REWARDING TELECOMMUNICATION CUSTOMERS

Abstract: A method for handling calls in a telecommunications network (1) comprises monitoring an operating parameter of a call which is made by a customer (3) of a telecommunications network (1) and which has preselected characteristics, selecting that call if the monitored operating parameter equals a predetermined value, and if the call is selected, notifying the customer (3) of the selection. The operating parameter indicates the total number of calls made in the network (1) with the said preselected characteristic.

Description: REWARDING TELECOMMUNICATION CUSTOMERS TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to rewarding telecommunication customers. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART Japanese Patent Application No. 03-235564 discloses a system in which use of a telephone payment card for a call to predetermined destination numbers results in a commission payment to the card. The telephone exchange confirms whether or not the called destination telephone number is registered for the payment of commission. If this is the case, then when the telephone call is finished the caller's telephone card is credited with a commission payment. However, such a system is related only to use of telephone call payment cards and is limited to providing a commission payment merely on the basis of call destination number. Thus, such a system is inflexible and cannot allow the telecommunications provider to reward other types of use of the network. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore desirable to provide a system in which telecommunications companies can reward users of the system who meet criteria specified by the companies . According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for handling calls in a telecommunications network, the method comprising: monitoring an operating parameter of a call which is made by a customer of a telecommunications network and which has preselected characteristics; selecting that call if the monitored operating parameter equals a predetermined value; and if the call is selected, notifying the customer of the selection; characterised in that the monitored operating parameter indicates the total number of calls made to customers of the network having the said preselected characteristics . Such a system allows a reward to be made to the caller of the nth (for example 100,000th) call having certain characteristics. The preselected characteristics may be a specific time frame in which the call is made, or may be specific destination of the call. Alternatively, the reward may be applied to a certain group of customers of the network, or to customers using a particular service of the network. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of rewarding telephone network subscribers, the method comprising monitoring calls made using the telephone network, determining which of said calls meet predetermined criteria, and exceptionally selecting subscribers making particular ones of said calls meeting the predetermined criteria for rewards. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a node apparatus for use in a telecommunications network comprising: a monitoring means for monitoring an operating parameter of a call made by a customer of the network, the call having preselected characteristics; a selector means for selecting that call if the monitored operating parameter equals a predetermined value ; and a notification means for notifying the customer if the call is selected, characterised in that the said operating parameter being indicative of the total number of calls made in the network having the said preselected characteristics. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a telephone network node, comprising means for monitoring calls made by subscribers using the telephone network, means for determining which of said calls meet predetermined criteria, and means for exceptionally selecting subscribers making particular ones of said calls meeting the predetermined criteria for rewards. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a telecommunications network embodying the present invention; Figure 2 shows part of the network of Figure 1 in more detail; Figure 3 shows a further part of the network shown in Figure 1 in more detail; and Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating steps in a method embodying the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 schematically shows a telecommunications network 1 which is used by a calling party 3 to call a called party 5 via a link 11 in the network. The link 11 is shown schematically for the sake of clarity, and would generally pass through many network connections between the calling party 3 and the called party 5, in conventional manner. The network 1 includes a reward monitoring unit 13 and a reward issuing unit 15. The reward monitoring unit is connected, via a link 17, to the calling party 3, and the reward issuing unit 15 is connected to the calling party 3 via a link 19. The reward monitoring unit 13 and the reward issuing unit 15 are connected by means of a link 18. The links 17, 18 and 19 are shown schematically for the sake of clarity, and in reality could be provided by hardware and/or software links in the telecommunications network 1. The links 17 and 19, from and to the calling party 3, relate to call monitoring and reward notification functions, as will be explained in more detail below. The reward monitoring unit 13 is shown in more detail, in schematic block diagram form, in Figure 2. The unit 13 includes a call type detector 131, which is connected to receive information from the calling party by means of the link 17, and a call number detector 133, which has an input connected to receive information from the call type connector 131. The unit also includes a call number comparator 135, which has respective inputs connected to receive information from the call number detector 133 and from a preset call number store 137. An output of the call number comparator 135 provides the output, via link 18, of the reward monitoring unit 13. Figure 3 shows the reward issuing unit 15 of Figure 1 in more detail . The unit 15 includes a reward determination unit 151 which receives as its input the output 18 from the reward monitoring unit 13 (Figures 1 and 2) . A notifier 152 has an input connected to receive information from an output of the reward determination unit 151, and has an output from which information is transmitted to the calling party 3 by means of the schematic link 19. It will be appreciated that the representations shown in Figures 2 and 3 are merely schematic, and that the reward monitoring 13 and the reward issuing 15 may be provided, in a practical embodiment of the present invention, by hardware or software or a combination of the two. In addition, the two units 13, 15 may be provided physically by a single unit, or by a single piece of software code. Operation of the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 will now be described with reference to Figure 4. A call setup process begins at step 400, and at step 401 the customer (calling party 3 in Figure 1) initiates a call to the called party 5 (Figure 1) . The reward monitoring unit 13 monitors the call by way of link 17, and determines at step 402, by means of the call type detector unit 131, whether the call is of a correct type suitable for a reward. As will be explained in more detail below, the correct call type or types would usually be predetermined by the network provider. If the call is not of a correct type to attract a reward, then the process proceeds directly to step 406 in which the call is set up in conventional fashion. The call then ends at step 407. However, if the call type detector unit 131 determines that the call is of the correct type for a reward, the call number detector 133, at step 403, determines the total number of calls made to the network having the correct type of characteristics. Thus, the