Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02915380 2015-12-15
System and Method for Managing Prospects
Cross-Reference to Related Applications
[0001] United States Provisional Patent Application No. 62/092,067 (filed on
December 15,
2014), United States Provisional Patent Application No. 62/138,195 (filed on
March 25,
2015), and United States Patent Application No. 14/968,588 (filed on December
14, 2015) are
incorporated herein by reference.
Technical Field/Field of the Disclosure
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to computerized methods for
managing
prospects for service, leasing, and sales of vehicles.
Background of the Disclosure
[0003] Dealerships may desire a process for developing and managing existing
clients and
vehicle services for those existing clients. Management of these existing
clients and vehicle
services may be complicated by the multiple points at which persons in the
dealership that
interact with the client and the many potential methods by which the client
interacts with those
dealership employees. Further, follow-up with existing clients may facilitate
purchases and
services by those clients that might otherwise not have occurred.
Summary
[0004] The present disclosure provides for a method. The method includes
establishing
predefined communications criteria and generating priority for a series of
email, text, recorded
voice of a dealership employee, or direct mail communications with an existing
client, and
determining if the predefined communications criteria are met for a first
communication of the
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series of communications, the first communication having a first priority. The
method also
includes determining if the predefined communications criteria are met for any
other
communication of the series of communications having a higher priority than
the first priority
and, if one is so found, delaying the first communication, and if not sending
the first
communication to the existing client.
[0005] The present disclosure also provides for a method. The method includes
a) assigning a
prospect associated with an existing client and b) generating a follow-up
activity for the
prospect, the follow-up activity being determined by a results-based schedule.
The method
further includes c) assigning the follow-up activity to a user and d) carrying
out the follow-up
activity by the user to generate at least one result. The method also includes
repeating steps
(b) ¨ (d) based at least in part on the result.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0006] The present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed
description when
read with the accompanying figures. It is emphasized that, in accordance with
the standard
practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact,
the dimensions of the
various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of
discussion.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a flow chart of an existing client prospect management system
consistent
with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a screen shot of an existing client prospect management
system consistent
with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
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[0009] FIG. 3 is a screen shot of an existing client prospect management
system consistent
with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a screen shot of an existing client prospect management
system consistent
with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a time-based schedule.
[0012] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a results-based schedule consistent with at
least one
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 7 is flow chart of a time-based schedule.
[0014] FIG. 8 a flow chart of a results-based schedule consistent with at
least one embodiment
of the present disclosure.
[0015] FIG. 9 is a screen shot of an existing client prospect management
system consistent
with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0016] FIG. 10 is a screen shot of an existing client prospect management
system consistent
with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 11 is a screen shot of an existing client prospect management
system consistent
with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0018] FIG. 12 is a screen shot of an existing client prospect management
system consistent
with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
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[0019] Fig. 13 is a flow chart of client communications algorithm consistent
with at least one
embodiment of the present disclosure.
Detailed Description
[0020] It is to be understood that the following disclosure provides many
different
embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of various
embodiments.
Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to
simplify the
present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended
to be limiting.
In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or
letters in the various
examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and
does not in itself
dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations
discussed.
[0021] As used herein, "client" refers to the person or entity who may be
interested in
purchasing a vehicle, leasing a vehicle, having service done to a vehicle, or
purchasing a part
from a dealership. An "existing client" is a client with whom the dealership
has an existing
relationship, such as a previous vehicle purchase, parts purchase, vehicle
lease, or vehicle
service.
[0022] As used herein, "prospect" refers to an opportunity for a vehicle sale,
vehicle lease,
sale of a part, or vehicle service. A client may have more than one prospect.
[0023] As used herein, a "GUI" is a graphical user interface. A GUI may allow
data to be
displayed and entered. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the GUIs described
below may
be customized depending on the device on which they are displayed. For
instance, my desk
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prospects GUI 200 as discussed below may display different information when
displayed on a
computer terminal screen then when displayed on a tablet or smartphone screen.
[0024] As described herein, a "user" is any person operating a client prospect
management
system, such as through, for instance, a GUI.
[0025] As used herein, "generate" refers to an action taken by a computer.
