METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROCESSING AND MANAGING COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20140172504A1
• Filed: 02/19/2014
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invoca, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Invoca, Inc.
• Inventors: Duva, Robert J., Kelley, Colin D., Spievak, Jason S., Trandal, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,767,946 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

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 system, comprising:

a computing device;

non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the computing device, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, comprising;

assigning one or more phone addresses to one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service in response to at least a first condition,

wherein a first media element of the marketing campaign comprises a web-based landing page;

receiving a facsimile document in association with a first call initiated by a customer prospect directed to a first of the one or more assigned phone addresses assigned to the one or more media elements; and

at least partly in response to receiving the facsimile document, enhancing a lead score associated with the customer prospect, wherein enhancing the lead score comprises improving the lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the customer prospect will be a customer for the good or service.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, the system further comprising a network interface configured to be coupled to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and an interface coupled to an Internet Protocol network.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the marketing automation computing system is configured to perform call processing.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first condition comprises the customer prospect initiating a search request.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first condition comprises the customer prospect initiating a download via the web-based landing page.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the customer prospect is an existing customer or a new customer.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising placing the customer prospect account into the marketing campaign.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising decreasing or not changing a lead score associated with a second customer prospect based at least in part on not receiving a facsimile document from the second customer prospect during the marketing campaign, wherein decreasing the lead score associated with the second customer prospect comprises reducing the second customer prospect lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the second customer prospect will not become a customer for the good or service.

9. The system as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

receiving call signaling information associated with the first call wherein the call signaling information includes a calling party identification of a caller; and

storing the calling party identification of the caller in association with an account of the customer prospect.

10. The system as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising causing the lead score of the customer prospect to be displayed.

11. The system as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising generating a customer prospect activity report, wherein the customer prospect activity report includes a record of the receipt of the facsimile document.

12. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more media elements comprise a form.

13. A method of lead scoring, comprising:

assigning, by a marketing automation computing system, one or more phone addresses to one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service in response to at least a first condition,

wherein a first media element of the marketing campaign comprises a web-based landing page;

receiving, at the marketing automation computing system, a facsimile document in association with a first call initiated by a customer prospect directed to a first of the one or more assigned phone addresses assigned to the one or more media elements; and

at least partly in response to receiving the facsimile document, enhancing a lead score associated with the customer prospect, wherein enhancing the lead score comprises improving the lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the customer prospect will be a customer for the good or service.

14. A system, comprising:

a computing device;

non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the computing device, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, comprising;

assigning one or more phone addresses to one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service in response to at least a first condition,

wherein a first media element of the marketing campaign comprises a web-based landing page;

receiving a facsimile document in association with a first call initiated by a customer prospect directed to a first of the one or more assigned phone addresses assigned to the one or more media elements; and

at least partly in response to receiving the facsimile document, enhancing a lead score associated with the customer prospect, wherein enhancing the lead score comprises improving the lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the customer prospect will be a customer for the good or service.

15. The system as defined in claim 14, the system further comprising a network interface configured to be coupled to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and an interface coupled to an Internet Protocol network.

16. The system as defined in claim 14, wherein the marketing automation computing system is configured to perform call processing.

17. The system as defined in claim 14, wherein the customer prospect is an existing customer or a new customer.

18. The system as defined in claim 14, the operations further comprising:

associating an identifier with the customer prospect; and

adding the customer prospect to the marketing campaign using the identifier.

19. The system as defined in claim 14, wherein the first condition comprises the customer prospect initiating a search request.

20. The system as defined in claim 14, wherein the detected signature is in proximity to a signature line on a form.

21. The system as defined in claim 14, the operations further comprising:

converting at least a portion of the received facsimile document into text; and

determining from the converted text if the received facsimile document comprises a form.

22. The system as defined in claim 14, the operations further comprising, if the received facsimile document comprises a form, determining an identity of the form.

23. The system as defined in claim 22, the operations further comprising storing the form identity in association with a customer prospect account.

24. The system as defined in claim 14, wherein the first condition comprises the customer prospect initiating a download via a web-based landing page.

25. The system as defined in claim 14, the operations further comprising decreasing or not changing a lead score associated with a second customer prospect based at least in part on not receiving a facsimile document from the second customer prospect during the marketing campaign, wherein decreasing the lead score associated with the second customer prospect comprises reducing the second customer prospect lead score to reflect a corresponding inferred likelihood that the second customer prospect will not become a customer for the good or service.

26. The system as defined in claim 14, the operations further comprising:

receiving call signaling information associated with the first call wherein the call signaling information includes a calling party identification of a caller; and

storing the calling party identification of the caller in association with an account of the customer prospect.

27. The system as defined in claim 14, the operations further comprising causing a record of the sale to the customer prospect to be displayed.

28. The system as defined in claim 14, the operations further comprising generating a customer prospect activity report, wherein the customer prospect activity report includes a record of the sale to the customer prospect.

29. The system as defined in claim 14, wherein the one or more media elements comprise a form.

30. A method of lead scoring, comprising:

assigning, by a marketing automation computing system, one or more phone addresses to one or more media elements within a marketing campaign for a good or service in response to at least a first condition;

receiving, at the marketing automation computing system, a facsimile document in association with a first call initiated by a customer prospect directed to a first of the one or more assigned phone addresses assigned to the one or more media elements;

detecting, by the marketing automation computing system, a signature within the received facsimile document; and

based at least in part on the detection of the signature with the received facsimile, attributing by the marketing automation computing system a sale of the good or service to the customer prospect.