Patent Grant
9224113
When a user enters a physical facility of an entity (e.g., a financial institution, a merchant, or the like) to perform a transaction, there may be a waiting period prior to the user's interaction with an agent at the facility. There is a need to reduce or eliminate this waiting period
Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods and computer program products for transaction queuing or performing preliminary work associated with a transaction. In some embodiments, an apparatus is provided for performing preliminary work associated with a transaction. The apparatus comprises: a memory; a processor; and a module stored in the memory, executable by the processor, and configured to: receive information associated with an intended transaction, wherein a user will execute the intended transaction at a facility at a user-defined time; determine preliminary work associated with the intended transaction that can be performed prior to the user-defined time; perform preliminary work associated with the intended transaction, the preliminary work being performed based on information associated with the user or the user's account; and transmit a message to the user.
In some embodiments, the determining comprises the module being configured to: determine, based on a type of the intended transaction, whether the preliminary work can be performed on the intended transaction prior to the user-defined time; and in response to determining the preliminary work can be performed on the intended transaction prior to the user-defined time, determine an amount of the preliminary work.
In some embodiments, the facility is at least one of specified by the user or determined by the module based on one or more user-defined location preferences.
In some embodiments, the module is further configured to place the preliminary work on a transaction queue, and extract the preliminary work from the queue upon determining arrival of the user at the facility or upon determining the user is approaching an agent at the facility.
In some embodiments, the preliminary work is performed at the facility or at a remote location away from the facility.
In some embodiments, the message is transmitted to the user's mobile device, and the message is transmitted via at least one of email, text message, social network message, or financial institution network message.
In some embodiments, the message indicates acknowledgment of the intended transaction.
In some embodiments, the message indicates at least one of a description of preliminary work that can be performed on the intended transaction or a description of preliminary work that has been performed on the intended transaction.
In some embodiments, the message seeks permission from the user to perform the preliminary work.
In some embodiments, the message indicates at least one of a recommended arrival time or recommended arrival location.
In some embodiments, the at least one of the recommended arrival time or recommended arrival location is based at least partially on at least one of an amount and type of the preliminary work, a number of other users being serviced at the facility or waiting to be serviced at the facility, or a number of other pending transactions for which preliminary work needs to be performed.
In some embodiments, the user specifies an identity of an agent associated with the facility, wherein the user desires to execute the intended transaction at the facility with the assistance of the identified agent.
In some embodiments, the message indicates an identity of an agent at the facility who will assist the user with executing the intended transaction.
In some embodiments, the message advises the user to perform the intended transaction on the user's mobile device, wherein the message includes a link to instructions associated with performing the intended transaction on the user's mobile device.
In some embodiments, the information associated with the intended transaction is received via the user's account, or wherein the information associated with the intended transaction is received via at least one of email, text message, social networking message, or financial institution networking message, and wherein the module is configured to identify the user based on verifying a sender of the information.
In some embodiments, the facility is associated with an entity, wherein the user's account is managed by the entity, wherein the entity comprises a financial institution or a merchant.
In some embodiments, the information associated with the user comprises at least one of identification information, contact information, or relationship information associated with the user, wherein the relationship information comprises correspondence information between the user and an entity managing the user's account, wherein the information associated with the user's account comprises a list of transactions associated with the user's account, the list of transactions comprising at least one of a last transaction executed by the user, a transaction most frequently executed by the user during a predetermined period, a transaction most frequently executed by users who visit the facility, or a transaction most frequently executed by users who visit the facility with a similar user profile as the user.
In some embodiments, the user arrives at the facility via a drive-through lane associated with the facility.
In some embodiments, the mobile device comprises or is part of a motor vehicle.
In some embodiments, a method is provided for performing preliminary work associated with a transaction. The method comprises: receiving information associated with an intended transaction, wherein a user will execute the intended transaction at a facility at a user-defined time; determining preliminary work associated with the intended transaction that can be performed prior to the user-defined time; performing preliminary work associated with the intended transaction, the preliminary work being performed based on information associated with the user or the user's account; and transmitting a message to the user.
In some embodiments, a computer program product for performing preliminary work associated with a transaction. The computer program product comprises a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of codes for causing a computer to: receive information associated with an intended transaction, wherein a user will execute the intended transaction at a facility at a user-defined time; determine preliminary work associated with the intended transaction that can be performed prior to the user-defined time; perform preliminary work associated with the intended transaction, the preliminary work being performed based on information associated with the user or the user's account; and transmit a message to the user.
Having thus described embodiments of the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, where:
Embodiments of the present invention now may be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure may satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods and computer program products for serving a user at a facility (e.g., a branch office of a financial institution or a facility associated with a merchant). The present invention enables a user to reduce the amount of time spent on executing a transaction at a facility.
In some embodiments, an “entity” as used herein may be a financial institution. A “facility” may be physical premises associated with the entity. For the purposes of this invention, a “financial institution” may be defined as any organization, entity, or the like in the business of moving, investing, or lending money, dealing in financial instruments, or providing financial services. This may include commercial banks, thrifts, federal and state savings banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, investment companies, insurance companies and the like. In some embodiments, the entity may allow a user to establish an account with the entity. An “account” may be the relationship that the user has with the entity. Examples of accounts include a deposit account, such as a transactional account (e.g., a banking account), a savings account, an investment account, a money market account, a time deposit, a demand deposit, a pre-paid account, a credit account, a non-monetary user profile that includes only personal information associated with the user, etc. The account is associated with and/or maintained by the entity. In other embodiments, an “entity” may not be a financial institution. In other embodiments, an entity may or may not allow the user to establish an account associated with the entity.
In some embodiments, the “user” may be a customer (e.g., an account holder or a person who has an account (e.g., banking account, credit account, etc.) at the entity) or potential customer (e.g., a person who has submitted an application for an account, a person who is the target of marketing materials that are distributed by the entity, a person who applies for a loan that not yet been funded). The user may enter the facility or be within a predetermined distance of the entrance to the facility or a system associated with the facility when the user's mobile device establishes communication with the system associated with the facility. The system may be located in the facility or may be located remotely from the facility. An agent may be associated with the facility. The agent may be a human or virtual agent (e.g., computer agent). The agent may be located at the facility or located remotely from the facility. As an example, a computer agent may be associated with the facility may comprise an automated teller machine (ATM) associated with the facility or any other computing system that enables the user to perform a transaction associated with the user's account. Additionally or alternatively, a computer agent associated with the facility may be audio or video conferencing system that enables the user to converse with a human agent (or another computer agent) associated with the entity. In some embodiments, the user may enter the facility using an automobile. For example, the user may enter a drive-through lane associated with the facility.
