METHODS, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR TARGETED AND CUSTOMIZED MARKETING OF CURRENT OR PENDING VEHICLE SERVICE CUSTOMERS

• US 20120059725A1
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Reynolds and Reynolds Company
• Original Assignee: HCD Software, LLC (Reynolds & Reynolds Company)
• Inventors: Colson, Charles Richard, Duluc, Rafael A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.67
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer program products for targeted and customized marketing to customers and, specifically in some embodiments, customers having a previous relationship with the entity implementing the marketing tool. The embodiments of the invention herein disclosed provide for efficient identification of previous customers based on their current product, service or property and/or their previous, and in some instances, ongoing financial obligation related to the current product, service or property. A replacement product, service or property is identified and a financial transaction proposal, such as a sales or lease proposal, is generated for one or more of the identified previous customers based on customers meeting criteria associated with variable parameters of the proposed transaction.

Claims

1. A method for providing vehicle proposals to vehicle service customers, the method comprising:

identifying current or pending vehicle service customers from a customer service database;

identifying a vehicle to propose to one or more of the current or pending vehicle service customers;

determining, by a computing device processing, for the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers, a customer-specific vehicle proposal for the identified vehicle based at least in part on an estimated market value of a current vehicle of the current or pending vehicle service customers; and

communicating, by a computing device, the customer-specific vehicle proposal to the current or pending vehicle service customers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying one or more variable parameters associated with the customer-specific vehicle proposals.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying one or more variable parameters further comprises identifying the one or more variable parameters associated with the customer-specific vehicle proposals, wherein the variable parameter is one or more of an acceptable variance amount associated with a current monthly vehicle payment amount, a minimum equity amount in a current vehicle, or a minimum profit amount for the identified vehicle.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining, by a computing device processor, one or more vehicle proposal candidates from the current or pending vehicle service customers based on the one or more variable parameters.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining, for one or more current or pending vehicle service customers, a customer-specific vehicle proposal further comprises determining, by a computing device processing, for each of the one or more vehicle proposal candidates, the customer-specific vehicle proposal for the identified vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the vehicle further comprises identifying the vehicle to propose to the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers based on vehicle type parameters.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying further comprises identifying the vehicle to propose to the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers based on vehicle type parameters, wherein the vehicle parameters are selected based on vehicle parameters associated with a current vehicle of the service customer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating further comprises communicating the customer-specific vehicle proposals to the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers via one of text message, electronic mail, or telephone.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by a computing device processor, the estimated market value of the current vehicle for each of the current or pending vehicle service customers.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the customer-specific proposal for the identified vehicle further comprises determining, via the computing device processor, one or more of a sales proposal or a lease proposal for the identified vehicle.

11. A computer program product that includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the medium comprising:

a first set of codes for causing a computer to identify current or pending vehicle service customers from a customer service database;

a second set of codes for causing a computer to identify a vehicle to propose to one or more or more of the current or pending vehicle service customers;

a third set of codes for causing a computer to determine for the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers, a customer-specific vehicle proposal for the identified vehicle based at least in part on an estimated market value of a current vehicle of the current or pending vehicle service customers; and

a fourth set of codes for causing a computer to communicate the customer-specific vehicle proposal to the current or pending vehicle service customers.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising a fifth set of codes for causing a computer to identify one or more variable parameters associated with the vehicle proposals.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the fifth set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to identify the one or more variable parameters associated with the vehicle proposals, wherein the variable parameter is one or more of an acceptable variance amount associated with a current monthly vehicle payment amount, a minimum equity amount in a current vehicle, or a minimum profit amount for the identified vehicle.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising a sixth set of codes for causing a computer to determine one or more vehicle proposal candidates from the current or pending vehicle service customers based on the one or more variable parameters.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to determine, for each of the one or more vehicle proposal candidates, the customer-specific vehicle proposal for the identified vehicle.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to identify the vehicle to propose to the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers based on vehicle type parameters.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to identify the vehicle to propose to the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers based on vehicle type parameters, wherein the vehicle parameters are selected based on vehicle parameters associated with a current vehicle of the service customer.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the fourth set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to communicate the customer-specific vehicle proposals to the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers via one of text message, electronic mail, or telephone.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising a fifth set of codes for causing a computer to determine the estimated market value of the current vehicle for each of the current or pending vehicle service customers.

20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to determine one or more of a sales proposal or a lease proposal for the identified vehicle.

21. A system for vehicle proposals to vehicle service customers, the system comprising:

one or more vehicle service databases; and

a computing device in network communication with the one or more vehicle customer databases and including;

at least one processor;

a memory in communication with the processor; and

a vehicle service customer marketing module stored in the memory, executable by the at least one processor and configured to identify current or pending vehicle service customers from a customer service database and identify a vehicle to propose to one or more of the current or pending vehicle service customers, wherein the vehicle service customer marketing module includes,

vehicle proposal determining logic configured to determine, for the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers, a customer-specific vehicle proposal for the identified vehicle based at least in part on an estimated market value of a current vehicle of the current or pending vehicle service customers, and

a service customer communication logic configured to communicate the customer-specific vehicle proposal to the current or pending vehicle service customers.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the vehicle service customer marketing module is further configured to identify one or more variable parameters associated with the vehicle proposals.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the vehicle service customer marketing module is further configured to identify the one or more variable parameters associated with the vehicle proposals, wherein the variable parameter is one or more of an acceptable variance amount associated with a current monthly vehicle payment amount, a minimum equity amount in a current vehicle, or a minimum profit amount for the identified vehicle.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the vehicle service customer marketing module further comprises vehicle proposal candidate logic configured to determine one or more vehicle proposal candidates from the current or pending vehicle service customers based on the one or more variable parameters.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the vehicle proposal determining logic is further configured to determine, for each of the one or more vehicle proposal candidates, the customer-specific vehicle proposal for the identified vehicle.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the vehicle service customer marketing module is further configured to identify the vehicle to propose to each of the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers based on vehicle type parameters.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the vehicle service customer marketing module is further configured to identify the vehicle to propose to the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers based on vehicle type parameters, wherein the vehicle parameters are selected based on vehicle parameters associated with a current vehicle of the service customer.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the service customer communication logic is further configured to communicate the customer-specific vehicle proposals to the one or more current or pending vehicle service customers via one of text message, electronic mail, or telephone.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the vehicle proposal determining logic is further configured to determine, by a computing device processor, the estimated market value of the current vehicle for each of the current or pending vehicle service customers.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the vehicle proposal determining logic is further configured to determine the customer-specific proposal for the identified vehicle further comprises determining one or more of a sales proposal or a lease proposal for the identified vehicle.