[0026] As depicted in FIG. 1, in some embodiments of the present disclosure,
existing client
prospect management system 100 may include the operations of assign prospect
110, generate
follow up activity 120, assign follow-up activity 130 and action 140.
[0027] In assign prospect 110, a prospect of the dealership associated with an
existing client is
assigned to an employee of the dealership. In certain embodiments, such as
prospects
associated with existing clients who have purchased a vehicle from the
dealership, leased a
vehicle from the dealership, had service performed on a vehicle at the
dealership, or ordered a
part from the dealership, the prospect may be assigned to a salesperson, sales
manager, service
employee, or service manager.
[0028] A prospect may be assigned in assign prospect 110 by an employee of the
dealership,
such as a dealership sales manager or service manager, or by a rules engine.
For sales
prospects, which may include both vehicle sales and vehicle leases, the rules
engine may
consider such assignment factors as which salesperson, if any, made a vehicle
sale or vehicle
lease to the existing client associated with the prospect, when a salesperson
became available
for receiving prospects, the ranking of a salesperson (such as a ranking of
the salesperson's
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skills or effectiveness by a dealership manager), ineligibility for assignment
of a prospect due
to incomplete tasks, and assignment rotation. "Assignment rotation" means that
the rules
engine may consider which salesperson was last assigned a prospect and may
then consider
the next salesperson on a predefined list of salespersons. Assignment rotation
may skip listed
salespersons, for instance, if a salesperson is absent or otherwise not
available. In some
embodiments, assignment rotation may also consider the other assignment
factors. For service
prospects, which may include both vehicle service prospects and parts
prospects, the rules
engine may consider if a service employee has an existing relationship with an
existing client
or assignment rotation, as described above with respect to sales prospects.
"Assigned" means
that the employee such as the salesperson or service employee is responsible
for interaction
with the existing client associated with the prospect for such tasks as, for
instance and without
limitation, adding information about the client or the prospect into the
dealership's prospect
database, communicating with the existing client, updating the existing client
with respect to
status of the vehicle, and interfacing between the existing client and other
service employees.
In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, assign prospect 110 may
include receiving
signals from input devices and databases representing such physical aspects as
information
about the existing client, and information about the prospect into a computer
system. Assign
prospect 110 may use one or more GUIs to collect and display prospects, as
described further
below.
[0029] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as depicted in FIG. 2,
as part of assign
prospect 110, a plurality of prospects, two of which are shown as a plurality
of prospects 210,
may be displayed in my desk prospects GUI 200. The embodiment of my desk
prospects GUI
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200 in FIG. 2 depicts service prospects and parts prospects, but my desk
prospects GUI 200
may also display vehicle sales prospects and vehicle lease prospects. In the
embodiment of
my desk prospects GUI 200 shown in Fig. 2, prospect 210 may be associated with
prospect
information such as, for example and without limitation, the existing client,
the date the
prospect was created, type of contact made with the existing client, the
category for the
prospect (for instance, without limitation, parts, service, sale, or lease),
the user responsible for
the prospect (entitled BDC User in service prospect 210), the status of the
prospect, the source
of the prospect and the next activity scheduled for the prospect. Information
associated with
prospect 210 may be displayed by my desk prospects GUI 200. In some
embodiments, the
source of the prospect may include, without limitation internet, radio,
television, social media
such as Facebook, service ad, post card, and billboards. My desk prospects GUI
200 may be
configurable to, for instance in certain embodiments, display to an individual
user such as a
service advisor or sales person all of the prospects currently associated with
that user.
Prospect information may be stored in non-transitory, tangible computer
readable storage
medium.
[0030] In some embodiments, the prospect information reflected in my desk
prospects GUI
200 may be transmitted into a computer system by a variety of methods. For
instance, in some
embodiments, as shown in Fig. 3, information regarding the existing client may
be entered
through existing client profile GUI 300. As shown in existing client profile
GUI 300, existing
client information, including, for example and without limitation, the
existing client's name
310, existing client's address 320 and existing client contact information 330
may be entered
by a user or may be drawn from existing databases. In some embodiments, a
summary of
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information ("client profile") entered through existing client profile GUI 300
may be available
in my desk prospects GUI 200 as depicted in FIG. 4. In some embodiments, a
user may
interact with my desk prospects GUI 200 in order to display the existing
client profile. For
example and without limitation, utilizing an interaction device such as a
mouse, the user may
interact with a button or other interactive feature. In some embodiments, by
indicating a
"client", my Desk Prospects GUI 200 may be modified to display inset 230.
Inset 230 may, in
some embodiments, include some or all of the existing client information
available in the
existing client profile. In certain embodiments, the step of assign prospect
110 may further
include checking the information about the existing client to determine if the
existing client
profile is a duplicate client entry, i.e., an existing client profile that
duplicates part or all of
another client profile, and may take appropriate action, such as modifying or
deleting the
second or other client profile. Determining if the existing client is a
duplicate client entry may
be accomplished by the employee to which the prospect is assigned or by a
computer, wherein
the computer compares existing client information to determine if existing
client information
duplicates another existing client profile. Existing client information may be
stored in non-
transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium
[0031] As further depicted in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, my desk prospects
GUI 200 may
provide a user the ability to filter assigned prospects on a number of
filterable criteria and
display only those prospects that fit the filterable criteria, i.e., the
prospects are selectively
displayable by the user. Filterable criteria may include, for example and
without limitation,
date, group, business unit, relationship type, status type, category type and
user. One of skill
in the art with the benefit of this disclosure would recognize other
filterable criteria. In certain
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embodiments, particular users may be prevented by my desk prospects GUI 200
from filtering
using certain filterable criteria. For instance, as shown in Fig. 2,
particular users may be
prevented from displaying other user prospects by filtering using the user
filterable criteria.
[0032] Once the prospect has been assigned in assign prospect 110, a follow-up
activity may
be created in generate follow-up activity 120. A follow-up activity is an
activity generated by
a computer algorithm that is assigned to the dealership employee to which the
prospect was
assigned in assign prospect 110 or to another dealership employee. In certain
embodiments of
the present disclosure, the follow-up activity may be determined by computer
algorithm based
on one or more results-based schedules. As used herein, a results-based
schedule is a schedule
in which at least one follow-up activity is determined based at least in part
on the results of an
interaction between the dealership and/or its employees and the existing
client. The results-
based schedules may be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable
storage
medium. A follow-up activity may include, for instance and without limitation,
an email, text,
or transmission of the recorded voice of a dealership employee, or direct mail
to an existing
client, or a telephone call to an existing client. Also as used herein, a time-
based schedule is a
schedule in which the all follow-up activities are determined only by the
passage of time after
an interaction between the dealership and/or its employees and the existing
client. Use of
results-based schedules may allow, for example and without limitation,
dealership personnel,
such as a sales person or service employee, to select or assign an appropriate
next action to
take with the existing client based on certain results. In some embodiments,
the next action
may be triggered depending on one or more results. The differences between a
results-based
schedule and a time-based schedule are illustrated in FIGs. 5, 6, 7, and 8.
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[0033] Based on the results-based schedule, one or more follow-up activities
may be
determined by a computer in assign-follow-up activity 130 as shown in FIG. 1.
The follow-up
activities may thereafter be assigned to a dealership employee by a computer
algorithm or
another dealership employee. A dealership employee may then take the action
dictated by the
results-based schedule in action 140, as shown in FIG. 1. The action taken by
the dealership
employee may be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage
medium.
[0034] FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a time-based schedule for a service prospect
associated with
an existing client. FIG. 5 depicts thank you for service ¨ time based flow
chart 400. In
service ¨ time based flow chart 400, activities by the user do not prompt the
user to conduct
additional activities.
[0035] Service ¨ time based flow chart 400 includes settings block 401,
process block 410,
and flow chart blocks 420. Settings block 401includes schedule name 402,
which, as shown in
FIG. 5, is "After RO Thank You for Service Email."
[0036] FIG. 5 further includes process block 410. Process block 410 includes
process name
411. Process name 411 is the name of the time-based schedule, which for FIG. 5
is "RO
Follow Up." Process block 410 further includes starting point 412. Starting
point 412
specifies at what point the time-based schedule in FIG. 5 will start. As shown
in FIG. 5,
starting point 412 is time-based.
