Method and apparatus for customer loyalty and marketing analysis

A customer frequency, analysis and reward system has multiple alternative components and allows for input of customer identification through use of a smart card, biometric input device, or a preexisitng identification, such as a credit card, government-issued id, or checking account. A customer interacts with the system initially at a data collection point-of-sale (POS) device at a retail outlet. Data is periodically collected from the retail site to a data warehouse, where various types of analysis may be performed. A customer can interact with the system using an internet interface, thus reducing costs of ownership.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the invention, a number of different components may be used 
together to create a customer frequency, analysis and reward system that 
has a number of advantages over prior art systems. A system according to 
the invention may not incorporate all of the different components 
described below, but may use a subset of the components based on the 
particular desires or needs of the user employing the system. 
According to one embodiment, a customer interacts with the system initially 
at a data collection point-of-sale POS) device at a retail outlet or other 
place where a customer interacts with the seller (or user of the system). 
This POS device may include a magnetic card reader for reading a magnetic 
stripe on a credit card or other customer loyalty card, or may include a 
keyboard for entering customer ID information, or may include a check 
scanner for reading the number of a customer checking account, or may 
include a biometric input device such as a fingerprint reading technology, 
or any other device for identifying and validating the identity of a 
particular customer or group/family of customers. 
Once the customer data is read by the POS device, it is compared against a 
local database which is generally at the retail establishment or quickly 
accessible to the retail establishment. A match is attempted in the local 
database from whatever data is collected from the customer. According to 
one embodiment of the invention, the database will have multiple input 
points so that a customer does not need to provide a single ID for a 
loyalty system but the customer's identity may be determined from any of 
the possible inputs including different credit cards, a number of 
different checking accounts, a driver's license, or any other ID 
methodology. 
If no match is found in a local database, for example, if it's the first 
time that a customer is visiting a particular retail outlet, the loyalty 
system may then check in a second level local database, or may use the 
Internet or wide area networking technology to attempt a customer ID match 
in a central database. If no match is found in the local database or the 
central database, a customer may be invited to provide identifying data at 
the point of sale so as to join the customer loyalty program. Such 
invitation may take a form of a mailing card, a computer keyboard input, 
or an interview conducted by the point-of-sale retail clerk to determine 
the customer loyalty input data. 
According to the invention, furthermore, there may be provided a data 
warehouse. The function of the data warehouse is to collect all generated 
customer data on a daily basis and to compile customer profiles about each 
customer in order to enhance marketing to that customer. External 
information may be compared against the data warehouse such as demographic 
data or any other data available about particular customers or groups of 
customers. A number of analytic tools may be performed to provide 
meaningful analysis desired by the sellers of their customer profiles, 
such as identifying spending trends, customer preferences, or the like. In 
one embodiment of the invention, the central database used for customer 
validation and the data warehouse are the same database. 
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the system keeps track 
of customer frequency award points in order to encourage customers to 
participate in the system. A mechanism is provided for customers to 
directly interact with this customer loyalty system in order to determine 
their eligibility for awards, or other information, based on their 
patronage of particular retailers that participate in the customer loyalty 
system. According to one embodiment, this interface is provided via the 
World Wide Web over the Internet wherein customers are allowed to interact 
directly with aspects of the data warehouse, to view their customer 
information, and to make corrections to such identifying information as 
telephone numbers and addresses. 
