Determining awards for mobile device users based on renewal events

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing incentives to prepaid customers of mobile devices, such as customers of services for mobile devices (e.g., voice, text, and/or data services) provided by a telecommunications carrier, in order to retain these customers, are described. In some embodiments, the systems and methods include a renewal event module that accesses information associated with a renewal event performed by a mobile device customer of a current prepaid service plan, a reward determination module that determines a reward to provide to the mobile device customer in response to the a renewal event performed by the mobile device customer, and a reward provision module that provides the determined reward to the mobile device customer. Further details are described herein.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 at least one hardware server, coupled to a telecommunications network, wherein the server is configured to execute software modules, including:
 a renewal event module that accesses information associated with a renewal event performed by a mobile device customer of a current prepaid service plan,
 wherein the current prepaid service plan is assigned to the mobile device customer by a telecommunications service provider; 
 
 a reward determination module that determines a reward to provide to the mobile device customer in response to the a renewal event performed by the mobile device customer; and 
 a reward provision module that provides the determined reward to the mobile device customer. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the reward provided to the mobile device customer is a reward of an additional data bucket to be provided to the mobile device cutomer during a subsequent renewal period associated with the renewal event. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the reward provided to the mobile device customer is a data reward to be provided to the mobile device cutomer during a subsequent renewal period associated with the renewal event,
 wherein the data reward is determined as a value of reward data equal to an integer quotient of a total number of renewals over the number of set qualified renewals (Q/N), multiplied by a predetermined amount (G) of reward data.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a type of reward is based on an identified pattern of activities performed by the mobile device customer that are associated with a likely renewal of the current prepaid service plan. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the reward is a data reward, and wherein an amount of data of the data reward is based on an analysis of renewal activities over a predetermined time period for all mobile device customers of the current prepaid service plan. 
     
     
         6 . A method for providing an incentive to a mobile device customer, the method comprising:
 receiving an indication of an occurrence of an event associated with a renewal of a current prepaid service plan,
 wherein the current prepaid service plan is assigned to a mobile device customer by a telecommunications service provider; 
   determining a data reward to provide to the mobile device customer in response to the occurrence of the event associated with the renewal of the current prepaid service plan,
 wherein the data reward is an amount of additional data to provide to the mobile device customer above a standard amount of data provided to the mobile device customer under the current prepaid service plan, and 
 wherein the data reward is determined as a value equal to an integer quotient of a total number of renewals over a number of qualified renewals (Q/N), multiplied by a predetermined amount (G) of data; and 
   providing the determined data reward to the mobile device customer.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 establishing a renewal counter for the mobile device customer that tracks a number of renewals of the current prepaid service plan and the number of renewals of equivalent prepaid service plans provided by the telecommunications service provider; and   incrementing the renewal counter for the mobile device customer in response to occurrences of events associated with the renewals of the current prepaid service plan and events associated with renewals of equivalent prepaid service plans provided by the telecommunications service provider,   wherein a value of the renewal counter is the total number of renewals of the current prepaid service plan.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the number of qualified renewals is based on a level and type of the current prepaid service plan. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the number of qualified renewals is based on one or more biorgraphical attributes assigned to the mobile device customer. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the number of qualified renewals is based on attributes assigned to a group of customers of which the mobile device customer has been grouped. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the number of qualified renewals is based on historical renewal activities of the mobile device customer. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the number of squalified renewals is based on an analysis of renewal activities over a predetermined time period for all mobile device customers of the current prepaid service plan. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the predetermined amount of data is based on an analysis of renewal activities over a predetermined time period for all mobile device customers of the current prepaid service plan. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 identifying a historical time window within which the mobile device customer previously renewed the current prepaid service plan; and   causing a user interface of a mobile device associated with the mobile device customer to present information to the mobile device customer about the data reward in response to a subsequent renewal of the current prepaid service plan.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 identifying a historical time window within which mobile device customers of the current prepaid service plan previously renewed the current prepaid service plan; and   causing a user interface of a mobile device associated with the mobile device customer to present information to the mobile device customer about the data reward in response to a subsequent renewal of the current prepaid service plan.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 identifying a pattern of activities performed by the mobile device customer that are associated with a likely renewal of the current prepaid service plan; and   causing a user interface of a mobile device associated with the mobile device customer to present information to the mobile device customer about the data reward in response to a subsequent renewal of the current prepaid service plan.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein providing the determined data reward to the mobile device customer includes providing the determined data reward to the mobile device customer in a renewal period associated with the renewal of the current prepaid service plan. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein providing the determined data reward to the mobile device customer includes providing the determined data reward to the mobile device customer immediately after the occurrence of the event associated with the renewal of the current prepaid service plan. 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose contents, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for determining an amount of data to provide to a mobile device customer of a prepaid service plan in a future renewal period, the operations comprising:
 determining that the mobile device customer has performed a target number of renewals of a prepaid service plan under which telecommunication services are provided by a telecommunications carrier to a mobile device associated with the mobile device customer; and   updating a data bucket provided to the mobile device customer under the prepaid service plan with a reward amount of data that is based on the target number of renewals of the prepaid service plan performed by the mobile device customer.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19 , wherein determining that the mobile device customer has performed a target number of renewals of a prepaid service plan includes determining the mobile device customer has perform at least one renewal of the prepaid service plan after at least one non-renewal of the prepaid service plan.