Active Polling Technique for Automated Email Response Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for soliciting and facilitating responses to electronic communications, such as emails, are inefficient as they require manual collection and processing by the sender, and are not accessible to all devices, especially mobile devices, due to their web-based nature and subscription requirements.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that determines whether to solicit a response based on keywords or user selection in the electronic communication, generates messages with response options, and sends them to recipients, allowing responses to be collected and summarized for the originator, while also sending reminders to non-respondents and providing statistics on response rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If web-based services are used to manage electronic communications, then response collection and processing are automated, but accessibility to all devices is limited and subscription requirements are imposed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (the message processing system) that bridges the sender and recipients through the existing electronic message infrastructure. This intermediary automatically processes messages, extracts responses, and compiles statistics without requiring recipients to access external web services, thereby maintaining device accessibility while achieving automation
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the message processing infrastructure itself to handle response collection and analysis. The sender configures keywords and response patterns once, and the system automatically processes all subsequent messages and responses without requiring ongoing manual intervention or external service access
2Device complexity
If manual collection and processing of responses is performed, then no additional systems are required, but time and effort are significantly consumed by the sender
Solution Approach 1:
The sender performs preliminary action by configuring keywords and expected response patterns in advance. This preliminary setup enables the system to automatically process and categorize responses without requiring the sender's time during the actual response collection phase, thus reducing time loss while maintaining relative system simplicity
3Ease of operation
If recipients are redirected to external websites to respond, then response options can be structured, but the response process becomes inefficient and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the response collection function directly into the existing electronic message channel. Instead of separating response collection into an external web interface, the system processes responses within the same message infrastructure, combining the benefits of structured response options with the efficiency of direct in-message responding
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and machine-readable media are disclosed for soliciting and facilitating a response to an electronic communication. According to one embodiment, a method of soliciting and facilitating a response to an electronic communication can comprise receiving from an originator a request for the electronic communication with one or more recipients. Based on the request, a determination can be made as to whether to solicit a response from the one or more recipients. In response to determining to solicit a response from the one or more recipients, one or more possible responses to the electronic communication can be determined, at least one message that includes the one or more possible responses can be generated, and the at least one message can be sent to the one or more recipients to initiate the communication.