Abstract:
A system, method, and computer readable medium for confirmation and verification of shipping address data associated with a transaction. The invention provides a method of verifying first and at least second shipping address information associated with transactions conducted over a telecommunications network. The first and second shipping address information can be stored respectively in a first format and a second format, such as respective speech and text formats. The method functions by accessing address information pertaining to a specific transaction by extracting the respective address information as stored in both formats. The address information is then compared to each other to ensure that they are consistent. If the address information as stored in the two respective formats are sufficiently inconsistent, the underlying transaction may be dispositioned in various ways according to the difference.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/173,794, filed Jun. 18, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally related to data verification and more specifically, is related to methods, apparatus, and computer readable media for confirmation and verification of shipping address data associated with a transaction. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are various instances when a caller contacts or is contacted by a call center. Such contacts can relate to an inquiry about goods and/or services offered by merchants. While interacting with the call center, the caller can provide live voice/speech data to the call center, for example, to conduct a transaction with the call center. Part of the data pertinent to such a transaction is a delivery address associated with goods/services ordered by the caller. There are a number of limitations associated with ensuring at the delivery address is proper such as not capturing the information correctly. As such, what are needed are methods, apparatus, and computer readable media that ensures that a live operator is accurately capturing the address data as spoken by the caller, both for quality assurance purposes and for anti-fraud purposes. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to methods, apparatus, and computer readable media for confirmation and verification of shipping address data associated with a transaction. 
     In one embodiment, a computer-based method of verifying first and at least second shipping address information associated with at least one transaction conducted over a telecommunications network and stored respectively in a first format and in at least a second format includes at least the following: locating the first shipping address information as stored in the first format, comparing the first address information to the at least second address information as stored in the at least second format, quantifying a difference between the first address information and the at least second address information as represented in the first and at least second formats, and dispositioning the transaction according the difference. 
     In another embodiment, an apparatus for verifying first and at least second shipping address information associated with at least one transaction conducted over a telecommunications network and stored respectively in a first format and in at least a second format including at least the following: means for locating the first shipping address information as stored in the first format, means for comparing the first address information to the at least second address information as stored in the at least second format, means for quantifying a difference between the first address information and the at least second address information as represented in the first and at least second formats, and means for dispositioning the transaction according the difference. 
     In a further embodiment, a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for verifying first and at least second shipping address information associated with at least one transaction conducted over a telecommunications network and stored respectively in a first format and in at least a second format comprises at least the following: locating the first shipping address information as stored in the first format, comparing the first address information to the at least second address information as stored in the at least second format, quantifying a difference between the first address information and the at least second address information as represented in the first and at least second formats, and dispositioning the transaction according the difference. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of apparatus constructed according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 1   a  is a block diagram providing additional detail regarding the conversion/comparison apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of an overall process flow provided according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart of an overall process flow provided according to another illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an overall process flow provided according to another illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a thresholding/dispositioning process provided according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of apparatus constructed according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a caller may use conventional telephone equipment (both shown collectively by the reference numeral  110 ) to contact, or be contacted by, a call center  120 , for example to order or inquire about goods and/or services offered by merchants who are clients of the call center  120 . While interacting with the call center  120 , the caller  110  provides live voice/speech data  115  to the call center  120 , for example, to conduct a transaction with the call center  120 . Part of the data pertinent to such a transaction is a delivery address associated with goods/services ordered by the caller  110 . To facilitate processing this transaction, the call center  120  forwards the live voice speech data  115  to various entities within the call center  120 . One such entity is a live operator using conventional call center telephone equipment to access call center resources, both shown collectively by the reference numeral  140 . Another entity is speech record data store  130 , which stores an archive copy of all speech or voice communications received from the caller  110 . Speech record data store  130  can be implemented using any number of commercially available database management programs. Suitable programs are available from vendors such as Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., IBM/Informix, and others. The speech record data store  130  functions according to the invention to provide on demand a speech record of the address data as spoken live by the caller  110 , which speech record is represented collectively by the reference numeral  115   a.    
