does not matter that some ratings in the new ratings ifie may use old question ID's, as this will be reconciled at the server.

Figure 4 is a representation of the ratings collection database 102. As noted above, the ratings collection database 102 is arranged to store different types of data un use in the ratings collection system 100. In particular, the ratings collection database 102 includes a business accounts store 400 and consumer accounts store 401.

The business accounts 400 include details of the businesses that have been set up to use the point of sale rating system and to use the business analytics website 108. The consumer accounts 401 include details of the consumers registered to use the ratings review website 106. The ratings collection database 102 also includes a questions store 402 and a response store 403. The question store 402 stores the questions which are pushed to the ratings clients 303 in order to elicit responses flt,m consumers. The response store 403 stores responses which are received by the ratings collection server 101 fivm the ratings clients 303. The ratings collection database 102 also stores activation codes 404 which are used in the process of activating new business users, as will be described below.

The operation of the ratings collection system 100 will now be described.

Before a business can use the ratings collection system 100 it must go through an activation process. To do this, the business registers on the business analytics website 108. The details of the business are stored in the business accounts section 400 of the ratings collection database 102. In responsc, the ratings collection server 101 provides the business with an activation code am the activation code store 404. If the ratings client 303 and ratings application 304 are already installed on the payment system used by the business in question, the business!bllows an activation process on their point of sale system using the activation code. If the business' payment system does not include the ratings client 303 and ratings application 304, the business must liaise with their payment service provider (PSP) in order to install the relevant software.

Once the relevant software is installed, the activation process is Ibllowed as described above.

hi some embodiments, the PSP may implement a multi-user ratings client in which case the business provide their activation code to the PSP in order for activation to occur on a PS? server. Following registration of the activation code, the local data store 305 for the business is initialised. The ratings client 303 then connects to the ratings collection sewer 101 in order to initialise the system. The ratings client 303 is provided with a time of day when it should connect to the ratings collection server 101 to upload consumer responses and download new questions. Different clients will be staggered through the day in order to balance the load on the ratings collection sewer 101. The ratings client 303 also downloads an initial set of questions based on the package which has been purchased by the business. The ratings collection system 100 is now ready for transactions to begin. A question is put to a user at the start of each transaction and responses am recorded in the local data store 305. At the time agreed with the ratings collection server 101, the ratings client 303 uploads responses to the ratings collection database 102 and downloads new questions. The local data store 305 is cleared on each cycle.

As noted above, the ratings client 303 is arranged to communicate with the ratings collection server 101 on a periodic basis. For example, ratings client 303 may communicate with the ratings collection server 101 once a day.

The ratings collection server 101 is a secure B liP (Ff1.11'S) servet The ratings clients 303 access the ratings collection server 101 via the Internet The ratings client 303 communicates with the ratings collection server 101 using HUP POST requests. The rating collection sewer 101 has an tJRL (Uniform Resource Locator) assigned to it. The ratings client 303 sends FinP POST requests to the ratings collection server 101 including a ratings message as a parameter. The request also contains the a client ID for the branch of the relevant business. The ratings message is signed with a Message Authentication Code (MAC) using the activation code provided at registration to authenticate the origin of the data.

The request fixm the ratings client 303 to the ratings management server 101 is a un I'S call with three Fl 111' POST parameters: 1. Client ID -the numeric ID for a business branch.

2. EncryptionSchemeld 3. Data packet containing: a.MAC b. The XML request message, which immediately the MAC.

The server 101 is arranged to send a response message. The response message from the server 101 only contains a MAC (evaluated using the same client ID key, in an identical way) followed by the response XML. For example: Request: HTTPS POST message Params: ClientID = 12345678 EncryptionSchemeld= 1 Msg 5ACDE04F.726908F3<?zii[ versi-0n=" ?>< EICICTYPE TRrequest.

Response: 528B7612CB26B663<?xmi verion:=i. O'?>( DOCTYPE Tfrejpcre,.

