Abstract:
Responding to an account reactivation request includes receiving an account reactivation request from a former subscriber having a deactivated account and automatically accessing stored account information related to the deactivated account based on the account reactivation request. The stored account information is compared with a reactivation standard to produce a comparison result. Based on the comparison result a response to the reactivation request is provided. The receiving, accessing, comparing, and responding may be performed by a computer without interaction between the former subscriber and a service representative.

Description:
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/860,639, titled “Online Reactivation of an Account or Service” and filed May 21, 2001, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/223,725, titled “(BOR) basic online reactivation” and filed Aug. 8, 2000, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to the reactivation of an account or service. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A recipient of an account activation request may determine that a deactivated account corresponding to the account activation request exists and that the account activation request may be satisfied by reactivating the deactivated account. For example, a previous subscriber to a service or product may contact the service or product provider when seeking to subscribe again to the service or product. When contacted, a representative of the service or product provider may collect caller identification information and information from the previous subscriber regarding the purpose of the contact. The representative may use the information provided by the previous subscriber to identify account information associated with the previous subscriber. Upon identification of the account information, the representative may respond appropriately to the reactivation request of the previous subscriber based upon the account information. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one general aspect, responding to an account reactivation request includes receiving an account reactivation request from a former subscriber having a deactivated account and automatically accessing stored account information related to the deactivated account based on the account reactivation request. The stored account information is compared with a reactivation standard to produce a comparison result. Based on the comparison result, a response to the reactivation request is provided. The receiving, accessing, comparing, and responding may be performed by a computer without interaction between the former subscriber and a service representative. 
     Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, the reactivation request may be received over the Internet or over the telephone. The reactivation request may include information associated with, for example, a birth date of a former subscriber, an account number of a deactivated account, an account type, an account deactivation date, or an account status. The reactivation request also may include, for example, information indicating a payment method, information indicating that the account has an outstanding balance due, information indicating that the account was cancelled by the former subscriber, or information indicating that the account was terminated by a provider of the account. Furthermore, the reactivation request may include demographic information related to the former subscriber or information about use of the account by the former subscriber. 
     Information included in the reactivation request may be used to access associated account information automatically from a relational database. When the associated account information is compared with the reactivation standard, an eligibility score may be generated as the comparison result. If the eligibility score satisfies a first predetermined threshold, the reactivation request may be accepted. Moreover, when the eligibility score satisfies a second predetermined threshold, the former subscriber may be offered an additional benefit, such as, for example, a service or account upgrade. 
     When the eligibility score does not satisfy the first predetermined threshold, then the reactivation request may be rejected. Alternatively, when the eligibility score does not satisfy the first predetermined threshold, the reactivation request may be accepted only when the former subscriber accepts an additional condition, such as, for example, a service or account downgrade, a payment method that differs from a payment method employed by the deactivated account, or a guarantee of payment. 
     These general and specific aspects may be implemented using a method, a system, or a computer program, or any combination of systems, methods, and computer programs. 
     Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a systematic process for processing a reactivation request. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic structure diagram of a system operating over an Internet Protocol network to implement the process of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a table illustrating a composition of the reactivation request information of the process of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a hierarchical Web-hosted questionnaire as provided in the system of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a table illustrating a composition of account information that may be used to implement the system of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIGS. 6A to 6C  are tables illustrating an exemplary set of mutually exclusive reactivation standards and their relationship to the account information of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIGS. 7A to 7C  are tables illustrating a sample of non-mutually exclusive reactivation standards and their relationship to the account information of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a process for identifying one or more reactivation standards through use of eligibility scores that may be used in implementing the system of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 9  is a table illustrating a process for calculating an eligibility score that may be used in implementing the process of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is a table illustrating a look-up table used in implementing the system of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For illustrative purposes,  FIGS. 1-10  describe a process for determining a response to a reactivation request, and a system for implementing the process. For clarity of exposition, the description of the process and the system implementing the process proceeds from an account of general elements and their high level relationship to a detailed account of illustrative roles, configurations, and components of the elements. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a reactivation request is received (step  105 ) and reactivation request information (subsequently described in detail with respect to  FIG. 3 ) is determined from the reactivation request (step  110 ). The reactivation request information then is used to automatically access account information  120  (subsequently described in detail with respect to  FIG. 5 ) that is associated with the reactivation request information (step  115 ). The account information  120  may include stored information that can be associated with the reactivation request information. The account information  120  also may include information held by third parties, such as, for example, a credit verification agency (not shown). Following access of the account information  120 , reactivation standards  125  are accessed and the account information  120  is used to identify one or more of the reactivation standards  125  (described with respect to  FIGS. 6A-9 ) (step  130 ). The identified reactivation standards are used to determine the appropriate response to the reactivation request (step  135 ) and the appropriate response is communicated to the prior subscriber (step  140 ). 
