Transaction-specific customer survey system

Abstract

Provided are a method and system for automatically generating context-based survey questions predicated on the customers' actual purchase experience with the merchant, thus eliminating for the customer the need to respond to obvious, redundant, and even irrelevant questions, and providing to the merchant customer feedback directly bound to the actual purchase event and correlating data. Purchase information is stored at the time of purchase and the customer is given an identifier for the purchase. Then, at the customer's convenience, either at the point of sale or through a networked computer, the customer can provide responses to questions that are selectively, and automatically generated based on the items purchased, or other definable attributes associated with the sale, and based upon configurable preferences of the merchant. Survey questions are displayed and feedback responses are stored, analyzed and associated with purchase information in real time.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions stored on the tangible, non-transitory media for use with a system including:
 a) at least one point of sale (POS) device used in conducting a commercial transaction, the POS being configured to record information relating to the commercial transaction between a consumer and a vendor;   b) a vendor database communicatively coupled with at least one POS, the vendor database being populated with at least:
 i) transactional information comprising transactional sales information; 
 ii) product information identifying products/services available for purchase by the vendor; 
 iii) employee information regarding the identity of each employee at a facility; and 
 iv) facility information regarding an identity of a facility; 
   c) a survey database comprising a plurality of survey questions;   d) the system including a processor connected to and accessing the vendor and survey databases, said processor configured for executing said computer executable instructions, said instructions comprising:
 i) instructions for presenting a consumer survey comprising a plurality of survey questions responsive to at least one of the transactional information, product information, employee information and facility information; 
 ii) instructions for presenting an integrated, interactive display interface comprising:
 a facility performance interface; 
 an employee evaluation interface; and 
 a customer management interface. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the transaction information includes at least one of:
 a) products/services sold during the commercial transaction;   b) the price of the products/services sold during the commercial transaction;   c) the identity of an employee conducting the commercial transaction;   d) the location of the facility at which the commercial transaction was conducted; and   e) information identifying the commercial transaction.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the information identifying the commercial transaction is a unique token. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the questions in the consumer survey are specific to at least one of the products/services purchased during the commercial transaction. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the questions in the consumer survey are specific to the employee conducting the commercial transaction. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor connected to and accessing the vendor and survey databases is configured for executing said computer executable instructions to normalize information in the vendor database.