Automated receivables management system
First Claim
1. An automated receivables management system owned or controlled by a credit grantor that granted to a customer of the credit grantor a credit account having been designated for collection by the credit grantor, the system comprising:
- a collection system that implements a collection action by automatically creating an electronic message to send to the customer associated with the account designated for collection, where the message includes interactive content for allowing the customer to interactively respond to the message with an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the interactive content also allows the customer, if they chose, to make an electronic payment toward the promise through the communication network;
a communication server that automatically sends the electronic message to the customer associated with the account designated for collection via the communication network; and
an electronic communication device that receives, over the communication network, an electronic response from the customer associated with the account designated for collection, where the electronic response comprises an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the electronic response was made by the customer interacting with the interactive content in the electronic message.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automated receivables management system that provides a self-service collection environment using an electronic network, such as the Internet or a PCS, as a medium for communication and transaction execution. Comprehensive collections services are provided in a fully automated fashion, including account decisioning, treatment specification, communication channel specification, and communication to the customer and method for payment/response from the customer using the electronic channel. The electronic network operates as a fully-automated electronic receivables environment, providing a medium for notification, receiving funds and customer responses, while allowing the creation of a test and control environment for experimentation on a customer level. Using results from existing policies or strategies, the system matches account performance with account history in order to determine the optimal new strategy for interacting with the respective account(s). This process not only determines the optimal strategy, but can automatically apply the strategy to the account(s) that meets the appropriate criteria. This forms an environment to test new strategies and incorporate new learning in a new strategy creation without human intervention.
123 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An automated receivables management system owned or controlled by a credit grantor that granted to a customer of the credit grantor a credit account having been designated for collection by the credit grantor, the system comprising:
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a collection system that implements a collection action by automatically creating an electronic message to send to the customer associated with the account designated for collection, where the message includes interactive content for allowing the customer to interactively respond to the message with an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the interactive content also allows the customer, if they chose, to make an electronic payment toward the promise through the communication network; a communication server that automatically sends the electronic message to the customer associated with the account designated for collection via the communication network; and an electronic communication device that receives, over the communication network, an electronic response from the customer associated with the account designated for collection, where the electronic response comprises an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the electronic response was made by the customer interacting with the interactive content in the electronic message. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for automatically collecting accounts designated for collection, the method being performed by a credit grantor that granted to a customer of the credit grantor a credit account having been designated for collection by the credit grantor, the method comprising:
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identifying automatically an account designated for collection; determining automatically interactive content of a message to the customer of the account designated for collection, where the interactive content allows the customer to interactively respond to the message with an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the interactive content also allows the customer, if they chose, to make an electronic payment toward the promise through a communication network; sending automatically through the communication network to the customer of the account designated for collection the electronic message; and receiving a response to the message via the communication network, where the response comprises an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the response was made by the customer interacting with the interactive content in the electronic message. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An automated receivables management system owned or controlled by a credit grantor that granted to a customer of the credit grantor a credit account having been designated for collection by the credit grantor, the system comprising:
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collection means for implementing a collection action by creating an electronic message to send to the customer associated with the account designated for collection, where the message includes interactive content for allowing the recipient to interactively respond to the message with an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the interactive content also allows a recipient, if they chose, to make an electronic payment toward the promise through a communication network; and communication means for sending the electronic message to the customer associated with the account designated for collection via the communication network and receiving a response to the message from the recipient associated with the account designated for collection, where the response comprises an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the response was made by the recipient interacting with the interactive content in the electronic message. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer readable medium encoded with automated receivables management software for a credit grantor, which granted to a customer of the credit grantor a credit account having been designated for collection by the credit grantor, to perform a process, the process comprising:
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identifying automatically the account designated for collection; determining automatically interactive content of a message to the customer associated with the account designated for collection, where the interactive content allows the customer to interactively respond to the message with an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the interactive content also allows the customer, if they chose, to make an electronic payment toward the promise through a communication network; sending automatically through the communication network to the customer associated with the account designated for collection the electronic message; and receiving a response to the message via the communication network, where the response comprises an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the response was made by the customer interacting with the interactive content in the electronic message.
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20. A method of automatically collecting debts performed by a credit grantor that granted to a customer of the credit grantor a credit account having been designated for collection by the credit grantor, the method comprising:
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automatically designating an account for collection and a strategy for collecting on the account; automatically creating and sending through a communication network an electronic collection activity message to the customer associated with the account, in accordance with the strategy, where the message includes interactive content that allows the customer to interactively respond to the message with an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the interactive content also allows the customer, if they chose, to make an electronic payment toward the promise through the communication network; activating, by the customer interacting with the interactive content, an electronic response to the collection activity message, where the response is returned through the communication network, and where the response comprises an electronic promise to make a payment; and responsive to said activating, sending the customer information used to pay on the account.
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21. A method of a creditor automatically conducting collection activity, comprising:
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designating automatically, by the creditor, both a delinquent account for collection and a strategy for collecting on the account, where the account was granted by the creditor; automatically composing and sending, by the creditor, through a communication network an electronic mail collection message to a person associated with the account, wherein said composing and sending is done in accordance with the strategy, and where the message includes a link to a collection web site accessible by the person over the communication network; interacting, by the person, with the link in the collection message; and responding to said interacting by automatically accessing the collection web site over the communication network, where the collection web site includes interactive content that allows the person to make an electronic promise to make a payment, and where the interactive content also allows the person, if they chose, to make an electronic payment toward the promise through the communication network. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification