Client account and information management system and method

• US 8,170,948 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2008
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brattain, Joseph Samuel, Rodriguez, Enrique, Washington, Terry Varon, Shore, Sandra Sue
• Primary Examiner(s): Akintola, Olabode
• Application Number:
  US11/940,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20080097818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/14, 705/26, 705 35- 40, 709/201
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

An information repository and management system for data regarding a client base which integrates a plurality of information types including database records, word processor files, e-mail, other hyperlinked documents, web pages and web sites. Implemented as a database application on a web-enabled database server, sales and marketing team members may access the system through an intranet or remotely through an Internet. Portions of the database may be extracted and placed on a portable computing device for traveling purposes. The extracted database can be later synchronized with the central database upon return of a sales and marketing team member from a meeting or business trip. Links and expandable subforms are provided to web sites for stock quoting and client home pages, allowing sales team members to quickly gather information regarding a company'"'"'s latest news announcements, stock performance, and financial status. Client relationship documents, such as meeting summaries, previous meeting briefing packages, and action item tracking sheets are organized and accessible through the system.

Claims

1. A computer program product for organizing briefing packages for presentation to sales account executives, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device; and

first program instructions to store a plurality of client records in a database relating to one or more client business entities, each client record containing a plurality of fields in at least one client account database, at least one of the fields containing a link to data, documents or information external to the database;

second program instructions to parse a portion of an electronic mail message according to a predetermined format to determine a client record to which the message is to be linked;

third program instructions to integrate information to form a briefing package by linking the electronic mail message and at least one other external data item to at least one client record, the other external data item being selected from a group comprising a stock share price quote server, a business plan document, a marketing strategy document, a note from a previous meeting with the client, a previously presented presentation document and an action item list;

fourth program instructions to subsequently show a first set of information for a selected client account on a main screen view on a user display by selecting an client record associated with a specific client business entity; and

fifth program instructions to provide in the first set of shown information one or more user-selectable expandable subforms, wherein at least one subform retrieves and shows at least one of the linked external data items when expanded;

wherein the first, second, third, fourth and fifth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage device.

2. The computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein retrieving linked external data items comprises showing word processor files.

3. The computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein retrieving linked external data items comprises showing computer-readable presentation files.

4. The computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein parsing a portion of the electronic mail message comprises parsing a subject field for a client name indicator.

5. The computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein retrieving linked external data items comprises showing a stock share quote for a selected client company.

6. A system for organizing information and presenting executive briefing packages comprising:

a storage device for storing a plurality of client records in a database, the client records each containing data or links to data relating to a different customer and each record containing a plurality of fields, at least one of the fields containing a link to data, documents or information external to the database;

an email parser portion of a computing system configured to parse a portion of an electronic mail message according to a predetermined format to determine a client record to which the message is to be linked;

an integrator portion of a computing system integrating and showing a first set of information for a selected client account on a main screen view on a user display, the integrating information forming a briefing package by linking the electronic mail message and at least one other external data item to at least one client record, the other external data item being selected from the list of a stock share price quote server, a business plan document, a marketing strategy document, a note from a previous meeting with the client, a previously presented presentation document and an action item list; and

a user display portion of a computing system providing user-selectable expandable subforms and hyperlinks to additional information for the selected client account, wherein at least one subform retrieves and shows at least one of the linked external data items when expanded.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein the user display shows word processor files.

8. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein the user display shows computer-readable presentation files.

9. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein the email parser is further configured to parse a subject field of the electronic message for a client name indicator.

10. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein the user display shows biographical information concerning at least one employee of a selected client company.

11. The system as set forth in claim 6 further comprising a remote access communications interface providing access to the database via a computer network, and showing the first set of information for a selected client account on a remote computer display.