According to a further embodiment of the invention, a customer may be given 
a smartcard, which records customer award points as well as other customer 
data such as customer preferences or frequency of visits. The invention 
will be understood better with reference to the following detailed 
descriptions of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
Overview of a Particular Embodiment of the Invention 
There are several distinguishable features of various embodiments of the 
invention that provide advantages over prior art systems, including the 
following: (1) Members do not necessarily need a custom membership/private 
label card; the invention provides a number of different means for 
identifying customers, including use of a standard credit card swiped 
and/or keyed; (2) The invention may use OCR and form feeding technology to 
directly input mailed in forms to the member database; (3) The invention 
uses automated data warehouse management (communications, inputs, outputs, 
processing); (4) The invention incorporates point of sale transaction data 
in its analysis for enterprise level reporting; (5) The invention provides 
the ability to leverage the Customer Plus knowledge base for enhanced 
information; (6) The invention encompasses the necessary communication 
programs, databases, and remote site and host applications for a complete, 
integrated system; (7) The invention includes predesigned reports for 
quick and easy presentation of analyses and the flexibility to create ad 
hoc queries; (8) The invention utilizes the World Wide Web/Internet for 
maximum visibility and availability and that allows customers to review 
and update their own information, reducing the cost of ownership of the 
system; (9) The invention presents a simple, easy to use set of screens 
with keyboard and point-and-click control; (10) The invention takes 
advantage of ADI and zip code/postal standards and provides service bureau 
consulting for clients and a commercially available software product; and, 
(11) The invention relies on member selected awards focus (vs. instant 
awards). 
FIG. 1 shows an overview system diagram of one specific embodiment of the 
invention, with specific variations. FIGS. 2A and 2B show an example of 
operations and data flow for a system such as that shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 
shows an example of operations and data flow for a customer service 
workstation operator. FIG. 4 shows an example of operations and data flow 
at a server. FIG. 5 shows an example database architecture for a high-end 
client on the service side. FIG. 6 shows an overview system architecture 
of a remote customer plus system according to a specific embodiment of the 
invention. Functions and various embodiments of the elements shown in FIG. 
1 and the operations shown in FIGS. 2-6 will be discussed in more detail 
below. 
Other Features of Specific Embodiments 
Other features also may be included in specific embodiments of the 
invention, including: (1) Remote location collection of customer visit and 
POS transactional data; (2) End of day transmission of the data; (3) 
Translation and storage of data in membership & POS database (data 
warehouse); (4) Hard copy and on-line individual reports of membership 
information; (5) Hard copy and on-line reports on the frequency of 
customer visits; (6) Hard copy and on-line reports on sales information 
linked to customer visits; (7) Weekly and monthly transmission of 
summarized data back to customer sites for analysis. 
Remote Data Collection POS Input 
At the remote location, the system can be an existing DOS or Windows based 
POS device with a magnetic-strip reader or other input device to collect 
customer frequency information or, for locations without the adequate POS 
equipment, an external card reader with built in modem and printer may be 
installed. In cases where a credit card is used to identify customers, a 
device will be used to read an existing credit card, and only pick up the 
last several digits of the card number. The purpose for this is 
convenience to the customer, comfort level of security, used as the member 
identification number, and is a cost saving to users of the invention of 
not having to produce membership cards. The device prompts the user of the 
system for any requested information, stores the data and transmits to the 
host system on a daily basis. A small printer is attached to print a 
transaction receipt with membership information, date and time of visit, 
and points added. The communication link between the remote locations and 
host can be dial up phone service, sprintnet or telenet type service, T1.5 
access, or dedicated line service all contingent upon client needs. 
The host location may have a business class server, such as a HP or Compaq 
running under a Windows NT type operating system linking to external 
servers as required. On this network several client stations may be 
installed for membership maintenance, report generation, data analysis. 
Another similar server will be installed to handle the 
communications/transmission of information from remote locations. The 
Customer Plus data center will receive weekly POS data downloads from 
various client POS servers if required. 
Use of One Embodiment of the Invention 
The user of the remote data capture device will take input from an existing 
credit card, smart card, private label card, or biometric device and 
record the member identification. If the member does not have an input 
card, the screen can prompt the server to manually enter a member number. 
The screen can allow entry of the guest receipt number and total amount of 
receipt. Generally, the collected information will be stored on the POS 
device until at the end of the day, when the device batches and transmits 
the EOD file to the host network. The POS transactional data is 
transmitted to the host network and the combined data is used to correlate 
and provide relevant management reports. 