       FIG. 2  shows, for example, a communication system  200  that may be used to implement the process of  FIG. 1 . The communication system  200  allows a former subscriber  210  to communicate a reactivation request  212  over a network  240  to a recipient (e.g., account management center  250 ). The reactivation request  212  may include, for example, an instant message, an electronic mail message, or a voice message (e.g., voice-over-IP (Internet Protocol)). 
     The former subscriber  210  typically communicates using one or more sending or controlling devices. For example, the former subscriber  210  may communicate using one or more sending devices (e.g., a personal computer  214 , a PDA  216 , or a telephone  218 ) generally capable of executing instructions under the command of one or more controlling devices (not shown) that may be internal or external to the sending devices. The sending devices may be connected to the controlling devices (not shown) by a wired or wireless data pathway (not shown) capable of delivering data. 
     A sending device used by the former subscriber  210  may typically include one or more hardware components and/or software components. The sending device may include, for example, one or more general-purpose or special purpose computers (e.g., personal computer  214 , a workstation (not shown), or PDA  216 ) specifically programmed to perform certain tasks, such as, for example, communicating with each other and/or the network  240 . The sending device also may include a wireless telephone  218 , a pager (not shown), one or more local area networks (LANs) (not shown), one or more wide area networks (WANs) (not shown), one or more software components, a device, a component, some other physical or virtual equipment, and/or some combination of these devices that is capable of responding to and executing instructions. 
     The controlling device (not shown) used by the former subscriber  210  may include one or more hardware components and/or software components. An example of a controlling device is a software application loaded on the sending device for commanding and directing communications enabled by the sending device. Other examples include a program, a piece of code, an instruction, a device, a computer, a computer system, or a combination of these elements, for independently or collectively instructing the sending device to interact and operate as described herein. The controlling device may be embodied permanently or temporarily in any type of machine, component, physical or virtual equipment, storage medium, or propagated signal capable of providing instructions to the sending device. 
     The network  240  may include one or more other mechanisms for delivering data, such as, for example, the Internet, the World Wide Web, one or more LANs and/or one or more WANs, radio, cable, and/or satellite. The IP network  240  also may include analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks, e.g., public switched telephone networks (PSTN), integrated services digital networks (ISDN), all types of digital subscriber lines (xDSL), advance mobile telephone service (AMPS), global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), and/or any other delivery mechanism for carrying voice or other data. 
     The communications system  200  generally includes an account management center  250  that may be arranged to operate as a component of or an affiliate to one or more other systems, such as, for example, one or more LANs (not shown) and/or one or more WANs (not shown). Typically, the account management center  250  will include one or more account management center devices, such as, for example, one or more account management computers  252 . The account management computers  252  typically will include one or more hardware components and/or software components. An example of an account management computer  252  is a general-purpose computer (e.g., a personal computer, server, or workstation) capable of responding to and executing instructions in a defined manner. Other examples include a special-purpose computer, a device, a component, other physical or virtual equipment, or some combination of these devices that is capable of responding to and executing instructions. The response and execution of instructions by the account management computer  252  may be controlled by a software application loaded on the account management computer  252 , or, for example, by a program, a piece of code, an instruction, a device, a computer, a computer system, or a combination thereof, for independently or collectively instructing the account management computer  252  to interact and operate as described herein. 