The coimection between the ratings client 303 and the ratings collection server 101 uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) which will provide sufficient communications security. The aforementioned client activation key is primarily used to authenticate the message and validate the source of the data.

All data is transferred using XML. A MAC (expressed in hexadecimal form) must immediately precede the transfer of any XML message. The encryption scheme used to generate the MAC must be noted as one of the parameters in the request message. Encryption scheme 1, described here, will be used in all circumstances other than when a particular payment environment does not support any part of it.

Alternative encryption schemes may be devised for such situations.

Thc same procedure is used to generate a MAC, whether it is for the purposes of sending or validating a message. The following procedure is used to generate a MAC: 1. Generate the SFIA-1 hash value of the XML message; 2. Encrypt the result with the Triple DES (ECB) algorithm, using the client activation code as the key; and 3. Encode the result as hexadecimal.

The following example is a ratings client request XML message using a dummy client key of 328B7612CB26B663: SHA-1 hash value 0d5ced6ca9944dd1a00a1dabc16852711da36322 Triple DES encryption of this = 25fd81772546fc802ad0256851f81 92637f4fa1b 0b4b72 90b7df7978476d17d28bfaf09a3ff547e2 Therefore MAC = 25fd8177254tc802ad3256851ft192B7f4faitb 0b4b72 90b7df7978476d17d28baft9a3ff547e2 The request message will therefore be as follows = 25td81772546ft802ad0256851f81 92637flta1b0b4b72 9Ob7dfl 978476d17d28bfa C9a3tt547e2<hirt1L.0"?> ci DOCiiTiYPF; TRrec!u*cs. 3YTEM "TPrcgue:3 t dOd"> id=":l4" (O="201305Ci" O.:im=:"22i[5' staO.ut:1='flKI> Jd"-"123"> <1:iciL <itcitJp id='1234" rnr;tcr='2 doe="20130430" tirne="i[243" producL--Kit 2" rnnt='i2 99" tokr.="AJOSMENOSID" cid='593" .t.arc[=:"en'' "7" <iR:t:rc id="1235" oerE*tcz="2" d*t:e="20130430" tbue="i307' prodccf="KL8" a:Tounr='b 703' token="POERTIUDLFK" -rj(j'''25O'' cL=''iIr'' >a1i1="3''/> When a message is received from the server 101 by a ratings client 303, the ratings client validates the MAC using their own key. This process is as follows: 1. Identify where the Xml starts -ie at the "<xml" declaration; 2. Remove and store the supplied MAC that comes before this; 3. Generate a version of the MAC from the XML; 4. Compare ft with the stored MAC -they should match; 5. If the MAC does not match then return an INVALID_RESPONSE error status in a new request (as described in more detail below).

Figure 5 is a flow chart showing the process of client-server communication.

The ratings client 303 communicates with the ratings collection server 101 using an XML protocol over an IP connection. Each communication consists of a single request message fixm the ratings client 303 to the ratings collection server 101, and a single response. If the ratings client 303 fitils to receive or validate a response, then ft should resend the request. The ratings client 303 initially opens a connection to the server, fbr example, using a weblink such as https:/Iwww.frurating.co.uk/ClientExchange.php (5500). The ratings collection server 101 then accepts the connection (S501). The ratings client 303 then prepares, signs and sends a request to the server (S502). The server receives the request (5503) and validates the message (5504) as described above. If the message is valid, the sewer stores the results in the ratings collection database 102 (5505). The server 101 then checks tbr any active questions 1kw the particular ratings client (5506) and signs and sends a response (5507). If the message fit,m the ratings client is not valid, the server generates an error response which instructs the ratings client to retry sending the request (5508). If on the second attempt an error message is received, the local branch manager is informed (5509).