     Live operator  140  utilizes the resources of the call center  120  to conduct the transaction with the caller  110 . One of the functions assigned to live operator  140  is to process speech/voice data  115  received live from the caller  110 , and transcribe the same for storage as text/keystroke data  145  in a text record data store  160 . Text record data store  160  may be implemented using similar technology to that discussed above for implementing speech record data store  130 . Both speech record data store  130  and text record data store  160  may be hosted on the same computer hardware, or may be hosted on separate, respective computer hardware. Suitable host hardware is the Tandem™ server available from Compaq Corporation (www.compaq.com); however the invention is not limited to such servers and may be practiced using other hardware. In essence, the speech record data store  130  stores speech or voice data  115  as captured live from the caller  110 , while the text record data store  160  captures corresponding text/keystroke data  145  as entered by the live operator  140 . The text record data store  160  provides on demand a text record of address data as entered by the live operator  140 , represented collectively by the reference numeral  145   a . As understood by those skilled in the art, the text record data store  160  and the speech record data store  130  can be indexed by a unique transaction identifier, such that respective text data and speech data associated with a specific transaction can be extracted using the transaction identifier as a unique key or index. 
     Conversion/comparison apparatus  150  is coupled to receive the speech record  115   a  from the speech record data store  130 , and the text record  145   a  from the text record data store  160 . The conversion/comparison apparatus  150  functions to ensure that the contents of the text record  145   a  as captured by the live operator  140  is substantially consistent with the corresponding contents of the speech record  115   a  as stored in the speech record data store  130 . In this manner, the conversion/comparison apparatus  150  ensures that the live operator  140  is accurately capturing the address data as spoken by the caller  110 , both for quality assurance purposes and for anti-fraud purposes. The conversion/comparison apparatus  150  generates a difference signal  155 , which indicates any difference detected by the conversion/comparison apparatus  150  between the speech record  115   a  and the text record  145   a.    
     Those skilled in the art will understand that the various components shown in  FIG. 1 , such as the live operator  140 , the speech record data store  130 , the text record data store  160 , and the conversion/comparison apparatus  150 , may be provided either within or without the physical premises of the call center  120 . Specifically, the live operator  140  may be employed as either an on-site operator reporting for on-site duty at the call center  120 , or may be a home or remote agent who accesses resources of the call center  120  while working at a physical location remote from the call center  120 . While the invention as described herein is equally applicable to an on-site implementation at the call center  120  or a home agent implementation, the invention may have particular utility as applied to the home agent context, wherein the home agent processing calls from caller  110  is not under immediate physical supervision by supervisory personnel. 
       FIG. 1   a  is a block diagram providing additional detail regarding the conversion/comparison apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 1   a , the conversion/comparison apparatus  150  includes speech/voice to text conversion apparatus  152  and text comparison apparatus  154 . The speech/voice to text conversion apparatus  152  receives the speech record  115   a  as shown in  FIG. 1 , and converts this input speech/voice to a text equivalent, shown by the reference numeral  153 . Technology suitable for implementing the speech/voice to text conversion apparatus  152  is commercially available from a variety of vendors, such as Nuance Corporation, whose web site is posted at the URL www.nuance.com. Similar voice recognition or speech-to-text technology is available from other vendors as well, and those skilled in the art will understand that the invention as described herein is not limited to technology provided by any one vendor. 