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When a user enters a facility, there may be a predetermined wait period prior to the user's interaction with an agent at the facility. The waiting period may be the waiting period on a drive-through lane prior to the user reaching a drive-through window or prior to the user reaching an audio or video conferencing system to talk to an agent associated with the facility. The duration of the wait period may be based on the purpose of the user's visit to the facility. A purpose of the user's visit may include a transaction that the user intends to perform at the facility. As used herein, a transaction comprises at least one of opening an account, depositing a check into an existing account, making a withdrawal, paying a bill, making a funds transfer, changing authentication credentials for an account, purchasing a security using funds in an account, obtaining a loan, ordering checks, disputing a transaction, chatting with an agent, obtaining a statement of an account, activating an offer, changing user information (e.g., name, contact information, or the like) on an account, setting up direct deposit, setting up over-expenditure protection, obtaining a copy of a brochure, taking a picture, or the like. As used herein, a transaction is not limited to an activity associated with the user's account. Any activity performed by the user at the facility may be referred to as a transaction. Additionally, a transaction may comprise more than one activity. As an example, one activity might be executed on the mobile device, another activity may be automatically executed by the system described herein, and still another activity may be executed by a human agent who is assisting the user.
When the user enters the facility or is within a predetermined distance from the facility, the system establishes communication with a mobile device carried by the user. For example, the system may transmit a message to the mobile device (e.g., a text message, pop-up message, email, social networking message, financial institution network message, or the like). The message may be transmitted to the mobile device when the system detects the presence of the mobile device. Alternatively or additionally, the message may be transmitted to the mobile device when the mobile device is within a predetermined distance of the facility or the mobile device is detected to be in or near the facility based on location coordinates (e.g., global positioning system GPS coordinates) associated with the mobile device. The message may prompt the user to input a reason for the user's visit the facility on a form presented on the mobile device user interface. The user may subsequently input the user's reason (e.g., the user may input a description of the transaction intended to be executed by the user). For example, the user may input “opening new account,” “depositing a check,” “cash withdrawal,” or the like. The user may input the user's reason by text input, voice input, or the like. As a further example, the mobile device user interface may prompt the user to select from one of several transactions presented as a list. The list may include the last transaction executed by the user and/or transactions most frequently executed by the user and/or transactions most frequently executed by users who visit the facility and/or transactions most frequently executed by users who with a similar user profile (e.g., similar age, account balance, occupation, location, or the like) as the user. The user may select one or more of the listed transactions or may input the name or description of another transaction if the user's intended transaction is not presented in the list. The mobile device may subsequently transmit a message to the system described herein, wherein the message includes the user's reason for visiting the facility. The system may subsequently compute the waiting period based on the reason or purpose for the user's visit. The waiting period may be subsequently communicated from the system to the mobile device.
Additionally or alternatively, the user may “check-in” at the facility using the user's mobile device. For example, the user may authenticate to an application on the mobile device (e.g., a social networking application, a banking application, or the like) and manually specify that the user has entered or is about to enter the facility or will enter the facility within a predetermined period in the future. Additionally or alternatively, the application on the mobile device may automatically “check-in” the user based on determining the user's mobile device has entered or is within a predetermined distance of entering the facility. Additionally, or alternatively, the user may “check-in” at a computing device at the facility. This act of “checking-in” prompts a system described herein to establish communication with (e.g., transmit a message to) the user's mobile device.
Referring now to
Either prior to or after determining the reason for the user's visit to the facility or either prior to or after identifying the user, the system transmits information to the mobile device. The information comprises information associated with at least one of: a transaction intended to be executed by the user at the facility, a last transaction executed by the user (e.g., at the facility, on the phone, on the Internet, or the like), a transaction most frequently executed by the user within a predetermined period such as the previous two months (e.g., at the facility, on the phone, on the Internet, or the like), a transaction most frequently executed (e.g., at the facility, on the phone, on the Internet, or the like) by users who visit the facility, or a transaction most frequently executed (e.g., at the facility, on the phone, on the Internet, or the like) by users who visit the facility with a similar user profile as the user, or the like. For example, the information may include advice on how the user can execute the transaction (e.g., via the user's mobile device or personal computing device) without the assistance of an agent at the facility. The information may include a list of text-based instructions or audiovisual content (e.g., video demonstrations) on how the user may self-execute the transaction.
The system may determine that the transaction intended to be executed by the user may be executed (either completely or partially) on the mobile device. Therefore, the system may determine that the user does not need to spend time waiting to execute the transaction using the assistance of an agent at the facility. The system may subsequently transmit a message to the mobile device, wherein the message indicates that the user may perform the transaction using the mobile device. The system may transmit to the mobile device a link to a demonstration audio or video (or text-based instructions). The user may view the demonstration video (or text-based instructions) or listen to the demonstration audio on the mobile device to learn how to execute the transaction on the mobile device without the assistance of an agent at the facility. For example, if the user is waiting to deposit a check, the demonstration video may be a video of how the user can capture an image of the check and upload the captured check image to the user's account in order to deposit the check. Additionally, the message may include a first selectable option which the user selects if the user chooses to execute the transaction on the mobile device and a second selectable option which the user selects if the user chooses to keep waiting for an agent to obtain assistance for executing the transaction.
Alternatively or additionally, the system may transmit a link to the mobile device, wherein when the user selects the link, an agent at the facility pulls the user from the queue of waiting users and demonstrates to the user how to execute the transaction using a mobile device. For example, the agent may display how to execute the transaction on the display of the agent's computing device (e.g., a tablet computer, a portable mobile communication device such as a mobile phone, or the like). As a further example, the agent may, after receiving the user's permission via the user's mobile device, establish a wireless connection between the agent's computing device (that includes a display) and the user's mobile device. The wireless connection may be established by one or more short-range or long-range wireless communication methods described herein. The connection may enable the mobile device interface to be emulated onto the display of the agent's computing device, thereby enabling the agent and the user to view the mobile device interface on the agent's computing device display. The emulation of the mobile device user interface onto the agent's computing device display captures the “look and feel” of the mobile device user interface. Once the mobile device interface is emulated onto the agent's computing device display, the agent may demonstrate the transaction to the user. The agent's computing device display is visible only to the user and the agent, and is not visible to any other users that might be present at the facility. While the mobile device user interface is emulated onto the agent's computing device display, the mobile device user interface may or may not be simultaneously visible on the mobile device display. Additionally, the mobile device may or may not be used to simultaneously (along with the agent's computing device) control or manipulate the user interface presented on the agent's computing device display. Once the transaction has been executed, the wireless connection between the user's mobile device and the agent's computing device may be disconnected using either device. By demonstrating the transaction to the user, the user can execute the transaction in the future without visiting the facility.
As used herein, emulation refers to reproducing a first computing device user interface onto a second computing device user interface, such that the user interface can be controlled or manipulated using the second device. While the user interface is being controlled or manipulated using the second device, the user interface may or may not be presented on the first device display, and the first device may or may not be able to simultaneously (along with the second device) control or manipulate the user interface presented on the second device.
