APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ENHANCED CLIENT COMMUNICATION

摘要

The most preferred embodiments of the present invention comprise a system and a method for managing and implementing customer/client retention-related communication activities with a high degree of flexibility and customization, making the present invention particularly well-suited for use in disparate business environments, as well as government and non-profit environments. Deployed over the Internet, the present invention provides a mechanism for multi-tiered organizations to control and manage the types of communications used by company personnel for customer contact, including marketing and similar campaigns for cross-selling, as well as customer loyalty and retention purposes. The most preferred embodiments of the present invention are designed to automate communications and interactions between various industry organizations/sales agents and their customers and/or prospects, including in-process contacts with customers and partners, while also offering data analytics, flexible reporting, custom marketing campaigns/activities, relationship building tools, communication effectiveness reporting and enhanced levels of management control and oversight.

主权项

1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor; at least one database residing in the at least one memory; and a CRM mechanism residing in the memory, the CRM mechanism comprising
a program control mechanism for creating, invoking, editing, and managing a plurality of automated client communications;a graphics mechanism for selecting, approving, and including various graphical images in the plurality of automated client communications;a communications compliance mechanism for programmatically interfacing with the database to ensure that all intended recipients are approved to receive the plurality of automated client communications;a cross-selling mechanism, the cross-selling mechanism providing for the inclusion of third party products and services to be offered in conjunction with the plurality of automated client communications;a mail reply mechanism, the mail reply mechanism providing at least one of a pre-selected email address or pre-selected physical address for communication made in response to the plurality of automated client communications, wherein the pre-selected email address or the pre-selected physical address cannot be changed except by a supervisor;a user and role management mechanism the user and role management mechanism defining a set of permissions for a plurality of users, the permissions for the plurality of users controlling access to the plurality of automated client communications by the plurality of users;a data management mechanism used to import and export data to and from the database to be accessed by the CRM mechanism; anda marketing mechanism, the marketing mechanism providing for the creation of a plurality of centralized marketing strategies, the plurality of centralized marketing strategies being organize into user-defined categories in a plurality of catalogs.