     Text comparison apparatus  154  receives as input the text equivalent data  153  generated as output by speech/voice to text conversion apparatus  152 . The text comparison apparatus  154  receives as further input the text record  145   a  shown in  FIG. 1 . Text comparison apparatus  154  functions to compare the text equivalent  153  of the spoken address data to the text record of the address data  145   a  as entered by the live operator  140 . The differences between the text comprising these two inputs are output as the difference signal  155 . The processing performed by the apparatus shown in  FIG. 1   a  may be performed either in real time with the transaction being conducted with the caller  110 , or in a batch process executed after the fact. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that shipping or delivery address information in the context of the transaction environment described above typically includes street address, city, state, and zip code information. Speech/voice to text conversion apparatus  152  as shown in  FIG. 1   a  can be adapted to use key words, panels, or other similar indexing mechanisms to locate and extract the speech and/or voice data spoken live by the caller  110  corresponding to each of these fields, and to convert the same into equivalent text input to the text comparison apparatus  154 . The text comparison apparatus  154  can then do a field-by-field text comparison of the text record data  145   a  to the text equivalent data  153 , and quantify or store the differences between each field. As discussed in further detail below, depending on the level of differences between the various fields in the address data, various follow-up actions may be taken to disposition the underlying transaction with the caller  110 . 
       FIG. 2  is a flowchart of an overall process flow  200  provided according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the process  200  includes locating address data as stored in a first format (block  210 ), comparing this address data to address data stored in a second format (block  220 ), quantifying the difference therebetween (block  230 ), and dispositioning a transaction conducted with the caller  110  in response to this difference (block  240 ). 
     According to various embodiments of the invention, the method can include converting a voice- or speech-based representation of the address data  115   a  to a text equivalent  153 , and comparing that text equivalent  153  to the corresponding keystroke data  145  entered by the live operator  140 .  FIG. 3  is a flowchart of an overall process flow  300  provided according to such an embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the method includes at least the following. At block  310 , the method locates address data as stored in a text record  145   a  by the live operator  140 . At block  320 , the method locates a speech record  115   a  of the address data as stored within speech record data store  130 . At block  330 , the method converts the speech/voice record  115   a  to a text equivalent  153 , using, for example, speech recognition or speech-to-text technology available from a variety of vendors as discussed above. At block  340 , the method quantifies a difference between the text record  145   a  obtained from the text record data store  160  and the text equivalent  153  obtained above from the speech/voice record  115   a  as stored in the speech record data store  130 . At block  240 , the method dispositions the underlying transaction in response to the above difference between the text record  145   a  and the text equivalent  153 . 
     According to other embodiments of the invention, the method can include accessing the speech record  115   a  of the address as spoken by the caller, and comparing it directly to the corresponding text record  145   a .  FIG. 4  is an overall flowchart of a process flow  400  provided according to such an embodiment. In this embodiment, the method  400  includes at least the following. At block  410 , the method locates the address data  115   a  as stored in the speech record data store  130 . At block  420 , the method located corresponding address data  145   a  as entered by the live operator  140  in the text record data store  160 . At block  430 , the method compares the address data  115   a  from the speech record data store  130  to the address data  145   a  as stored in the text record data store  160 . 
     The comparison represented by block  430  can include a manual comparison, wherein supervisory personnel at the call center  120  may listen to the speech record  115   a  obtained from speech record data store  130 , while also reviewing the corresponding text record entry  145   a  from the text record data store  160 . Conversely, the comparison represented by block  430  may include utilizing a text to speech conversion engine, which is available from a variety of vendors (including Nuance), and feeding the output of this engine to an automated function that compares this output to the corresponding speech data  115   a  obtained from the speech record data store  130 . 
     At block  440 , the method quantifies any differences located between the speech record  115   a  of the address data as stored in the speech record data store  130  with the corresponding text record  145   a  for the address data as stored in text record data store  160 . In essence, the quantifying process  440  illustrated in  FIG. 4 , along with the similar processes  230  and  340 , shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  respectively, include generating a score or other quantifying mechanism suitable for indicating how closely the various data fields comprising the respective address data as represented in the text record data store  160  and the speech record data store  130  match. An illustrative embodiment of this processing is shown in  FIG. 5  below, and is discussed in more detail therewith. In block  240 , the method dispositions the transaction in response to the difference between the address data as represented in the speech record data store  130  and the text record data store  160 . 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a dispositioning process provided according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the dispositioning process  240  shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4  may function as follows. At block  242 , a difference between city/state data as contained in the text record  145   a  and the speech record  115   a  is evaluated and scored. If there is a significant difference between the city/state data in these two records, processing proceeds to block  244 , where the underlying transaction is flagged to indicate this status. Typically, a significant difference (more than a mere typographical error) between city/state data in the two records would indicate a possibility of either fraud committed by the live operator  140  (deliberately misdirecting goods/services ordered by the caller  110  to the live operator  140 ), or some other type of quality control issue involving the specific live operator  140 . To address such issues, the method advances to block  246 , where an action is taken regarding the agent  140  in real time with the processing of the transaction with the caller  110 . Depending on the severity of the difference between the respective address fields, the live operator  140  may be taken off line and prevented from handling further interactions with caller  110  or other subsequent callers  110 , with the interaction with the present caller  110  possibly being resumed by supervisory personnel. Depending on the resolution of the situation, the live operator  140  may be placed back on line later on, if circumstances warrant. 