     The account management computer  252  typically will include a communication device (not shown) for sending and/or receiving data from the IP network  240 . One example of the communications device is a modem. Other examples include a transceiver, a set-top box, a communications card, a satellite dish, an antenna, or another network adapter capable of communicating data with the IP network  240  through a wired or wireless pathway. 
     The account management computer  252  typically will be configured to communicate with internal and/or external storage for storing data and programs. The storage may include electrical, magnetic, and/or optical storage media. For example, the account management center  250  is shown to include a magnetic disk may  254  that is used to store the reactivation standards  125  accessed by the account management computer  252 . The account management center  250  also may include a database  256 , such as, for example, a relational database or an object oriented database, that is used by the account management computer  252  to store and to access the account information  120 . The database  256  and the account information  120  that it contains may reside on any appropriate storage medium, such as, for example, a magnetic disk array. 
     The account management center  250  includes the account management computer  252 , which is structured to receive the reactivation request  212  from the network  240  and to determine reactivation request information  258  from the received reactivation requests (e.g., step  110  of  FIG. 1 ). The reactivation request information  258  may include, for example, identification information related to the former subscriber and/or billing information (see, e.g.,  FIG. 3 ). Using the reactivation request information  258 , the account management computer  252  accesses stored account information  120  from, for example, relational database  256  (e.g., step  115  of  FIG. 1 ). The stored account information  120  includes, for example, account information related to a current or past account of the former subscriber  210 . 
     The account management computer  252  uses the account information  120  and the reactivation standards  125  to determine an appropriate response  259  to the reactivation request  212  (the process of determining the appropriate response  259  is illustrated in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 6A-9 ). The reactivation standards  125  may be stored, for example, on a disk drive  254 , or in computer memory (not shown) to provide quick access. Upon determination of the appropriate response  259 , the response  259  is communicated through the IP network  240  to the former subscriber  210 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 3 , the reactivation request information  258  may include former subscriber information  310 , such as, for example, a name  311  associated with the former subscriber  210 , an identification number (e.g., a social security number, a digital signature)  313  associated with the former subscriber  210 , and/or a birth date  315  associated with the former subscriber  210 . The reactivation request information  258  also may include billing information  330  associated with the former subscriber  210  or a financial institution that serves the former subscriber  210 . The billing information  330  may include, for example, an account number (e.g., of a checking or credit account)  331 , a bank transit number  333 , an account expiration date  335 , an official name of the financial institution  337 , and/or a billing address (e.g., of the former subscriber or the financial institution)  339 . 
     The reactivation request information  258  may be obtained, for example, from the former subscriber  210  through responses of the former subscriber  210  to an electronic questionnaire, whether flat or hierarchical, or by automatically parsing information from reactivation request content. In one implementation, the reactivation request information  258  includes information collected from the former subscriber  210  as responses by the former subscriber to Web pages included in a Web-hosted questionnaire. 
     For example, as shown in  FIG. 4 , a former subscriber  210  contacting a Web site of the account management center  250  may be presented with a hierarchical Web-hosted questionnaire  400 . The former subscriber  210  is first prompted to indicate whether they wish to proceed with activation or reactivation of an account by selecting a button labeled “OK!” to reactivate an account of the former subscriber or by selecting a button labeled “cancel” to exit the questionnaire (step  405 ). When the former subscriber  210  exits the questionnaire, the former subscriber may be presented with a Web page that states, for example, “Thanks for visiting!” (step  410 ), after which the former subscriber is automatically logged out of the questionnaire (step  415 ). If the former subscriber  210  chooses to proceed with activation or reactivation by selecting “OK!” (step  405 ), then the former subscriber is presented with a Web form in which the former subscriber may enter information, such as, for example, a credit card account number, a credit card expiration date, a name of the former subscriber, an address associated with the former subscriber, and/or day and evening phone numbers associated with the former subscriber (step  420 ). Upon entry of the requested information the former subscriber may select “Submit” to submit the requested information, or “Cancel” to exit from the questionnaire. If the former subscriber chooses to cancel, the former subscriber is exited from the questionnaire (steps  410 , 415 ). 
