Method and apparatus to associate a modifiable CRM related token to an email

• US 8,370,437 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hilerio, Israel, Curry, Lyle Gordon, Duffek, Daniel Norbert, Pouzin, Dominic Justin Emile Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): NASH, LASHANYA RENEE
• Application Number:
  US11/021,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20060155715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,966 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/223, 709/224, 713/158, 726/2, 726/3, 726/9
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method and apparatus to associate incoming emails to a customer relationship management (CRM) object is disclosed. The method may include creating a user configurable tracking token that relates an email to a CRM object, attaching the tracking token to an outgoing email, sending the outgoing email to recipients, receiving an incoming email, determining whether the incoming email has a tracking token and if the incoming email has a tracking token, associating the incoming email with the matching CRM object.

Claims

1. A method to associate incoming emails to a customer relationship management (CRM) object from a CRM application comprising:

at a sending computing system, in the CRM application, creating a tracking token having a user configurable format that, when attached to an email, relates the email to a CRM object wherein creating the user configurable token further comprises;

combining a token prefix, a creation descriptor, an email tracking ID and a tracking token number to create the tracking token;

selecting a default token format based on a client;

allowing the default token format based on the client to be modified;

when the default token format based on the client is modified, replacing the default token format based on the client with the format as modified;

storing the tracking token in a memory on the sending computing system along with previously created tracking tokens;

attaching the tracking token to an email subject line of an outgoing email in the CRM application;

sending the outgoing email to recipients from the CRM application;

receiving an incoming email at the sending computing system at an email application;

looking up a message ID in a header of the incoming email and searching for the message ID an email activity store comprising at least one of a table and a database, stored in the memory;

determining whether the incoming email has an attached tracking token at the CRM application, when the message ID is found in the email activity store;

when the incoming email has an attached tracking token,

determining if the attached tracking token was created by the sending computing system by comparing the attached tracking token to the tracking token stored in the email activity store; and

when the attached tracking token was determined to be created by the CRM application on the sending computing system,

associating the incoming email with the matching CRM object located according to the tracking token in the email activity store created by the CRM application on the sending computing system and

executing a CRM based action in the CRM application related to the CRM object on the sending computing device wherein the CRM action is at least one selected from a group comprising;

opening related client contact information;

opening a related proposal;

opening related emails;

opening follow on related communications;

opening the proper CRM deployment; and

opening a most recent CRM activity related to the token.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking token further comprises an indication of whether the outgoing email was created one of offline and online.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking token further comprises an indication of a user ID of a sender of the outgoing email.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking token further comprises an indication of the number of outgoing emails sent.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking token further comprises an indication in an email subject line.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising combining a token prefix, a creation descriptor, an email tracking id and a tracking token number to create the tracking token.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user to configure at least one of a token prefix, an email tracking id and a tracking token number.

8. A non-transitory computer storage medium having computer executable instructions for performing a method to associate incoming emails to a customer relationship management (CRM) object from a CRM application comprising:

at a sending computing system, in the CRM application, creating a tracking token having a user configurable format that relates an email to a CRM object wherein creating the user configurable token further comprises;

combining a token prefix, a creation descriptor, an email tracking ID and a tracking token number to create the tracking token;

selecting a default token format based on a client;

allowing the default token format based on the client to be modified;

when the default token format based on the client is modified, replacing the default token format based on the client with the format as modified;

storing the tracking token in a memory on the sending computing system along with previously created tracking tokens;

attaching the tracking token to an email subject line of an outgoing email in the CRM application;

sending the outgoing email to recipients from the CRM application;

receiving an incoming email at the sending computing system with an email application;

looking up a message ID in a header of the incoming email and searching for the message ID an email activity store comprising at least one of a table and a database, stored in the memory;

determining whether the incoming email has an attached tracking token at the CRM application, when the message ID is found in the email activity store;

when the incoming email has a tracking token,

determining if the attached tracking token was created by the sending computing system by comparing the attached tracking token to the tracking token stored in the email activity store; and

when the attached tracking token was determined to be created by the CRM application on sending computing system,

associating the incoming email with the matching CRM object located according to the tracking token in the email activity store created by the CRM application on the sending computing system; and

executing a CRM based action in the CRM application related to the CRM object on the sending computing device wherein the CRM action is at least one selected from a group comprising;

opening related client contact information;

opening a related proposal;

opening related emails;

opening follow on related communications;

opening the proper CRM deployment; and

opening a most recent CRM activity related to the token.