After determining the user's intended transaction (e.g., based on input information received from the user's mobile device), the system may transmit a form to the mobile device. The form prompts the user to input information associated with the intended transaction. The user may either partially or entirely fill the form. The user may subsequently transmit the form to the system. When the form is received by the system, the system stores the form until the user meets the agent at the facility. In some embodiments, the user's mobile device automatically transmits the form (or the user manually initiates transmission of the form) to the system (or directly to the agent's computing device) as the user approaches the agent. In some embodiments, the system may even process the form. As an example, the form may prompt the user to input authentication credentials to the user's account. Therefore, the system may authenticate the user to the user's account if the authentication credentials are correct. As a further example, if the user (e.g., a new user) is opening a new account, the form may prompt the user to enter the user's name, address, contact information, or the like. The system may process the information to create a user profile for the user. These preliminary processing steps reduce the overall processing time associated with the transaction.
In some embodiments, the user may approach a designated agent in the facility immediately after or a predetermined period after transmitting the form to the system. In some embodiments, immediately after or a predetermined period after transmitting the form to the system, the system transmits a message to the user's mobile device, wherein the message indicates an identity or location (e.g., Agent 1, Virtual Agent 1, or the like) of an agent in the facility who the user can approach in order to obtain assistance with the transaction.
When the user meets the agent, the system pushes the user-filled form to the agent's computing system (or the agent may manually pull the user-filled form based on the user's identification information). The agent may determine whether the system performed any preliminary processing steps. Additionally, the agent may use any further information provided on the user-filled form to perform any further processing steps. For example, either prior to, at, or immediately after the time the user reaches the agent's desk, the agent may access the user's account based on authentication information provided on the user-filled form. As a further example, either prior to, at, or immediately after the time the user reaches the agent's desk, the user may access user profile information (e.g., name, contact information, reason for visit, or the like) transmitted by the user (e.g., a new user) to the system described herein. Additionally, the agent may use any verbal instructions provided by the user to perform any further processing steps. For example, if the user is making a cash withdrawal, the user may verbally provide the amount of cash to withdraw. Additionally, the agent may provide advice to the user. For example, if the user is opening a new account, the agent may provide advice regarding the type of accounts for which the user is eligible. Therefore, when the agent meets the agent, the agent already has access to the user's input transmitted from the user's mobile device (e.g., user-filled forms) and consequently the user does not spend much (or any) time in filling out forms (e.g., preliminary forms) or providing information after meeting the agent.
Referring now to
As an example, a user may enter the facility associated with a financial institution on a Friday. The system may identify the user based on communication with the user's mobile device as described herein. The system may also determine the day and the time of day. Additionally, the system determines that the user visits the facility ever Friday to deposit a check. This information is communicated to the mobile device. Subsequently, the mobile device's user interface prompts the user whether the user is at the facility to deposit a check. If the user responds ‘Yes,’ and if there is a waiting period prior to the user reaching an agent to deposit the check, the user interface may offer another channel for depositing the check. The user interface may inform the user that the user can deposit the check via an ATM or via the user's mobile device. Additionally, the user interface presents links to instructions or tutorials (e.g., text-based, audiovisual-based, or the like) if the user wants to explore how to deposit the user's check via these alternative channels.
As a further example, a user may enter the facility on a Wednesday. Since the user has entered the facility on a different day from when the user usually visits the facility, the mobile device user interface may prompt the user to answer what kind of transaction the user is trying to execute at the facility. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface may present the user with the options display in
Either prior to or after determining the reason for the user's visit to the facility, the system may identify the user. The system may ping the mobile device for identification information. The mobile device may send identification information associated with at least one of the mobile device or the user to the system. Identification information associated with the mobile device may include a device identification number or the like. Identification information associated with the user may include a name of the user, an account number, a payment card number associated with the account, an alias associated with the account, authentication credentials associated with the account, or the like. For example, when the user enters the facility or is within a predetermined distance to the facility, the system may ping the mobile device and prompt the user to enter authentication credentials associated with the user's account.
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As described herein, in some embodiments, the user may enter a drive-through lane of the facility using the user's vehicle. When the user's vehicle (or automobile) enters a drive-through lane of the facility, the user's mobile device may be in wireless communication with a touchscreen display in vehicle. The touchscreen display is associated with a computing system integrated into the vehicle. Therefore, any processes or features that are presented on the user interface of the mobile device may be presented on the touchscreen display in the user's vehicle. Additionally, any processes or features that are executed by the mobile device may be executed by vehicle's computing system (e.g., the mobile device functionality is integrated into the vehicle's computing system). Therefore, the system described herein may directly communicate with the user's vehicle such that the user, via the vehicle's display, transmits information to the system, inputs information onto a form, executes a transaction, or the like.
In embodiments where the user enters the drive-through lane of a facility, the user may at least one of identify himself/herself, communicate a reason for the user's visit, and fill out any forms associated with the user's intended transaction while the user is waiting in the drive-through queue. As described herein, the user may enter input via at least one of the user's mobile device or vehicle touchscreen computing system. When the user pulls up to a virtual agent or a human agent, the agent may already have access to any input transmitted from the user's mobile device or vehicle touchscreen computing system.
As used herein, a mobile device may be any portable mobile communication or computing device. As used herein, a network or mobile network may be any network (e.g., data network, communication network, etc.) via which the mobile device connects to a system described herein or to an account (e.g., a financial institution account). The network may be a telecommunication network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and/or a global area network (GAN), such as the Internet. The network may be secure and/or unsecure and may also include wireless and/or wireline and/or optical interconnection technology. Alternatively or additionally, the system may communicate with the mobile device via one or more short-range wireless communication mechanisms (e.g., near field communication NFC). Alternatively or additionally, a computing system associated with an agent at the facility may communicate with the mobile device via one or more long-range or short-range wireless communication mechanisms.
In some embodiments, the mobile device may initiate communication with the system by receiving readable indicia when the user enters the facility. The readable indicia may comprise any indicia, visual or non-visual, where information associated with the indicia is receivable or readable (e.g., scannable) by a mobile device. The readable indicia may comprise visual indicia, e.g., a barcode, a Quick Response (QR) code, or the like. The readable indicia may comprise any one-dimensional or two-dimensional code. The readable indicia may be dynamic such that the readable indicia may change from time to time. If the readable indicia is visual, the readable indicia may be presented on an electronic or physical board near the entrance of the facility. If the readable indicia is not visual, the readable indicia may be comprised in a tag (e.g., radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, near field communication (NFC) tag, or the like) located near the entrance of the facility. As used herein, the entrance of the facility may comprise a walk-in entrance (e.g., user walks in through the walk-in entrance) or a drive-through entrance (e.g., user drives in with the user's vehicle through the drive-through entrance).
