Abstract: A method for providing an information assistance service includes receiving a call from a caller, the call including a request for a suggestion of one or more suppliers of desired goods or service, searching at least one database in response to the request and obtaining search results responsive to the request. The search results including connection data associated with at least one supplier of the desired goods or service, and a promotional offer made by the at least one supplier. A profile associated with the caller is received. The promotional offer is conveyed to the caller via a communication, the format of which is specified in the profile as defined by the caller. The method includes offering to connect the caller to a communication device based on the connection data.

Abstract: The invention is directed to assessing the viability of a business entity based on statistics concerning information assistance calls requesting the listing of the same. The invention is premised upon a perceived correlation between the number of calls requesting a business entity's listing and the callers' interest in its products or services, which in turn correlates to sales of the business entity. In accordance with the invention, data is collected and analyzed which concerns information assistance calls requesting listings of different business entities which may belong to the same industry or company to measure their comparative performance. In an illustrative embodiment, the performance measure of the business entity (department) may be compared with those of other business entities (departments) in the same geographic area belonging to the same industry to gain insights into the competitiveness of the business entity in that area.

Abstract: An information assistance service center receives a user's call, and the user's profile is examined to identify the user's preferred call handling style. A greeting personalized to the user's preferred call handling style is generated, and delivered to the user. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the greeting may be dynamic which contains one or more variable parameters representing, e.g., time-sensitive information. One or more items of information pertinent to the variable parameters are obtained and inserted into the dynamic greeting, and the dynamic greeting is delivered to the user.

Abstract: The invention is directed to assessing the viability of a business entity based on statistics concerning information assistance calls requesting the listing of the same. The invention is premised upon a perceived correlation between the number of calls requesting a business entity's listing and the callers' interest in its products or services, which in turn correlates to sales of the business entity. In accordance with the invention, data is collected and analyzed which concerns information assistance calls requesting listings of different business entities which may belong to the same industry or company to measure their comparative performance. In an illustrative embodiment, the performance measure of the business entity (department) may be compared with those of other business entities (departments) in the same geographic area belonging to the same industry to gain insights into the competitiveness of the business entity in that area.

Abstract: A user of information assistance may request, in a call, information about desired goods or service, e.g., suppliers of the desired goods or service in a given area. An operator who answers the call may search a database for the requested information. The search results may include not only the identities of the relevant goods or service suppliers but also special offers made thereby. The operator presents the search results to the user, and may connect the user to the telephone number of a selected goods or service supplier. In accordance with the invention, the operator may also transmit any special offer of the selected supplier to the user via a communication method(s) specified by the user in the call or a user profile previously established with the information assistance service. In addition, the participating goods or service suppliers may communicate with the information assistance service to initiate their special offers or to modify the same in real time.