A Referrer-Controlled System for Transfering an Inbound Communication to One of a Plurality of Financial Assistance Providers

• US 20020032647A1
• Filed: 10/19/2000
• Published: 03/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peregrin Licensing LLC (Quest Patent Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Peregrin Services Corp.
• Inventors: Delinsky, William John, Walker, David Gary, Fish, Timothy James, Morency, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

Abstract of Disclosure

85A system for referring a telephone communication to one of a plurality of financial assistance providers based on lender criteria, the method including the steps of: storing telephone numbers for a plurality of financial assistance providers in memory accessible by a digital electrical computer; obtaining lender criteria for selecting one of the financial assistance providers; storing said criteria for access by said computer; identifying a debtor; selecting one of the financial assistance providers by accessing the criteria, applying the criteria, and accessing one of the stored telephone numbers; and connecting the debtor by telephone to the one of the stored telephone numbers. The system can be used with an intermediary that detects referring information sufficient to identify a referrer identity, to select which one of several financial assistance providers to refer the inbound communication by using a computer to look up and to apply referral criteria responsive to the referrer identity, and to form and track the call referral.

Claims

1. A referrer-controlled method for transferring an inbound communication to one of a plurality of financial assistance providers, the method including the steps of:

receiving an inbound communication from a referring apparatus of information sufficient to identify a referrer identity;

selecting which one of a plurality of financial assistance providers torefer the inbound communication by using a computer to look up and to apply referralcriteria responsive to the referrer identity; and

connecting the inbound communication to the one of the plurality of thefinancial assistance providers in accordance with the criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of receiving and selecting are carried out with the referrer identity being a lender identity and with said inbound communication including a telephone connection to a debtor of a lender having the lender identity.

4. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the steps of:

using ANI to detect a telephone number; and

associating the telephone number with debtor information.

5. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the steps of:

using DNIS to detect a telephone number; and

associating the telephone number with lender information.

6. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the steps of:

receiving debtor-identifying information by telephony; and

communicating the information from said telephony to the lender for tracking debtor payment performance with said debtor-identifying information.

8. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein the step of connecting is carried out with the financial assistance center being a credit-counseling agency.

9. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the step of:

providing some of said financial assistance centers with call activity reporting by means of a secure web site.

10. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the step of:

providing call activity reporting updated no less than daily at a secure web site.

11. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the step of:

providing a web site demonstration of said method.

12. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein the step of selecting includes:

applying as said criteria a call routing triggered by a quantity of prior calls respectively placed to the financial assistance centers.

13. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein the step of selecting includes:

applying as said criteria a call routing triggered by a detection of a debtor who has previously been referred to one of the financial assistance centers.

14. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein the step of selecting includes:

applying as said criteria a call routing triggered by time of day.

15. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein the step of selecting includes:

applying as said criteria a call routing triggered by location of the debtor.

16. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein the step of selecting includes:

applying as said criteria a call routing triggered by time of day, location of the debtor, and a quantity of prior calls respectively placed to the financial assistance centers.

17. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein the step of selecting includes:

applying as said criteria a default call routing triggered by a failure to make a first connection to one of the financial assistance centers.

18. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the steps of:

storing call referral information including number of calls and call duration data for each said financial assistance center; and

generating a report of said call referral information.

19. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the steps of:

storing call referral information including caller hang up data; and

generating a report of said call referral information.

20. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the steps of:

storing call referral information including attempted but uncompleted call connecting; and

generating a report of said call referral information.

21. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the step of:

generating a call referral report by time period for each said financial assistance center.

22. The method of claim 20, further including the step of:

including in the report an analysis of call referral activity by time of day.

23. The method of claim 20, further including the step of:

including in the report an analysis of call referral activity by day of week.

24. The method of claim 20, further including the step of:

including in the report an analysis of call referral activity by state of debtor.

25. The method of claim 20, further including the step of:

including in the report an analysis of uncompleted calls.

26. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the step of:

generating a call referral report including a comparison of said financial assistance centers.

27. The method of claim 26, further including the step of:

wherein the step of generating includes generating the call referral report including the comparison of said financial assistance centers by a respective one of the lenders.

28. The method of any one of claims 2 and 3, further including the step of:

using IVR to associate the telephone number with debtor information.

29. A report of said referral produced by the method of any one of claims 1-3.

34. The method of any one of claims 2-3 and 34, further including the steps of:

engaging accounting software to track compensation for the connecting.

3. A method for referring a telephone communication to one of a plurality of financial assistance providers based on lender criteria, the method including the steps of:

storing telephone numbers for a plurality of financial assistance providers in memory accessible by a digital electrical computer;

obtaining lender criteria for selecting one of the financial assistance providers;

storing said criteria for access by said computer;

identifying a debtor;

selecting one of the financial assistance providers by accessing the criteria, applying the criteria, and accessing one of the stored telephone numbers; and

connecting the debtor by telephone to the one of the stored telephone numbers.

7.

30. A computer system programmed to implement a method for referring a telephone communication to one of a plurality of financial assistance providers based on lender criteria, the computer system including:

a digital electrical computer having a processor, the processor electrically connected to store and receive electrical signals at a memory device, to receive input electrical signals corresponding to input information from an input device, to convert output electrical signals into output information at an output device, the processor programmed to control the digital electrical computer to receive the input electrical signals and to process the input electrical signals to produce the output electrical signals in storing telephone numbers for a plurality of financial assistance providers in memory accessible by said digital electrical computer, storing lender-provided criteria for selecting one of the financial assistance providers, identifying a debtor in response to a telephone communication, and selecting one of the financial assistance providers by accessing the criteria, applying the criteria, and accessing one of the stored telephone numbers to connect the debtor to the one of the stored telephone numbers.

31. The computer system of claim 31, further including a telephone controlled by said digital electrical computer to connect the debtor by telephone to the one of the stored telephone numbers.

32. A method for making a computer system to refer a telephone communication to one of a plurality of financial assistance providers based on lender criteria, the method including the steps of:

providing a digital electrical computer having a processor, the processor electrically connected to store and receive electrical signals at a memory device, to receive input electrical signals corresponding to input information from an input device, to convert output electrical signals into output information at an output device; and

programming the processor to control the digital electrical computer to receive the input electrical signals and to process the input electrical signals to produce the output electrical signals in storing telephone numbers for a plurality of financial assistance providers in memory accessible by said digital electrical computer, storing lender-provided criteria for selecting one of the financial assistance providers, identifying a debtor in response to a telephone communication, and selecting one of the financial assistance providers by accessing the criteria, applying the criteria, and accessing one of the stored telephone numbers to connect the debtor to the one of the stored telephone numbers.

33. A computerized method for providing call referral activity reporting at an Internet address, the method including the steps of:

generating call referral data by receiving an inbound telephone communication from a referring apparatus of information sufficient to identify a referrer identity, selecting which one of a plurality of financial assistance providers torefer the inbound communication by using a computer to look up and to apply referralcriteria responsive to the referrer identity, and connecting the inbound communication to the one of the plurality of the financial assistance providers in accordance with the criteria; and

posting call referral data to the Internet web address.