Therefore, the user may use a mobile device that comprises an image-capturing component (e.g., a camera) to capture the image of the readable indicia. Alternatively, the user may bring the user's mobile device close to the tag to receive the readable indicia from the tag. When the user scans or captures an image of the readable indicia, the user is presented with an interface page on which the user may input the user's reason for visiting the facility, fill out one or more forms described herein, receive information (e.g., demonstrations, audiovisual content, or the like), or the like. In some embodiments, several readable indicia may be presented to the user, wherein different readable indicia are associated with different transactions. Therefore, when the user's mobile device receives the appropriate readable indicia, the readable indicia is linked to a form associated with a particular transaction or demonstrations or other information associated with a particular transaction. The user's input may be coded into a message and communicated via a wireless communication mechanism (e.g., long-range mechanism or short-range mechanism such as NFC) to the system described herein or to the computing system associated with an agent. Alternatively or additionally, the user's input may be coded into readable indicia, and an indicia-receiving device (e.g., an image-capturing device) at the facility (e.g., a computing system associated with the agent) may be used to receive the readable indicia from the user's mobile device. The indicia-receiving device may decode the readable indicia to receive the user input.
In some embodiments, after the system establishes communication with the mobile device (either prior to or after the user enters the facility) and determines there is a waiting period prior to the user being able to meet with an agent at the facility, the mobile device user interface may present the user with an option to chat with (e.g., via text) or have an audio or video conference (via the user's mobile device or via a computing device at the facility) with an agent (either human or virtual) at a central location (e.g., a remote location away from the facility). This option may be presented either prior to or after learning the user's intended transaction at the facility. In some embodiments, this option may be presented when the waiting period is equal to or greater than a predetermined minimum duration. The remote agent may provide step-by-step instructions for enabling the user to execute the transaction via the user's mobile device (or via an ATM at the facility). Additionally or alternatively, the agent may execute the transaction after receiving the user's approval if the transaction can be executed via chatting or via an audio or video conference.
In some embodiments, the user may be able to conduct an audio or video conference with the remote agent. As previously explained, the remote agent may provide step-by-step instructions for the user to execute the transaction via the user's mobile device. Additionally or alternatively, the remote agent may direct the user to an available kiosk (e.g., workstation, ATM, or other computing device) at the facility. The remote agent may then provide step-by-step instructions for the user to execute the transaction on the kiosk. The remote agent may continue to communicate with the user while the user is executing the transaction. Additionally or alternatively, after receiving the user's permission, the remote agent may execute the transaction on the remote agent's computing device or on the kiosk at the facility so that the user may view the execution of the transaction.
In some embodiments, the system may enable the user to bookmark the transaction. Therefore, a user or an agent (e.g., agent at the facility or remote agent) may initiate a transaction on the user's mobile device or on a computing device or kiosk at the facility or located remotely from the facility. The user or the agent may stop working on the transaction at any time prior to completing the transaction. For example, the user may stop working on the transaction if the user is running out of time. When the user or the agent stops working on the transaction but wants to save the work completed on the transaction, the user or the agent may select a “bookmarking” option on the user interface of the computing device.
When the bookmarking option is selected, the partially completed work (e.g., a partially completed form) may be saved and associated with the user's account. The partially completed work may be packaged into a file (e.g., a bookmark file). Alternatively, the bookmark file may comprise a bookmark link to the partially completed work. The bookmark file may be transmitted from one computing device to another computing device via any of the short-range or long-range wireless or wired mechanisms described herein. The bookmark file may be communicated from the user to the agent or another user (or from the agent to the user or another user) via email, text message, social networking message, or financial institution networking message.
At a later time, the user or agent may access the partially completed work by opening the bookmark file. The bookmark file may be opened on a different computing device from the device on which the transaction was initiated. A user may or may not need to be authenticated to the user's account in order to open the bookmark file and continue working on the transaction. As an example, the user may transmit the bookmark file to an agent (either at the facility or a remote agent) and the agent may continue working on the transaction on the agent's computing device. As a further example, the user may transmit the bookmark file from the user's computing device (e.g., mobile device) to another user's computing device (e.g., mobile device). As a further example, the agent may transmit the bookmark file from the agent's computing device or from a kiosk or ATM at the facility to the user's computing device.
As a further example, the user may initiate a transaction at the facility (e.g., a kiosk at the facility) or ATM and may bookmark the transaction. The user can access the partially completed transaction at a later time at a different facility (e.g., a kiosk at the facility) or ATM.
Therefore, in some embodiments, a user may initiate the transaction prior to arriving at the facility, and may continue to work on the transaction at the facility (either on the user's mobile device or on a computing device at the facility) by accessing a bookmark file. As described previously, the bookmark file may comprise the saved transaction work or may comprise a link to saved transaction work wherein the saved transaction work may be saved at a remote server. Alternatively, a user may initiate a transaction (or work on a previously bookmarked transaction) at the facility. At the facility, the user may work on the transaction with the assistance of an agent at the facility or a remote agent. If the user is running out of time and needs to exit the facility before completing the transaction, the user can bookmark the transaction and continue working on the transaction (either on the same computing device or a different computing device) at a later time after leaving the facility (e.g., at the user's home).
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The user input system 640 may include any computerized apparatus that can be configured to perform any one or more of the functions of the user input system 640 described and/or contemplated herein. For example, the user 645 may use the user input system 640 to transmit and/or receive information or commands to and from the system 630. In some embodiments, for example, the user input system 640 may include a personal computer system, a mobile computing device, a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, a tablet computing device, a network device, and/or the like. As illustrated in
Each communication interface described herein, including the communication interface 642, generally includes hardware, and, in some instances, software, that enables the user input system 640, to transport, send, receive, and/or otherwise communicate information to and/or from the communication interface of one or more other systems on the network 610. For example, the communication interface 642 of the user input system 640 may include a wireless transceiver, modem, server, electrical connection, and/or other electronic device that operatively connects the user input system 640 to another system such as the system 630. The wireless transceiver may include a radio circuit to enable wireless transmission and reception of information. Additionally, the user input system 640 may include a positioning system. The positioning system (e.g., a global positing system GPS) may enable at least one of the user input system 640 or an external server or computing device in communication with the user input system 640 to determine the location (e.g., location coordinates) of the user input system 640.
Each processor described herein, including the processor 644, generally includes circuitry for implementing the audio, visual, and/or logic functions of the user input system 640. For example, the processor may include a digital signal processor device, a microprocessor device, and various analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, and other support circuits. Control and signal processing functions of the system in which the processor resides may be allocated between these devices according to their respective capabilities. The processor may also include functionality to operate one or more software programs based at least partially on computer-executable program code portions thereof, which may be stored, for example, in a memory device, such as in the user application 647 of the memory 646 of the user input system 640.
