SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF ENHANCING LEADS

• US 20080109294A1
• Filed: 02/05/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Experian Marketing Solutions, LLC (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: Experian Marketing Solutions Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Williams, Richard, Hughes, Lawrence J., Hajikhani, Rasoul, Kong, Jacob
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,607 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 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

A client transmits one or more lead records to a lead enhancement module that is configured to enhance the received lead records and return enhanced lead records to the client. In one embodiment, the client specifies which of a plurality of enhancements should be applied to lead records received from the particular client. In one embodiment, the lead enhancement module returns a contactability score for each lead record, indicated a likelihood that the individual identified in the lead may be contacted using the contact information provided in the lead record and/or additional contract information located by the lead enhancement module. In one embodiment, data items associated with the individual that are returned to the client are selected based on a vertical market of the client. In one embodiment, custom models that are defined on a per client basis are applied to lead records that are received from the particular client.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing a lead record, the method comprising:

receiving a lead record comprising information regarding an individual, the lead record comprising a plurality of data items stored in a plurality of corresponding fields, the lead record comprising at least a surname field for storing a surname data item, and an address field for storing an address data item;

determining whether at least a first subset of the fields each comprise data items;

accessing a database comprising a plurality of spoof strings;

determining whether the data items in each of a second subset of fields include any of the spoof strings; and

determining a contactability score associated with the lead record, wherein the score is based at least partly on information received from one or more data sources regarding a relationship between a telephone number data item that is associated with the lead record and other data items associated with the lead record.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a lead record for the individual has been received in a previous predetermined time period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the other data items associated with the lead record is received from one of the data sources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received from one or more data sources indicates whether the telephone number data item corresponds with one or more of:

the surname data item, a first name data item, and the street data item.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the telephone number data item represents a valid telephone number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the lead record is received from a customer.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating an enhanced lead record comprising at least some of the data items of the lead record and one or more of:

an indication whether the predetermined subset of the fields each comprise data items;

an indication whether the data items include any of the spoof text strings;

an indication whether the lead record for the individual has been received in a previous predetermined time period; and

the contactability score.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving information from a data source indicating an association between a second telephone number and the individual, wherein the second telephone number is different than the telephone number data item; and

after receiving the second telephone number, updating the enhanced lead record to include the second telephone number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset of the fields comprises the surname field, the address field, a city field, and a state field.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset of the fields comprises the surname field, the address field, and a zip code field.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second subset of the fields comprises the surname field, the address field, and a zip code field.

12. A method of generating a contactability score representative of a likelihood that a particular individual is associated with a telephone number, the method comprising:

determining a first preliminary score based on contactability information from a first data source;

if the first preliminary score is above a predetermined threshold, reporting the first preliminary score as the contactability score; and

if the first preliminary score is below the threshold, receiving a second preliminary score from a second data source and determining the contactability score based on both the first and second preliminary scores.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the telephone number is received from at least one of the first and second data sources.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the telephone number is received in a lead record comprising additional information associated with an individual.

The method of claim 12, further comprising:

if the first and second preliminary scores are below the threshold, receiving a third preliminary score from a third data source and determining the contactability score based on one or more of the first, second, and third preliminary scores.

15. A method of determining one or more contactability scores for respective telephone numbers associated with a potential customer, the method comprising:

(a) determining a first contactability score for a first telephone number that is associated with a potential customer;

(b) if the first contactability score is less than an acceptable score threshold;

(c) receiving from a data source an additional telephone number associated with the potential customer;

(d) determining an additional contactability score for the additional telephone number;

(e) if the additional contactability score is less than the acceptable score threshold, returning to element (c).

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising repeating elements (c)-(e) until no further telephone numbers are available from the data source.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising an additional telephone number associated with the potential customer from a second data source and determining a contactability score for the additional telephone number from the second data source.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising returning to a client each of the determined contactability scores.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein a lead record received from a client comprises the first telephone number.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the first telephone number is received from an external data source.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the contactability scores are determined based at least partly on a relationship between the respective telephone number associated with the potential customer and one or more additional data items in a received lead record associated with the potential customer.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein determining a contactability score comprises transmitting at least a portion of a lead record associated with the potential customer to a data source and receiving contactability information in response to the transmitting of the at least a portion of the lead record.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein an acceptable contactability score is associated with a telephone number if the contactability information indicates that the telephone number is associated with the full name and address of the potential customer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least a portion of the lead record comprises the full name and address of the potential customer.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the data source determines at least one of the full name and address of the potential customer based at least partly on information included in the at least a portion of the lead record.

26. A method of enhancing a received lead record, the method comprising:

transmitting at least a portion of a received lead record to a data source;

receiving from the data source a telephone number associated with the lead record;

requesting contactability information from the data source regarding a relationship between the telephone number and one or more data items included in the lead record; and

based on the contactability information received from the data source, determining a likelihood that an individual associated with the lead record may be contacted at the telephone number.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the likelihood that the individual associated with the lead record may be contacted at the telephone number is expressed in a contactability score.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the contactability score is in a range from “

A”

to “

F,”

wherein a contactability score of “

A”

represents the highest likelihood that the individual associated with the lead record may be contacted at the telephone number.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the contactability score is in a range from 501-990, where a contactability score of 990 represents the highest likelihood that the individual associated with the lead record may be contacted at the telephone number.