While the server is processing the request, the ratings client 303 is waiting Ibr a response (5510). After a certain time limit, the ratings client times out and sends the request again. If the client receives a response, ft checks whether or not an error has been received (5511). If no error has been received, the ratings client clears the local data store 305 (5512), stores any new questions that have been received in the local data store 305 (5513) and closes the connection (S514). If an unrecoverable error is received, the ratings client halts the ratings application 304 (S515). Na retry error is received, then the client sends the request again (S502). If a recoverable error is received, the client simply closes the connection (S514).

A request message is a request for a new set of questions. It contains the ratings data that has been collected since the last message exchange. A request message is sent from the ratings client 303 to the ratings collection server 101. It contains the following elements (items starred with an asterisk may be omitted if the data is not available): Element name XPath Notes ClientID TRrequest/Client/@id Unique ID of this branch of the business TerminallD Unique ID of the terminal at which the TRrequest/Client/Terminal/@id enclosed ratings were collected MessagelD TRrequest/id Incremental ID of messages being sent by the client MessageDate TRrequest/@date Date this request was prepared and sent MessageTime TRrequest/@time Time this request was prepared and sent Status TRrequest/@status The status of the last response received, which should match the status of the application unless it was INVALID_RESPONSE. Empty if ___________________________________ MessagelD=1.

Rating Set of ratings recorded since the last TRrequest/Client/Terniinal/Rating successful exchange, each including: TransactioniNumber Incremental count of transactions at which /Rating/@id the system was operational OperatorlD* .../Rating/@operator Unique ID of the member of staff operating the till RatingDate.../Rating/@date Date ratthg made expressed as

YYYYMMDD

RatingTime.../Rating/@time Time rating made expressed as HHMMSS QuestionlD...fRating/@qid ID of the question presented to the customer LanguageCode.../Rating/@Iang Code of the language that the question was displayed in, which should have been the language this transaction was conducted in Value.../Rating/@value Value of the response provided (-1 for ___________________________________ Escape / skip) ProductCode * .../Rating/@product If available, a code that indicates the type of product that the customer is paying for ___________________________________ (business specific) T)U'4Amount * .../Rating/@arnount If available, the total value of the transaction Token * .../Rating/@token If available, a string of random characters that is unique to the card number (PAN) but unrelated to it A response message from the server 101 acknowledges safe receipt of the ratings data, provides a new set of active questions, and specifies a time for the next exchange. The time is chosen by the server to balance load on it. All of the active questions will be listed in the response. Accordingly, the ratings client 303 will disable all questions not in the response. A response message contains the following elements: Element name XPath Notes ClientID TRresponse/Client/@id Unique ID of this branch of the business TerminallD ID of the terminal to which the enclosed TRresponse/Client/Terminal/@id questions arc directed MessagelD TRresponse/Client/@rnsgid McssagcTD of the message that this response is for ResponselD TRresponse/@id Incremental ID of responses being returned RcsponscDatc TRresponse/@date Date this response was prepared and sent ResponseTime TRresponse/@time Time this response was prepared and sent Status TRresponse/@status OK, SUSPEND, RESUME. Used to control app activity Questions Set of active questions to usc in the TRresponse/Client/Question forthcoming period, each including: QuestionlD.../Question/@id Unique ID of this question QuestionText A set of question text elements, each / Question/QuestionText prepared for a specific language, identified by the language code Description.../ Question/Description Description of the question Language code ISO 639-1 language code of this version /QuestionText/@Iang of the text Weighting.../Question/@weight A numeric value between 0-5 that indicates how often this question should be shown. 3 is normal.

MinRating.../Question/@min Lowest rating score that a customer may provide for this question (ignoring Escape / Skip = -1). Default 0 MaxRating.../Question/@rnax Highest rating score that a customer may provide for this question Default 9 \TalidFrom.../Question/@start First date that this question may be displayed ValidTo.../Question/@end Last date that this question may be displayed ProduetCode.../Question/@product Product type that this question is relevant to An error response message is returned by the server if an error has occurred.