ON-LINE and hard copy reports show the member record, member total visits, 
demographic information on multiple member access, and sales information 
by member; item sales mix and popularity, average spending by member 
detailed by components of a sales, etc. 
Client Application 
The primary functions within the client application can be categorized into 
four main areas: members, reports, administration, and help. 
Members--These functions include adding and deleting members from the 
database, updating member information, supporting member requests for 
information and awards, and monitoring the progress of member 
transactions. 
Reports--Accessing the databases and presenting the information in an 
understandable and useful format is a primary objective. Predefined 
reports and online queries against the database are important features of 
the embodiment. 
Administration--These functions help the more technical user support the 
system's operation. For example, defining the levels of the restaurant 
hierarchy, setting up a new Customer Plus user, and defining the 
communication parameters are some of the options. 
Help--In addition to the standard help content, Customer Plus has an added 
feature of automatically displaying field level "tips" based on the 
position of the cursor. 
Member Management 
There are three main functions in managing members: Updating Member 
Profiles; Member Transactions; and View Pending Requests. 
Updating Profiles and Adding Members 
The basic fields on the member screen include: first and last names, middle 
initial, addresses and phone number, primary phone/address flag, gender, 
marital status, Customer Plus ID, status and when assigned, join date and 
location, when the profile was last updated and by whom, current account 
data, family member ID, fax #, E-mail address, and last statement date. 
The first and last names generally are required fields (the Customer Plus 
ID is automatically assigned). Personal information is considered 
confidential and is kept secure. Screens containing confidential 
information are labeled as such. 
A new member may be added by scanning in enrollment forms or by manually 
keying in the data. New members may identify the number they wish to use 
as their account number (i.e. credit card, frequent diner club, etc.) or 
need not identify a number of a unique card, smart card, or biometric 
input is used. If an ISO standard magnetic stripe is on the customer's 
card, then the card may be swiped in a reader. If needed, portions of the 
account number may be truncated for security purposes. Members may also 
sign up via a form with a pre-assigned number. The member completes the 
form and it is scanned in either at the remote location or at the service 
bureau. 
The member ID where one is used must be unique. With preprinted forms 
and/or a user-selected card number, duplicates may occur in rare cases. 
The ID is verified to be unique when the record is created in the 
database. If a member has selected a number that is already assigned, then 
follow-up is necessary with the member to select an alternate number. When 
a member applies, a sticker may be used on the member's pre-existing 
credit card to help identify it as the one used for Customer Plus 
membership. 
An existing member's profile may be displayed via wildcard searches on 
first name, last name (default), primary phone number, and member ID. 
Information not provided by the member is set to a default value and these 
members are printed on an exception list but are still added to the 
database. Two addresses are maintained in the database, home/personal and 
work/business. One address/phone number is identified as the primary 
contact data. A confirmation notice is sent to the member for any profile 
modifications as part of the periodic account statements. This may be done 
via E-Mail, fax or postal Mail. 
Members who have not visited a location for a specified period of time may 
be automatically set to inactive. All changes to a member's profile and 
any associated transactions are logged in the database for auditing 
purposes. These logs may be viewed, archived and discarded as needed. 
Detail POS data is retained for a short period of time. Only the last 
transaction's detail is saved for display. Other POS data is archived. 
This is available from the member profile screen. 
Member Transactions 
"Floating" transactions (i.e. sales which do not have an assigned member 
ID) are automatically assigned to a non-member ID. The Customer Plus ID 
cannot be changed once it has been assigned. However, a merge function is 
provided to combine the points and transactions in the "from" account with 
the "to" profile. If there is any difference in rolodex information, the 
"to" profile's data is saved. The merge function also zeroes out the 
"from" account balances. 
If a member calls to dispute the account total, then points may be adjusted 
accordingly. Both positive and negative points may be applied. A reason 
code is assigned to the transaction that indicates why the points were 
adjusted. Each option has a unique member transaction type. Based on the 
transaction type and status, the request is routed to a queue for 
follow-up. Transaction types need to be customized per a user depending on 
the specifics of the new type. 
Catalog requests may be fulfilled at the remote location. Or, the request 
may be sent to the service bureau via Teleform. A member may also use a 
check box on the enrollment form to request a catalog. An award 
transaction contains the member ID, the PLU of the award, the quantity of 
the award, the award amount (i.e. "cost"), date/time of the transaction, 
who created it, and status (new, pending, fulfilled, shipped) and 
transaction number. When the award transaction is submitted, it is 
retained in a pending request queue for a short period of time before 
completing its processing. This is to easily permit cancellation by the 
user. Timer is configurable. 
Members may call, fax, or mail in a form to redeem an award. To select an 
award, the customer service representative may highlight the appropriate 
item in a pick list or key in the PLU #. When an item is highlighted in 
the pick window, the brief description and required award points is 
displayed accordingly. The quantity is defaulted to 1. Documentation 
requests have a unique transaction type and may be teleformed in, too. 
Some awards may require customization such as monogramming. This 
information can be entered in the free-form text field. 
If the user does not cancel the transaction, the data is sent to the 
appropriate fulfillment house via fax. Members who submit complaints, 
compliments and/or questions via the mailed in form or telephone are 
forwarded to the pending request queue for follow-up. If there are 
insufficient points when a member has already placed an award request, the 
request may be fulfilled depending on the discrepancy. If it is within a 
specified amount, the customer service representative may override the 
discrepancy. The amount is configurable by the client. Periodically, the 
documentation requests in the pending queue automatically print out a 
mailing list. The labels are applied to the catalog and mailed. How each 
queue is monitored and/or followed up is user dependent. 
View Pending Requests 
Pending requests contain the member ID, transaction type, date and time. 
The detail of the request may be viewed and the status updated. A comment 
field is also provided for free-form requests. The pending requests queue 
contains all requests requiring follow-up. These include 
complaints/compliments and initial submission of award requests. The queue 
is displayed in date/time order and by member. Only one queue may be 
displayed at a time. From the queue, the user may select the request to 
view the detail. Then, it may be forwarded as E-Mail or the member may be 
contacted or the appropriate person will be followed up. The user needs to 
update the request and change the status. An appropriate reason code is 
also selected. 
Customer Analysis Report Writer 
The invention may incorporate a base report writer tool for maximum 
flexibility and functionality. All standard features are retained. Only 
enhancements to the tool to meet CP requirements are described here. The 
responsibility of the report writer is to display and print the reports in 
various formats from a set of results data. Manipulation of the report 
presentation and modification to the content of the report is dependent on 
the selected tool. The user may choose a specific report from a scrollable 
list. Only one query may be selected at a time. As an additional 
enhancement, the Customer Plus service bureau may configure a client's 
specific set of predefined reports to be downloaded on a regular basis to 
identified locations. To run these reports, the user uses the specific 
results file(s) or has connectivity to the database. If the results 
file(s) are not available, the application will ask the user to confirm 
establishing access before attempting to run the queries. If access cannot 
be achieved, then an error message displays. 
A summary of the report is always displayed on the screen while the query 
is being defined and after it is run as reference information for the 
user. This information includes: total number of locations, type of sales, 
start and end period, and any sort criteria. For example, "This current 
query is defined for # locations with $ sales from day1 through day2 
sorted by X and Y and Z in low, medium, and high categories." Default 
formats for the report and mailing list outputs are provided for the 
report writer tool. Reports can be sent automatically to a fax program if 
the user has a fax communication program installed on the workstation. The 
run date is printed on all report formats. 
The user specifies the query parameters: location(s), date range, day part 
(i.e. AM or PM), level (company vs. location) and usage (e.g. dollars 
spent) based on what is appropriate. See each report layout for specifics. 
Default values are also provided for the all selection criteria. Every 
query/report executed generates an ASCII results file from the 
database/server and transfers the results file to the user. This file may 
then be manipulated for different graphical output formats. If the user 
loses his/her connection from the database and is in an "offline" mode, 
then the only reports that may be displayed are those in which the result 
sets are already transferred to the user. 
