Personalized Interactive Network for Debt Management

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for personalizing interaction between an information/service/product provider using a debt management system that tracks data exchanged between users and the provider over multiple communication channels. User requests to an information/service/product provider can made via multiple different channels, such as by using ATMs, PDAs, cell phones, computers accessing web sites or other Web Devices, Voice Response Units (VRUs), and others. User requests submitted over these multiple channels are routed into an integrated debt management system that services these requests and selects personalized offers and/or personalized content and/or personalized format presentation to be provided to the users.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for personalizing interaction between a user and a provider, comprising:
 storing in at least one non-transitory computer memory, data and instructions pertaining to users including account information and information of products and services held by users;   accessing the at least one computer memory by a computer processor to execute the instructions and to perform steps including:
 providing an interface to a server-based debt management system for users to interact with a provider system over a plurality of different access communication channels; 
 receiving, at said server-based debt management system, a user request electronically transmitted over a specific access communication channel using a remote user access device; 
 accessing by said server-based debt management system, user profile data corresponding to the requesting user from a database containing user profile data for a plurality of different users besides said requesting user; 
 accessing, by said server-based debt management system user credit information corresponding to the requesting user; 
 accessing by said server-based debt management system, a rules based database for information on rules for providing one or more debt management offers to users; 
 determining, by said server-based debt management system, which of the said one or more debt management offers to present to the user over the channel based on user profile data, user credit information and information from the rules database, prior to the user receiving at least one offer selected from the said one or more debt management offers; and 
 transmitting the at least one selected offer from the server-based debt management system to the requesting user using electronic transmission. 
   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the user accepts the at least one selected offer and settles part or all of a debt. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the credit information comprises a credit report associated with the user. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the debt management system services multiple access channels accessed by two or more of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Voice Response Units (VRUs), emails, and Internet access using a web device or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or handset. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the content of the response is personalized by a personalization engine acquiring and providing content that is user-specific. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one selected offer transmitted to the user depends upon the specific access communication channel. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein specific users are enrolled in or subscribe to a plurality of event sources such that the incidence of an event acts as a trigger to have user-specific content delivered to a user as part of an offer. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one selected offer comprises an incentive to the user to settle all or part of the debt. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing an alternate offer that differs from the at least one selected offer. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , further comprising approving settlement of all or part of the debt based on predetermined settlement rules. 
     
     
         11 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the offer is personalized in content by providing user-specific content including information from event sources as a result of events triggering release of information for event sources the user is enrolled in or subscribed to. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the offer is personalized in format by a content manager that formats data to be delivered over a delivery communication channel specific to the user. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the offer is personalized in format by a knowledge management system that has access to a plurality of templates corresponding to different offers, each template having a plurality of different layouts, and each layout having zones that are mapped to particular functions or data. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13 , wherein the offer is personalized in format such that the knowledge management system delivers a plurality of different template-layout-zone combinations specific to the user's identity or profile. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising enabling the user to made a different offer than the at least one selected offer. 
     
     
         16 . A computer-based system for personalizing interaction between users and a provider in a multi-channel access provider system for accessing information of a plurality of products or services, comprising:
 at least one non-transitory computer memory storing data and instructions pertaining to users including account information and information of products and services held by users;   at least one computer processor accessing the data and instructions and executing instructions to perform steps including:
 providing an interface to a server-based debt management system for users to interact with a provider system over a plurality of different access communication channels; 
 receiving, at said server-based debt management system, a user request electronically transmitted over a specific access communication channel using a remote user access device; 
 accessing by said server-based debt management system, user profile data corresponding to the requesting user from a database containing user profile data for a plurality of different users besides said requesting user; 
 accessing, by said server-based debt management system user credit information corresponding to the requesting user; 
 accessing by said server-based debt management system, a rules based database for information on rules for providing one or more debt management offers to users; 
 determining, by said server-based debt management system, which of the said one or more debt management offers to present to the user over the channel based on user profile data, user credit information and information from the rules database, prior to the user receiving at least one offer selected from the said one or more debt management offers; and 
 transmitting the at least one selected offer from the server-based debt management system to the requesting user using electronic transmission. 
   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the user accepts the at least one selected offer and settles part or all of a debt. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the credit information comprises a credit report associated with the user. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the debt management system services multiple access channels accessed by two or more of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Voice Response Units (VRUs), emails, and Internet access using a web device or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or handset. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the content of the response is personalized by a personalization engine acquiring and providing content that is user-specific. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one selected offer transmitted to the user depends upon the specific access communication channel. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein specific users are enrolled in or subscribe to a plurality of event sources such that the incidence of an event acts as a trigger to have user-specific content delivered to a user as part of an offer. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one selected offer comprises an incentive to the user to settle all or part of the debt. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising providing an alternate offer that differs from the at least one selected offer. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising approving settlement of all or part of the debt based on predetermined settlement rules. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the offer is personalized in content by providing user-specific content including information from event sources as a result of events triggering release of information for event sources the user is enrolled in or subscribed to. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the offer is personalized in format by a content manager that formats data to be delivered over a delivery communication channel specific to the user. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the offer is personalized in format by a knowledge management system that has access to a plurality of templates corresponding to different offers, each template having a plurality of different layouts, and each layout having zones that are mapped to particular functions or data. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the offer is personalized in format such that the knowledge management system delivers a plurality of different template-layout-zone combinations specific to the user's identity or profile. 
     
     
         30 . A computer-implemented method for personalizing interaction between a user and a provider, comprising:
 storing in at least one non-transitory computer memory, data and instructions pertaining to users including account information and information of products and services held by users;   accessing the at least one computer memory by a computer processor to execute the instructions and to perform steps including:
 providing an interface to a server-based debt management system for users to interact with a provider system over a plurality of different access communication channels; 
 receiving, at said server-based debt management system, a user request electronically transmitted over a specific access communication channel using a remote user access device; 
 accessing by said server-based debt management system, user profile data corresponding to the requesting user from a database containing user profile data for a plurality of different users besides said requesting user; 
 accessing, by said server-based debt management system user credit information corresponding to the requesting user; 
 accessing by said server-based debt management system, a rules based database for information on rules for providing one or more debt management offers to users; 
 determining, by said server-based debt management system, which of the said one or more debt management offers to present to the user over the channel based on user profile data, user credit information and information from the rules database, prior to the user receiving at least one offer selected from the said one or more debt management offers; 
 transmitting the at least one selected offer from the server-based debt management system to the requesting user using electronic transmission; 
 processing the user response to the at least one selected offer; and 
 approving settlement of all or part of the debt based on the user response and predetermined settlement rules.