Methods and systems for routing calls in a marketing campaign
An online and offline communication processing and tracking system using data processing and data/voice networks is described. A phone address from a phone address number pool is automatically assigned to a first customer prospect communication. A call quality rating is determined and recorded. A call from a caller directed to the phone address is received at a call bridging system coupled to at least one network, wherein the call is associated with call signaling information. Based at least in part on the call quality associated with the caller call, the caller call is routed to entity placing a bid on the caller call. An outbound call is generated from the call bridging system and the inbound and the outbound calls are bridged.
1. A system, comprising:
a computing device;
a telephony interface configured to be coupled to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);
non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the computing device, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, comprising:
storing an association of one or more phone addresses with a marketing campaign, wherein the marketing campaign is associated with a communication, wherein the communication is directed to a customer prospect;
providing an interface via which a bidder can submit, via a bidder system, a bid on one or more calls generated by the marketing campaign communication to the one or more phone addresses, wherein the interface indicates a call quality of the one or more calls, wherein the call quality represents an indication of a likelihood that a caller will be a customer for a good or service;
receiving, via the telephony interface, wherein the telephony interface comprises an Internet Protocol connection, a first call from a customer prospect directed to a first of the one or more phone addresses, wherein the first call is associated with call signaling information, wherein the call signaling information includes a calling phone address of the customer prospect and a called phone address;
prompting the customer prospect to select an option from a list of options;
assigning a call quality indicator to the first call based at least in part on the customer prospect option selection and one or more attributes of the first call, one or more call signaling attributes of the first call, and/or one or more data store queries using one or more call signaling attributes of the first call; and
based at least in part on the assigned call quality indicator and a bid received via the interface from a first bidder, routing the call to the first bidder.
2. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the bid from the first bidder is received after receipt of the first call.
3. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the call quality indicator assignment is based at least in part on a determination the first call is from a mobile computing device.
4. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the call quality indicator assignment is based at least in part on a determination of a geographic location of the first call.
5. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the call quality indicator assignment for the first call is based at least in part on a time-of-day call attribute.
6. A system, comprising:
a computing device;
a telephony interface configured to be coupled to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);
non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the computing device, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, comprising:
storing an association of one or more phone addresses with a portion of a marketing campaign directed to a certain product or a service category, wherein the marketing campaign is associated with a communication, wherein the communication is directed to a customer prospect;
providing an interface via which a bidder can submit, via a bidder system, a bid on one or more calls generated by the marketing campaign communications to the one or more phone addresses;
receiving, via the telephony interface, wherein the telephony interface comprises an Internet Protocol connection, a first call from a customer prospect directed to a first of the one or more phone addresses, wherein the first call is associated with call signaling information, wherein the first call signaling information includes a calling phone address of the customer prospect and a called phone address;
prompting the customer prospect to select an option from a list of options;
assigning a call quality indicator to the first call based at least in part on the customer prospect option selection; and
based at least in part on the called phone address and a bid received via the interface from a first bidder, routing the first call to the first bidder.
7. The system as defined in claim 6 , wherein the bid from the first bidder is received after receipt of the first call.
8. The system as defined in claim 6 , wherein routing of the first call to the first bidder comprises originating a second call to a phone address associated with the first bidder and bridging the first call and the second call.
9. The system as defined in claim 6 , the operations further comprising:
at least partly in response to routing the first call to the first bidder, debiting a first bidder account for the first call.
10. The system as defined in claim 6 , the operations further comprising:
at least partly in response to an outcome of the routed first call to the first bidder, debiting a first bidder account for the first call outcome.
11. The system as defined in claim 6 , wherein the certain product category comprises an insurance product.
12. The system as defined in claim 6 , wherein the certain service category comprises appliance repair.
13. A system, comprising:
a computing device;
a telephony interface configured to be coupled to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);
non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the computing device, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, comprising:
storing an association of one or more phone addresses with a portion of a marketing campaign, wherein the marketing campaign is associated with one or more communication types, wherein the one or more communication types are directed to a customer prospect;
providing an interface via which an entity can submit, via an entity system, an offer on one or more calls to the one or more phone addresses associated with a type of communication directed to the customer prospect in the marketing campaign;
receiving, via the telephony interface, wherein the telephony interface comprises an Internet Protocol connection, a first call from a customer prospect directed to a first of the one or more phone addresses, wherein the first call is associated with call signaling information, wherein the call signaling information includes a calling phone address of the customer prospect and a called phone address;
prompting the customer prospect to select an option from a list of options;
assigning a call quality indicator to the first call based at least in part on the customer prospect option selection; and
based at least in part on the called phone address and an offer received via the interface from a first entity, routing the call to the first entity.
14. The system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the offer from the first entity is received after receipt of the first call.
15. The system as defined in claim 13 , wherein routing of the first call to the first entity comprises originating a second call to a phone address associated with the first entity and bridging the first call and the second call.
16. The system as defined in claim 13 , the operations further comprising:
at least partly in response to routing the first call to the first entity, debiting a first entity account for the first call.
17. The system as defined in claim 13 , the operations further comprising:
at least partly in response to an outcome of the routed first call to the first entity, debiting a first entity account for the first call outcome.
18. The system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the type of communication comprises an email communication.
19. The system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the type of communication comprises an in-application display promotion.
20. The system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the type of communication comprises a television network promotion.
21. The system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the type of communication comprises a promotion directed to a mobile communication device.
22. The system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the first of the one or more phone addresses is selected from a pool of phone addresses associated with the marketing campaign.
23. The system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the first of the one or more phone addresses is selected from a pool of phone addresses and wherein a different phone address is associated with each of the one or more communication types.
24. The system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the first of the one or more phone addresses comprises a toll-free phone address, a phone address geographically local to the customer prospect or any combination thereof.
25. The system as defined in claim 13 , the operations further comprising:
wherein the first of the one or more phone addresses is selected from a pool of phone addresses associated with the marketing campaign, and
wherein the selection of the first of the one or more phone addresses is based at least in part upon a determination of a marketing funnel stage of the first customer prospect, the marketing funnel stage representing an indication of a likelihood that a customer prospect will be a customer for a good or service.
26. The system as defined in claim 13 , the operations further comprising:
wherein the first of the one or more phone addresses is selected from a pool of phone addresses associated with the marketing campaign, and
wherein the selection of the first of the one or more phone addresses is based at least in part upon an identification of a marketing campaign in which the customer prospect has been entered.
27. The system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the type of communication comprises an online merchant promotion.
28. The system as defined in claim 13 , the operations further comprising:
storing an association of the customer prospect and the first of the one or more phone addresses.
29. The system as defined in claim 13 , the operations further comprising:
associating respective different phone addresses with each customer prospect in a first plurality of customer prospects for marketing campaign related communications.