A fundamental value of a mobile network is its ability to deliver value to a user whenever and wherever the user may desire or need it. As such, the mobile network's value to a subscriber, and any event which creates value for the network, is time limited where “value” is inversely proportional to time from the perspective of both the subscriber and the network. Subscribers typically want to communicate as quickly as possible for the lowest cost. Mobile network operators typically want subscribers to spend money using the network and return for additional services.
The value of an event often must be realized within a window of time, referred to herein as an “event window”. An event window may be further defined as the time incurred by any request for service that results in value being created for the subscriber of a mobile network, the mobile network, or both. Direct dial calls, and the attempts to make such calls, over a mobile network are typically the most prevalent service request from a subscriber and occur frequently in an event window. Completed direct dial calls also deliver a significant portion of a mobile network operator's revenues. Such calls are a prime example of, but not the only, service requests that may occur in an event window from a network operator's perspective.
However, up to 50% or more of requests for direct dialed calls do not result in completed calls within the event window. Other than the small percentage of uncompleted call attempts that can be attributed to service problems such as, but not limited to, network connectivity or dialed party unavailability, the balance of uncompleted dialed calls reflect the inefficiency and ambiguity of current Service Request Resolution Practices (SRRP). Current SRRP fail in many cases to result in value for the subscriber or the network within the event window. Numerous methods have been deployed and utilized to deliver services that subscribers may desire or need as a result of a dialed call event that was not completed. For a significant portion of these uncompleted calls there is possibly that a subscriber had no intention of completing them (i.e., intentionally dropped call). In many cases the actual service desired by a subscriber can be triggered by the subscriber outside of (i.e., before or after) the dialed call event window. However, such services may not be capable of being triggered during the event window, which is precisely when the best opportunity to create value from such other services is most optimal due to the increased convenience and efficiencies that could be achieved for the subscriber and the network.
One example of less convenient and less efficient SRRP utilized by those skilled in the current art are Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) services that require a user to memorize and then type different character sequences than those used for a normal call. Some examples of USSD services and the character sequences that may be required to initiate such services are shown in FIG. 1. These character sequences may include non-numeric characters, such as the ‘*’ or ‘#’ characters on a normal mobile device keypad, and create what may be referred to as Symbolic Numeric Character Sequences (SNCS), where a string of symbols and numeric characters uniquely identify each type of SNCS that could trigger a service request. An example of this could be a call-me service. When using such a service, a SNCS of “*123#4564567890#” may be used, where “4564567890” would be the Party B number from which SNCS-sending Party A would like a call back (i.e., “4564567890” is the numeric character string (NCS) that Party A would otherwise call directly). The call-me service may then transmit a message to Party B that Party A would like to receive a call from Party B.
From a behavioral standpoint, SNCSs are less convenient to use than NCSs. For example, if a subscriber were to use five different services, the subscriber would have to memorize five unique SNCS. Since, in the call-me service example, a subscriber could, rather than using the call-me service with an SNCS, simply make an intentionally dropped call which deposited the subscriber's caller ID on the Party B mobile device and achieved the same results, without memorizing and/or entering any additional characters, or needing to remember the precise character sequence required, the subscriber is likely to not use the call-me service as it is less convenient than the simpler practice of merely calling the recipient and hanging up. There are numerous examples of such services, where a similar, but unique character string will launch any number of services that can only be triggered before or after a voice call event window, as the mobile device is in a dedicated “voice call session”, which must be terminated before a subscriber could enter a SNCS to trigger the USSD service. An important consideration is that during an NCS event, a subscriber is unable to use a USSD service because the NCS session would have to be terminated to allow the USSD SNCS to be entered by the subscriber, so a subscriber can essentially be in an NCS event or request a USSD service, but cannot do both within the event window.