     Following submission of the requested information, the former subscriber may be presented with an additional Web page that asks the former subscriber “Do you wish an account upgrade for $X/month?” (step  425 ). If the upgrade is desired, the former subscriber may select “Upgrade!”, in which case the reactivation request and the upgrade request are included as part of the reactivation information (step  430 ) and the former subscriber is exited from the questionnaire (steps  410 ,  415 ). Otherwise, if the former subscriber elects not to upgrade by selecting “Finished”, the reactivation request is included as part of the reactivation information (step  435 ) and the former subscriber is exited from the questionnaire (steps  410 ,  415 ). 
     Referring also to  FIG. 5 , examples of the account information  120  described earlier with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2  may include information associated with the former subscriber, such as, for example, an account status (e.g., active, deactivated)  505 , an account type (e.g., Platinum, Gold)  510 , a payment status (e.g., current, late, default)  515 , a payment method (e.g., credit, check, pre-paid)  520 , or a credit status (e.g., AAA, AAA+)  525 . 
     Additionally, the account information may include information relating to an account activity level (e.g., high, moderate, low, unused)  530 , an account profitability metric (e.g., +5 to −5)  535 , or information relating to the account&#39;s referrals or new business generation  540 . 
     The reactivation standards  125  that are stored in disk memory  254  and made accessible to the account management computer  252  may include information used to screen for exceptional reactivation requests that necessitate special and particular processing. Examples of exceptional reactivation requests include a reactivation request from a high volume customer that may require a higher level of service or a quicker response time than is normally provided. Alternatively, the reactivation request may be received from a former subscriber associated with an unprofitable account (e.g., due to excessive requests for customer support) and the reactivation request may be tagged for rejection. 
       FIGS. 6A to 6C  illustrate three different reactivation standards  605 A,  605 B, and  605 C that share a common form. The three figures are generally similar. For ease of description, the reactivation standard of  FIG. 6A  is discussed in detail and corresponding aspects of the reactivation standards of  FIGS. 6B and 6C  are not described. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6A , reactivation standard  605 A includes, by way of example, eight different match criteria  610 A that correspond to data-fields  615 A in the account information  620 A. As part of the step of identifying a reactivation standard (step  135  of  FIG. 1 ), the account information  620 A that is accessed in the account information data-fields  615 A is compared by the account management computer (e.g., account management computer  252 ) against the respective match criteria  610 A of the reactivation standard  605 A. An example of results  625 A of the comparison is shown in the far right hand column of the table of  FIG. 6A . 
     The account information data-field titled “payment method”  630 A may have, for example, an associated match criterion  635 A of credit or pre-paid. The account information  640 A accessed in the payment method data-field  630 A shows a payment method of check. Thus the match criterion  635 A is not satisfied by the corresponding account information  640 A, resulting in a failed match, as indicated at  645 A. By contrast, referring to  FIG. 6B , the match criterion  610 B may indicate an acceptance of payment by check. When the account information  640 A accessed in the payment method data field  630 A shows a payment method of check, as shown by  FIG. 6B , the match criterion  610 B is satisfied and the satisfactory result is indicated at  615 B. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 6A , reactivation standard  605 A may only partially match the account information  620 A, as illustrated by the data-field-by-data-field results  625 A. The same is true for  FIG. 6B . However, with reference to  FIG. 6C , a complete match may be achieved as shown in the data-field-by-data-field results  610 C. Though not shown, there also may be a complete failure to match. 
     In one implementation, referring generally to FIGS.  2  and  6 A- 6 C, the account information  120  may be used by the account management computer  252  to identify a completely matching reactivation standard, such as that illustrated by the reactivation standard  605 C shown in  FIG. 6C . In this implementation, the reactivation standards, for example,  605 A,  605 B, and  605 C are configured such that one and only one reactivation standard will provide a complete match relative to the account information  120 . In the simplified example provided, the possible world of former subscribers has been divided into those with an account type that is not Platinum and where the payment method is credit or prepaid, those with an account type that is not Platinum and where the payment method is check, and those with an account type that is Platinum. As configured, one, and only one, of the three reactivation standards  605 A,  605 B, and  605 C will be satisfied, and any match will be an exclusive match. In the illustration, the former subscriber  210  is associated with a Platinum account and reactivation standard  605 C is identified. The identified reactivation standard  605 C then may be used by the account management computer  252  to identify an appropriate response  259  to the reactivation request  212  (illustrated later in greater detail). 
