Delivery rule for customer leads response system and method
First Claim
1. An apparatus for delivering a lead to one or more responders, said apparatus comprising:
- a processor configured to apply two or more delivery rules to a lead that includes information relating to a consumer interested in an offering, wherein the delivery rules are prioritized, wherein said processor is configured to apply the delivery rules to the lead according to the priority associated with each delivery rule and determine which delivery rule is satisfied by the lead,wherein said processor is configured to direct delivery of the lead to a first responder according to a delivery instruction,wherein said processor is further configured to apply at least one escalation rule comprising a lead expiration criteria defining a period of time that the lead is to be provided to the first responder, and wherein being configured to apply at least one escalation rule includes being configured to direct delivery of the lead to a second responder when the first responder does not accept the lead prior to the end of the period of time.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A lead response system is provided comprising a customizable lead delivery rules engine and a customizable escalation rules engine for delivering leads to appropriate responders and re-routing undeveloped leads to different responders. Each delivery rule includes two or more criteria which may be met in order for the lead to be delivered to the responder specified in the particular rule. A lead that is not accepted by the responder to whom it was delivered within a user-defined time frame is re-routed for delivery to a new responder according to a set of escalation rules. The escalation rules may include delivery instructions specifying the new responder or may re-route the lead to the delivery rules engine for delivery to a new responder according to a re-application of the delivery rules.
24 Citations
26 Claims
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1. An apparatus for delivering a lead to one or more responders, said apparatus comprising:
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a processor configured to apply two or more delivery rules to a lead that includes information relating to a consumer interested in an offering, wherein the delivery rules are prioritized, wherein said processor is configured to apply the delivery rules to the lead according to the priority associated with each delivery rule and determine which delivery rule is satisfied by the lead, wherein said processor is configured to direct delivery of the lead to a first responder according to a delivery instruction, wherein said processor is further configured to apply at least one escalation rule comprising a lead expiration criteria defining a period of time that the lead is to be provided to the first responder, and wherein being configured to apply at least one escalation rule includes being configured to direct delivery of the lead to a second responder when the first responder does not accept the lead prior to the end of the period of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for delivering a lead to one or more responders, said method comprising:
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applying two or more delivery rules to a lead that includes information relating to a consumer interested in an offering, wherein the delivery rules are prioritized, and wherein said applying step applies the delivery rules to the lead according to the priority associated with each delivery rule; determining which delivery rule is satisfied by the lead; directing delivery of the lead to a first responder according to a delivery instruction specified in the delivery rule that is satisfied by the lead; and applying at least one escalation rule comprising a lead expiration criteria defining a period of time that the lead is to be provided to the first responder, and wherein applying at least one escalation rule includes directing delivery of the lead to a second responder when the first responder does not accept the lead prior to the end of the period of time. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An apparatus for delivery of a lead to one or more responders, said apparatus comprising:
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a processor configured to apply a set of delivery rules to a lead to determine a first responder to direct delivery of the lead to, the lead including information relating to a consumer interested in an offering, and each delivery rule including a plurality of criteria to be applied to the lead, wherein said processor is configured to apply a set of escalation rules for delivering an expired lead to a second responder, wherein at least one of the escalation rules comprises a lead expiration criteria defining a predetermined time frame, and wherein the expired lead includes a lead that is not accepted by the first responder within the predetermined time frame.
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24. An apparatus for delivering a lead to one or more responders, said apparatus comprising:
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a processor configured to apply at least one delivery rule to a lead that includes information relating to a consumer interested in an offering, wherein the delivery rule comprises at least two criteria that must be met, wherein the processor is configured to direct delivery of the lead to a first responder according to a delivery instruction, where both criteria in the delivery rule are satisfied by the lead, wherein said processor is further configured to apply at least one escalation rule comprising a lead expiration criteria defining a period of time that the lead is to be provided to the first responder, and wherein being configured to apply at least one escalation rule includes being configured to direct delivery of the lead to a second responder when the first responder does not accept the lead prior to the end of the period of time. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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Specification