System and method for creating a true customer profile

• US 20010044739A1
• Filed: 12/19/2000
• Published: 11/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ndex Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ndex Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Bensemana, Laurent
• Granted Patent: US 7,188,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls

Abstract

The present invention concerns a system and method for initially determining a profile for a consumer, and thereafter validating or invalidating the initial profile, and continuously updating the same. As such, the consumption profile serving at any one time as the ‘governing’ consumer consumption profile, is considered to be the most up-to-date and representative consumption profile of that customer and thus the most representative of the “true” consumption profile of that customer at that point in time. Consequently, upon having validated the customer'"'"'s consumption profile as the most up-to-date and representative consumption profile of that customer, this same profile is to be deemed as the “true” consumption profile of that customer, and is subsequently to be referenced as the consumer'"'"'s current benchmark “true” consumption profile, up until the point a new governing profile is warranted and established. The differences between the initial profile and the actual behavior of the customer are identified in order to create a log of consistencies and inconsistencies, which serve to establish the new governing profile. The system serves to provide better products and services to a customer.

Claims

1. A system for creating a consumer'"'"'s “

true”

consumption profile, comprising;

means for initially establishing a consumer'"'"'s self-perceived consumption behaviour profile;

means for monitoring said consumer'"'"'s behaviour to create an actual behaviour derived consumption profile;

means for comparing said consumer'"'"'s self-perceived consumption behaviour profile with the consumer'"'"'s actual behaviour derived consumption profile to identify consistencies and inconsistencies; and

means for creating a consumer'"'"'s “

true”

consumption behaviour profile based on the consumer'"'"'s self-perceived consumption behaviour profile, the consumer'"'"'s actual behaviour derived consumption profile.

2. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said system further comprises means for attributing an appropriate weighting to the consistencies and inconsistencies existing between the said consumer'"'"'s self-perceived consumption behaviour profile with the tracked said consumer'"'"'s actual behaviour derived consumption profile.

3. A system according to

claim 2

, wherein said means for comparing said initial consumer profile with the tracked behaviour of said consumer further includes means for logging consistencies and inconsistencies between said initial go-forward consumer profile and the tracked behaviour of said consumer in a reaction log.

4. A system according to

claim 3

, wherein said “

true”

consumption profile is created based on said reaction log.

5. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein the means for comparing are sporadically activated.

6. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein the means for comparing are activated at predetermined times.

7. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein the means for comparing are continuously activated.

8. A system according to

claim 3

, wherein said “

true”

consumption profile is continuously updated, and is used by said means for comparing after the establishment of the initial profile.

9. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said means for establishing an initial consumer'"'"'s self-perceived consumption profile includes a questionnaire to be answered by said consumer.

10. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said means for tracking said consumer'"'"'s actual consumption pattern behaviour include means for tracking inquiries and purchases.

11. A system according to

claim 10

, wherein said means for tracking said consumer'"'"'s behaviour further include means for tracking simulations.

12. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said “

true”

consumption profile is used to establish an accurate consumer servicing approach by a vendor-user of said system.

13. A system according to

claim 9

, wherein said questionnaire is an industry-specific questionnaire.

14. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said initial consumer profile is created with pre-existing historical data.

15. A system according to

claim 3

, wherein said “

true”

consumption profile is modified or not depending on said consumer reaction.

16. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said true consumer profile is used to suggest products or services to said consumer.

17. A system according to

claim 2

, wherein said appropriate weighting is an industry accepted weighting.

25. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said initial consumer profile is created with the use of industry specific profiling tools.

18. A method for building a “

true”

consumer profile comprising the steps of;

(a) entering an initial consumer'"'"'s self-perceived consumption profile;

(b) tracking the actual consumption behaviour of a consumer;

(c) comparing the initial consumer'"'"'s self-perceived consumption profile with the actual tracked consumer'"'"'s consumption behaviour; and

(d) creating a “

true”

consumer'"'"'s consumption profile based on the comparison between the initial self-perceived consumer'"'"'s consumption profile and the actual tracked consumption behaviour of the consumer.

19. A method according to

claim 18

, wherein said step (c) further includes the step of logging consistencies and inconsistencies in a reaction log.

20. A method according to

claim 18

, wherein said step (a) includes the step of administering an industry-specific questionnaire to said consumer.

21. A method according to

claim 18

, wherein said step (a) includes the step of using pre-existing historical data.

22. A method according to

claim 18

, wherein said step (c) further includes the step of presenting said consistencies and inconsistencies to said consumer to obtain a reaction therefrom.

23. A method according to

claim 22

, wherein said “

true”

consumer profile is modified or not depending on the reaction from the user.

24. A method according to

claim 18

, wherein said step (c) further includes the step of attributing a weighting to the consistencies and inconsistencies existing between the initial self-perceived consumer'"'"'s consumption profile and the actual tracked consumption behaviour of the consumer.