Each memory device described herein, including the memory 646 for storing the user application 647 and other information, may include any computer-readable medium. For example, memory may include volatile memory, such as volatile random access memory (RAM) having a cache area for the temporary storage of information. Memory may also include non-volatile memory, which may be embedded and/or may be removable. The non-volatile memory may additionally or alternatively include an EEPROM, flash memory, and/or the like. The memory may store any one or more of pieces of information and data used by the system in which it resides to implement the functions of that system.
As shown in
Also shown in
The agent input system 691 comprises the features present in the user input system 640. For example, the agent input system 691 may comprise a computing system connected to an external display. As a further example, the agent input system 691 may comprise a mobile touchscreen tablet computing system or a portable mobile communication device. In some embodiments, the agent input system 691 may be comprised in the system 630. Therefore, the system 630 may control the agent input system 691.
It will be understood that the system application 637 may be configured to implement any one or more portions of the various user interfaces and/or process flow described herein. The system application 637 may interact with the user application 647. It will also be understood that, in some embodiments, the memory includes other applications. It will also be understood that, in some embodiments, the system application 637 is configured to communicate with the datastore 638, the user input system 640, etc.
It will be further understood that, in some embodiments, the system application 637 includes computer-executable program code portions for instructing the processor 634 to perform any one or more of the functions of the system application 637 described and/or contemplated herein. In some embodiments, the system application 637 may include and/or use one or more network and/or system communication protocols.
In addition to the system application 637, the memory 636 also includes the datastore 638. As used herein, the datastore 638 may be one or more distinct and/or remote datastores. In some embodiments, the datastore 638 is not located within the system and is instead located remotely from the system. In some embodiments, the datastore 638 stores information or data described herein. For example, the datastore 638 may store information associated with the user's account.
It will be understood that the datastore 638 may include any one or more storage devices, including, but not limited to, datastores, databases, and/or any of the other storage devices typically associated with a computer system. It will also be understood that the datastore 638 may store information in any known way, such as, for example, by using one or more computer codes and/or languages, alphanumeric character strings, data sets, figures, tables, charts, links, documents, and/or the like. Further, in some embodiments, the datastore 638 may include information associated with one or more applications, such as, for example, the system application 637. It will also be understood that, in some embodiments, the datastore 638 provides a substantially real-time representation of the information stored therein, so that, for example, when the processor 634 accesses the datastore 638, the information stored therein is current or substantially current.
It will be understood that the embodiment of the system environment illustrated in
In addition, the various portions of the system environment 600 may be maintained for and/or by the same or separate parties. It will also be understood that the system 630 may include and/or implement any embodiment of the present invention described and/or contemplated herein. For example, in some embodiments, the system 630 is configured to implement any one or more of the embodiments of the process flows described and/or contemplated herein in connection any process flow described herein. Additionally, the system 630, the user input system 640, or the agent input system 691 is configured to initiate presentation of any of the user interfaces described herein.
Referring now to
When the user has entered the facility or is within a predetermined distance from the facility, the mobile device automatically initiates an appropriate mobile application and prompts the user to authenticate (e.g., enter username and password) to the application. The initiated mobile application may be based on the type of the facility that the user is approaching. For example, if the user is approaching a branch office of a financial institution, the mobile device may automatically initiate a banking application or prompt the user whether the user wants to initiate a banking application. Alternatively, a user may manually initiate the appropriate application and authenticate to the application. Alternatively, the application may be a social networking application or some other application that requires authentication credentials.
Once the user is authenticated to the application, the mobile device may establish communication with a system associated with the facility. The system associated with the facility may be located at the facility or may be located remotely from the facility. Communication may be established by any of the short-range or long-range wireless mechanisms described herein. Communication may also be established via readable indicia as described herein. Additionally, communication between the system and the mobile device may be initiated by either the system or the mobile device. The system may identify the user based on the user (and/or the user's mobile device) successfully authenticating to the mobile application. Additionally or alternatively, the system identifies the user based on the user checking-in at the facility (e.g., at a check-in station) or checking-in via the mobile device. Checking-in via the mobile device comprises the user authenticating to an application (e.g., a banking application, a social networking application, or the like) and enabling determination of the location associated with the mobile device's position. As used herein, authenticating to an application comprises providing the correct authentication credentials for the application.
In alternate embodiments, communication between the system and the mobile device is initially established as the user approaches the facility, and the establishment of this communication triggers the initiation of the mobile application on the mobile device. Once the mobile application is initiated on the mobile device, the user may authenticate himself or herself to the mobile application. If the user is a new user, the mobile application may present a “New User” option. The user may select the “New User” option and input any prompted information (e.g., name, contact information, purpose of visit, or the like). The user interface associated with the mobile application may look similar to the user interface presented in
Once communication has been established between the mobile device and the system and the user has been authenticated, the system matches the mobile device (or mobile application or authentication credentials) to the user's account. Once the system identifies the user's account, the system accesses information associated with the user or the user's account. The information may be received from an external server accessible to the system. Information associated with the user's account includes account information or transaction history (e.g., transaction history associated with user's previous visits to the facility). As described herein, the transaction history comprises at least one of a last transaction executed by the user (e.g., at the facility, via a network, or the like), a transaction most frequently executed by the user during a predetermined period (e.g., at the facility, via a network, or the like), a transaction most frequently executed by users who visit the facility, or a transaction most frequently executed by users who visit the facility with a similar user profile as the user. The accessed information includes transaction information or other information (e.g., correspondence information) associated with one or more products (e.g., debit cards, credit cards, mortgage account, or the like) associated with the user's account. The transaction information includes transactions associated with an agent-defined time frame.
Additionally, the accessed information may include the user's picture and/or any other information about the user (e.g., contact information). Additionally, the information may include relationship information associated with the user. The relationship information comprises information associated with correspondence between the user and an entity managing the user's account. The correspondence information includes instances of the user establishing communication (via email, phone call, text, social networking message, financial institution network message) with the entity. The correspondence information further includes description of the types of issues and/or transactions associated with the user's correspondence with the entity.
Alternatively or additionally, the system may also receive information from the user's mobile device. The information from the mobile device may be received after the user is authenticated. The information may comprise at least one of information associated with the mobile device (e.g., identification information such as a device identification number), information associated with the user, or information associated with the user's account. Information associated with the user's account may comprise a transaction history, an account number, a payment card number associated with the user's account, an alias associated with the account, authentication credentials associated with the account, or the like. Information associated with the user may comprise the user's name, contact information, any forms pre-filled by the user, or the like. The information may enable a personalized user experience. For example, the information may enable determination of a purpose of the user's visit to the facility (e.g., a transaction intended to be executed by the user at the facility).