[0037] Flow chart blocks 420, as shown in FIG. 5, include activity block 421
and result blocks
424, 425, 426, and 427. Activity block 421 includes activities performed by
the user as part of
service ¨ time based flow chart 400. Activity block 421 includes activity name
421a. Activity
CA 02915380 2015-12-15
name 421a is the name of the activity performed in activity block 421.
Activity name 421a in
block 421 is "Thanks for Service Contact." Activity block 421 further includes
trigger point
421 b. Trigger point 421 b describes the event that actuates the activity
block. Trigger point
421b is "RO Closed Date." Activity block 421 further includes timeline 421c.
Timeline 421c
defines the time between when trigger point 421b is actuated and when the
activity prescribed
in activity block 421 is performed. Timeline 421c is one day. Activity block
421 also
includes assigned to 421d. Assigned to 421d is "Service Advisor." Activity
block 421 further
includes primary contact 421e. Primary contact 421e specifies the primary
contact method
with the existing client for the activity of the activity block. Examples of
primary contact
421e may include, but are not limited to, telephone, email, text, transmission
of a recorded
voice of a dealership employee, direct mail, or in person communication.
Primary contact
421e in activity block 421 is "Email." Activity block 421 also includes
template 421f
corresponding to primary contact 421e. Template 421e specifies the template
for the
communication for the primary contact method of communication with the client.
Template
421f in activity block 421 is "Thank You for Service Email." Activity block
421 additionally
includes secondary contact method 421g. Secondary contact 421g specifies a
secondary
contact method with the client for the activity of the activity block in the
event that the
primary contact method is not available or undesirable. Examples of secondary
contact 421g
may include, but are not limited to, telephone, email, text, transmission of a
recorded voice of
a dealership employee, direct mail, or in person communication. Activity block
421 also
includes secondary template 421h, labelled "Template" in FIG. 5. Secondary
template 421h
specifies the secondary template for the communication for the secondary
contact method of
communication with the existing client. Secondary template 421h in activity
block 421 is
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"Thank You for Service Letter." Template 421e and secondary template 421h may
be finable
documents such as emails or online documents customizable by the user for the
prospect
and/or client. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, template 421e
and secondary
template 421h may be stored in a database accessible to the user. Activity
block 421 also
includes priority 421i. In certain embodiments, multiple follow-up activities
may be targeted
at a client. In these embodiments, a computer-run rules engine may designate
that a client
may receive only a certain number of communications in a given time period.
Which
communications are sent to a client may depend in part on the priority
assigned to the
communication. Priority 421i may designate the priority of a communication
resulting from a
particular activity. An embodiment of implementing priority of communications
is discussed
hereinbelow.
[0038] Flow chart blocks 420 include result blocks 424, 425, 426, and 427,
which are result
blocks from activity block 421. As shown in FIG. 5, regardless of whether
email is sent
(result block 424) or not sent (result block 425) or if direct mail is sent
(result block 426) or
not sent (result block 427), the schedule terminates, i.e.., there is no
activity that depends upon
the outcome of result blocks 424, 425, 526, or 427.
[0039] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a results-based schedule consistent with at
least one
embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 depicts RO followup ¨ results
based flow chart
430.
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[0040] RO followup ¨ results based flow chart 430 includes settings block 431,
process block
440, and flow chart blocks 450. Settings block 431includes schedule name 432,
which, as
shown in FIG. 6, is "After RO ¨ CSI Phone Call and with Mgr Escalation."
[0041] FIG. 6 further includes process block 440. Process block 440 includes
process name
441. Process name 441 is the name of the results-based schedule, which for
FIG. 6 is "RO
Follow Up." Process block 440 further includes starting point 442. Starting
point 442
specifies at what point the results-based schedule in FIG. 6 will start. In
certain embodiments,
such as that shown in FIG. 6, starting point 442 is time-based. Results-based
schedules having
time-based starting points begin at a predetermined time, such as immediately,
or after a delay,
such as a set number of days or weeks (as shown in FIG. 6). Other starting
points may be
results-based, i.e., the results-based schedule starting point may depend upon
the completion
of an activity from a different results-based or time-based schedule.
