Tracking and management of voice calls and form submissions related to accessing network based content

• US 9,137,360 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Outleads, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Outleads, Inc.
• Inventors: Rosenshine, Dorin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US14/524,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20150117624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/10 related to the purpose or context of the telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

Systems and methods for call and lead tracking are disclosed. The systems and methods may generally include receiving a request sent to a database stored on a computer readable medium in response to online activity and any user information that may be collected or known, creating a record in the database in response to the request, generating a code associated with the record, assigning a call extension corresponding to the code such that the call extension is associated with the record, and associating the incoming call, web activity, as well as resulting financial transactions and follow-on activities with the website activities. The association may happen through remote communication with a system that receives the incoming call.

Claims

1. A method comprising steps of:

generating an identifier in a first computer system, wherein the identifier is generated in at least one of anticipation of a voice call by a user and in response to the voice call by a user accessing network-based content associated with an entity, wherein the identifier associates the voice call by the user to an agent of an entity;

storing the identifier and the association of the identifier with the voice call in a memory that is in communication with the first computer system;

conveying the identifier from the first computer system to an external computer system;

receiving the identifier conveyed from the first computer system by the external computer system;

identifying and storing at least one information record associated with an activity of the user, wherein the information record is at least one of a call record and a data record,

wherein the at least one call record is associated with the voice call by the user by tagging each call record with the identifier, wherein each call record of at least one call record relates to the voice call by the user,

wherein the at least one data record is associated with activity of the user by tagging each data record with the identifier, wherein each data record of at least one data record relates to the activity of the user, each of the at least one data record is stored on the external computer;

conveying the at least one information record from the external computer system to the first computer system;

receiving, at the first computer system from the external computer system, the at least of at least one information record from the external computer system, wherein each information record of the of at least one information record includes the identifier; and

using the identifier stored in the first computer system to associate the received at least one information record, related to the activity of the user, with the voice call.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the external computer system comprises at least one of:

a telephone system, a web-based advertising platform, a web analytics system, and a customer leads management system.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, after the step of using the identifier to associate the received at least one information record with the voice call, a step of reusing the same identifier to associate a second voice call by a second user with information about an activity of the second user.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the received at least one information record related to the activity of the user further comprises information related to the user having accessed the network-based content associated with the entity.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of generating the identifier to correspond to the voice call is accomplished in response to at least one of a request for the voice call and initiation of the voice call.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of generating the identifier to correspond to the voice call is accomplished in response to the user accessing the network-based content associated with the entity.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, the method further comprising steps of:

sending the identifier from the first computer system to each of a plurality of external computer systems;

receiving information related to the activity of the user from each of the plurality of external computer systems, wherein the information is received by the first computer system; and

using the identifier to associate the information received from the plurality of external computer systems with the voice call, wherein the step is accomplished by the first computer system.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of external computer systems comprise at least one of:

a telephone system, a web-based advertising platform, a web analytics system, or a customer leads management system.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the identifier or a proxy for the identifier is provided in a format of a numeric code.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifier is a uniform resource locator (URL).

11. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

embedding the identifier in a uniform resource locator (URL), wherein the URL is associated with at least one of the call record and the data record; and

sending the URL to the external computer system.

12. A method comprising steps of:

receiving a message indicative that a user action has been performed by a user in relation to the user having accessed network-based content of a first entity wherein the message is received at a computer system;

generating and storing an identifier and a network resource locator that corresponds to the identifier in the computer system, wherein the network resource locator is generated in at least one of anticipation of the message and in response to the message, wherein the network resource locator is associated with a voice call by the user to an agent of the first entity and the network resource locator corresponds with a storage location to receive information about the voice call, wherein the network resource locator is unique over a duration of the voice call respective to all other network resource locators stored in the computer system;

collecting and storing activity associated with the user as a data record;

associating each data record with at least one of the identifier and the network resource locator;

storing each data record in an external computer system;

initiating the voice call by the user to the agent of the first entity, wherein a transmission of the voice call includes the network resource locator;

collecting and storing activity associated with the voice call as a call record;

associating the call record with the associated network resource locator;

storing the call record in the computer system;

and

using the network resource locator to receive and process information data record related to the voice call so that the information related to the voice call is associated with the user having accessed the network-based content of the first entity, wherein the step is completed by the computer system.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the network resource locator is a uniform resource locator (URL).

14. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising, after the step of using the network resource locator to receive and process information related to the voice call, a step of reusing the same network resource locator to receive and process information related to a second voice call by a second user so that information related to the second voice call is associated with the second user having accessed the network-based content of the first entity.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the step of conveying the network resource locator to the agent of the first entity is accomplished by the user activating a hyperlink, wherein the activation of the hyperlink initiates the message.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising a step of sending the message, wherein the step is initiated upon a request by the user to load the network based content.

17. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the step of using the network resource locator to receive and process information related to the voice call further comprises steps of:

sending the network resource locator to an external second entity;

sending an external second entity to the computer system message containing at least one information data record related to the voice call and

receiving the external second entity to the computer system message directed to the network resource locator by the computer system, the second message containing at least one information data record related to the voice call.

18. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising a step of:

storing each information data record related to the voice call in a database record associated with the network resource locator, wherein each information data record is stored by the computer system.

19. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising steps of:

in response to the first message, creating a database record to store the information related to the voice call, including assigning a database record identifier to the database record;

wherein the step of generating the network resource locator further comprises including the database record identifier in the network resource locator.

20. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the step of generating the network resource locator further comprising incorporating context information of the voice call into the network resource locator.

21. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising a step of associating each data record related to the voice call with the network resource locator, wherein the data record is incorporated into the network resource locator in a predefined pattern when the at last one information data record related to the voice call is received by the computer system.

22. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising a step of associating each data record related to the voice call with the network resource locator, wherein the data record is incorporated in a format of a query string.

23. A method comprising steps of:

receiving a message indicative that a user action has been performed by a user in relation to the user having accessed network-based content of a first entity, wherein the message is received at a computer system;

in response to the message, the method processes steps of;

creating a database record in the computer system, including assigning a database record identifier to the database record;

generating and storing a network resource locator, in the computer system, wherein the network resource locator is generated at least one of anticipation of receiving the message and actually receiving the message, wherein the network resource locator corresponds uniquely to the database record, wherein generating the network resource locator includes including the database record identifier in the network resource locator, the network resource locator being unique over a duration of the voice call respective to all other network resource locators stored in the computer system; and

sending the network resource locator from the computer system to a remote second entity by way of a computer system to the remote second entity message;

initiating the voice call by the user to the agent of the first entity, wherein the voice call conveys the network resource locator to the computer system, enabling the computer system to associate call information with regards to the voice call with data information with regards to other activities of the user,

associating the call information with the network resource locator as a call record;

recording each call record;

associating the data information with the database record identifier as a data record;

providing the recorded data records from the remote second entity to the computer system by way of a remote second entity to the computer system message;

receiving the remote second entity to the computer system message directed to the network resource locator at the computer system, the remote second entity to the computer system message containing the data record related to a voice call the user at the first entity;

storing the at least one recorded data record related to the voice call in the database record of the computer system;

sending the database record identifier from the computer system to a remote third entity, enabling retrieval of the data record by using the database record identifier;

recording each data record at the remote third entity; and

providing the recorded data records from the remote third entity to the computer system by way of a remote third entity to the computer system message.

24. A method as recited in claim 23, wherein the network resource locator comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

25. A method as recited in claim 23, further comprising a step of activating a hyperlink, wherein the activation of the hyperlink initiates transmission of the message.

26. A method as recited in claim 23, further comprising a step of loading network based content, wherein the loading the network based content initiates transmission of the message.

27. A method as recited in claim 23, further comprising a step of submitting a form, wherein the submission of the form initiates transmission of the message.

28. A method as recited in claim 23, the step of generating the network resource locator further comprising incorporating context information of the voice call into the network resource locator.

29. A method as recited in claim 23, further comprising a step of associating the data record related to the voice call with the network resource locator, wherein the data record is incorporated into the network resource locator in a predefined pattern when the at last one information data record related to the voice call is received by the computer system.

30. A method as recited in claim 23, further comprising a step of associating the data record related to the voice call with the network resource locator, wherein the data record is incorporated in a format of a query string.