The system transmits the information received from the mobile device and/or information received from an external server to an agent at the facility. In this way, the agent has access to information in order to provide a better and faster experience to the user. As explained previously, the system may predict a transaction that the user will execute at the facility, and transmit information associated with a predicted transaction to the agent. When the user approaches the agent (either human or virtual agent), the agent prompts the user whether the user wants to the execute the user's usual transaction at the facility (e.g., withdrawal of $100). When the agent is a human agent, the agent may verbally identify the user (“Hello Mr. Name”) and verbally ask the user whether the user wants to execute the user's usual transaction. When the agent is a virtual agent, the agent may similarly communicate with the user via text on a display or via audio.
Referring now to
The invention also aids in providing security to the user's account. By transmitting a message to the user's mobile device following the user's visit to the facility, the user can quickly know whether someone else made the transaction at the facility. For example, if the user did not perform a transaction at the facility and receives a message indicating the user performed a transaction at the facility, the user can quickly contact the entity associated with the user's account to inform the entity that the user did not perform the transaction referred to in the message received from the system.
When the user wants to execute another transaction in the future, the user can access the communication channel to establish communication with the agent (e.g., the agent that assisted the user at the facility). The communication channel may comprise at least one of voice, video, text, or the like. The communication channel may be accessed by the user executing an application on the user's mobile device, authenticating to the application, and navigating to a communication user interface. On the communication user interface, the user can initiate communication with the agent. For example, the user can transmit a question regarding an intended future transaction or a past transaction to the agent. The agent receives the question and responds to the question. Additionally, if the user needs immediate assistance, the user can select an option to receive immediate assistance. The system then determines whether the agent is available to assist the user in executing an intended transaction on the user's mobile device or other computing device. The assistance may be provided via at least one of audio instructions, video instructions, or text-based instructions. If the agent is unavailable to assist the user (e.g., when the user selects the option to receive immediate service), the system informs the user that the agent who assisted the user at the facility is unavailable. The system prompts the user whether the user would like assistance from a second available agent. The user can then select an option to receive assistance from the second available agent. Alternatively, the user can select an option to receive assistance from the original agent at a later point in time when the original agent is available to assist. Additionally or alternatively, the communication channel comprises messages exchanged between the agent and the user via at least one of email, text message, social networking message, or financial institution network message.
If the transaction executed by the user at the facility can be executed on a mobile device or computing device without the need for the agent's assistance, the post-transaction service comprises providing instructions (e.g., text-based, audio, or video) to the user for executing similar transactions in the future via a mobile device or computing device without the need to visit the facility.
The communication between the system and the mobile device may be initiated by the system. For example, the system initiates communicates based on determining a predetermined duration of time has passed since the user has exited the facility or since the user executed the transaction at the facility. Additionally or alternatively, the communication between the system and the mobile device may be initiated by the mobile device. In order for the mobile device to communicate with the system, the user may need to authenticate to an application (e.g., a banking application when the transaction is a banking transaction, a social networking application, a merchant application, or the like) on the mobile device. The communication between the system and the mobile device occurs via one or more long-range or short-range wireless communication methods or via readable indicia.
Additionally, the post-transaction service comprises sending a message to the user prompting the user to provide feedback regarding at least one of the transaction executed at the facility or the agent who assisted the user at the facility. The message may also ask the user whether wants the same agent to assist the user with future transactions (e.g., transaction executed at the facility, transactions executed via phone, transactions executed on a mobile device or computing device, or the like).
The agent assists the user on a transaction at the facility, over the phone or a network, or provides instructions to the user for self-conducting the transaction. As described herein, the agent has access to information in order to better assist the user. As described herein, the accessed information comprises at least one of information associated with the user's mobile device, information associated with the user, or information associated with the user's account. The information associated with the user's account comprises a list of transactions, wherein the list of transactions comprises a last transaction executed by the user (e.g., at the facility, via a network, or the like), a transaction most frequently executed by the user during a predetermined period (e.g., at the facility, via a network, or the like), a transaction most frequently executed by users who visit the facility, or a transaction most frequently executed by users who visit the facility with a similar user profile as the user. Additionally, the information associated with the user comprises relationship information associated with the user, wherein the relationship information comprises correspondence information between the user and an entity managing the user's account.
In some instances, a user may need to exit the facility without completely executing the transaction at the facility. In such instances, the post-transaction service comprises providing a communication channel to the user so that the user can continue working on the transaction at a time of the user's choosing. In such embodiments, the user or the agent can bookmark the transaction in order to save the work that has already been completed the transaction. Therefore, at a later point in time, if the transaction can be worked upon or executed away from the facility, the user can access the communication channel (e.g., via the user's account) and establish communication with the agent (e.g., the agent that assisted the user at the facility) or another agent at the facility (or a remote location away from the facility) in order to access the bookmarked work and continue working on the transaction on the user's mobile device or computing device. Alternatively, if the user chooses, the user can access the bookmarked work and continue working on the channel without assistance from an agent.
In some embodiments, the user exits the facility via a drive-through lane associated with the facility. In some embodiments, the user's mobile device comprises or is part of a motor vehicle.
Additionally, the system can be used for cross-selling purposes. For example, when the user is at the facility, the user may be presented with an offer to buy a product (e.g., a credit card). The user may choose not to buy the product at the facility. The message transmitted from the system to the user after the user exits the facility includes the offer to buy the product. The offer presented to the user in the message may be a better (e.g., cheaper) than the offer presented to the user at the facility.
Referring now to
As an example, an entity may be a financial institution. The user may specify that the user intends to pick up, at a particular location (e.g., branch office or ATM), a check using funds from a user-specified account. The preliminary work comprises the generation of the check. Therefore, when the user arrives at the particular location, the check is ready for the user to pick up. A message that was previously transmitted to the user indicates where the check needs to be picked up from in the facility.
As described herein, the system communicates a message to a user. The message may be transmitted to the user's mobile device. A first message indicates acknowledgement of the transaction. Therefore, the user knows that the entity associated with the facility knows that the user seeks to execute the intended transaction. In some embodiments, the system determines whether any preliminary work can be performed on the transaction. In response to determining at least some preliminary work can be performed on the transaction prior to the user's arrival at the facility, the system performs the determined preliminary work based on the amount of time prior to the user's arrival at the facility. The amount of preliminary work that can be performed on the transaction may be based on the amount of time prior to the user's arrival at the facility. In some embodiments, the message to the user describes the preliminary work that can be performed on the transaction prior to the user's arrival at the facility, and seeks permission from the user to perform the preliminary work. The user may provide permission to perform the preliminary work by selecting a selectable approval option in the message or by responding to the message. In some embodiments, the system may determine, based on the intended transaction, that no preliminary work can be performed on the transaction prior to the user's arrival at the facility.