Mailing lists print the salutation, first name, middle initial, last name, 
address, city, state, zip/postal code, and country for each member for the 
selected label format. Separate mailing lists may be printed for high, 
medium and low usage categories. When one of the standard mailing lists 
are run, the following information is displayed on the screen: first name, 
middle initial, last name, total dollars spent since join date, total 
number of visits, average purchase amount per visit, address and phone 
number. The members are sorted into heavy, medium and light usage 
categories. The formatted output of the mailing list is the same as the 
displayed information. Thus, multiple result sets are created and 
transferred to the user. The report writer, therefore, may display 
multiple windows (one for each result set). 
The following queries are available in which the mailing list output is 
applicable: Custom List, Birthday List, Sales Activity, Rolling 12-Month 
Trend, Promotion Analysis, and Join Date List. 
Each usage category of members in the Custom List query may only be sorted 
at three levels for the printed output. The default is zip code, last 
name, and first name. Input criteria include: day part, day range, usage, 
zip code, location, ADI, gender, and marital status. The birthday list and 
sales activity list input parameters are: date range, day part, location, 
zip code, and usage. The join date list input criteria are: date range and 
location. It, too, is sorted by usage categories and ordered by last name, 
first name. The rolling 12-month trend requires location, date range, and 
day part for input. Output data includes: normalized sales (total less 
tax/gross sales less promotions/incremental sales) per month for the past 
year and current year, projected sales based on trends in the existing 
data. The current month is not included in the analysis. 
The promotion analysis requires location, date range, and day part input. 
Gross, incremental and normalized sales, direct and indirect costs, and 
profit for the current year, prior year and difference is displayed. The 
costs may be keyed in by the user. A worksheet function is provided for 
direct and indirect costs to quickly total a series of numbers. The sales 
rollup/sales trend query can be run at any level of the company 
hierarchy/profile. Inputs are: fiscal year and number of fiscal reporting 
periods. This report cannot be export into a delimited file. The 
per-person average report displays the ticket average per person by 
location (i.e. purchase amount divided by total number of transactions) 
and average spending amount by sales category (e.g. entrees, desserts, 
appetizers, and beverages). 
Labor productivity shows the total number of labor hours worked for certain 
job classifications divided by the total number of entrees by location for 
each week/period. The user inputs location, date range, period/week. The 
client must provide information regarding the labor hours for this report. 
For the product sales mix report, the user inputs location, fiscal year, 
last period date (e.g. week). The quantity of product sold by location, 
totaled for the period, and the percentage sold by food category is 
displayed. The new enrollments report compares the number of members 
joined for all locations. Trend analysis reports are based on a 12-month 
cycle. The standard reports are defined for 28-day calendars. Family level 
reports are also provided as needed. Customer frequency usage reports can 
be variously defined. 
Group/Script Reports 
There are predefined groups of queries that can be requested at one time by 
the user. The queries are the same as those available in on demand. The 
result data sets are returned as though each report was requested 
individually. Group1 includes: Sales Rollup, Per Person Average by 
Location, Labor Productivity, Product Sales Mix. Group reports require the 
specific results file(s) or online access to the database. If the file(s) 
are not available and the user does not have connectivity to the server, 
then a message is displayed asking the user if a connection can be 
established. If connectivity is not achieved, then an error message 
appears. 
Administrative Functions 
The invention includes a number of customer base administrative functions, 
many of which are similar to standard database functions, such as: Open 
Customer Base; Close Customer Base; Print Screen; Exit; Preferences; 
Options; System Administration. 
Open Customer Base: A customer base is defined in Customer Plus as the 
member group. Member groups are tied to a particular customer 
frequency/loyalty program. Only one customer base can be open at a time. 
The customer base name is displayed on the title bar next to "Customer 
Plus". 
