Systems and methods of enhancing leads by determining propensity scores

• US 8,271,313 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Experian Marketing Solutions, LLC (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: Experian Marketing Solutions Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Williams, Richard, Kong, Jacob, Hughes, Lawrence J., Panigrahi, Damodar, Kirgan, Maria Luisa, Hajikhani, Rasoul
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett, Scott L
• Application Number:
  US13/245,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.1, 70/71.1
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

A client transmits one or more lead records to a lead enhancement module that is configured to enhance the received lead records and return enhanced lead records to the client. The lead enhancement module may return a contactability score for each lead record, indicating a likelihood that the individual identified in the lead may be contacted using the contact information provided in the lead record and/or additional contract information located by the lead enhancement module. The lead enhancement module may also receive additional data items associated with leads from one or more data sources. Additionally, statistical models that may be customized for each client may be applied to information associated with lead records in order to determine one or more propensity scores for each of the lead records, where a propensity score indicates a likelihood that an individual will take a particular action, such as purchasing particular goods or services.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing an electronic sales lead record, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system comprising one or more processors, from a requesting entity, a plurality of electronic sales lead records including at least a first electronic sales lead record and a second electronic sales lead record, wherein each of the electronic sales lead records comprises at least a name field and one or more contact information fields;

determining, by the computer system, one or more additional data item indicators to include on an enhancement list, the enhancement list being transmitted to one or more data sources;

receiving, by the computer system, from the one or more data sources, at least some of the additional data items corresponding to the data item indicators on the enhancement list;

accessing, by the computer system, a data structure storing associations between respective requesting entities and business rules for selection of customized statistical models;

selecting, by the computer system, from the data structure, business rules associated with the requesting entity;

selecting, by the computer system, based on one or more data items of the first electronic sales lead record matching criteria associated with a first customized statistical model in the selected business rules associated with the requesting entity, the first customized statistical model applied to the first electronic sales lead record to generate a first propensity score associated with the first electronic sales lead record;

selecting, by the computer system, based on one or more data items of the second electronic sales lead record matching criteria associated with a second customized statistical model in the selected business rules associated with the requesting entity, the second customized statistical model applied to the second electronic sales lead record to generate a second propensity score associated with the second electronic sales lead record, wherein the second customized statistical model is distinct from the first customized statistical model;

generating, by the computer system, propensity scores for respective electronic sales lead records, the propensity scores being generated using the respective selected customized statistical models and wherein the propensity scores indicate respective propensities to purchase one or more particular products or services offered by the requesting entity; and

transmitting, by the computer system, enhanced sales lead records comprising at least additional data items and propensity scores associated with respective sales lead records to the requesting entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second customized statistical models are customized based on at least one of:

a criterion provided by the requesting entity and a scoring output preference provided by the requesting entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein respective electronic sales lead records are associated with one or more of:

an individual, one or more individuals, a business, and a family group.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting entity is a client of an enhancement provider that performs one or more steps of the method.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional data item indicators are determined based on one or more of:

an identification of the requesting entity, content of one or more data fields of the electronic sales lead record, and information included in a header of the electronic sales lead record.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional data item indicators are determined based on a vertical business market of the requesting entity such that the additional data items included on the enhancement list are relevant to entities in the vertical business market.

7. A computerized system for generating enhances sales lead records, the system comprising:

a computing system having one or more computer processors;

a computer readable medium storing software instructions configured for execution by the one or more computer processors in order to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising;

receiving from a requesting entity, a plurality of electronic sales lead records including at least a first electronic sales lead record and a second electronic sales lead record, wherein each of the electronic sales lead records comprises at least a name field and one or more contact information fields;

determining one or more additional data item indicators to include on an enhancement list, the enhancement list being transmitted to one or more data sources;

receiving from the one or more data sources, at least some of the additional data items corresponding to the data item indicators on the enhancement list;

accessing a data structure storing associations between respective requesting entities and business rules for selection of customized statistical models;

selecting from the data structure, business rules associated with the requesting entity;

selecting, based on one or more data items of the first electronic sales lead record matching criteria associated with a first customized statistical model in the selected business rules associated with the requesting entity, the first customized statistical model to be applied to the first electronic sales lead record to generate a first propensity score associated with the first electronic sales lead record;

selecting, based on one or more data items of the second electronic sales lead record matching criteria associated with a second customized statistical model in the selected business rules associated with the requesting entity, the second customized statistical model to be applied to the second electronic sales lead record to generate a second propensity score associated with the second electronic sales lead record, wherein the second customized statistical model is distinct from the first customized statistical model;

generating respective propensity scores for the first and second electronic sales lead records using respective selected customized statistical models, wherein the propensity scores indicate respective propensities to purchase one or more particular products or services offered by the requesting entity; and

transmitting enhanced sales lead records comprising at least additional data items and propensity scores associated with respective sales lead records to the requesting entity.

8. A tangible computer readable medium storing software instructions configured for execution by the one or more computer processors in order to cause the computing system to:

receive a plurality of electronic sales lead records including at least a first electronic sales lead record and a second electronic sales lead record, wherein each of the electronic sales lead records comprises at least a name field and one or more contact information fields;

determine one or more additional data item indicators to include on an enhancement list, the enhancement list being transmitted to one or more data sources;

receive from the one or more data sources, at least some of the additional data items corresponding to the data item indicators on the enhancement list;

access a data structure storing associations between respective requesting entities and business rules for selection of customized statistical models;

select from the data structure, business rules associated with the requesting entity;

select based on one or more data items of the first electronic sales lead record matching criteria associated with a first customized statistical model in the selected business rules associated with the requesting entity, the first customized statistical model to be applied to the first electronic sales lead record to generate a first propensity score associated with the first electronic sales lead record;

select based on one or more data items of the second electronic sales lead record matching criteria associated with a second customized statistical model in the selected business rules associated with the requesting entity, the second customized statistical model to be applied to the second electronic sales lead record to generate a second propensity score associated with the second electronic sales lead record, wherein the second customized statistical model is distinct from the first customized statistical model;

generate respective propensity scores for first and second electronic sales lead records using respective selected customized statistical models, wherein the propensity scores indicate respective propensities to purchase one or more particular products or services offered by the requesting entity; and

transmit enhanced sales lead records comprising at least additional data items and propensity scores associated with respective sales lead records to the requesting entity.