current call has a number (n) associated with it, for example the current call could be the 100,000th of the correct type. At step 404, the call number comparator 135 determines whether the current call number (n) is equal to a preset value (p) , the preset value being stored in the preset call number store 137. If the detected call number (n) is not equal to the preset value (p) , then the process reverts to step 406 for conventional set up of the call. However, if the detected call number (n) is equal to the preset value (p) , then the process moves to step 405 in which the customer is rewarded by the unit 15 for being the pth customer placing a call having particular characteristics. Following the customer reward step, the call is set up at step 406 in conventional manner. Step 405, in which the reward is made to the customer, can take several forms as will be explained below. Referring back to step 402 of Figure 4 (and to Figure 2) , the call type detector 131 is operable to detect the characteristics of the call and to determine whether those characteristics make the call suitable for a reward. The characteristics that warrant a reward can be set by the telecommunications network provider in order, for example, to encourage use of specific services of the network, for example. One possible characteristic is that the network provider specifies a time frame in which the call must be made, so that a reward is given to the pth user of the network within that time frame. Alternatively, the called party 5 may be the required characteristic, so that the pth person phoning a given number would be rewarded. Another alternative would be to reward calling parties who make use of a particular service of the network. For example calling parties using a credit card service, a call back service, or a call forwarding service. In such system the pth person using the service would be rewarded. An alternative would be that the calling party 3 is a member of a selected group of network customers. Such a group could be defined easily by the network provider, for example by their directory of IMSI numbers. Thus, the customer making the pth call made from a particular group of customers could be rewarded. Naturally, any combination of the above mentioned schemes could be provided by the network provider in order to best suit its marketing strategy. For example the 100,000th customer using the call forwarding service during the month of February could be specifically rewarded. The particular type of reward available would be defined by the network provider, and some examples will be described below. When a customer qualifies for a reward, then the reward issuing unit 15 shown in Figure 3 operates (step 405, Figure 4) to notify the customer of their reward. Such notification and reward process can take one of several options. For example, the reward determiner 151 and the reward notifier 152 can interrupt the call from the calling party 3 to the called party 5 to issue a message from an announcing machine or from a person (not shown) in a call centre notifying the calling party 3 of its reward. The reward would then be logged using a call data record output from the notifier 152. Alternatively, after the call between the two parties has finished, the notifier unit 152 can call back the calling party 3 to inform it of the reward. Once again, a data record would be output from the notifier 152 in order to update the reward service records . A third possibility for notifying the calling party of its reward would be to activate a mail system in which the notifier 152 causes a mailed notification to be sent to the calling party. Records concerning the reward service can be made part of the conventional call record processing in the billing system of the network, or alternatively could be made part of an immediate response system. In an immediate response system, for example, a credit card could be automatically credited with an amount of money equal to the reward. The rewards can take any form and are decided by the telecommunications network provider. For example, the provider may wish to give customers reduced bills for their use of the network if they meet the criteria set out above. Other possible rewards would be to credit bank accounts or credit cards, or to accumulate points which can be exchanged for goods and services. Such a customer reward service is a powerful marketing tool and allows telecommunication network providers to introduce new services and to differentiate markets as they wish.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A method for handling calls in a telecommunications network, the method comprising: monitoring an operating parameter of a call which is made by a customer of a telecommunications network and which has preselected characteristics; selecting that call if the monitored operating parameter equals a predetermined value; and if the call is selected, notifying the customer of the selection, the operating parameter indicating the total number of calls made in the network with the said preselected characteristic. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the preselected characteristics are indicative of the time period in which the call was made . 3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the preselected characteristics are indicative of the service type called by the customer. 4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the preselected characteristics are indicative of the destination number called by the customer. 5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selection is available only to a predetermined number of customers of the network. 6. A method of rewarding telephone network subscribers, the method comprising monitoring calls made using the telephone network, determining which of said calls meet predetermined criteria, and exceptionally selecting subscribers making particular ones of said calls meeting the predetermined criteria for. rewards . 7. A node apparatus for use in a telecommunications network comprising: a monitoring means for monitoring an operating parameter of a call made by a customer of the network, the call having preselected characteristics; a selector means for selecting that call if the monitored operating parameter equals a predetermined value; and a notification means for notifying the customer if the call is selected, characterised in that the said operating parameter being indicative of the total number of calls made in the network having the said preselected characteristics. 8. A telephone network node, comprising means for monitoring calls made by subscribers using the telephone network, means for determining which of said calls meet predetermined criteria, and means for exceptionally selecting subscribers making particular ones of said calls meeting the predetermined criteria for rewards . 9. A node apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or 8, operable in accordance with a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6. 10. A telecommunications network including node apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9. 11. A telecommunications network operated in accordance with a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6. 12. A method of handling calls in a telecommunications network substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 13. A method of rewarding telephone network subscribers substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings . 14. Node apparatus for use in telecommunications network substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 15. A telecommunications network substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings .

Inventors: HANSEN ASGER, OLSEN FINN, HANSEN, ASGER, OLSEN, FINN
Applicants: ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M, HANSEN ASGER, OLSEN FINN, HANSEN, ASGER, OLSEN, FINN, TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON
Application year: 1998
Main classification: H04M15
IPC codes: H04M15