Close Customer Base: When a customer base is opened for viewing and 
maintenance, it may be closed without shutting down the Customer Plus 
session (i.e. the user does not need to sign on again). The close 
"gracefully" ends any processes, which may include database connectivity, 
to minimize data corruption. When a customer base is closed, the majority 
of the menu functions are unavailable. Only open customer base, exit, 
print screen, and help are active. The close customer base function leaves 
the user at the main menu. 
Preferences: The toolbar is user customizable. Its intent is to provide the 
user with graphical images that execute functions also available in the 
main pull down menus. 
Options: The options features include the following: Default Communication; 
MSR Manual Poll; Location; Company Calendar; Hierarchy; Menu Security. 
Also included are several ADI Access functions, such as: Inactive Member 
Flag; Status, Delete, Reason Codes; Request Statuses; Priorities; Award 
Cancellation Period; Detail Data Retention. 
The company hierarchy can be defined with a maximum of five levels. For 
example, they may be company, division, region, district and location. 
Each level of the company hierarchy is user defined (i.e. the name of each 
level). For each hierarchy level, every instance is defined with the 
following fields: name, CP ID (system generated), customer specific ID, 
address, main phone number, contact name and title, fax number, computer 
phone number, MSR phone number, two alternate phone numbers, type of sales 
(AM, PM, both), status code (e.g. poll, no poll, active, inactive), delete 
code, description, opening date, closed date, who created the profile in 
CP and when, the date of its last update and by whom, and comments. In a 
current embodiment, a maximum of 10,000 locations may be defined per 
customer base. The user must link the lower level instances to its parent 
hierarchy level. Any instance may only have one parent level. 
Security: Customer Plus offers a highly customizable security system. Every 
function can be assigned a minimum security access level (1-10). This 
information is saved in a local configuration file. A user ID defines what 
access level the user has to the menu functions and which customer bases 
may be opened. Each access level may be assigned a label for ease of use 
in setting up user IDs. Defaults are provided for a five level structure: 
End user; Customer representative; Supervisor; System administrator; CP 
developer. Anyone accessing CP requires a login ID and password. Each 
sign-on ID is assigned to a specific security level. A sign on screen is 
required for the user to key in an alphanumeric ID and hidden password. At 
the time of sign on, the user selects the connectivity method to the 
database (e.g. remote dial-up, direct LAN connection, etc.). Connectivity 
may also mean an "offline" mode so that any report ASCII result sets can 
still be displayed by the user. Once connected, the user is given access 
only to those customers configured with their sign on ID. A default 
communication method may be configured for the specific machine. 
Status codes (for queues, hierarchy levels, members), delete codes (for 
members, hierarchy levels), reason codes (queues), and priorities (queues) 
are all customizable. A grace period may be defined for members to cancel 
their award transactions without any penalty. Detail polled transaction 
data may be retained for a specified period of time. 
System Administration: Primary system administrative level functions are: 
Create a New User; Reset Password; New Customer Base; Delete Customer 
Base; Auto Open Customer Base Default and Path; Database Security; System 
Maintenance Tools; Reactivate Company; Exception Reports; Backup; View and 
manage logs. 
A number of exception reports are provided to indicate the level of system 
performance. These include: processing time, data records that did not 
meet standards, missing location data, etc. 
Configuration of this specific client to the server (i.e. whether through a 
dial-up communications mode) is set up in this option. There are several 
system generated exception reports to help maintain the system. These 
include: Discrepancies in the periodic audit between corporate 
finance/accounting system; members who did not provide any address 
information; members who have a minimum number of transactions/changes; 
duplicate members; pending requests for a specific status open a 
particular length of time; system level error reports. When an item is set 
to an inactive status, lower level relationships are removed. 
Help Features: An incremental search feature is needed for the user to look 
up key words in the index. As a user keys in letters, the listed topics 
continues to update according to the input for a drill down effect. A 
brief "tip"/instruction statement is displayed when the cursor position is 
at a data entry field and/or field label. A contents/index listing is also 
provided for general topic identification. An "about CP" information 
window is provided. 
