Call campaign methodologies

• US 7,630,905 B1
• Filed: 01/07/2004
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ralph Reese
• Original Assignee: Ralph Reese
• Inventors: Reese, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jabr; Fadey S
• Application Number:
  US10/753,025
• Time in Patent Office: 2,162 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26

Abstract

A method for minimizing the number of overdials attributable to a party comprising the steps of: (1) placing a telephone call using a predictive dialer and a call list; (2) monitoring call center agents to determine call center agent availability, the call center agents conducting a telemarketing campaign for at least a first calling party; (3) monitoring the telephone call to determine when the telephone call is answered thereby resulting in an answered call; (4) assigning the answered call to a calling party, and (5) transferring the answered call for processing, wherein processing is performed by a call center agent if available and wherein processing is performed by a message player if no call center agent is available to process the answered call.

Claims

1. A method for deferring the assignment of a campaign and a message until after an outbound call is answered, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of unique telemarketing campaigns;

storing said campaigns and one or more messages associated with each campaign at a host computer;

storing a call list at a host computer said call list comprising at least one entry, each said entry comprising screening information and a telephone number, wherein said entries have not been assigned to any of said unique campaigns;

placing a telephone call using a predictive dialer to one said entry from said call list;

monitoring said telephone call to determine when said call is answered thereby resulting in an answered call;

selecting a campaign by said host computer for said answered call wherein said selection is made according to said screening information associated with said entry and stored within said call list;

assigning said selected campaign to said answered call for said entry from said call list;

selecting a message associated with said campaign at said host computer based on said screening information associated with said entry and stored within said call list; and

assigning said selected message to said answered call for said entry from said call list.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said screening information comprises at least one piece of data selected from the group consisting of:

name, telephone number, address, city, state, area code, income bracket, income, home ownership, political affiliation, race, sex, marital status, presence of children, age of children, credit status, credit limit, amount due, amount overdue, educational background, purchase history, donation history, quotas, projected profitability, socioeconomic data, census data, purchase history, political affiliation, religious affiliation, do not call status, message history, and contact history.

3. A method for deferring the assignment of a campaign and a message until after an outbound call is answered, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of unique telemarketing campaigns;

storing said campaigns at a host computer;

storing a call list at a host computer, said call list comprising at least one entry, each said entry comprising screening information and a telephone number, wherein the entries have not been assigned to any of the unique campaigns;

placing a telephone call using a predictive dialer to one said entry, from the call list;

monitoring call center agents to determine call center agent availability;

monitoring said telephone call to determine when said telephone call is answered thereby resulting in an answered call;

selecting a campaign by said host computer for said answered call based on said screening information associated with said entry and stored within said call list;

assigning said answered call to said selected campaign; and

transferring said answered call for processing, wherein said processing is performed by a call center agent if available and wherein said processing is performed by a message player if no call center agent is available to process said answered call.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein said message player plays a message consisting of non-commercial speech.

5. The method according to claim 3 further comprising storing two or more different messages at said host computer;

selecting a message based on said screening information; and

wherein said message player plays the selected message if no call center agent is available to process said answered call.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein said message player additionally asks the party answering said call to complete at least one at least partially automated transaction.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein said at least one at least partially automated transaction is selected from the group consisting of:

responding to a survey, placing an order, requesting information, scheduling an appointment, requesting to be placed on a do-not-call list, making a donation, making a pledge, wrong party contact notification, promising to pay on a debt, promising to call back, confirming that a message was received by a party, confirming that an action will be taken, and updating said entry.

8. The method according to claim 6 wherein said at least partially automated transaction is fully automated.

9. The method according to claim 5 wherein said message player additionally invites the party answering said telephone call to verify at least a portion of said screening information associated with said party'"'"'s respective entry on said call list.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein said message player is capable of accepting updated screening information from said individual and updating said call list with said updated screening information.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein said message player is capable of modifying further messages associated with said entry based upon said updated screening information.

12. The method according to claim 5 wherein said screening information comprises at least one piece of data selected from the group consisting of:

name, telephone number, address, city, state, area code, income bracket, income, home ownership, political affiliation, race, sex, marital status, presence of children, age of children, credit status, credit limit, amount due, amount overdue, educational background, purchase history, donation history, quotas, projected profitability, socioeconomic data, census data, purchase history, political affiliation, religious affiliation, do not call status, message history, and contact history.

13. The method according to claim 5 wherein said message associated with said entry comprises dynamically generated content.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein said dynamically generated content comprises anyone of the following:

a unique amount due by an individual, an item offered, a price of an item offered, a meeting location, and a dealer location.

15. The method according to claim 5 wherein said entry additionally comprises a voice print of an individual associated with said entry.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein said voice print is used to verify said individual on said call list prior to playing a message comprising dynamically generated content.

17. The method according to claim 3 further wherein said step of selecting a calling party for said answered call is further based on anyone of the following factors:

a campaign quota, an economic value of the answered call to the calling party, an economic value of the call to the telemarketing agency, and the availability of agents trained on a specific offer.

18. A method for deferring the assignment of a telemarketing campaign and a message for said telemarketing campaign until after an outbound call is dialed, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of unique telemarketing campaigns;

storing said campaigns at a host computer;

storing a call list at a host computer, said call list comprising at least one entry, each said entry comprising screening information and a telephone number, wherein the entries have not been assigned to any of the unique campaigns;

placing a telephone call using a predictive dialer to one said entry on said call list resulting in a dialed call;

monitoring said dialed call to determine when said dialed call is answered thereby resulting in an answered call;

monitoring call center agents to determine call center agent availability; and

selecting and assigning a campaign by said host computer to said dialed call prior to said call being answered, wherein said selecting and assigning is based on said screening information associated with the entry from said call list and said call center agent availability.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

re-selecting and re-assigning a different telephone campaign from said host computer to said dialed call prior to said call being answered, wherein said re-selecting and re-assigning is based on said screening information associated with the entry from said call list and said call center agent availability.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

re-selecting and re-assigning a different telephone campaign from said host computer to said answered call, wherein said re-selecting and re-assigning is based on said screening information and said call center agent availability.