METHOD, SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR LINKING CUSTOMER INFORMATION

• US 20130031109A1
• Filed: 10/04/2012
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Weissman, Mary, Mata, Ann Shelley, Routson, Nicholas K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,324,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety

Abstract

In a business where a database tracks customers and manages customer accounts, a method and system correctly link accounts with customers. The method entails reading customer information for a first customer and for a second customer, and then utilizing personal identification information obtained from other sources to determine if the first customer is the same as the second customer. If the first customer and the second customer are the same person, the first customer and the second customer are identified as being the same unique person. Accounts associated with the two customers are identified as belonging to the same unique person. Viewed another way, the method and system of the present invention takes an existing database of personal identification information, and cross-references that database against other sources of personal identification information to identify persons who appear to be separate persons, but who are actually one and the same individual.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a computer-based system for linking customer accounts, internal customer accounts based on internal customer account data and personal identification information, wherein the internal customer accounts belong to separate customers that should be identified as belonging to a single customer; and

creating, by the computer-based system, a new association designation between the internal customer accounts, regardless of modifying the internal customer account data of internal customer accounts.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating the new association designation between the internal customer accounts further comprises:

analyzing a consolidated database according to an initial set of association designation rules; and

creating an initial association designation recommendation for multiple customer accounts based on the analyzing the consolidated database according to the initial set of association designation rules.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

analyzing the initial association designation recommendation according to a secondary set of association designation rules;

creating a secondary association designation recommendation for multiple customer accounts based on the analyzing of the initial association designation recommendation; and

producing a final account and customer identification association designation based on the secondary association designation recommendation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting, by the computer-based system, internal customer account data into a consolidated database.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing, by the computer-based system, the internal customer account data to identify unique customer accounts.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising searching, by the computer-based system, an external third party database to identify the personal identification information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing, by the computer-based system, the personal identification information with the internal customer account data consolidated in a consolidated database to facilitate creating a new association designation between the internal customer accounts.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the computer-based system, a customer account in a consolidated database;

identifying, by the computer-based system, a unique customer in the consolidated database; and

searching, by the computer-based system, an external database for the personal identification information which corresponds to the unique customer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal identification information which corresponds to a unique customer is determined using a matching criteria and a filtering criteria, wherein the matching criteria and the filtering criteria are based on criteria comprising at least one of a name, a home address, a business address, a social security number, a date of birth, a home phone number, a business phone number, a cell phone number, an e-mail address, a driver'"'"'s license number, an account name, or an account number of the at least one unique customer in the consolidated database.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating the new association designation between the internal customer accounts further comprises:

assigning a persistent ID to each unique customer; and

assigning to each customer account the persistent ID of the unique customer associated with the customer account.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the creating the initial association designation recommendation comprises:

identifying a set of customers as a single unique customer, wherein each customer in the set of customers was previously identified as being unique;

recommending that all customers in the set of customers be consolidated into a single unique customer; and

recommending that all customer accounts associated with the customers in the set of customers be associated with the single unique customer.

12. The method of claim 2, where the creating the initial association designation recommendation comprises at least one of:

matching customer accounts having an exact match on a name and social security number associated with the customer accounts and having no generation code conflict between the customer accounts; and

matching customer accounts having an exact match on a name and address associated with the customer accounts and having no generation code conflict or social security number conflict between the customer accounts.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising searching a database for additional personal identification information which is related to the personal identification information of a second customer account.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that a first customer is the same unique customer as a second customer based on an analysis of first personal identification information, second personal identification information, additional personal identification information which is related to the first personal identification information of the first customer, and additional personal identification information which is related to the second personal identification information of the second customer.

15. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based system for linking customer accounts, cause the computer-based system to be capable of performing operations comprising:

identifying, by the computer-based system, internal customer accounts based on internal customer account data and personal identification information, wherein the internal customer accounts belong to separate customers that should be identified as belonging to a single customer; and

creating, by the computer-based system, a new association designation between the internal customer accounts, regardless of modifying the internal customer account data of internal customer accounts.

16. A system comprising:

a processor for linking customer accounts,

a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor,

the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to be capable of performing operations comprising;

identifying, by the processor, internal customer accounts based on internal customer account data and personal identification information, wherein the internal customer accounts belong to separate customers that should be identified as belonging to a single customer; and

creating, by the processor, a new association designation between the internal customer accounts, regardless of modifying the internal customer account data of internal customer accounts.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the creating the new association designation between the internal customer accounts further comprises:

analyzing a consolidated database according to an initial set of association designation rules; and

creating an initial association designation recommendation for multiple customer accounts based on the analyzing the consolidated database according to the initial set of association designation rules.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

analyzing the initial association designation recommendation according to a secondary set of association designation rules;

creating a secondary association designation recommendation for multiple customer accounts based on the analyzing of the initial association designation recommendation; and

producing a final account and customer identification association designation based on the secondary association designation recommendation.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising comparing, by the computer-based system, the personal identification information with the internal customer account data consolidated in a consolidated database to facilitate creating a new association designation between the internal customer accounts.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

identifying, by the processor, a customer account in a consolidated database;

identifying, by the processor, a unique customer in the consolidated database; and

searching, by the processor, an external database for the personal identification information which corresponds to the unique customer.