     At block  248 , the method can include correcting the text record  145   a  the text record data store  160  for the current transaction. This correction may be facilitated by reviewing the corresponding voice/speech record  115   a  pertaining to the current transaction, which is stored in speech record data store  130 , or by entering the text equivalent data  153  directly into the text record data store  160 . The processing represented by block  248  may be conducted either manually by supervisory personnel, or may be part of an automated process. Alternatively, as represented in block  252 , the underlying transaction may be held in a suspended status pending review and resolution of the above-described issues, and not be forwarded to fulfillment, if at all, until the above issues are resolved. If such issues can be resolved without additional contact with the caller  110 , processing proceeds to block  248  as described above, and then proceeds to block  250 , where the corrected transaction is forwarded to fulfillment. 
     If it is not possible to resolve the situation any other way, the method proceeds to block  253 , which represents an outbound contact to the caller  110  to clarify the details of the transaction, including the shipping address to which the goods/services ordered by the caller  110  should be directed. Once these details are clarified, the method proceeds to block  250 , where the corrected transaction is forwarded to fulfillment. 
     Returning to evaluation block  242 , if there is no significant difference between the city/state data as represented in the speech record  115   a  and the text record  145   a , processing proceeds to block  254 . As represented at block  254 , the method evaluates whether any significant difference exists in the street address portion of the text record  145   a  and the speech record  115   a . If a significant difference exists, processing proceeds to block  256 , where supervisory personnel or an automated process may review this address data in a batch or other type of process. As represented at block  258 , any errors in the street address are corrected as necessary, either manually by supervisory personnel, or automatically in a batch type process. The corrected transaction is then sent to fulfillment, as represented by block  250 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 2 , the program of instructions can be loaded and stored onto a program storage medium or device  201  readable by a computer or other machine, embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform the various aspects of the method as discussed and claimed herein, and as illustrated in the Figures. Generally speaking, the program storage medium  201  can be implemented using any technology based upon materials having specific magnetic, optical, semiconductor or other properties that render them suitable for storing computer data, whether such technology involves either volatile or non-volatile storage media. Specific examples of such media can include, but are not limited to, magnetic hard or floppy disks drives, optical drives or CD-ROMs, and any memory technology based on semiconductors or other materials, whether implemented as read-only or random access memory. In short, this embodiment of the invention may reside either on a medium directly addressable by the computer&#39;s processor (main memory, however implemented) or on a medium indirectly accessible to the processor (secondary storage media such as hard disk drives, tape drives, CD-ROM drives, floppy drives, or the like). Consistent with the above teaching, program storage device  201  can be affixed permanently or removably to a bay, socket, connector, or other hardware provided by the cabinet, motherboard, or other component of a given computer system. 
     Those skilled in the art will also understand that a computer programmed in accordance with the above teaching using known programming languages provides means for realizing the various functions, methods, and processes as described and claimed herein and as illustrated in the drawing figure attached hereto. 
     Various embodiments of the invention are described above to facilitate a thorough understanding of various aspects of the invention. However, these embodiments are to be understood as illustrative rather than limiting in nature, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications or extensions of these embodiments will fall within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.