     In general, however, reactivation standards  125  may not be configured to ensure exclusive matches. For example, using the reactivation standards  705 A,  705 B, and  705 C of  FIGS. 7A to 7C , an implementation is described in which reactivation standards are matched as a matter of degree. In such an arrangement, a reactivation standard  125  may be selected through some mathematical comparison of, for example, account information  120  and comparison results. To enable such a mathematical comparison, a numerical value, also known as the eligibility score, may be produced from the match criteria, comparison results, or other criteria. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , an eligibility score is determined (step  805 ) with respect to the account information  120  for each reactivation standard  125 . A reactivation standard with an acceptable, and perhaps best, eligibility score is identified (step  810 ) and used to identify (step  815 ) a reactivation determination  820  associated with the reactivation standard. An eligibility score provides an indirect metric of the appropriateness of a particular reactivation determination  820  for use in responding to a reactivation request  212 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , the eligibility score  905  may include a summation of weighted match values  910 , where each match criterion  915  is used to produce an associated match value  920 . The weighted match values  910 , in turn, may include the result of the multiplication of a criterion weight  925  associated with a match criterion  915  by a match value  920  that may be, for example, “1” when the match criterion  915  is satisfied or “−1.” when the match criterion  915  is not satisfied. Also, a zero may be used for a criterion weight  925  when a match criterion  915  will always be satisfied because it is configured to include all possible former subscribers, for example, the match criteria for referrals  930 . To illustrate further, with respect to the payment method field  935 , the match criterion  940  is assigned a criterion weight  945  of “3”. However, the match criterion  940  is not satisfied by the account information  950  accessed in the payment method field  935 . Therefore, the criterion weight  945  is multiplied by “−1” to produce a weighted match value  955  of “−3”. By contrast, with respect to the account type field  960 , the match criterion  965  is assigned a criterion weight  970  of “I” and the match criterion  965  is satisfied by the account information  975  accessed in the account type field  960 . Therefore, the criterion weight  970  is multiplied by “1” to produce a weighted match value  980  of “I”. A similar process is followed to arrive at a weighted match value  910  for each match criterion  915 . All weighted match values  910  are then summed to arrive at an eligibility score  905  of “−53”. 
     A weighting process, such as that described with respect to  FIG. 9  or otherwise, may be used to emphasize one or more certain match criterion deemed important relative to one or more different match criterion. Moreover, it may be desirable that the magnitude of a weighted match value  910  differ depending upon whether a match was determined to exist. For example, it may be desirable that a weighted match value  910  dominate or dramatically impact a final eligibility score  905  when an account is indicated as being activated, such that reactivation is inappropriate. That same match value  910  may or may not be configured to dominate or dramatically impact the final eligibility score when the account is indicated as being deactivated. By way of illustration, the match value  982  corresponding to a failed match for the account status data-field  984  may be set at an appropriate scaling value, such as, for example, “−In, in combination with a high value, such as, for example, “50”, for the corresponding criterion weight  986  to produce a weighted match value  988  of “−50” designed to have a dominating effect upon the final eligibility score  905 . To avoid a similar dominating effect when the account is deactivated, the match value  996  may be assigned an appropriate scaling value such as, for example, zero or a very small positive non-zero value (not shown). 
     Once a reactivation standard  125  is identified, the reactivation standard  125  may be used to index a look-up table  1000 , as shown in  FIG. 10 , that associates reactivation determinations  820  with the reactivation standards  125 . The reactivation determinations  820  may include, for example, information indicating a determination to reactivate an account associated with the former subscriber and information defining the account and terms of the reactivation or a reward provided to the former subscriber for choosing to reactivate the account. The reactivation determination also may include information indicating a determination to reactivate the account only on terms changed from original terms associated with the deactivated account (e.g., account downgrade, altered payment conditions, trial period), or information indicating a determination to not reactivate the deactivated account. 
     Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.