Patent ID: 8265992

Claim:
Computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, enable a computing device to perform a method of identifying a first set of wireless-services subscribers who are more likely to transition to another provider (“churn”) than are those of a second set of wireless-services subscribers, wherein both of said first and second sets of wireless-service subscribers subscribe to services of the same provider, the method comprising: for each mobile computing device in a given set of mobile computing devices, determining what other mobile computing devices it has communicated with, thereby resulting in an identification of a plurality of mobile-device pairs, each pair being made up of said each mobile computing device and another mobile computing device; counting a number of communications involved in each mobile-device pair, thereby providing a sum of the number of communications involved in each mobile-device pair; determining whether the sum of the number of communications involved in each mobile-device pair is greater than or less than a threshold number of calls; for each mobile-device pair, when the sum of the number of communications involved is greater than the threshold number of calls, then calculating a relationship-strength value that is based at least on a ratio of the sum of the number of communications involved in the mobile-device pair and a total number of communications involving said mobile computing device, wherein the relationship-strength value quantifies a strength of a relationship between the mobile computing devices in the pair; for each mobile-device pair, when the sum of the number of communications involved is less than the threshold number of calls, then setting the relationship-strength value for said each pair to a predetermined value that is the same for each pair having the sum of the number of communications less than the threshold number of calls; determining a risk value for said each mobile computing device in the given set based on the relationship-strength values of each pair of the plurality of mobile computing devices containing said each mobile computing device and a mobile computing device that has churned; and determining the first set of mobile computing devices that are likely to churn by adding said each mobile computing device to the first set of mobile computing devices that are likely to churn when the risk value of each said mobile computing device is greater than a threshold risk value.