Reports and Queries 
The standard set of reports and queries that may be included with the 
invention include: Output; Generic Ledger; Spreadsheet Net Sales; Ticket 
average; Food counts; Net dollars; Labor costs; Executive Summary; Sales 
and Ledger Summary; Per Person Average Spending; Area Labor Analysis 
Project hours; Actual hours; Daily Labor by Employee (Time and Attendance 
Pay rate; Time in/out; Hours; Labor costs; Key Indicators; Product Sales 
Mix Quantity of food item; % of entrees; Food Bar Costs; Ticket Average 
Quantity sold; Dollars sold; Labor Productivity Meal counts; Sales; 
Minutes per meal; Company Sales Rollup Net sales; Labor costs; Custom 
List; Birthday List; Sales Activity; Rolling 12 Month Trend; Promotion 
Analysis; Join Date List; New Enrollments. 
User Interface/POS Module--Specific Embodiment 
FIGS. 7 through 20 show various specific example input and display screens 
that can be used to allow a user to interact with the invention. Not all 
screens discussed below are shown, in some cases, screens not shown are 
more simple input screens with many possible variations. One specific 
embodiment of the invention is referred to herein as the Customer Plus 
System. 
Customer Plus Welcome Screen 
The Customer Plus system greets the user with the Customer Plus Welcome 
screen and generally can display a company name and logo and possible 
various hot information, such as ads or company specials. There are ten 
options presented on a menu; File; Logon; Search; Summary; Update/View; 
Notes; Preferences; Print Tip Card; Admin; Help; The file menu allows the 
user to set up basic program configuration and to exit the system. The 
Search, Summary, Update/View, Notes, Preferences, Print Tip Card, and 
admin options are disabled menu items on this screen. The user may select 
the Logon option from the menu to display a logon screen. When the user 
selects the Logon option from the menu bar, the Logon screen will appear, 
requesting a user identification and password. The users then type their 
identification number and their password. The users may then press Logon 
and the Search screen will appear. Press Cancel and the screen will close. 
Alternatively, the user may log on to the system using any other form of 
identification, such as a smart card, voice recognition, or biometric 
recognition. 
Customer Plus Search Screen 
When the user selects the Search option on the menu, the Search screen will 
appear. To search for a member, the user must key in the member's 
identification number. If the user does not know the member's 
identification number, then the user may key in the last name, first name, 
middle name, and then press the Find button to initiate a search. All 
matching records will be displayed in the Results field, as shown in FIG. 
7. The Sounds Like button has been provided to give the user greater 
flexibility. If the user is not sure of the correct spelling of the 
member's name, the user may press the Sounds Like button and a phonetic 
search will be initiated. The member's information will be displayed in 
the Results field. The user may select the appropriate record and then 
select the UpdateView option or the Notes option on the menu. The member's 
record will be displayed on the UpdateView screen or on the Notes screen. 
The user may click on the Include Inactive Member Members field to include 
both active and inactive members in the search. 
Customer Plus Summary Screen 
When the user selects a record on the Search screen and then selects the 
Summary option on the menu, the Summary screen as shown in FIG. 8 will 
appear and the selected member's information is displayed. The user may 
exit the Summary screen by selecting another menu option. 
Customer Plus Member Update/View Screen 
When the user selects Update/View from the menu the Update/View screen, 
FIG. 9, appears. This screen facilitates the user in adding new members, 
updating existing member's information, and removing member information. 
To add new members or to update existing member's information, the user 
types in the member's information in the shaded or colored fields. Colored 
or shaded fields are required fields. Information is required in the 
following fields to create a new member in the Customer Plus system. Name 
(First, Middle, and Last; Address Type (Home or Work); Address; City; 
State; Join Date. 