An error message contains the following elements: Element name XPath Notes ClientiD TRresponse/CIient/@id Unique ID ofthis branch of the business TerminallD Unique ID of the terminal at which the TRresponse/Client/Terminal/@id enclosed ratings were collected.

MessagelD TRresponse/Client/@msgid MessagelD of the message that this response __________________________________ is for.

ResponselD TRresponse/@id Incremental ID of responses being returned to ____________________________________ the client ResponseDate TRresponse/@date Date this response was prepared and sent ResponseTime TRresponse/@time Time this response was prepared and sent Status TRresponse/@status ERROR RETRY, ERROR CONTINUE or __________________________________ ERROR HALT, as described above ErrorMessage An optional message (may be empty) that can TRresponse/ErrorMessage be stored in the LDS and used locally to show _______________________________________ the system status As will be appreciated from the above, the server 101 may either send a normal response, or it may send an error response. There are three categories of normal response: 1. OK -Thc ratings application 304 is running normally and should continuc to do so.

2. SUSPEND -The ratings application 304 should stop running for the moment until a RESUME message is received. This may have occurred because the branch manager chose to suspend it on the web site. Note that the ratings client 303 should continue connecting on a regular basis, providing its status as SUSPEND. The returned status will continue to be SUSPEND until such time as it needs to be resumed.

3. RESUME -The ratings application 304 should be in a SUSPEND status, and should now resume activity.

In addition, there are four categories of error response: 1. ERROR RETRY -the server 101 has failed to validate the message once. The ratings client 303 re-assembles and resends the message.

2. ERROR_CONTINUE -An error has occurred on the server 101 side that does not affect the ratings client 303 processing. The exchange cannot complete at the moment. The ratings application 304 should continue to use the questions in the LDS 305 as they currently are, and append new responses to it. The next scheduled exchange should be attempted as normal.

3. ERROR HALT -An error has occurred that means that for the moment the ratings application 304 should stop processing. An email will be sent to the business manager to notify them that this has occurred. The ratings client 303 should continue with the next scheduled exchange as normal, each time re-sending the current, failed set of responses, but the ratings application should not restart until a successffil normal response with new questions has been received.

4. INVALID_RESPONSE -the response received is invalid Xml, or has not been correctly signed with this client's key. The response should be discarded, this exchange should be attempted on one more occasion (with the ErrorStatus set to INVALID RESPONSE), and if it fails again then the ERROR CONTINUE processing should be adopted -ie use the existing questions and append to the exiting list of responses, and attempt the exchange again on the next scheduled occasion.

Figure 6 is a flow chart which demonstrates how the ratings application 304 fits into the payment process. The process begins when the P05 system initiates a card transaction (S600). The payment process is then started on the P05 device, which instructs the user to "insert or swipe card" (5601). The payment application 302 detects card insertion (5602) and determines whether or not the transaction is a retry of a failed transaction (5603). If it is not a failed transaction, the payment application unlocks the keyboard and display and calls the rating application 304 (S604). The ratings application 304 opens the local data store 305 and confirms system activation (S605). The ratings application fetches a random question (filtered by product code if available) (5606) and displays the question in the correct language following by the range of allowable responses (for example 0-9) and then displays "press enter to give your rating" (S607). The ratings application 304 waits for a detectable key press (S608). As a next step, the ratings application 304 can either create a new response record in the local data store 305 including the details of the transaction and the product code (S609) or it can display a prompt such as "Enter your rating now. Press clear to review the question" (5610). The ratings application 304 will then record the next key stroke (5611) unless the clear button is pressed (S612) in which case the application goes back to step 5607. Once this process is complete, the ratings application 304 flags that the rating process is complete and returns a resuh (S613).

The payment application 302 is notified that the ratings process is complete (S614) which then completes the payment process (S615). An acknowledgement that a rating has been given is included on the receipt (5616).