[0042] Flow chart blocks 450, as shown in FIG. 6, include activity blocks 461
and 462, and
result blocks 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, and 470. Activity blocks 461, and
462 include
activities performed by the user as part of RO followup ¨ results based flow
chart 430. As an
example, activity block 461 includes activity name 461a. Activity name 461a is
"CSI Phone
Call." Activity block 461 further includes trigger point 461b. Trigger point
461b is "RO
Closed Date." Activity block 461 further includes timeline 461c. Timeline 461c
is one day.
Activity block 461 also includes assigned to 461d. Assigned to 461d is
"service advisor."
Activity block 461 further includes primary contact 461e. Primary contact 461e
in activity
block 461 is "Phone Call."
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[0043] Flow chart block 430 include result blocks 464, 465, 466, and 467,
which are result
blocks from activity block 461. As shown in FIG. 6, if phone call to the
existing client results
in a customer satisfied (result block 464), or if the phone call results in an
invalid number, no
further action is taken (result block 825) by the user. If the phone call to
the existing client
results in a did-not-talk-to-customer results-based outcome, activity block
461 is repeated. If
the phone call by the user results in a customer-not-satisfied results-based
outcome, the user is
prompted to begin the results-based activity in activity block 462, i.e.,
"Service Manager
Escalation" through unsatisfied customer results-based outcome 471. Activity
block 462 is a
non-limiting example of a client care issue discussed hereinbelow.
[0044] As further shown in FIG. 6, activity block 462 includes trigger point
463b. Trigger
point 463b is "activity result," i.e., the trigger point is based on a results-
based activity, which,
with respect to FIG. 6, is whether result block 461 resulted in a customer-not
satisfied
outcome. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, assigned to 463d is "service manager."
Thus, if the
existing client was not satisfied with the service, the results-based activity
result is that the
sales manager is assigned the activity in activity block 462.
[0045] With further direction to FIG. 6, with respect to activity block 462,
if the phone call to
the customer indicates that the customer is satisfied (result block 468) or
the phone number is
invalid (result block 470) no further action is taken. If the phone call by
the service manager
to the customer results in a did-not-talk-to customer outcome (result block
469), the phone call
in activity block 462 is repeated.
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[0046] FIG. 7 is a flow chart example of time-based schedule for a sales
prospect. FIG. 7
depicts thank you for anniversary email/direct mail flow chart 500. In thank
you for
anniversary email/direct mail flow chart 500, activities by the user do not
prompt the user to
conduct additional activities.
[0047] Thank you for anniversary email/direct mail flow chart 500 includes
process block
501, and flow chart blocks 520. Process block 501 includes process name 502.
Process name
502 is the name of the time-based schedule, which for FIG. 7 is -Anniversary
Email/Letter
Follow Up." Process block 501 further includes starting point 503. Starting
point 503
specifies at what point the time-based schedule in FIG. 7 will start. As shown
in FIG. 7,
starting point 503 is time-based.
[0048] Flow chart blocks 520, as shown in FIG. 7, include activity block 521
and result blocks
522 and 523. Activity block 521 includes activities performed by the user as
part of thank you
for anniversary email/direct mail flow chart 500. Activity block 521 includes
activity name
521a. Activity name 521a in block 521 is "# Sales Anniversary." "#" refers to
the yearly
anniversary of the deal close date, i.e., activity block activity block 521
may be repeated on
the anniversary of the deal close date for a set number of years. Activity
block 521 further
includes trigger point 521b. Trigger point 521b is "After¨Deal Close Date."
Activity block
521 further includes timeline 521c. Timeline 521c is # years(s). Activity
block 521 also
includes assigned to 521d. Assigned to 521d is "Primary Sales Person."
"Primary
Salesperson" refers to the salesperson determined by the dealership to have
been the
salesperson responsible for the sale or lease of the vehicle to the existing
client, or the
salesperson to which the existing client has been assigned. Activity block 521
further includes
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primary contact 521e. Primary contact 521e in activity block 521 is "Email."
Activity block
521 also includes template 521f corresponding to primary contact 521e.
Template 521f in
activity block 521 is "# Yr Sales Anniversary Email." Activity block 521
additionally
includes secondary contact method 521g. Activity block 521 also includes
secondary template
521h, labelled "Template" in FIG. 7. Secondary template 521h in activity block
521 is "# Yr
Sales Anniversary Letter." Priority 521i may designate the priority of a
communication
resulting from a particular activity. An embodiment of implementing
priority of
communications is discussed hereinbelow. In activity block 521, priority 521i
is "low."
[0049] Flow chart blocks 520 include result blocks 522 and 523, which are
result blocks from
activity block 521. As shown in FIG. 7, once the email is sent (result block
523) or the direct
mail is sent (result block 522), the schedule terminates, i.e.., there is no
activity that depends
upon the outcome of result blocks 522 and 523.
[0050] FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a results-based schedule associated with a
sales prospect
consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8
depicts sales
anniversary ¨ results based flow chart 530.
[0051] Sales anniversary ¨ results based flow chart 530 includes process block
540, and flow
chart blocks 550. Process block 540 includes process name 541. Process name
541 is the
name of the results-based schedule, which for FIG. 8 is "Sales Anniversary
Phone Call."
Process block 540 further includes starting point 542. Starting point 542
specifies at what
point the results-based schedule in FIG. 8 will start. In certain embodiments,
such as that
shown in FIG. 8, starting point 542 is time-based.
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[0052] Flow chart blocks 550, as shown in FIG. 8, include activity block
561and result blocks
562, 563, and 564. Activity block 561 includes the activity performed by the
user as part of
sales anniversary ¨ results based flow chart 530. Activity block 561 includes
activity name
561a. Activity name 561a is "# Sales Anniversary Call." Activity block 561
further includes
trigger point 561b. Trigger point 561b is "After¨Deal Close Date." Activity
block 561
further includes timeline 561c. Timeline 561c is "# Years(s)." Activity block
561 also
includes assigned to 561d. Assigned to 561d is "Primary Salesperson." Activity
block 561
further includes primary contact 561e. Primary contact 461e in activity block
561 is "Phone."
In addition, activity block 561 includes priority 561i. Priority 561i is
"low."
[0053] Flow chart block 530 include result blocks 562, 563, and 564, which are
result blocks
from activity block 561. As shown in FIG. 8, if phone call to the existing
client results in
contact with the customer (result block 562), or if the phone call results in
a message left on a
customer's voicemail, no further action is taken by the user. If the phone
call to the existing
client results in a did-not-talk-to-customer results-based outcome (result
block 564), activity
block 561 is repeated.
[0054] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, client privacy
preferences may be
identified for each client. For instance, privacy preferences such as Federal
and State Do Not
Call flags and contact consent for e-mail, mail and third party data sharing
may be identified
or tracked for a client. Based on the identified privacy preferences, the
results-based schedules
may be modified. For existing clients, the results-based schedules in generate
follow-up
activity 120 may then modify the follow-up activity based on client
preference. In some
embodiments, as depicted in FIG. 9, customer contact GUI 900 allows dealership
employees
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to set a client's restrictions regarding contact by dealership employees, such
as agreeing or not
agreeing to phone, e-mail, direct mail, text or voicemail from the dealer, as
shown in direct
contact consent settings 910. Customer contact GUI further allows Federal and
State Do Not
Call Flags to be set, as shown in external contact consent settings 920
[0055] In certain embodiments, such as for existing clients as part of action
140, all
interactions with a client may be logged. A log may, for instance, be included
as part of the
client profile. As shown FIG. 10, client profile interactions GUI 340 may
display interaction
350 description, which may include such non-limiting information as the
interaction date, the
category of the client, the method used in the interaction and the description
of the interaction
for an existing client.
[0056] Generate follow-up activity 120 may be customized for particular
existing clients
based, for example, on interactions with an existing client. For instance, a
negative interaction
between an existing client and the dealership or one of its employees, may
generate a client
care issue that may be logged and displayed as part of the existing client
profile. In some
embodiments, as shown in FIG. 11, existing client profile client care GUI 360
may be utilized
to display such information. Existing client profile client care GUI 360 may
include an
existing client care description 370 of the interaction between the existing
client and the
dealership or one of its employees. Existing client care description 370 may
include such
information as the status, the issue, the current owner of the follow-up
activity, when the
incident occurred or was entered into existing client profile client care GUI
360 and other
information related to the interaction.
