Computerized method for the solicitation and sales of transactions

• US 20030101099A1
• Filed: 11/29/2001
• Published: 05/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Healey, Michael, Carr, Rebecca Leann, Fiscus, Kristi Harberts, Sheltz, Steven Peter
• Application Number:
  US09/996,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20030101099A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A computerized method for managing electronic data configured to enable the generation of paper and electronic solicits for effectuating consumer service transactions between a consumer and a service center. The method allows for selecting populations for receiving paper and/or electronic solicits for purchase of extended warranties generated as a function of consumer and product related data. The method also allows for the consumer and product data to be copied to Web based solicit response tables and for the scheduling and generation of electronic solicits via email delivery. Each email also contains a unique and personalized link that permits the consumer to link directly to a Web page menu that includes data indicative of warranty services that may be purchased by that consumer. Warranty service data of the paper solicit, the electronic solicit and the Web based solicit are synchronized so the consumer will receive the same data in each medium. Feedback is provided to the service center to suppress further solicits once the consumer has made a purchase.

Claims

1. A computerized method for managing electronic data configured to enable the offer and purchase of extended warranty services over a telecommunications medium, the method comprising:

providing a set of data associated with at least one consumer purchasing transaction wherein the set of data includes consumer-related and product-related information specific to each of the at least one consumer purchasing transactions;

providing a pricing program for generating an extended warranty offer for each of the at least one consumer purchasing transactions;

generating an extended warranty offer for at least one of the at least one consumer purchasing transactions so that each of the generated extended warranty offers is associated with one of the at least one consumer purchasing transactions;

creating an electronic solicit for at least one of the generated extended warranty offers;

identifying a recipient for at least one of the created electronic solicits where each of the identified recipients is associated with one of the at least one consumer purchasing transactions; and

delivering at least one of the electronic solicits over the telecommunications medium to at least one of the recipients.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the generated extended warranty offers may be purchased by at least one of the recipients over the telecommunications medium.

3. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the electronic solicits is delivered over the telecommunications medium via email.

4. The computerized method of claim 3 further comprising:

providing a unique and personalized link for at least one of the recipients so that each provided unique and personalize link is associated with one of the recipients; and

incorporating at least one unique and personalized link within at least one of the electronic solicits so that the associated recipient may activate the link to access and purchase the extended warranty offer over the telecommunications medium.

5. The computerized method of claim 3 further comprising:

providing a fulfillment database for generating warranty services contracts for each recipient that purchases the extended warranty offer.

6. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a first subset of data from the set of data;

generating an extended warranty offer for at least one of the consumer purchasing transactions within the first subset of data;

creating a paper solicit for at least one of the generated extended warranty offers within the first subset of data;

identifying a recipient for each of the created paper solicits where each of the recipients is associated with one of the at least one consumer purchasing transactions within the first subset of data; and

delivering at least one of the paper solicits via a mail delivery provider to the recipient.

7. The computerized method of claim 6 further comprising:

selecting a second subset of data from the set of data;

generating an extended warranty offer for at least one of the consumer purchasing transactions within the second subset of data;

creating an electronic solicit for at least one of the generated extended warranty offers within the second subset of data; and

delivering at least one of the electronic solicits via email over the telecommunications medium to the recipient.

8. The computerized method of claim 4 further comprising:

providing a Web page form accessible by activating the unique and personalized link where the Web page form includes consumer-related and product-related data from the set of data specific to the recipient so that the recipient may purchase the extended warranty offer without entering additional data.

9. The computerized method of claim 5 further comprising:

providing feedback to a marketing database to suppress the generation of an additional solicit for the recipients that have purchased the extended warranty offer.

10. The computerized method of claim 8 further comprising:

providing a Web page form for the recipient to select the products to be covered by the extended warranty offer;

providing a Web page form for the recipient to select the number of years the extended warranty offer will cover; and

providing a Web page form for the recipient to select payment options for purchasing the extended warranty offer.

11. A method for managing electronic data to enable a transaction between a consumer and a service center, the method comprising:

generating an offer for extended warranty services associated with one or more products purchased by the consumer;

selecting a paper solicit and/or an electronic solicit to be delivered to the consumer that will incorporate the offer; and

delivering the selected solicit to the consumer.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

providing a set of consumer preferences wherein the step of selecting is made by the service center and is based on at least the consumer preferences.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the consumer preferences are:

the presence of an email address for the consumer; and

whether the consumer has chosen to receive correspondence from the service center by means of the email address or by other means.

14. The method of claim 13 whereby the service center is configured to select the electronic solicit, where the electronic solicit is in the form of an email, when the consumer'"'"'s email address is present and the consumer has chosen to receive future correspondence from the service center by means of the email address.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the service center is configured to select the paper solicit if the consumer'"'"'s email address is not present.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

storing an electronic file of the offer;

assigning a unique identifier to the offer whereby the unique identifier is usable for retrieving the electronic file;

incorporating the unique identifier into a unique and personalized link that is activatable by the consumer over a telecommunications medium;

incorporating the unique and personalized link into the body of the email to be delivered to the consumer over the telecommunications medium; and

providing a Web page form accessible when the consumer activates the unique and personalize link whereby the electronic file is retrieved so that the consumer may review the offer for extended warranty services and purchase the services over the telecommunications medium.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

providing feedback to a marketing database to suppress the generation of an additional paper or electronic solicit for the consumer when the consumer purchases the extended warranty services.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

synchronizing the offer between the paper solicit and the electronic solicit.

19. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer program code for managing electronic data configured to enable online warranty service transactions between a consumer and a service center comprising:

generating an extended warranty services offer for the consumer based on a product or products purchased by the consumer;

delivering the offer to the consumer in an electronic solicit over a telecommunications medium;

including within the solicit a link activatable by the consumer for accessing a Web-based application configured so the consumer may access the offer; and

providing a Web page form including selectable fields indicative of the extended warranty services offered to the consumer and enabled for the consumer to purchase the extended warranty services over the telecommunications medium.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the electronic solicit is in the form of an email delivered to the consumer'"'"'s email address.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, further comprising:

providing means for determining whether the email is successfully delivered to the consumer'"'"'s email address; and

delivering a paper solicit to the consumer containing the extended warranty services offer if the email is not successfully delivered to the consumer'"'"'s email address.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising:

delivering the paper solicit to the consumer if the email is successfully delivered to the consumer'"'"'s email address and the consumer has not purchased the extended warranty services within a predetermined period of time.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, further comprising:

providing feedback to a marketing database to suppress the delivery of additional paper and electronic solicits when the consumer purchases the extended warranty services.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

providing a Web page form including selectable fields indicative of extended warranty services for products other than those in the offer and available for the consumer to purchase over the telecommunications medium.