A key advantage of this process is that the user is able to enter a numerically graded response. This is the key enabling technology that the rest of the system relies upon. In order to support a customer ratings website and a business analytics website, feedback must be provided in a numerically graded fashion. Simple "Yes/No" responses would not enable ratings to be developed in the same manner.

As noted above, depending on the architecture of the whole payment system, the payment application 302 may be running on the till or the PED device. For example, the payment application may reside on the PED device, and the POS system may reside on the till. Alternatively, the payment application 302 and the P05 system may reside on the till, rather than in the PED device. Where the POS system is integrated with the payment application 302, the payment application will normally be triggered by the P05.

In order for the system 100 to operate effectively, the PED device should be in the possession of the cardholder (customer) at the time that the payment application 304 is launched. To ensure this is likely to be the case, the system 100 waits until there has been a card event (Ic a card has been inserted or swiped in the card reader) before calling the payment application 304. Once a card event does occur, the payment application 304 checks whether a rating has already been provided for this transaction. This requires an implementation specific flag / check.

When the ratings application 304 is called, the payment application 302 first releases any locked resources that the ratings application will need. It then waits until ratings application 304 completes the process of displaying a question and recording a response. As well as flagging completion, the ratings application 304 will also return the final result of its processing to the payment application 302, so that a suitable acknowledgement can be included on the till receipt.

Ideally the ratings application 304 would be extremely simple. All it need do is display a screen of text and record the next keystroke. However the rules around card payments prohibit the recording of keystrokes from numeric keys unless the text being displayed on the screen has been previously signed as a "secure prompt". This is to prevent malicious applications from displaying a message "Enter PIN" and capturing the following keystrokes. Enabling all the different possible questions to be signed as secure prompts for all the different devices that ratings system may need to run on is unrealistic. There will be occasions when questions (notably a business's custom questions) need to be added at short notice for a limited time corresponding to some particular business activity, so any delay is unacceptable. Accordingly, the ratings application 304 needs to split its processing into two steps, as follows: 1. Display the question, prompting the user to press "Enter" to continue.

At this stage any detectable key press should continue to the following screen. It would be possible to allow the Cancel key to escape the process at this point. However it is important that the user does get the opportunity to enter a rating, so the following screen should still appear.

2. Display a secure prompt, prompting the user to enter theft rating, or hit the yellow clear button to return to the question. If the user hits the Cancel key at this stage, then that should be their recorded response and the process should end.

The response data (including a "cancel" if that was the final response) is recorded in the LDS 305 at the end of the process. This should include as many details as possible of the transaction included in the ratings section of the request message described above.

If the ratings application 304 has been used during payment processing, an acknowledgement that this is the case should appear on the receipt. The acknowledgement may include thanks to the customer for theft rating if they have given one. If a rating has been provided by the cardholder, then the receipt should include the lines: "Thank you for providing a rating. See yours and others' ratings on www.ratingsreviewwebsite.com" If no rating was provided (the result returned was -I) then the receipt should contain the lines: "Hello, You were given the chance to provide a customer rating. For more info see www.ratingsreviewwebsite.com".

It will be appreciated that the above-described system may be used with contactless payment cards.

The term intermediate payment server may be taken to mean an EPOS server/till, and payment service provider server, or any other computing device though which the PED communicates in order to receive questions from the ratings server.

Features of the present invention are defined in the appended claims. While particular combinations of features have been presented in the claims, it will be appreciated that other combinations, such as those provided above, may be used.

The above embodiments describe one way of implementing the present invention. It will be appreciated that modifications of the features of the above embodiments are possible within the scope of the independent claims.

