SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REWARDING CUSTOMER LOYALTY

• US 20100332303A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fitness Management Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fitness Management Corp.
• Inventors: Vaught, Thomas Glynn
• Application Number:
  US12/495,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332303A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0213 Consumer transaction fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

Systems and methods allow for rewarding customer loyalty, such as rewarding members of a fitness club for longevity of membership to the fitness club. A method of an embodiment includes storing information about a customer who is scheduled to be charged payment amounts that are specified by a payment plan. The method further includes receiving, by a server computer over a network from a client computer, a request to enroll the customer in a payment reducing plan. Also, the method further includes automatically reducing, by the server computer, the payment amounts charged to the customer over time in accordance with a payment reduction schedule for the payment reducing plan while the customer remains enrolled in the payment reducing plan.

Claims

1. A method for rewarding customer loyalty, comprising:

storing information about a customer scheduled to be charged payment amounts specified by a payment plan;

receiving, by a server computer over a network from a client computer, a request to enroll the customer in a payment reducing plan; and

automatically reducing, by the server computer, the payment amounts charged to the customer over time in accordance with a payment reduction schedule for the payment reducing plan while the customer remains enrolled in the payment reducing plan.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the customer is a member of a club;

and

wherein the payment amounts are membership dues for membership in the club.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the customer is a subscriber to a service;

and

wherein the payment amounts are service charges for usage of the service.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an enrollment form for enrolling in the payment reducing plan to selected customers that are selected based at least partially on an amount of time that they have been making payments under the payment plan.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting from the customer a one time amount to enroll in the payment reducing plan.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting from the customer a plurality of partial enrollment payments over time as payment for enrollment in the payment reducing plan.

7. The method of claim 1,

the payment reduction schedule providing for repeated reductions in the payment amounts charged to the customer over time based at least partially on an amount of time the customer has been enrolled in the payment reducing plan.

8. The method of claim 1,

the payment reduction schedule providing for a stepped reduction in the payment amounts charged to the customer over time.

9. The method of claim 1,

the payment reduction schedule providing for the payment amounts charged to the customer to remain at a minimum amount once the payment amounts have been reduced over time to the minimum amount.

10. The method of claim 1,

the payment reduction schedule providing for the payment amounts charged to the customer to be reduced by a first percentage after the customer has been enrolled in the payment reducing plan for a first time period, and providing for the payment amounts charged to the customer to be reduced by a second percentage after the customer has been enrolled in the payment reducing plan for a second time period.

11. The method of claim 1,

the payment reduction schedule providing for a stepped reduction in the payment amounts charged to the customer based at least partially on a number of times payments have been made by the customer.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

expelling the customer from the payment reducing plan if the customer does not remain current on payment of the payment amounts charged to the customer.

13. The method of claim 12,

wherein the payment amounts charged to the customer return to those specified by the payment plan after the customer is expelled from the payment reducing plan.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

expelling the customer from the payment reducing plan if the customer does not remain current on payments of an enrollment fee for enrolling in the payment reducing plan.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

expelling the customer from the payment reducing plan if the customer does not meet a specified goal;

wherein the specified goal includes at least one of a weight reduction goal, a strength improvement goal, or a class attendance goal.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an enrollment form that includes an indication that the customer desires to be enrolled in the payment reducing plan.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether the customer is to be enrolled in the payment reducing plan based at least partially on a date of submission of the enrollment form.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing one or more bills to the customer for each of the payment amounts charged to the customer.

19. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that when executed on a server computer causes the server computer to perform a process, the process comprising:

storing information about a customer scheduled to be charged payment amounts specified by a payment plan;

receiving, by the server computer over a network from a client computer, a request to enroll the customer in a payment reducing plan; and

automatically reducing, by the server computer, the payment amounts charged to the customer over time in accordance with a payment reduction schedule for the payment reducing plan while the customer remains enrolled in the payment reducing plan.

20. A system, comprising:

a client computer; and

a server computer;

the server computer configured to store information about a customer scheduled to be charged payment amounts specified by a payment plan;

the server computer configured to receive, over a network from the client computer, a request to enroll the customer in a payment reducing plan; and

the server computer configured to automatically reduce the payment amounts charged to the customer over time in accordance with a payment reduction schedule for the payment reducing plan while the customer remains enrolled in the payment reducing plan.