Methods and systems for processing and managing telephonic communications using ring pools

• US 8,577,016 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invoca, Inc.
• Original Assignee: RingRevenue, Inc.
• Inventors: Duva, Robert J., Kelley, Colin D., Spievak, Jason S., Trandal, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US13/828,623
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.09, 379/265.01, 379/266.01, 379/266.07, 379/201.01
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

An online and offline communication processing and tracking using data processing and data/voice networks is described. A phone address from a phone address number pool is automatically assigned to a first entity. A call quality rating is determined and recorded. A call from a caller directed to the phone address is received at a call bridging system coupled to at least one network, wherein the call is associated with call signaling information. Based at least in part on the call quality associated with the caller call, the caller call is assigned to a first location in a call queue. An outbound call is generated from the call bridging system and the inbound and the outbound calls are bridged. One or more parameters of the bridged call are compared to the call quality rating. An indication is recorded regarding the successful bridging of the calls in association with an entity identifier.

Claims

1. A method of call routing, the method comprising:

assigning, by a marketing automation computing system, one or more phone numbers to one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service, wherein a first media element of the marketing campaign comprises a web-based landing page;

detecting, by the marketing automation computing system, one or more actions by a first customer prospect in association with the one or more media elements within the marketing campaign;

enhancing a lead score associated with the first customer prospect based at least in part on the detected one or more actions of the first customer prospect with the one or more media elements, wherein enhancing the lead score comprises improving the lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood of the first customer prospect to be a customer for the good or service;

receiving, at the marketing automation computing system, a call directed to a first of the one or more assigned phone numbers assigned to the one or more media elements, wherein a caller identification number is included in call signaling information associated with the received call;

determining, by the marketing automation computing system, based at least in part on the call signaling information associated with the received call that the call is from the first customer prospect; and

routing the call directed to the first of the one or more assigned phone numbers assigned to the one or more media elements, by the marketing automation computing system, based at least in part on the lead score of the first customer prospect.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more media elements comprise an email.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more media elements comprise a web form.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

dynamically assigning, by the marketing automation computing system, the one or more phone numbers in response to at least a first condition.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the first condition comprises a display of the web landing page.

6. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the first condition comprises a display of a video on the web landing page.

7. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the first condition comprises a download.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein routing the call directed to the first of the one or more assigned phone numbers assigned to the one or more media elements, further comprises generating an outbound call and bridging the received call and the outbound call.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the call routing is to a call center.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the customer prospect is an existing customer.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

detecting, by the marketing automation computing system, one or more actions by a second customer prospect in association with the one or more media elements within the marketing campaign;

enhancing a lead score associated with the second customer prospect based at least in part on the detected one or more actions of the second customer prospect, wherein enhancing the lead score associated with the second customer prospect comprises improving the lead score associated with the second customer prospect to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood of the second customer prospect to be a customer for the good or service;

receiving at the marketing automation computing system, a second call directed to the one or more assigned phone numbers wherein a caller identification number is included in call signaling information associated with the received second call;

determining, by the marketing automation computing system, from the call signaling information associated with the received second call that the second call is from the second customer prospect; and

routing the second call, by the marketing automation computing system, based at least in part on the lead score associated with the second customer prospect.

12. A method of call routing, the method comprising:

associating, by a marketing automation computing system, one or more phone numbers with one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service, wherein a first media element of the marketing campaign comprises a web-based landing page;

querying a data store to determine one or more attributes associated with a customer prospect;

enhancing a lead score associated with the customer prospect based at least in part on the one or more determined attributes associated with the customer prospect, wherein enhancing the lead score comprises improving the lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood of the customer prospect to be a customer for the good or service;

receiving, at the marketing automation computing system, a call directed to the one or more assigned phone numbers, wherein a caller identification number is included in call signaling information associated with the received call;

determining by the marketing automation computing system, from the call signaling information associated with the received call that the call is from the customer prospect; and

routing the call by the marketing automation computing system, based at least in part on the lead score of the customer prospect.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the data store query is a query over a data network to an external data base.

14. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein a customer prospect attribute is the customer prospect'"'"'s gender.

15. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein a customer prospect attribute is the customer prospect'"'"'s corporate title.

16. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the data store query uses as a query parameter the customer prospect'"'"'s phone number.

17. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein routing the call further comprises generating an outbound call and bridging the received call and the outbound call.

18. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the call routing is to a sales agent.

19. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the customer prospect is an existing customer.

20. A system comprising:

at least one computer processor; and

a non-transitory memory embodied with a computer program comprising instructions which when executed by the at least one computer processor performs operations comprising;

assigning one or more phone numbers to one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service, wherein a first media element of the marketing campaign comprises a web-based landing page;

detecting one or more actions by a first customer prospect in association with the one or more media elements within the marketing campaign;

enhancing a lead score associated with the first customer prospect based at least in part on the detected one or more actions of the first customer prospect with the one or more media elements, wherein enhancing the lead score comprises improving the lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood of the first customer prospect to be a customer for the good or service;

receiving a call directed to a first of the one or more assigned phone numbers assigned to the one or more media elements, wherein a caller identification number is included in call signaling information associated with the received call;

determining based at least in part on the call signaling information associated with the received call that the call is from the first customer prospect; and

routing the call directed to the first of the one or more assigned phone numbers assigned to the one or more media elements, by the marketing automation computing system, based at least in part on the lead score of the first customer prospect.