Rules library for sales playbooks

• US 9,355,376 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2012
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Upland Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qvidian
• Inventors: Meyer, Karen P., Raitt, Michael W., Gedaminski, John S., Steffens, Leo P., Walling, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): BASOM, BLAINE T
• Application Number:
  US13/470,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20130305173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 715/747, 715/762
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

Rules created in a computerized sales playbook system are stored in a rules library. Rules can be shared among playbooks, stages, plays, content and other playbook elements. Any playbook element can be associated with one or more rules. Such rules include one or more conditions that trigger the rule. If the conditions are met, then a playbook element is enabled for use by the user. Rules can be selected from the rules library as the playbook is being created. For example, when adding a play or a content item to a play, a user is prompted to add a rule to be associated with the playbook element. If the user adds a rule, an interface is presented allowing the user to select an existing rule from the rules library or create a new rule. If a new rule is created, it is added to the rules library.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

at least one computer executing stored instructions that, when executed by the at least one computer, configure the at least one computer to include;

storage configured to store a rules library comprising a plurality of rules, each rule in the plurality of rules comprising;

a. at least one condition based on one or more fields of customer relationship management data from a customer relationship management system and b. an indication of an action, the action being selected from a group comprising;

selection of a playbook element to be displayed, and update of customer relationship management data from the customer relationship management system performed upon completion of a playbook element;

a playbook manager configured to define, in response to inputs from at least one first user, a playbook comprising a plurality of playbook elements, one or more of the playbook elements including content to be provided over a computer network to a prospect;

the playbook manager further comprising;

an interface configured to query the customer relationship management system for available fields used for the customer relationship management data;

a rules editing interface through which the playbook manager is configured to receive inputs from the at least one first user, the inputs including selection from among the available fields for use in rules, conditions for the rules and actions for the rules;

the playbook manager being further configured to define, in response to the inputs, the rules as specified by the inputs, and to store the defined rules in the rules library;

the playbook manager further comprising a rules selection interface through which the playbook manager is configured to receive inputs from the at least one first user comprising an indication of a selection of one or more rules of a plurality of displayed rules from the rules library and an indication of a selection of a playbook element of a selected sales playbook, the playbook manager being further configured to associate the selected one or more rules with the selected playbook element of the selected sales playbook; and

a playbook execution engine comprising inputs configured to interactively receive customer relationship management data for a prospect from the customer relationship management system and a sales playbook comprising playbook elements and rules from the rules library associated with the playbook elements,

the playbook execution engine being further configured;

to interactively process the sales playbook according to the rules associated with the playbook elements of the sales playbook and the received customer relationship data and inputs from at least one second user different from the at least one first user,

to interactively select playbook elements for presentation to the at least one second user,

in response to an instruction from the at least one second user, to cause any content associated with a playbook element to be provided over a computer network to the prospect, and

to interactively update the customer relationship management data in the customer relationship management system, through an interface configured to process updates to the customer relationship management data, in response to actions by the at least one second user with respect to the selected playbook elements.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the rules associated with the playbook elements by the first user defines a sequence of steps to be performed by the second user when the second user interacts with the playbook elements through the playbook execution engine.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the conditions for the rules are defined as references to the available fields of the customer relationship management data in the customer relationship management system, an operator and a value.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the rules editing interface includes, to edit a condition:

an interface for selecting an object accessed from the customer relationship management system, the object including an available field,

an interface for selecting an operator, and

an interface for selecting one or more values to define the condition.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of playbook elements comprises a play as a kind of playbook element, wherein a play comprises content.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of playbook elements comprises content of a playbook element as a kind of playbook element.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of playbook elements comprises a stage as a kind of playbook element, wherein a stage comprises a plurality of plays.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of playbook elements comprises a playbook as a kind of playbook element, wherein a playbook comprises a plurality of stages.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein an action of a rule indicating selection of a playbook element to be displayed is one of:

selection of content for a play, selection of a play, selection of a stage and selection of a playbook.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the rules selection interface displays, for a selected displayed rule, playbook elements of playbooks which use the selected displayed rule.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the rules selection interface displays, for each rule of the displayed rules, a type of object from the customer relationship management system used by the rule and a description of the rule.

12. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the playbook manager displays a user interface object for each item of content associated with a playbook element,

wherein the playbook manager, in response to user input with respect to the user interface object for an item of content, is configured to activate the rules selection interface with respect to the item of content to associate a rule with the item of content.

13. A process performed by a computing machine, comprising:

employing at least one computer executing stored instructions that, when executed by the at least one computer, configure the at least one computer to perform;

storing rules in a rules library comprising a plurality of rules, each rule in the plurality of rules comprising;

a. at least one condition based on one or more fields of customer relationship management data from a customer relationship management system and b. an indication of an action, the action being selected from a group comprising;

a selection of a playbook element to be displayed and update of customer relationship management data from the customer relationship management system performed upon completion of a playbook element;

providing a rules editing interface through which a playbook manager receives inputs from at least one first user, the playbook manager including an interface configured to query the customer relationship management system for available fields used for the customer relationship management data, the available fields being presented in the rules editing interface, wherein the inputs to the rules editing interface includes selection from among the available fields for use in rules, conditions for the rules and actions for the rules, wherein the playbook manager is configured to define one or more rules based at least on the inputs from the rules editing interface and to store the one or more defined rules in the rules library;

providing a rules selection interface enabling the playbook manager to receive inputs from the at least one first user for editing a playbook, said playbook comprising a plurality of playbook elements, one or more of the playbook elements including content to be provided over a computer network to a prospect, the rules selection interface receiving an indication of a selection of one or more rules of a plurality of displayed rules from the rules library and an indication of a selection of a playbook element of a selected sales playbook, and associating the selected one or more rules with the selected playbook elements; and

a playbook execution engine interactively receiving data for a prospect from the customer relationship management data from a customer relationship management system, and a selected sales playbook comprising playbook elements and rules from the rules library associated with the playbook elements of the selected sales playbook,

the playbook execution engine interactively processing the sales playbook according to the rules associated with the playbook elements of the selected playbook and the received customer relationship data and inputs from at least one second user different from the at least one first user, to;

interactively select playbook elements for presentation to the at least one second user,

in response to an instruction from the at least one second user, cause any content associated with a playbook element to be provided over a computer network to the prospect, and

interactively update the customer relationship management data in the customer relationship management system, through an interface configured to process updates to the customer relationship management data, in response to actions by the at least one second user with respect to the selected playbook elements.

14. The process of claim 13, wherein the rules associated with the playbook elements by the first user defines a sequence of steps to be performed by the second user when the second user interacts with the playbook elements through the playbook execution engine.

15. The process of claim 13, wherein the conditions for the rules are defined as a reference to a field of the available fields of the customer relationship management data in the customer relationship management system, an operator and a value.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the rules editing interface includes, to edit a condition:

an interface for selecting an object accessed from the customer relationship management system, the object including an available field,

an interface for selecting an operator, and

an interface for selecting one or more values to define the condition.

17. The process of claim 13, wherein the plurality of playbook elements comprises a plurality of kinds of playbook elements, where the plurality of kinds of playbook elements comprises:

(a) a playbook,

(b) a stage,

(c) a play and

(d) content of a play,

wherein a play comprises content, a stage comprises a plurality of plays and a playbook comprises a plurality of stages.

18. The process of claim 17, wherein an action of a rules indicating selection of a playbook element to be displayed is one of:

selection of content for a play, selection of a play, selection of a stage and selection of a playbook.

19. The process of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying, in the rules selection interface, for a selected displayed rule, playbook elements of playbooks which use the selected displayed rule.

20. The process of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying, in the rules selection interface, for each rule of the displayed rules, a type of object from the customer relationship management system used by the rule and a description of the rule.

21. The process of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying, in the playbook manager, a user interface object for each item of content associated with a playbook element, and

in response to user input with respect to the user interface object for an item of content, activating the rules selection interface with respect to the item of content to associate a rule with the item of content.