METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROCESSING AND MANAGING COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20140314215A1
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invoca, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Invoca, Inc.
• Inventors: Duva, Robert J., Kelley, Colin D., Spievak, Jason S., Trandal, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,917,860 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements

Abstract

An online and offline communication processing and tracking using data processing and data/voice networks is described. A phone address from a phone address number pool is automatically assigned to a first entity. A call quality rating is determined and recorded. A call from a caller directed to the phone address is received at a call bridging system coupled to at least one network, wherein the call is associated with call signaling information. Based at least in part on the call quality associated with the caller call, the caller call is assigned to a first location in a call queue. An outbound call is generated from the call bridging system and the inbound and the outbound calls are bridged. One or more parameters of the bridged call are compared to the call quality rating. An indication is recorded regarding the successful bridging of the calls in association with an entity identifier.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of campaign management, comprising:

entering, by a computing system, a customer prospect into a marketing campaign with a marketing campaign first state;

automatically assigning, by the computing system, one or more phone addresses to a communication, wherein the communication is directed to the customer prospect;

changing, by the computing system, the marketing campaign first state of the customer prospect to a marketing campaign second state based at least in part on a first incoming call to the one or more phone addresses; and

providing for display, via a user interface, a current marketing campaign state of the customer prospect in the marketing campaign.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the change from the marketing campaign first state of the customer prospect to the marketing campaign second state is performed at least partly in response to a comparison of a called party phone address of the first incoming call to the one or more phone addresses assigned to the communication, indicating that there is a match.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the change from the marketing campaign first state of the customer prospect to the marketing campaign second state is performed at least partly in response to a receipt of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) selection by the customer prospect during the first incoming call.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

querying one or more external data stores wherein a parameter of the external data store query includes call information associated with the first incoming call.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising connecting, by the computing system, an agent to the first incoming call and providing a user interface control via which the connected agent can cause, at least in part, the customer prospect to exit from the marketing campaign.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the communication comprises an email communication, a Short Message Service (SMS) communication, an instant message service communication, or a social networking message service communication.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a marketing campaign state of the customer prospect comprises an indicator of a likelihood that the customer prospect will be a customer for a good or service.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a marketing campaign state of the customer prospect comprises an indicator of a position of the customer prospect in a marketing campaign funnel.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a marketing campaign state of the customer prospect comprises an indicator of a number of communications and/or a number of communication attempts with the customer prospect.

10. A system, comprising:

a computing device;

a network interface configured to be coupled to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);

non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the computing device, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, comprising;

entering a customer prospect into a marketing campaign with a marketing campaign first state;

automatically assigning one or more phone addresses to a communication, wherein the communication is directed to the customer prospect;

changing the marketing campaign first state of the customer prospect to a marketing campaign second state based at least in part on a first incoming call to the one or more phone addresses, the first incoming call received using the network interface; and

providing for display, via a user interface, a current marketing campaign state of the customer prospect in the marketing campaign.

11. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein the change from the marketing campaign first state of the customer prospect to the marketing campaign second state is performed at least partly in response to a comparison of a called party phone address of the first incoming call to the one or more phone addresses assigned to the communication, indicating that there is a match.

12. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein the change from the marketing campaign first state of the customer prospect to the marketing campaign second state is performed at least partly in response to a receipt of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) selection by the customer prospect during the first incoming call.

13. The system as defined in claim 10, the operations further comprising:

querying one or more external data stores wherein a parameter of the external data store query includes call information associated with the first incoming call.

14. The system as defined in claim 10, the operations further comprising connecting an agent to the first incoming call and providing a user interface control via which the connected agent can cause, at least in part, the customer prospect to exit from the marketing campaign.

15. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein the communication comprises an email communication or a Short Message Service (SMS) communication.

16. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein the communication comprises a social networking message service communication.

17. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein the communication comprises an instant message service communication.

18. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein a marketing campaign state of the customer prospect comprises an indicator of a likelihood that the customer prospect will be a customer for a good or service.

19. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein a marketing campaign state of the customer prospect comprises an indicator of a position of the customer prospect in a marketing campaign funnel.

20. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein a marketing campaign state of the customer prospect comprises an indicator of a number of communications and/or a number of communication attempts with the customer prospect.

21. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein the customer prospect is an existing customer.

22. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein a marketing campaign state of the customer prospect includes at least the marketing campaign first state and the marketing campaign second state.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor perform operations comprising:

entering a customer prospect into a marketing campaign with a marketing campaign first state;

automatically assigning one or more phone addresses to a communication, wherein the communication is directed to the customer prospect;

changing the marketing campaign first state of the customer prospect to a marketing campaign second state based at least in part on a first incoming call to the one or more phone addresses; and

providing for display, via a user interface, a current marketing campaign state of the customer prospect in the marketing campaign.