Method and system for increasing client participation in a network-based bill pay service
In a network-based bill pay service including a navigating software for emulating a client in network navigation, a software application for collecting and normalizing client data, and a network interface for presenting the information to the client, a method for increasing the level of client participation in the service includes steps (a) navigating to a client site; (b) accessing and mining client data for payee account data; (c) analyzing the mined payee account data for fullness of information and if required searching and adding new relevant information to the payee account data; (d) formatting the payee account data into an interactive bill pay account module; and (e) presenting the bill-pay service option and the bill pay account module relative to the payee account data to the client as an opportunity.
1. An automated service system for soliciting a person to initially subscribe to a bill-paying service, comprising:
an Internet-enabled data aggregation enterprise providing a first service through a first Internet web site and executed by software stored on a computer-readable medium coupled to a server at the web site, the enterprise collecting and aggregating data associated with the person from a variety of sources in the Internet, and providing the aggregated information to the person over Internet connection;
a second service presented as an online bill pay service hosted by a bank providing banking services through a second Internet web site separate from the data aggregation service, the bank hosting a bank account excluding not currently enrolled in an on-line bill-paying service for the person, the person being a client both of the bank and the data aggregation service;
wherein the data aggregation service, with authorization of the person, collects data for the person from the bank account hosted by the bank, determines by a server, from the collected data that the person has not previously subscribed to the second service hosted by the bank, collects further data necessary to initially set up an on-line bill-paying service for the person with the bank, sets up necessary software modules to initiate a new online bill-paying service at the bank for the person, queries the person through the Internet to elect to initially subscribe to the second service hosted by the bank and presents the modules to the person.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein data collected for the person from the bank account hosted by the bank, used in the determination that the person does not subscribe to the second service, is a transaction history including one or both of bank statements and check images.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein data collected for the person from the bank account includes the person's name and account number.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the further data necessary is obtained from an in-house generic database.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the further data necessary is obtained from a publicly accessible database.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the query and modules are presented to the person through the Internet in a pop-up message appearing to the person after login to the data aggregation service.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the query through the Internet is an instant message or an email.
8. A method for soliciting a person to subscribe to a bill-paying service, comprising the steps of:
(a) collecting and aggregating by an Internet-enabled data aggregation first service operated by an enterprise through a first Internet web site, and executed by software stored on a computer-readable medium coupled to an Internet connected server, data associated with a person from a variety of sources in the Internet, and providing the aggregated information to the person over Internet connection;
(b) collecting by the data aggregation service from a bank providing banking services through a second Internet web site separate from the data aggregation service, data for the person from a bank account hosted by the bank for the person;
(c) determining by a server, from the collected data that the person does not subscribe to an on-line bill paying service provided by the bank;
(d) collecting further data necessary to initially set up the on-line bill paying service for the person with the bank;
(e) setting up necessary software modules by a server, to initiate a new on-line bill-paying system at the bank for the person; and
(f) querying the person through the Internet by a server to elect to initially subscribe to the online bill-paying service of the bank and presents the modules to the person.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein data collected for the person from the bank account hosted by the bank, used in the determination in step (c) that the person does not subscribe to the online bill-paying service, is a transaction history including one or both of bank statements and check images.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein data collected for the person from the bank account includes the person's name and account number.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the further data necessary is obtained from an in-house generic database.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein the further data necessary is obtained from a publicly accessible database.
13. The method of claim 8 wherein the query and modules are presented to the person through the Internet in a pop-up message appearing to the person after login to the data aggregation service.
14. The method of claim 8 the query through the Internet is an instant message or an email.