18
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[0057] In some embodiments, actions 140 may be aggregated into a work plan for
a user.
FIG. 12 depicts daily work plan GUI 1000. Daily work plan GUI 1000 may show
for a given
day the actions 140 assigned to a dealership employee. Daily work plan GUI
1000 may
display information regarding actions 140 including, for example and without
limitation,
method of contact 1010, client name 1020, activity name 1030, vehicle 1050,
date/time 1060
and priority 1070. Other action information may include whether the action is
overdue,
privacy settings, BDC User, category, click to call for manager, click to call
for service
advisor/user, score, secondary service advisor/user, source, and/or status. As
one of ordinary
skill in the art will appreciate, daily work plan GUI 1000 may instead be
fashioned as a daily,
weekly, or monthly plan. Further, in certain embodiments of the present
disclosure, daily
work plan actions may be filtered by daily work plan filters 1080. Non-
limiting examples of
such daily work plan filters 1080 are depicted on daily work plan GUI 1000,
and may include,
but are not limited to, days to display, group, business unit, status, contact
method, category,
and user.
[0058] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, email, text, recorded
dealership
employee voice, or direct mail communications with existing clients may be
generated based
on predefined communications criteria established by, for instance, dealership
personnel. The
email, text, recorded dealership employee voice, and direct mail
communications may be
stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium. These
email, text,
recorded dealership employee voice, or direct mail communications with the
existing client
are sent without input from a dealership employee at the time of email, text,
recorded
dealership employee voice, or direct mail communication. In certain
embodiments, at the time
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the email, text, recorded dealership employee voice, or direct mail
communications to existing
clients are sent, these email, text, recorded dealership employee voice, or
direct mail
communications do not include any action on the part of a dealership employee
as "action
140" is described above. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, client
communications
algorithm 2100 includes as a first step establish predefined communications
criteria and
generate priority 2110. In establish predefined communications criteria and
generate priority
2110, a series of possible email, text, recorded dealership employee voice, or
direct mail
communications with an existing client are created, associated with predefined
communication
criteria when such email, text, recorded dealership employee voice, or direct
mail
communication is to be sent, and a priority is generated. Examples of
predefined
communication criteria when such email, text, recorded dealership employee
voice, or direct
mail communications are to be sent may be based, for instance, on time since a
pre-determined
occurrence or on the number of miles calculated that a client's vehicle has
been driven since a
pre-determined occurrence. In some embodiments, the number of miles calculated
that a
client's vehicle has been driven may be estimated. In some embodiments, the
number of miles
calculated may be based in part on the service history of the client's
vehicle. In some
instances, such as where little or no service history is available, the
estimated number of miles
may be based on a default daily, monthly, or annualized mileage ("mileage")
since a previous
date, such as a previous service appointment or purchase date. In some
embodiments, the
service history may be used to estimate the mileage based on the mileage
reading at a first
service date, the mileage reading at a second service date, and the number of
days, months,
years, or portions therof therebetween. By dividing the difference in mileage
by the number
of intervening time period, an average mileage may be determined. By
multiplying the
CA 02915380 2015-12-15
average mileage, whether calculated or a default is used, by the time period
since the second
service date, the total mileage of the existing client's vehicle may thus be
estimated. Other
non-limiting examples of predefined communication criteria are shown in Table
1 and Table 2
below. With respect to priority, any non-limiting scheme of prioritization may
be used,
including, but not limited to, the "high" or "regular" prioritization shown in
Table 1 and Table
2 below:
Table 1 - Service
Communication Date Range Priority Other Criteria
Service Manager 7 ¨ 365 days from Regular None
Introduction purchase date
Service Invitation 7-365 days from Regular
No prior service history
purchase date
Service Thank You 0-20 days from date High None
of service
First Service Days based on Regular None
Reminder estimated miles
driven
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Second Service Days based on Regular
Estimated mileage must be within the
Reminder estimated miles
Scheduled Maintenance Mileage Range;
driven
Vehicle must not have an upcoming
appointment; Service Reminders must be
at least 30 days apart.
Third Service Days based on Regular
Estimated mileage must be within the
Reminder estimated miles
Scheduled Maintenance Mileage Range;
driven
Vehicle must not have an upcoming
appointment; Service Reminders must be
at least 30 days apart.
