Integrated pre-collections system

Abstract

A pre-collections system identifies debtors when they contact a company for a new purchase. A customer service representative (or other automated process) takes payment for the prior debt in real time. The pre-collections system is tightly integrated with an order processing system. Order processing system channels (web site, IVR, CSR, etc.) are enabled to redirect the customer debtor into a corresponding pre-collections system channel. Customers are routed back seamlessly in real time to the point in the order processing system where they left off. The customer is re-instated immediately when their payment is cleared. The system keeps track of blacklisted customers. Logic determines whether to resubmit an item, reclaim a product or service or to immediately collect upon the debt.

We claim:  
     
       1. A method of collecting a debt from a customer, said method comprising:
 receiving a customer communication in a transaction processing system outside of a debt collection context;  
 checking a customer database associated with said transaction processing system to determine if said customer is flagged as owing a debt;  
 routing said customer communication from outside of said debt collection context to a pre-collections module when it is determined that said customer is flagged as owing a debt;  
 interacting with said customer via said pre-collections module in an attempt to collect said debt, whereby debt collection from said customer is initiated outside of said debt collection context.  
 
     
     
       2. A method as recited in  claim 1  further comprising:
 collecting said debt from said customer;  
 reinstating said customer as being debt free; and  
 routing said customer communication from said pre-collections module back to said transaction processing system in real-time, whereby said customer continues said communication with said transaction processing system.  
 
     
     
       3. A method as recited in  claim 1  further comprising:
 automatically determining whether to collect said debt, reclaim a product or service associated with said debt, or resubmit a return item associated with said debt by reference to a collectible value, a resubmission value and a reclamation value.  
 
     
     
       4. A method to optimize debt collection within a computerized debt collection system, said method comprising:
 identifying a customer who owes a debt;  
 choosing demographic and transactional parameters associated with said customer and said debt;  
 calculating a predicted collection value indicating a value of collecting on said debt;  
 calculating a predicted resubmission value indicating a value of resubmitting a return item associated with said debt;  
 calculating a predicted reclamation value indicating a value of reclaiming a portion of a product or service associated with said debt, said steps of calculating being performed by a computer; and  
 choosing a course of action to address said debt of said customer based upon said predicted collection value, said predicted resubmission value and said predicted reclamation value.  
 
     
     
       5. A method as recited in  claim 4  wherein choosing a course of action includes reclaiming said portion of said product or service, resubmitting said debt for payment, or contacting said customer. 
     
     
       6. A method as recited in  claim 4  for the comprising:
 calculating said predicted collection value using an amount of the debt, a collection score and a cost to collect said debt.  
 
     
     
       7. A method as recited in  claim 4  further comprising:
 identifying a plurality of debts within said debt collection system;  
 performing resubmission or reclamation for a first subset of said plurality of debts;  
 determining a predicted collection value for each of said plurality of debts; and  
 determining an optimal second subset of said plurality of debts based upon said prediction collection value for each of said plurality of debts, said second subset not intersecting with said first subset.  
 
     
     
       8. A method as recited in  claim 4  wherein said portion is airtime minutes of a telephone plan, a dollar value of a prepaid card, or digital goods. 
     
     
       9. A method of collecting a debt from a customer, said method comprising:
 identifying said debt from said customer as being unpaid;  
 identifying said customer, an account or a payment device associated with said debt;  
 flagging in a database said customer, said account, a driver license number, an identification number or said payment device as being blacklisted;  
 receiving a customer communication in a transaction processing system outside of a debt collection context;  
 checking said database to determine if said customer, account, driver license number, identification number or payment device is flagged as being blacklisted; and  
 routing said customer communication from said transaction processing system to a customer service representative, whereby an attempt is initiated to collect said debt outside of a debt collection context.  
 
     
     
       10. A method as recited in  claim 9  further comprising:
 collecting said debt from said customer;  
 reinstating said customer as being debt free; and  
 routing said customer communication from said customer service representative back to said transaction processing system in real-time, whereby said customer continues said communication with said transaction processing system.  
 
     
     
       11. A method as recited in  claim 9  further comprising:
 receiving a returned payment item from a payment processor, said returned payment item indicating said debt from said customer as being unpaid, said step of receiving occurring before said first step of identifying.  
 
     
     
       12. A method as recited in  claim 9  further comprising:
 automatically determining whether to collect said debt, reclaim a product or service associated with said debt, or resubmit a return item associated with said debt by reference to a collectible value, a resubmission value and a reclamation value.