Campaign management in multiple communication channels

• US 20040220849A1
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Gerlach, Horst, Lammers, Guido, Steiert, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,318 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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

Methods and systems for managing marketing campaigns. A communication module is capable of executing a first step of a marketing campaign, and is capable of handling customer responses to the marketing campaign received through a variety of communication channels, regardless of which channel was used for contacting the customers. Customers may respond by email, telephone, fax, in person, through an internet site, by letter or by other modes of communication. An object generation module generates an object containing information from the response, uses the information to match the response with the marketing campaign, and links the object to the marketing campaign. A person may override the object generation module'"'"'s matching by inputting the identity of another marketing campaign for matching. A campaign management module receives the object from the object generation module. A user may modify how the system matches responses with marketing campaigns.

Claims

1. A method of managing a marketing campaign, the method comprising:

performing a first campaign step of a first marketing campaign, the first campaign step being directed at a plurality of customers;

providing that responses to the first campaign step from the customers can be received through any of a plurality of communication channels, the plurality of communication channels including at least personal communication, mail, telephone, a public computer network, fax and electronic mail;

receiving a response to the first campaign step from one of the customers through one of the communication channels;

generating a first object that contains information from the response; and

using the information in the first object to match the response with the first marketing campaign.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein matching the response with the first marketing campaign comprises matching the response with the first campaign step.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the response is received in personal communication with the customer and wherein the first object comprises a visit activity file.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating the visit activity file from the first campaign step.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer'"'"'s response comprises one selected from the group consisting of an electronic response to a survey, an action taken at a web site, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the response is received using a personalized URL.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising linking the first object to the first marketing step.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the first marketing campaign to a person associated with receiving the customer'"'"'s response;

receiving input from the person that identifies a second marketing campaign and instructs that the second marketing campaign be directed at the customer in lieu of the first marketing campaign; and

linking the first object to the second marketing campaign.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the customer responds by a telephone call and wherein the person handles the customer'"'"'s telephone call.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer responds by calling a telephone number, and wherein the telephone number through which the response is received is used in matching the response with the first marketing campaign.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein matching the response with the first marketing campaign comprises searching a database for a contact history associated with the customer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein searching the database comprises retrieving a campaign step through which the customer has been contacted.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the search is performed after the customer responds by at least one of telephone, mail and fax.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising identifying the customer using a phone number from which the customer calls in making the response.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising including an identifier in the first campaign step such that the identifier can be detected in responses to the first campaign step.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting the identifier in the customer'"'"'s response; and

using the identifier in matching the response with the first marketing campaign.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the identifier is encoded in an order number included in the response.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a second object corresponding to the first campaign step and registering the second object in a table as an outbound contact.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising registering the first object in the table as an inbound contact.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the second object is generated retroactively after receiving the response.

21. A system for managing a marketing campaign, the system comprising:

program instructions comprising a communication module that, when executed by a processor, is capable of executing a first campaign step of a first marketing campaign, the first campaign step being directed at a plurality of customers, the communication module being capable of handling responses to the first campaign step from the customers received through any of a plurality of communication channels, the plurality of communication channels including at least personal communication, mail, telephone, a public computer network, fax and email;

program instructions comprising an object generation module that, when executed by a processor, is capable of generating a first object that contains information from a specific customer response to the first campaign step; and

program instructions comprising a campaign management module that, when executed by a processor, instructs the communication module to execute the first step of the marketing campaign, wherein the communication module instructs the object generation module to generate the first object, wherein the object generation module uses the information in the first object to match the response with the first marketing campaign and wherein the campaign management module receives the first object from the object generation module.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the communication module is capable of identifying the first marketing campaign to a person associated with receiving the customer'"'"'s response and receiving input from the person that identifies a second marketing campaign and instructs that the second marketing campaign be directed at the customer in lieu of the first marketing campaign.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the customer responds by calling a telephone number, and wherein the object generation module uses the telephone number in matching the response with the first marketing campaign.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the first campaign step is represented by a first campaign element.

25. The system of claim 21, further comprising a database containing a contact history associated with at least one of the customers.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising an identifier included in the first campaign step, wherein the object generation module is capable of using the identifier in matching the response with the first marketing campaign.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising a table for storing objects corresponding to inbound and outbound contacts.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising a second object corresponding to the first campaign step, the second object being registered in the table as an outbound contact.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the first object is registered in the table as an inbound contact.

30. Computer-readable medium with program instructions stored thereon that when executed perform the following functions for managing a marketing campaign:

performs a first campaign step of a first marketing campaign, the first campaign step being directed at a plurality of customers;

provides that responses to the first campaign step from the customers can be received through any of a plurality of communication channels, the plurality of communication channels including at least personal communication, mail, telephone, a public computer network, fax and electronic mail;

receives a response to the first campaign step from one of the customers through one of the communication channels;

generates a first object that contains information from the response; and

uses the information in the first object to match the response with the first marketing campaign.

31. The medium of claim 30, further comprising:

searches a database for a contact history associated with the customer and uses the contact history to match the response with the first marketing campaign.

32. The medium of claim 30, wherein the customer responds by calling a telephone number, further comprising:

uses the telephone number through which the response is received to match the response with the first marketing campaign.

33. The medium of claim 30, further comprising:

generates a second object corresponding to the first campaign step and registers the second object in a table as an outbound contact.