Happy Birthday 0-14 days before High None
birthday
Table 2 ¨ Sales
Communication Date Range Priority Other Criteria
Welcome to the 0-30 days from purchase date High None
Dealership
Sales Thank You 0-30 days purchase date High
None
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Referral 30-90 days from purchase date Regular None
Extended Service Plan 30-90 days from purchase date Regular
No extended warranty
Lease Renewal 18 525-555 days to end of lease date
Regular Existence of lease
months
Lease Renewal 1 month 15-45 days to end of lease date
High Existence of lease
Anniversary of 350-380 days after purchase date High None
purchase (first year)
[0059] Other predefined communications criteria may limit the type of existing
client or
vehicle to which the email, text, recorded dealership employee voice, or
direct mail
communications are to be sent. For instance, such predefined communications
criteria may
include, but are not limited to the vehicle model year, make of the vehicle,
model of the
vehicle, condition of the vehicle (new, used, all), the existing client type
(individuals,
companies, all), sales type (lease, purchase, all), distance from existing
client to the dealership,
address of the existing client, and household history of purchases or sales of
the existing
client(first time buyer only, repeat buyer only, all). In some embodiments, a
dealership may
wish to conduct a campaign communication, wherein the dealership may select
particular
vehicles, types of existing clients or other particular campaign communication
criteria and
direct the communication to such clients as qualify for the campaign.
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[0060] Once the email, text, recorded dealership employee voice, or direct
mail
communications, the predefined communications criteria, and the priority of
the
communication are established in establish predefined communication criteria
and priority
2110, client communications algorithm 2100 includes as a second step
determining if
predefined communication criteria are met 2120 for one or more existing
clients. In this step,
client communications algorithm 2100 includes comparing the predefined
communications
criteria established in establish predefined communication criteria and
priority 2110 with
information about the existing client and the existing client's vehicle.
Information about the
existing client and the existing client's vehicle may be drawn from a
database. As shown in
client profile GUI 300, information, including, for example and without
limitation, the existing
client's name 310, existing client's address 320 and existing client contact
information 330
may be entered into a database by a user, or, for existing clients who have
had previous
interactions with the dealership, may be drawn from existing databases. Other
information
related to existing clients and existing client vehicles may be drawn from
existing databases or
entered through a GUI.
[0061] If the predefined communications criteria are not met for an existing
client, no email,
text, recorded dealership employee voice, or direct mail communication is sent
to that existing
client as shown in do not send communication step 2125. If the predefined
communication
criteria are met for one or more email, text, recorded dealership employee
voice, or direct mail
communications, client communications algorithm 2100 determines conflicts with
higher
priority 2130. In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to avoid repeated
communications
with an existing client within a pre-determined period of time. For instance,
it some
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embodiments, the pre-determined period of time may be, for instance, one
month, two weeks,
or one week. In the event that the criteria for a high priority and a regular
priority
communication are both met, the regular priority communication may be delayed,
as shown in
FIG. 13 in delay communication 2150. After the pre-determined period of time
has lapsed, the
regular priority communication may be send to the existing client, as shown by
send
communication to client 2160.
[0062] With reference back to determine conflicts with higher priority 2130,
if there are no
conflicts between a regular priority communication and a higher priority
communication,
client communications algorithm 2100 determines if there has been a previous
communication
in determine if time criteria are met 2140 within a pre-determined period of
time, as described
above with respect to determine conflicts with higher priority 2130. If the
time criteria are not
met, the email, text, recorded dealership employee voice, or direct mail
communication is
delayed, as described with respect to delay communication 2150. If the time
criteria are met,
the communication is sent to the client in send communication to client 2160.
[0063] The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that a person
of ordinary
skill in the art may better understand the aspects of the present disclosure.
Such features may
be replaced by any one of numerous equivalent alternatives, only some of which
are disclosed
herein. One of ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that they may
readily use the present
disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and
structures for carrying out
the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments
introduced
herein. One of ordinary skill in the art should also realize that such
equivalent constructions do
not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and that they
may make various
CA 02915380 2015-12-15
changes, substitutions, and alterations herein without departing from the
spirit and scope of the
present disclosure.
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