Visual Phone Menu Gateway for Seamless Call Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customers calling into company phone systems often face annoyance from conventional audio phone menus and are not aware of the availability of visual phone menus, which require them to initiate a separate internet browser visit to access alternative options.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a VPM gateway and directory to determine if a visual phone menu exists for a dialed number, providing the caller with a VPM address if available, allowing access to a visual phone menu with selectable callees through a client device, and integrating with a telephony server to fulfill call requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a visual phone menu is provided for a phone number, then customer accessibility and convenience are improved, but the system complexity increases due to additional VPM gateway and directory components
Solution Approach 1:
A VPM gateway is introduced as an intermediary component between the telephony system and the visual phone menu system. The gateway receives phone numbers, queries the VPM directory for visual menu availability, and redirects callers to appropriate visual menu interfaces when available, thereby enabling enhanced functionality without requiring complex integration throughout the entire telephony system
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct functional components: the VPM gateway handles phone number routing and availability determination, the VPM directory stores visual menu configuration data, the visual phone menu interface provides user interaction, and the telephony server handles call routing. This modular segmentation allows each component to be developed, maintained, and scaled independently
2Ease of operation
If automatic detection of visual phone menu availability is implemented, then customer convenience is improved by eliminating separate browser visits, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases due to additional lookup operations
Solution Approach 1:
The VPM directory is pre-configured with information about which phone numbers have visual phone menus available and their corresponding access methods. When a caller dials a number, the VPM gateway performs a preliminary lookup in the directory to determine visual menu availability before initiating the call, enabling automatic detection without complex real-time analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The VPM gateway acts as an intermediary that simplifies the detection process by handling the lookup operation in the VPM directory and determining visual menu availability as part of the normal call routing process, rather than requiring complex detection mechanisms at the telephony server
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for providing access to a visual phone menu is disclosed. The system receives a phone number transmitted from a calling device to initiate a call, determines whether a visual phone menu (VPM) is available for the phone number, provides the calling device with a VPM address when a VPM exists, and proceeds with the call from the calling device to the phone number when a VPM does not exist.