Method and system for providing a combination of life insurance coupled with customer services through time of need

• US 20040204966A1
• Filed: 04/09/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Everest Funeral Package LLC
• Original Assignee: Everest Funeral Package LLC
• Inventors: Duffey, Mark W., Spiering, Rick, Brizeli, Boris, Lade, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US10/410,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20040204966A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A unique approach to the funeral industry includes the packaging of life insurance with customer services to be continuously provided from the time of enrollment through time of need. This invention includes a central services provider that makes continuously available to a customer who has obtained life insurance consultation services for the purpose of arranging with a customer a funeral plan. The customer services provider provides internet access to a website or other internet-based address to provide for electronic enrollment both for insurance and funeral planning. Such internet access or website is linked to competitive pricing databases and/or customer satisfaction databases, which are electronically available through the website or otherwise to customer members. Funeral plans are stored in an electronic data vault and made available upon need, with the central services provider providing consultation to the customer'"'"'s family at the time of need to finalize a funeral plan for implementation at a particular funeral home. The system of this invention includes an internet access site coupled to databases containing information on life insurance and information on competitively priced funeral products and services offered independently of association with any particular funeral home.

Claims

1. A method of providing life insurance and funeral services through the time of need, comprising the steps of:

providing a contract of life insurance from one or more insurance providers, said insurance being independent of any particular funeral home;

providing internet or other network access site to potential customers to respond to customer inquiries and enroll a customer into a contractual relationship with said insurance provider;

providing a customer services group to cooperate with a newly enrolled customer to prepare all or part of a funeral plan;

storing said funeral plan electronically until time of need;

providing for access to said stored funeral plan through said internet access to allow said customer to review and/or revise said funeral plan prior to time of need; and

at time of need, said customer services group providing said funeral plan to said customer'"'"'s representatives and providing consumer-oriented product and service information to said representatives in order to finalize said funeral plan, including final choice of funeral home, and arrange implementation of said plan at the chosen funeral home.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing said internet or other network access site with electronic access to a planning database containing competitive pricing for funeral home products.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing said internet or other network access with electronic access to a database of customer satisfaction ratings of funeral products and services.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

interconnecting said internet or other network access to an electronic database of life insurance information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein,

said internet or other network access and electronic databases cooperate to provide a potential customer with enrollment information and electronic enrollment procedures.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

said customer services group providing a concierge service to said customer and said customer'"'"'s representative from the time of inquiry into life insurance availability through the time of need.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

said life insurance having age and/or health-based pricing.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing a call center available to said customer or customer representative from the time of interest in life insurance through the time of need.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of

said internet or other network access having no contractual association with any particular funeral home to provide certain products or services of a particular funeral home.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

said internet or other network access providing access to competitive funeral product and service pricing information located in an electronic database so that a customer has access to information needed to complete a funeral or revise a funeral plan.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

said customer services group cooperating with a newly enrolled customer to assist in preparation of an electronic funeral plan and thereafter storing said plan in an electronic database.

12. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing a customer satisfaction survey to said customer upon completion of said funeral plan.

13. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

said customer services group making available to said customer representative a competitive pricing product and service database for revision or finalization of said funeral plan.

14. The method set forth in claim 1, including:

at the time of need, said customer services group arranging for said representatives to contract with the funeral home chosen as well as for products and services chosen, and arranging for insurance death benefits to be administered.

15. A method of providing a package of services and products of life insurance, funeral planning, and implementation at time of need, comprising:

creating a central organization to organize and supervise a combination of life insurance and customer services extending from signing of a life insurance contract through time of need;

providing a website to receive inquiries from potential customers;

electronically connecting said website to an electronic platform of one or more designated insurance carriers to provide potential customers with information on availability and pricing of life insurance;

providing an insurance policy upon payment arrangement being completed by a customer such that said customer becomes a customer member, said insurance carrier providing payment to said central organization upon funding by customer to insurance carrier;

providing said customer access to an electronic data base of funeral products containing competitive prices of funeral products;

said central organization including a customer services group for consulting with said customer to develop a funeral plan and electronically storing said funeral plan in a secure data vault until needed;

said customer services group retrieving said funeral plan from said secure data vault at time of need and providing said funeral plan to said customer'"'"'s representatives;

said customer services group consulting with said representatives to complete funeral arrangements after review of funeral homes and competitive product pricing; and

,

said customer services group arranging implementation of said finalized funeral plan with said funeral home on behalf of said representatives.

16. A business system for providing a package of life insurance and customer services which extend through finalization of funeral arrangements, comprising:

a central business entity having a contractual arrangement with one or more providers of life insurance;

said central business entity having a website for electronically answering potential customer inquiries;

said central business entity including a customer relations group coupled to said website to provide additional answers and clarification to a potential customer;

said website having an enrollment sequence for actual enrollment with insurance carrier on said website or an electronic connection to said one or more providers of life insurance providing for enrollment of customer into a life insurance contract;

said customer relations group maintaining communication with a customer who has obtained life insurance through the time of need;

said customer relations group communicating with said customer to arrive at a personalized funeral plan;

an electronic data vault to receive and store said personalized funeral plan;

said customer relations group being coupled to said data vault to recall said funeral plan upon need, and being coupled to a funeral product pricing and services database in order to consult with said customer'"'"'s representatives to finalize and implement said funeral plan.

17. The system of claim 16, further including:

a competitive pricing database of funeral products and/or services, said database being electronically connected to said website.

18. The system of claim 16, further including:

an electronic database of customer survey results electronically connected to said website.

19. A method of providing life insurance and services through the time of need, comprising the steps of:

providing a contract of life insurance from one or more insurance providers, said insurance being independent of any particular funeral home;

providing internet access to customer inquiries and enrolling a customer into a contractual relationship with said insurance provider;

providing said internet access with a funeral planning software module to allow a customer to make desired choices of funeral products and services to arrive of a funeral plan;

storing said funeral plan electronically until time of need;

providing for access to said stored funeral plan through said internet access to allow said customer to review and/or revise said funeral plan prior to time of need; and

providing electronic access to said funeral plan by said customer'"'"'s representatives and providing access to a consumer-oriented database of available funeral products and services in order for said representatives to finalize said funeral plan, including making final choice of funeral home and arranging implementation of said plan at the chosen funeral home.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

providing said internet access with electronic access to a planning database containing competitive pricing for funeral home products.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

providing said internet access with electronic access to a database of customer satisfaction ratings of funeral products and services.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of

interconnecting said internet access to an electronic database of life insurance terms and conditions for inspection by a potential customer.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein,

said internet access and electronic database cooperating to provide a potential customer with life insurance enrollment information and electronic enrollment procedures.

24. A communication and software system for providing burial insurance and consultation services through the time of need, comprising:

a website accessible to general public;

said website being linked to one or more sources of funeral insurance carriers;

said website being in communication with a customer service group for providing electronic information regarding a new customer who has become insured by one of said linked funeral insurance carriers; and

said website being further linked to a data base for funeral plans, said funeral plan data base being accessible by said customer service group, and by customers who have funeral plans in said database.

25. The system of claim 24, further including:

said website being linked to a funeral product database containing pricing for various manufactures of funeral products.

26. The system of claim 24, further including:

said website being electronically connected to an electronic platform or website of one or more insurance carriers to provide potential customers with information on availability and pricing of life insurance.