The preliminary work may be performed by an agent (either human or virtual) at the facility or at a central location away from the facility. If the preliminary work is performed at a central location, the completed preliminary work is transmitted to the facility prior to the user's arrival. Therefore, in some embodiments, the system determines whether the preliminary work can be performed at a central location away from the facility. If the work can be performed at a central location away from the facility, a request is transmitted to the central location to perform the preliminary work at the central location. The central location may access information associated with the user and the user's account to perform the preliminary work. When the preliminary work is completed, the central location forwards the preliminary work to the facility.
Once the preliminary work has been performed, the system may transmit a message to the user. The message may include a description of preliminary work that has been performed. Either prior to or after determining or performing the preliminary work, the system transmits a message to the user indicating a recommended arrival time and/or a recommended arrival location. The recommended arrival time and/or a recommended arrival location may be based on a desired arrival time and/or desired arrival location specified by the user. However, the recommended arrival time and/or recommended arrival location are also based on some other factors. Therefore, the recommended arrival time and/or recommended arrival location may the same as or different from the user's desired arrival time and/or desired arrival location.
The recommended arrival time may be based on the amount of preliminary work that has be performed (which is based on the type of intended transaction), the number and type of other transactions that have been received from other users (and preliminary work that has to be performed on those other transactions), the number of users waiting to receive service or currently being serviced at the facility, or the like. Additionally, the recommended arrival time may be based on the scheduled time of arrival as specified by the user. The system will attempt to set a recommended arrival time that is close to the user's scheduled time of arrival. If the recommended arrival time is for a time after the user's scheduled time of arrival, the message provides this recommended arrival time so that the user does not arrive early to the facility and incur a waiting period.
Additionally, as indicated previously, the message indicates a recommended arrival location (e.g., location of facility). The user may specify a location where the user would like to execute the intended transaction. When the entity is a financial institution, the location may be a branch office or an ATM. The system will attempt to provide the user with the user-defined location (if the user identifies a specific facility) or a facility location close to the user-defined location. The determination of the facility location is based on at least one of the type of transaction to be executed by the user (each facility location has different transaction capabilities), a type and amount of preliminary work that has to be performed on the transaction, the number of users currently being serviced at the facility location, the number and type of pending transaction that have been received from other users (and preliminary work that has to be performed on those other transactions), or the like.
Additionally, if the transaction needs to be performed with the assistance of a human agent or if the user indicated a preference to perform the transaction with the assistance of a human agent, the message indicates an identity of an agent at the facility who will assist the user with executing the intended transaction.
In some embodiments, the system may determine that the intended transaction can be executed on the user's mobile device. Therefore, the message indicates to the user that the intended transaction can be executed on the user's mobile device. Additionally, the message includes a link to instructions (e.g., text-based instruction, audiovisual instructions, or the like) associated with executing the intended transaction on the user's mobile device. Additionally, as described herein, in some embodiments, the message may additionally indicate to the user that the user can receive step-by-step instructions from an agent located at a remote facility who can converse with the user while the user is executing the transaction.
The message from the system to the user is transmitted via at least one of email, text message, social network message, or financial institution network message. The user transmits information associated with the intended transaction (and/or an approximate time of arrival and a preferred location for executing the transaction) via the user's account. For example, the user authenticates to the user's account and navigates to a particular area of the user's account. This area of the user's account provides a user interface for the user to describe an intended transaction (or select from a list of transactions, e.g., previously executed transactions), and for the user to specify a time of arrival at a facility, and a preferred facility location (e.g., a branch office, an ATM, or the like). Alternatively or additionally, the user may specify an approximate time of arrival and/or a location where the user wants to execute the transaction. For example, the user may specify that the user wants to execute the transaction close to a user-defined address or within a user-defined neighborhood, zip code, or the like. Alternatively, the user may specify a particular facility (e.g., branch office or ATM) where the user wants to execute the transaction. The particular facility may be selected from a displayed list of available facilities. Additionally or alternatively, the user may transmit a description of the user's intended transaction (and preferred location and arrival time) to the system via at least one of email, text message, social networking message, or financial institution networking message. The system may identify the user based on verifying the identity of the sender based on one or more verification methods.
As described herein the facility is associated with an entity, wherein the user's account is managed by the entity. In some embodiments, the entity comprises a financial institution as described herein. In other embodiments, the entity comprises a merchant. Therefore, in some embodiments, the user's intended transaction may be a purchase of a user-defined item. The intended transaction (and a preferred time and/or location) is communicated to the merchant. The merchant may then perform preliminary work. For example, the merchant (e.g., the merchant's store close to the user's preferred location) may determine whether the merchant currently carries inventory of the item. If the merchant does carry inventory, the purchase item is reserved for the user and is moved to a carry-out location of the merchant's store, so that the user can easily come into the store and purchase or pick-up (and either pre-pay or pay later) the item from the carry-out location. Therefore, the merchant sends a message to the user indicating the purchase item has been reserved for the user and is available for pickup. If the merchant does not carry any inventory, the merchant informs the user (e.g., via a message) that the user's intended purchase item is not available at a store close the user's preferred location. The merchant may then ping other stores to determine whether they carry the intended purchase item. If they do, the addresses of those stores are communicated to the user. Alternatively or additionally, the merchant may determine one or more substitutes for the user's item and for which the merchant has inventory. The merchant may transmit a message to the user indicating that the merchant does not have inventory for the user's desired item but has inventory for a substitute item.
In some embodiments, in order to perform the preliminary work, the system or the agent may access information associated with the user or the user's account. The information associated with the user comprises at least one of identification information (e.g., the user's name), contact information, or relationship information associated with the user, wherein the relationship information comprises correspondence information between the user and an entity managing the user's account. The information associated with the user's account comprises a list of transactions associated with the user's account, wherein the list of transactions comprises at least one of a last transaction executed by the user (e.g., either via a network or at a facility), a transaction most frequently executed by the user (e.g., either via a network or at a facility) during a predetermined period, a transaction most frequently executed by users who visit the facility, or a transaction most frequently executed by users who visit the facility with a similar user profile as the user.
Additionally or alternatively, in response to determining the type of intended transaction, the system is further configured to transmit information to the user's mobile device. As described in other embodiments, the information (e.g., instructions or the like) transmitted to the mobile device may enable the user to execute the transaction on the mobile device without the assistance of an agent at the facility. Therefore, the user may execute the transaction on the mobile device without making a trip to the facility.
In some embodiments, the user specifies to the system that the user is arriving at a particular facility location at a particular time without specifying the type of intended transaction. The system may predict the intended transaction based on the transaction history of the user at the particular facility location and based on transactions executed by the user in the past at a similar time of day. If the system predicts a transaction with a degree of confidence greater than a predetermined threshold, the system performs preliminary work associated with the transaction (e.g., prepares a check for certain amount ready for the user to pick up if the predicted transaction is the generation of a check).
