Method and system for facilitating marketing dialogues

• US 7,127,486 B1
• Filed: 07/24/2000
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Vignette Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Campbell, James, Reistad, Brian, Payne, Andrew C., Snapper, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US09/621,913
• Time in Patent Office: 2,283 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/200
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A system for facilitating marketing dialogues permits multiple instances of multiple scripts to be active at the same time, where each of these dialogues can be at a different place in its script. The dialogues permit interactive communications between the user of the system (such as a marketer) and the user'"'"'s customers or other participants. Scripts are created using a graphical user interface, in which shapes corresponding to steps in a script are dragged and dropped into a script. Communications can be over a network, by telephone, by mail, or by other means. Overall data from the execution of the scripts can be monitored using another graphical user interface, allowing results and trends to be observed and corrections made to the marketing program. Information regarding the scripts and variables used by the scripts is maintained in a set of tables in one or more databases. A data dictionary provides an interface for data stored in the databases.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating a network dialogue, comprising:

a program for communicating with a participant over a network, the program including a first instruction for sending a communication to a participant and a second instruction awaiting a response from the participant,

an engine for executing the program, the engine being able to process a plurality of instances of the program, associate each of the plurality of instances with a corresponding participant, and execute the second instruction of a first instance of the program after a corresponding response has been received from the corresponding participant associated with the first instance;

a storage for storing data regarding each instance of the program that has not yet completed and for storing data regarding each participant with whom the program is communicating; and

a monitoring interface for providing to a user of the system information about the execution of the program.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a graphical user interface for creating the program.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the graphical user interface provides a set of steps that a user can select for creating the program.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each instance of the program can be in one of a plurality of states at any time, the plurality of states including a running state, an idle state, and a paused state.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the storage area comprises a database system, including a table for maintaining entries for each instance of the program being processed by the engine, wherein each entry includes an identifier for the instance of the program, an identifier for the corresponding participant with which the instance communicates, and an identifier for the current state of the program.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the database system further includes a table for maintaining entries for each variable for which there is data for each instance of the program being processed by the engine, wherein each entry includes an identifier for the instance of the program, an identifier for the variable, and an indication of the value of the variable.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the program includes at least one instruction for causing the program to enter the paused, state while it awaits the occurrence of one or more events.

8. The system, of claim 7, wherein the database system further includes a table for maintaining, for each instance of the program that is awaiting the occurrence of one or more events, an entry for each such event, wherein each entry includes an identifier for the instance of the program, an identifier for the event, and an identifier for the next instruction to be executed by the instance of the program upon the occurrence of the corresponding event.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring interface includes one or more alert indicators, each alert indicator relating to the programs, one or more controllers, each controller permitting a user to adjust a user-selectable parameter wherein one controller permits a user to adjust a value for a shape-specific parameter across each of a plurality of programs.

10. A method for facilitating a network dialogue, comprising

processing a plurality of instances of a program, wherein the program is operable to communicate with a participant over a network and having a first instruction for sending a first communication to a participant and a second instruction;

associating each of the plurality of instance of the program with a corresponding participant;

awaiting the reception of a corresponding response from the corresponding participant associated with a first instance of the program;

executing the second instruction of the first instance of the program after the corresponding response is received;

storing data regarding each instance of the program that has not yet completed and each participant with whom the program is communicating; and

monitoring system information about the execution of the programs.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising creating the program using a graphical user interface.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein data is stored in a database system, including a table for maintaining entries for each instance of the program being processed by the engine, wherein each entry includes an identifier for the instance of the program, an identifier for the corresponding participant with which the instance communicates, and an identifier for the current state of the program.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the database system further includes a table for maintaining entries for each variable for which there is data for each instance of the program being processed by the engine, wherein each entry includes an identifier for the instance of the program, an identifier for the variable, and an indication of the value of the variable.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the program includes at least one instruction for causing the program to enter a paused state while it awaits the occurrence of one or more events.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the database system further includes a table for maintaining, for each instance of the program that is awaiting the occurrence of one or more events, an entry for each such event, wherein each entry includes an identifier for the instance of the program, an identifier for the event, and an identifier for the next instruction to be executed by the instance of the program upon the occurrence of the corresponding event.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the second instruction is operable to send a second communication to the corresponding participant associated with a first instance of the program.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the corresponding response from the corresponding participant associated with the first instance of the program is the expiration of a specified time period.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the corresponding response from the corresponding participant associated with the first instance of the program is a response to the first communication.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the second instruction based on the corresponding response from the corresponding participant associated with the first instance of the program.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving the corresponding response from the corresponding participant associated with a first instance of the program; and

identifying the first instance of the program associated with the corresponding response from the corresponding participant associated with a first instance of the program.