Claims (41)

1. Claims 1. A payment device for use in a system for collecting consumer ratings, the device comprising: a keypad and a display, the device arranged to display one or more questions on the display, the questions relating to an aspect of the service provided by a business associated with the device, and to record a user response entered via the keypad; wherein the user response is a numerically graded input, indicative of a rating associated with said one or more questions.
2. 2. A device according to claim 1, further arrangcd to receive said questions from a ratings server and to transmit said responses to said rating server.
3. 3. A device according to claim 2, further arranged to communicate with said ratings server directly.
4. 4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said questions and said user responses are stored on said device.
5. 5. A device according to claim 4, further comprising a ratings application arranged to cause said one or more questions to be displayed, and to record said user response.
6. 6. A device according to claim 5, frirther comprising a local data store arranged to store said one or more questions and said user responses.
7. 7. A device according to claim 6, further comprising a ratings client arranged to transmit user responses to said ratings server, and to receive said one or more questions from said ratings server.
8. 8. A device according to claim 2, further arranged to communicate with said ratings server via an intermediate payment server.
9. 9. A device according to claim 8, wherein the intermediate payment server is an electronic point of sale (EPOS) server
10. 10. A device according to claim 9, further comprising a ratings application arranged to cause said one or more questions to be displayed, and to record said user response.
11. 11. A device according to claim 10, wherein said ratings application is arranged communicate with a local data store, stored on said EPOS server and arranged to store said one or more questions and said user responses, the ratings application arranged to receive questions from said EPOS server and to send user responses to said EPOS server.
12. 12. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the device is for authorising a payment transaction.
13. 13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the device is further arranged to display said one or more questions during a payment transaction.
14. 14. A device according to any preceding claim, further comprising a storage memory and a processor to run said device.
15. 15. A device according to claim 10, further comprising a data port for sending and receiving data.
16. 16. A device according to any preceding claims, wherein the device is a pin entry device.
17. 17. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the numerically graded input is a single digit input.
18. 18. A device according to claim 17, wherein the single digit input is an integer between 0 and 9.
19. 19. A device according to claim 18, wherein the one or more questions define the range of allowable responses.
20. 20. A device according to claim 19, wherein the range of allowable responses includes a response representing a lowest rating and a response representing a highest rating.
21. 21. A system for collecting consumer ratings, the system comprising: a ratings server, having a ratings database; and a plurality of devices according to claims 1 to 20, each device arranged to send said user responses to said ratings server, and to receive said one or more questions from the ratings server; wherein the ratings database is arranged to store said user responses and said one or more questions.
22. 22. A system for collecting consumer ratings, the system comprising: a ratings server, having a ratings database; and a plurality of payment devices, each device comprising: a keypad and a display, the devices arranged to display one or more questions on the display, the questions relating to an aspect of the service provided by a business associated with the device, and to record a user response entered via the keypad; wherein the user response is a numerically graded input, indicative of a rating associated with said one or more questions; wherein each device is arranged to send said user responses to said ratings server, and to receive said one or more questions from the server; and the ratings database is arranged to store said user responses and said one or more questions.
23. 23. A system according to claim 22, wherein one or more of said plurality of devices are further arranged to communicate directly with said ratings server.
24. 24. A system according to claim 23, wherein said questions and said user responses are stored on said devices.
25. 25. A system according to claim 24, wherein said one or more of said plurality of devices further comprise a ratings application arranged to cause said one or more questions to be displayed, and to record said user response.
26. 26. A system according to claim 25, wherein said one or more of said plurality of devices further comprise a local data store arranged to store said one or more questions and said user responses.
27. 27. A device according to claim 26, wherein said one or more of said plurality of devices further comprise a ratings client arranged to transmit user responses to said ratings server, and to receive said one or more questions from said ratings server.
28. 28. A system according to claim 22, further comprising one or more intermediate payment servers, wherein one or more of said plurality of devices is arranged to communicate with said ratings server via said intermediate payment server.
