A billing system for a service provider-client environment, which includes a service provider site, a first computer-based device disposed at the service provider site having billing software operably associated with the first computer-based device for enabling logging of client data and service provider data. The billing software prompts a service provider to select one of a logging and no logging of time for one of a matter and a call and can accrue an amount of time and associate the time with a client upon selection of the logging. The billing software also prompts a service provider to select one of a logging and no logging of print cost and postage cost in response to a printer job being initiated for one of a print document and an envelope document and associate the time with a client upon selection of the logging. The billing software manipulates the data corresponding to the amount of time, print cost and postage cost and said client data in a manner to produce a billing data file and accounts for crediting and debiting the billing data file. Additionally, billing software produces invoice indicia corresponding to billing data file. A printer is operably associated with said first computer-based device for printing an invoice having the corresponding billing data file and indicia thereon. A scanner is optionally operably associated with said first computer-based device for scanning the indicia from the invoice to enable the billing software to apply a credit to the billing data file. An interface device is optionally operably associated with said first computer-based device for providing a triggering event to software resident on said first computer-based device and for producing DTMF tones enabling said first computer-based device to automatically place telephone calls when prompted by said software.
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/197,399 filed Nov. 20, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,138 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/827,784 filed Apr. 11, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,847.
Techniques and systems for routing and information collection for telephone calls are described. Upon initiation of a revenue generating call, a data management module creates a call interaction record, including a unique call identifier and information generated by an exchange originating the call. Call accounting information such as user identification and billing account information are collected from the user by presenting audible queries from the user and receiving voice responses. The voice responses are matched to stored information, which is stored in the call interaction record. If a voice response does not unambiguously identify the requested information, further queries may be presented to elicit more refined responses or request responses for recording and later playback. Routing information is then collected, again through audible queries and voice responses, and stored. Upon completion of the call, the call interaction record is closed and stored for later retrieval and analysis.