In some embodiments, the user additionally specifies a name of an agent at the facility with whom the user would like to execute the transaction. The system determines whether the particular agent is available to execute the transaction at the arrival time of the user. If the agent is available, the system sends a message to the user indicating the agent is available to assist the user when the user arrives at the facility. If the agent will not be available when the user arrives at the facility, the message may indicate that the user's desired agent will not be available and that another agent will assist the user upon the user's arrival at the facility.
In some embodiments, the system receives information associated with the intended transaction and determines an optimal procedure for executing the transaction. The optimal procedure is a procedure that meets as many needs associated with the transaction as possible. The needs specified by the user or automatically determined by the system include cost of the transaction and proximity to location of user's mobile device (or proximity to user-specified location). For example, the system may determine that the most optimal procedure for the user to execute the transaction is via the user's mobile device, and not a trip to the nearest facility. As an example, a user may want to execute a money transfer to a second user. The system may determine that the optimal procedure for executing the transaction is by executing a mobile payment transfer to an alias (e.g., a phone number, an email, a social networking account, or the like) associated with the second user. Therefore, the system recommends this procedure to the user. An example of a custom user-specified need may be that the user prefers human assistance in executing the transaction. In such an instance, the system may give the user the option of going to the nearest facility or conducting the transaction via an audio or video conference with an agent at a central location.
In some embodiments, a user may need to execute multiple transactions (e.g., deposit a check and talk to an agent regarding a product). In such embodiments, the system may determine a single location for accomplishing the multiple transactions. Since the user needs to talk to an agent regarding a product, the recommended location provided by the system is a branch office nearest to the user's location (or nearest to a user-specified location) where the user can execute both transactions. Additionally, the system ensures that an appropriate agent is available to interact with the user regarding the product at the arrival time recommended to the user by the system.
Alternatively, in some embodiments, the system receives the multiple transactions and determines the optimal procedure for performing each transaction. For example, the system recommends using the user's mobile device or the nearest ATM for depositing the check, and the system recommends a trip to the nearest facility for talking to an agent. Additionally or alternatively, the system may provide options to the user. For example, for the transaction of talking to an agent, the system may provide the user with the option of going to the nearest facility at a recommended time or conducting an audio or audiovisual conference with an agent at a remote location. Additionally or alternatively, the transaction may comprise several sub-parts, and the system determines that the optimal procedure (e.g., an ATM transaction) for executing one of the sub-parts is different from the optimal procedure (e.g., an in-person interaction at a facility) for executing one of the other sub-parts. Therefore, the system may recommend that the user execute the transaction via multiple disparate procedures.
In some embodiments, the system may establish communication with the user's mobile device to receive information associated with the user's calendar. The user may grant or pre-grant permission to the system for accessing the user's calendar. Therefore, the system determines the recommended arrival time based on free periods and busy periods in the user's calendar. The system determines the recommended arrival time based on the predicted duration of the transaction occurring during a free period in the user's calendar.
In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the term “module” with respect to a system may refer to a hardware component of the system, a software component of the system, or a component of the system that includes both hardware and software. As used herein, a module may include one or more modules, where each module may reside in separate pieces of hardware or software. Any features described with respect to a process flow described herein may be applicable to any other process flow described herein. As used herein, a transaction refers to either a monetary or non-monetary transaction. For example, the transaction may include an interaction.
Although many embodiments of the present invention have just been described above, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Also, it will be understood that, where possible, any of the advantages, features, functions, devices, and/or operational aspects of any of the embodiments of the present invention described and/or contemplated herein may be included in any of the other embodiments of the present invention described and/or contemplated herein, and/or vice versa. In addition, where possible, any terms expressed in the singular form herein are meant to also include the plural form and/or vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Accordingly, the terms “a” and/or “an” shall mean “one or more,” even though the phrase “one or more” is also used herein. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art in view of this disclosure, the present invention may include and/or be embodied as an apparatus (including, for example, a system, machine, device, computer program product, and/or the like), as a method (including, for example, a business method, computer-implemented process, and/or the like), or as any combination of the foregoing. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of an entirely business method embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, stored procedures in a database, etc.), an entirely hardware embodiment, or an embodiment combining business method, software, and hardware aspects that may generally be referred to herein as a “system.” Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product that includes a computer-readable storage medium having one or more computer-executable program code portions stored therein. As used herein, a processor, which may include one or more processors, may be “configured to” perform a certain function in a variety of ways, including, for example, by having one or more general-purpose circuits perform the function by executing one or more computer-executable program code portions embodied in a computer-readable medium, and/or by having one or more application-specific circuits perform the function.
It will be understood that any suitable computer-readable medium may be utilized. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a tangible electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, and/or semiconductor system, device, and/or other apparatus. For example, in some embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes a tangible medium such as a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), and/or some other tangible optical and/or magnetic storage device. In other embodiments of the present invention, however, the computer-readable medium may be transitory, such as, for example, a propagation signal including computer-executable program code portions embodied therein.
One or more computer-executable program code portions for carrying out operations of the present invention may include object-oriented, scripted, and/or unscripted programming languages, such as, for example, Java, Perl, Smalltalk, C++, SAS, SQL, Python, Objective C, JavaScript, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the one or more computer-executable program code portions for carrying out operations of embodiments of the present invention are written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming languages and/or similar programming languages. The computer program code may alternatively or additionally be written in one or more multi-paradigm programming languages, such as, for example, F#.
Some embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of apparatus and/or methods. It will be understood that each block included in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and/or combinations of blocks included in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, may be implemented by one or more computer-executable program code portions. These one or more computer-executable program code portions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, and/or some other programmable data processing apparatus in order to produce a particular machine, such that the one or more computer-executable program code portions, which execute via the processor of the computer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus, create mechanisms for implementing the steps and/or functions represented by the flowchart(s) and/or block diagram block(s).
The one or more computer-executable program code portions may be stored in a transitory and/or non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., a memory, etc.) that can direct, instruct, and/or cause a computer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the computer-executable program code portions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction mechanisms which implement the steps and/or functions specified in the flowchart(s) and/or block diagram block(s).
The one or more computer-executable program code portions may also be loaded onto a computer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer and/or other programmable apparatus. In some embodiments, this produces a computer-implemented process such that the one or more computer-executable program code portions which execute on the computer and/or other programmable apparatus provide operational steps to implement the steps specified in the flowchart(s) and/or the functions specified in the block diagram block(s). Alternatively, computer-implemented steps may be combined with, and/or replaced with, operator- and/or human-implemented steps in order to carry out an embodiment of the present invention.
While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other changes, combinations, omissions, modifications and substitutions, in addition to those set forth in the above paragraphs, are possible. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations, modifications, and combinations of the just described embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.
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