9. The non-transitory computer storage claim of claim 8, wherein the tracking token further comprises an indication of whether the outgoing email was created one of offline and online.

10. The non-transitory computer storage claim of claim 8, wherein the tracking token further comprises an indication of a user ID of a sender of the outgoing email.

11. The non-transitory computer storage claim of claim 8, wherein the tracking token further comprises an indication of the number of outgoing emails sent.

12. The non-transitory computer storage claim of claim 8, wherein the tracking token further comprises an indication in an email subject line.

13. The non-transitory computer storage claim of claim 8, further comprising computer executable instructions for combining a token prefix, a creation descriptor, an email tracking id and a tracking token number to create the tracking token.

14. The non-transitory computer storage claim of claim 8, further comprising computer executable instructions for allowing the user to configure at least one of a token prefix, an email tracking id and a tracking token number.

15. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a display unit that is capable of generating video images;

an input device;

a processing apparatus operatively coupled to said display unit and said input device, said processing apparatus comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor,

a network interface connected to a network and to the processing apparatus;

said processing apparatus being programmed to associate incoming emails to a customer relationship management (CRM) object from a CRM application;

said processing apparatus being programmed to create, at a sending computing system, in the CRM application, a tracking token having a user configurable format that relates an email to a CRM object wherein creating the user configurable token further comprises;

combining a token prefix, a creation descriptor, an email tracking ID and a tracking token number to create the tracking token;

selecting a default token format based on a client

allowing the default token format based on the client to be modified

when the default token format based on the client is modified, replacing the default token format based on the client with the format as modified;

storing the tracking token in a memory on the sending computing system;

said processing apparatus being programmed to attach the tracking token to an email subject line of an outgoing email in the CRM application;

said processing apparatus being programmed to send the outgoing email to recipients from the CRM application;

said processing apparatus being programmed to receive an incoming email at the sending computing system with an email application;

said processing apparatus being programmed to look up a message ID in a header of the incoming email and search for the message ID an email activity store comprising at least one of a table and a database, stored in the memory;

said processing apparatus being programmed to determine whether the incoming email has an attached tracking token at the CRM application, when the message ID is found in the email activity store; and

when the incoming email has a tracking token,

determining if the tracking token was created by the sending computing system by comparing the attached tracking token to the tracking token stored in the email activity store; and

when the attached tracking token was determined to be created by the CRM application on the sending computing system, said processing apparatus being programmed to;

associate the incoming email with the matching CRM object located according to the tracking token in the email activity store created by the CRM application on the sending computing system and

executing a CRM based action in the CRM application related to the CRM object on the sending computing device wherein the CRM action is at least one selected from a group comprising;

opening related client contact information;

opening a related proposal;

opening related emails;

opening follow on related communications;

opening the proper CRM deployment; and

opening a most recent CRM activity related to the token.

16. The computing apparatus of claim 15, further comprising said processing apparatus being programmed to monitor whether a user has sent a maximum number of emails.

17. The computing apparatus of claim 16, further comprising said processing apparatus being programmed to allow the maximum number of emails to be reset.

18. The computing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the tracking token further comprises an indication of a CRM company deployment.

19. The computing apparatus of claim 15, further comprising said processing apparatus being programmed to check the tracking tokens to be attached to ensure they are not duplicates of previously used tracking tokens.

20. The computing apparatus of claim 15, further comprising said processing apparatus being programmed to match the incoming tracking token to the most recent CRM object associated with the tracking token.