29. 29. A system according to claim 28, wherein said intermediate payment server is an electronic point of sale (EPOS) server.
30. 30. A system according to claim 29, wherein said one or more EPOS servers comprise a ratings application arranged to cause said one or more questions to be displayed, and to record said user response.
31. 31. A system according to claim 30, wherein said one or more EPOS severs comprise a local data store, arranged to store said one or more questions and said user responses.
32. 32. A system according to claim 22, wherein each of said ratings clients are arranged to communicate with said ratings server during a preferred time window.
33. 33. A system according to claim 32, ffirther comprising: a business analytics website arranged to communicate with the ratings server, the business analytics website arranged to provide businesses with access to a first set of information relating to said user responses.
34. 34. A system according to claim 33, wherein said first set of information includes a comparison of the businesses ratings with sector benchmarks.
35. 35. A system according to claim 34, wherein said ratings database further comprises reviews of said businesses provided via altemative channels.
36. 36. A system according to any of claims 32 to 35, further comprising: a user ratings website arranged to communicate with the ratings server, the user ratings websitc arranged to provide users with access to a second set of information relating to said user responses.
37. 37. A ratings server, for use with a system for collecting consumer ratings according to claims 22 to 36, the ratings server comprising: a ratings database, the ratings database arranged to store user responses and said one or more questions; wherein the ratings server is arranged to receive said user responses from a plurality of devices in accordance with claims I to 20, and to send said one or more questions to said devices.
38. 38. A system for collecting consumer ratings, the system comprising: a ratings server, having a ratings database; a plurality of payment devices, each device comprising: a keypad and a display, the devices arranged to display one or more questions on the display, the questions relating to an aspect of the service provided by a business associated with the device, and to record a user response entered via the keypad; a business analytics website arranged to communicate with the ratings server, the business analytics website arranged to provide businesses with access to a first set of information relating to said user responses; and a user ratings websitc arranged to communicate with the ratings server, the user ratings wcbsite arranged to provide users with access to a second set of information relating to said user responses; wherein each device is arranged to send said user responses to said ratings server, and to receive said one or more questions from the server; and the ratings database is arranged to store said user responses and said one or more questions.
39. 39. A method of collecting consumer ratings, the method comprising: displaying one or more questions on a display of a payment device, the questions relating to an aspect of the service provided by a business associated with the device; and recording a user response entered via a keypad of the device; wherein the response is a numerically graded input, indicative of a rating associated with said one or more questions.
40. 40. A method according to claim 39, further comprising receiving said questions from a ratings server and transmitting said responses to said rating server.
41. 41. A method according to claim 40, further comprising: storing said questions and said user responses on said device.42 A method according to claim 41, further comprising using ratings application to cause said one or more questions to be displayed, and to record said user response.43. A method according to claim 42, further comprising using a local data store to store said one or more questions and said user responses.44. A method according to claim 43, further comprising using a ratings client to transmit user responses to said ratings server, and to receive said one or more questions from said ratings server.45. A method according to claim 39, further comprising communicating with said ratings server via an intermediate payment server.46. A method according to claim 45, wherein said intermediate payment server is an S electronic point of sale (EPOS) server.47. A method according to any of claims 39 to 46, wherein the numerically graded input is a single digit input.48. A method according to claim 47, wherein the single digit input is an integer between 0 and 9.49. A method according to claim 48, wherein the one or more questions define the range of allowable responses.50. A method according to claim 49, wherein the range of allowable responses includes a response representing a lowest rating and a response representing a highest rating.51. A computer program or suite of computer programs for carrying out the method of any of claims 39 to 50.52. A method of communication in a system for collecting consumer ratings, comprising: transmitting a request message from a ratings client to a ratings server, the request message comprising one or more user responses; storing said responses in a ratings database on said ratings server; transmitting a response message to said ratings client, the response message comprising a valid set of one or more questions; storing said questions in a local data store.53. A method according to claim 52, further comprising: authenticating said message at the ratings server.54. A mcthod according to claim 52, fiirthcr com. authenticating said response message at said ratings client.