To enter the new member information into the system the user presses the 
Add New button. The user may press the Undo button to clear the screen of 
information. To update a member's information, the user enters the 
member's information and then presses the Save button. The user may delete 
a member's information by pressing the Delete button. The Delete button 
should only be used to delete member information that has accidentally 
been entered. 
Customer Plus Member Notes Screen 
When the user selects the Notes option from the menu the Notes screen, FIG. 
10, appears. Information about the member's dislikes and special needs may 
be entered. The user types in the member's identification number (required 
information indicated by yellow field). 
Customer Plus Member Preferences Screen 
When the user selects the Preferences option from the menu, the Preferences 
screen, FIG. 11, appears. The user may enter members preferences in the 
following fields.; Server; Room; Table; Other fields to be defined by the 
user. The ID field is the only required field on this screen. 
Customer Plus Record Visit Screen 
When the user selects the Record Visit option from the Admin menu, the 
Record Visit screen, FIG. 12, will appear. The user will record the 
member's visit and sales information. The following member information 
will be required: Sale date and time of a member's visit; Sales 
transaction identification number; Server identification number; Amount of 
member's transaction; Time of member's visit (AM or PM) The user may also 
record the member's points, although this field will not be required. 
Customer Plus Store Information Screen 
When the user selects the Setup option on the File menu, the Store Info 
screen, FIG. 13, appears. This screen facilitates the user in adding new 
store information. To add new store information the user types the store's 
information in the following fields: Store ID; Store Name; Address; City; 
State; Zip; Phone; Fax. Pressing Save will store the information and the 
next time the user selects the Store Information screen this information 
will be displayed. 
Customer Plus Import Screen 
When the administrative user selects Import on the Admin menu, the Customer 
Plus Import screen will appear. The screen will display the default path 
and file name. The user will then verify that the path and file name are 
correct. Pressing OK will import the data from the main office and 
pressing Cancel will return the user to the previous screen. 
Customer Plus Export Screen 
When the administrative user selects Export on the Admin menu, the Customer 
Plus Export screen will appear. The user will select New Record to export 
only records that have not previously been stored, or the user will select 
Whole Database to export the complete database. The user will then press 
OK to export the data to the main office. Cancel will return the user to 
the previous screen. 
Customer Plus User Maintenance Screen 
When the administrator selects the User Maintenance option from the menu, 
the User Maintenance Screen, FIG. 14, will appear. The administrator will 
be presented with a screen that will provide the following fields: ID; 
Password; User Name; User Type; Status (active or inactive). 
Customer Plus Reports 
When the user selects the Reports option on the menu, the Reports menu will 
display six report options.; Usage; Birthdays; Member Join Dates; Sales 
Activity Comparison; Transaction Log; Print Mailing Labels 
Usage Report 
When the user selects Usage Report from the Reports menu the Run Report 
window will appear. The Usage Report, FIG. 15, will list the total number 
of member visits and the amount of each sale. 
Birthday Report 
When the user selects the Birthday Report from the Reports menu the Report 
Date Select window will appear. The Birthday Report, FIG. 16, will list 
members using birth dates as the selection criteria. 
Member Join Date Report 
When the user selects the Member Join Date Report from the Reports menu the 
Report Date Select window will appear. The Member Join Date Report, FIG. 
17, will list members using the member's join dates as the selection 
criteria. 
Other reports, such as a Sales Activity Comparison Report, may also be made 
available to the user. 
Transaction Log 
When the user selects the Transaction Log from the Reports menu the 
Transaction Log, FIG. 18, window will appear. The Transaction Log will 
list recorded sales. The user will use this report to audit the data 
verifying that the data has been entered correctly. The selection criteria 
will be date range. 
Print Mailing Labels Report 
When the Print Mailing Label option is selected on the Report menu, the 
Print Mailing Labels window, FIGS. 19A and 19B, will appear. According to 
the label type selection, different input fields will be displayed. An 
options window to facilitate printing a mailing label, which will include 
name, address, city, state, and Zip code and label size or format will 
appear. An example Printout of Mailing Labels is shown in FIG. 20.