Phone-on-file opt-in mechanism for merchant billing servers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing process of charging purchases to a consumer's phone bill is cumbersome, particularly for frequent customers, as it requires manual entry of a PIN code, leading to potential lost purchases due to arduous verification processes.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for phone-on-file opt-in, where a merchant server receives a mobile subscription identifier (MSISDN) from a consumer device, transmits opt-in requests to a billing server, receives a PIN code, verifies it, and executes charges only if verified, eliminating the need for manual PIN code entry in subsequent purchases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual PIN code verification is required for each purchase, then security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by establishing a phone-on-file relationship during the first purchase, where the consumer's phone number is stored and verified once. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for repeated manual PIN code entries in subsequent purchases, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining security through initial verification.
2Reliability
If manual PIN code entry is required for each purchase, then verification reliability is improved, but loss of purchases increases due to arduous process
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification and stores the consumer's phone number in the phone-on-file relationship during the first purchase. This preliminary action establishes trust and verification reliability once, allowing subsequent purchases to be processed automatically without repeated manual verification, thereby eliminating lost purchases due to arduous processes and improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by automatically using the stored phone number for verification in subsequent purchases without requiring manual intervention. The consumer's phone number, already verified and stored during the initial phone-on-file setup, is automatically retrieved and used for charge verification, eliminating the need for repeated manual PIN code entries and preventing loss of purchases.
3Ease of operation
If phone-on-file opt-in is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an intermediary approach by introducing a phone-on-file relationship mechanism that acts as a mediator between the consumer and the charging process. This intermediary stores the consumer's phone number and verification status, allowing the merchant server to automatically retrieve and use this information without requiring complex direct verification processes, thereby improving ease of operation while managing complexity through a structured intermediary layer.
Data Source
AI summary
A phone-on-file opt-in method is described. A phone-on-file opt-in request is received at the billing server including a msisdn and a merchant supplied unique consumer identifier. The billing server confirms the phone-on-file opt-in with a consumer device and records a phone-on-file opt-in status as active if the first phone-on-file is confirmed. A charge method includes receiving, at the billing server, a charge API call from a merchant server including at least one identifier and an amount, determining a phone-on-file opt-in status corresponding to the identifier at the billing server and transmitting a request to charge a user account to a carrier server if the phone-on-file opt-in status is active, but not if the phone-on-file opt-in status is inactive, the request including an amount corresponding to the amount received in the charge API call.