Computerized method for the solicitation and sales of transactions

• US 20050177457A1
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Published: 08/11/2005
• 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:
  US11/063,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177457A1
• 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 use over a telecommunications medium for enabling the offer and purchase of extended warranty services associated with a product, the method comprising:

storing data in a database associated with a consumer purchasing a product, the data including consumer-specific information and product-specific information associating the consumer with the purchased product;

generating an extended warranty service offer for the purchased product;

storing an electronic file containing terms of the extended warranty service offer;

associating the electronic file containing terms of the extended warranty service offer with the stored consumer-specific data;

creating a unique identifier for the electronic file containing terms of the extended warranty service offer;

creating a unique and personalized link for the consumer to access the electronic file containing terms of the extended warranty service offer over the telecommunications medium;

operably embedding the unique identifier within the unique and personalize link so that when the consumer activates the link from a remote telecommunications device a Web page will be downloaded to the remote telecommunications device for accessing a Web application configured for reviewing and executing the purchase of the consumer'"'"'s extended warranty service offer for the product;

generating an email containing the unique and personalized link; and

transmitting the email over the telecommunications medium to a remote telecommunications device for receipt by the consumer.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing data in the database indicating preferences associated with the consumer and the product; and

prioritizing the delivery of the email to the consumer over the telecommunications medium based on the set of preferences.

3. The computerized method of claim 2, the data indicating preferences including at least one of a date the product was purchased, an expiration date of an existing extended warranty contract for the product, a date the manufacturer'"'"'s warranty will expire on the product and the number of times the consumer has been contacted previously with respect to purchasing the extended warranty service offer for the product.

4. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing data in the database associated with a plurality of consumers each purchasing at least one product, the data including consumer-specific information and product-specific information associating each of the plurality of consumers with a respective product purchased by that consumer;

storing consumer preference data in the database for each consumer purchasing a product, the consumer preference data indicating the manner by which a consumer prefers to receive communications from a service center;

sorting the consumer-specific data stored in the database based on a consumer'"'"'s preference data;

creating a first electronic file containing a first subset of consumer-specific data for those consumers who prefer to receive communications from the service center over the telecommunications medium;

creating a second electronic file containing a second subset of consumer-specific data for those consumers who prefer to receive communications from the service center through a paper mail service; and

storing the first and second electronic files in a database accessible by a live call-taking function of the service center.

5. The computerized method of claim 4 further comprising:

generating an extended warranty service offer for each product purchased by the plurality of consumers; and

associating an extended warranty service offer for a product with each of the plurality of consumers who purchased the product.

6. The computerized method of claim 5 further comprising:

retrieving data from the second electronic file containing the second subset of consumer-specific data;

determining which consumers from the second subset of consumer-specific data have an extended warranty service offer associated with them; and

generating a paper solicit containing terms of an extended warranty service offer for each consumer determined to have an extended warranty service offer associated with them.

7. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing data in the database associated with a plurality of consumers each purchasing at least one product, the data including consumer-specific information and product-specific information associating each of the plurality of consumers with a respective product purchased by that consumer;

selecting a first subset of consumer-specific data based on a consumer preference;

generating an extended warranty service offer for a product purchased by at least one consumer selected from the consumer-specific data; and

delivering terms of the extended warranty service offer to the at least one consumer based on the consumer preference.

8. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

downloading a Web page form from a server over the telecommunications medium to the remote telecommunications device when the unique and personalized link is activated;

enabling assess to the electronic file containing terms of the extended warranty service offer; and

presenting the terms of the extended warranty service offer within the Web page form, the Web page form including consumer-specific and product-specific data associated with the extended warranty service offer so that the consumer may purchase the extended warranty service offer without entering additional consumer-specific and product-specific data.

9. The computerized method of claim 8 further comprising:

enabling the Web page form so the consumer may select a number of years for which the extended warranty service offer will cover; and

enabling the Web page form so the consumer may select payment options for purchasing the extended warranty service offer.

10. A computerized method for use over a telecommunications medium enabling a consumer to purchase an extended warranty service offer with respect to a product purchased by the consumer, the method comprising:

storing consumer-specific information and product-specific information with respect to customers purchasing of products;

generating an extended warranty services offer with respect to a product purchased by at least one consumer;

storing the extended warranty services offer;

associating the extended warranty services offer with each consumer that purchased the product for which the extended warranty services offer was generated;

creating a unique and personalized link for each consumer that purchased the product, each unique and personalized link operable to download a Web page form over the telecommunications medium when activated;

embedding the unique and personalize link in an email;

transmitting the email over the telecommunications medium to an email address of at least one consumer that purchased the product; and

enabling the Web page form to be downloaded over the telecommunications medium from a server to a remote telecommunications device, the Web page form including selectable fields indicative of the extended warranty services and enabled for the at least one consumer to purchase the extended warranty services over the telecommunications medium.

11. The computerized method of claim 10 further comprising:

storing a set of consumer preferences for at least one consumer that purchased a product;

sorting the consumer-specific information based on the set of consumer preferences; and

determining a method of delivering the extended warranty services offer to the at least one consumer based on the set of consumer preferences.

12. The computerized method of claim 11, the set of consumer preferences comprising at least one of a preference for receiving communications over the telecommunications medium and a preference for receiving communications via a paper mail service.

13. The computerized method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining whether the email is successfully received by the email address of the at least one consumer; and

mailing a paper solicit containing the extended warranty services offer to the at least one consumer if the email is not successfully received by the email address of the at least one consumer.

14. The computerized method of claim 10, further comprising:

mailing a paper solicit containing the extended warranty services offer to the at least one consumer if the email is successfully received by the email address of the at least one consumer and the at least one consumer has not purchased the extended warranty services offer within a predetermined period of time.

15. The computerized method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing a set of consumer preferences for at least one consumer that purchased a product;

sorting at least the consumer-specific information based on the set of consumer preferences;

storing a first subset of the sorted consumer-specific data;

storing a second subset of the sorted consumer-specific data;

transmitting the email over the telecommunications medium to an email address of at least one consumer selected from the first subset of the sorted consumer-specific data; and

mailing a paper solicit containing the extended warranty services offer to at least one consumer selected from the second subset of the sorted consumer-specific data.

16. The computerized method of claim 10 further comprising:

including in the Web page form selectable fields indicative of extended warranty service offers for at least one product previously purchased by the at least one consumer and enabled for the at least one consumer to purchase over the telecommunications medium.