U.S. patent application number 12/713591 was filed with the patent office on 2010-09-02 for deal management in a customer relationship management environment.
This patent application is currently assigned to Oracle International Corporation. Invention is credited to Arun Abichandani, Kalyanpur Satish Baliga, Arvind Dangeti, Anamitra Debnath, Neha Dubey, David Andrew Fraser, Deepak Hazarika, Paul Lars Helgeson, Tarak Ishwarbhai Patel, Stanley Edward Quinn, Ranjani Rajasekaran, Rachel Alexander Scales, David Wayne Trice, William Thomas Turchin, Laurel Ann Turner.
Application Number | 20100223103 12/713591 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42667614 |
Filed Date | 2010-09-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100223103 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Patel; Tarak Ishwarbhai ; et
al. |
September 2, 2010 |
DEAL MANAGEMENT IN A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
ENVIRONMENT
Abstract
The present invention provides a method, system and
computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for
facilitating consistent application of price polices on every sales
transaction supported through a customer relationship management
system, in order to identify price exceptions in violation of
stated corporate pricing objectives. Having such capabilities
coupled with a customer relationship management system enables
embodiments of the present invention to reduce the time to identify
and evaluate price exceptions that impact revenue and margin.
Agents responsible for sales interaction with customers can
immediately identify violations of price policies. Those
responsible for authorizing exceptions can easily determine the
effect of those exceptions upon impacted markets.
Inventors: |
Patel; Tarak Ishwarbhai;
(Atlanta, GA) ; Abichandani; Arun; (Alameda,
CA) ; Turchin; William Thomas; (Atlanta, GA) ;
Hazarika; Deepak; (Vidyaranyapura, IN) ; Fraser;
David Andrew; (Decatur, GA) ; Helgeson; Paul
Lars; (Grand Rapids, MI) ; Debnath; Anamitra;
(Kodihalli, IN) ; Dubey; Neha; (Paharia, IN)
; Baliga; Kalyanpur Satish; (Brooklyn, NY) ;
Dangeti; Arvind; (Bangalore, IN) ; Quinn; Stanley
Edward; (Buford, GA) ; Turner; Laurel Ann;
(Sweet Home, OR) ; Scales; Rachel Alexander;
(Atlanta, GA) ; Trice; David Wayne; (Roswell,
GA) ; Rajasekaran; Ranjani; (Neyveli, IN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CAMPBELL STEPHENSON LLP
11401 CENTURY OAKS TERRACE, BLDG. H, SUITE 250
AUSTIN
TX
78758
US
|
Assignee: |
Oracle International
Corporation
Redwood Shores
CA
|
Family ID: |
42667614 |
Appl. No.: |
12/713591 |
Filed: |
February 26, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61156462 |
Feb 27, 2009 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.35 ;
705/400; 707/769; 707/802; 707/E17.014; 707/E17.044 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0206 20130101;
G06Q 30/02 20130101; G06Q 30/0241 20130101; G06Q 30/0283
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/10 ; 705/400;
707/802; 707/769; 707/E17.044; 707/E17.014 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/00 20060101
G06Q010/00; G06F 17/30 20060101 G06F017/30 |
Claims
1. A customer relationship management system comprising: an
opportunity management subsystem; a quote management subsystem; a
deal management subsystem; and a database comprising deal
management tables associated with the deal management subsystem and
configured to be accessed by each of the opportunity management
subsystem, the quote management subsystem and the deal management
subsystem.
2. The customer relationship management system of claim 1 wherein
the deal management tables comprise one or more guideline tables
defining pricing criteria and guideline plans.
3. The customer relationship management system of claim 2 wherein
the pricing criteria tables further comprise: pricing segment
definition tables; and pricing strategy tables.
4. The customer relationship management system of claim 2 wherein
the deal management subsystem is configured to: evaluate parameters
of a quote entered in the quote management subsystem, wherein said
evaluating uses data stored in the deal management tables, said
evaluating is performed as the quote is entered in the quote
management subsystem, and said evaluating is performed by
referencing customer-related information provided by the
opportunity management subsystem; and return results of said
evaluating to the quote management subsystem.
5. The customer relationship management system of claim 4 wherein
the parameters of the quote comprise one or more of each line item
comprising the quote and characteristics of the quote.
6. The customer relationship management system of claim 4 wherein
said evaluating the parameters comprises: comparing the prices of a
deal represented by the quote with limits of a pricing segment
associated with the quote customer.
7. The customer relationship management system of claim 4 wherein
the quote management subsystem is configured to display the results
of said evaluating to a user of the quote management subsystem,
wherein the display comprises a graphical indication of whether one
or more of the deal and a line item conforms to the guideline table
data.
8. The customer relationship management system of claim 1 wherein
the deal management subsystem comprises: a deal management
administrator subsystem configured to provide a workflow for input
of data to the deal management tables, wherein the workflow is
provided through one or more user interface displays.
9. A method comprising: comparing parameters for a line item of a
quote to a customer with a corresponding guideline term for a
customer segment comprising the customer, wherein said comparing is
performed by a customer relationship management (CRM) system
receiving the quote; determining whether the quote for the line
item conforms with the corresponding guideline term; and displaying
a result of said determining.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprising: selecting the
corresponding guideline term for the customer segment from one or
more database tables stored by the CRM system.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein said selecting the corresponding
guideline term for the customer segment comprises: selecting a
first subset of guideline terms stored by the CRM system, wherein
the first subset of guideline terms comprises all guideline terms
that correspond to a product of the item, the first subset of
guideline terms comprises all guideline terms that correspond to a
product line of the item, if no guideline terms stored by the CRM
system correspond to the product of the item, the first subset of
guideline terms comprises all guideline terms that correspond to a
product class of the item, if no guideline terms stored by the CRM
system correspond to either the product of the item or the product
line of the item; and selecting the corresponding guideline term
for the customer segment from the first subset of guideline
terms.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein said selecting the corresponding
guideline term for the customer segment from the first subset of
guideline terms comprises: selecting a second subset of guideline
terms from the first subset of guideline terms wherein the second
subset comprises one or more guideline terms having a start date
earlier than an effective date of the quote; and selecting a third
subset of guideline terms from the second subset of guideline terms
wherein the third subset comprises one or more guideline terms
matching a maximum set of parameters associated with the quote.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said selecting the corresponding
guideline term for the customer segment from the selected all
guideline terms further comprises: selecting the corresponding
guideline term for the customer segment to be a highest priority
guideline term from the third subset.
14. The method of claim 9 further comprising: comparing parameters
for the quote with a corresponding deal guideline term for a
customer segment comprising the customer; determining whether the
quote conforms with the corresponding deal guideline term; and
displaying a result of said determining whether the quote conforms
with the corresponding deal guideline term.
15. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions
executable by a processor of a customer relationship management
system, said instructions comprising: a first set of instructions
configured to compare parameters for a line item of a quote to a
customer with a corresponding guideline term for a customer segment
comprising the customer; a second set of instructions configured to
determine whether the quote for the line item conforms with the
corresponding guideline term; and a third set of instructions
configured to display a result of executing said second set of
instructions.
16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, said
instructions further comprising: a fourth set of instructions
configured to select the corresponding guideline term for the
customer segment from one or more database tables stored by the CRM
system.
17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein said
fourth set of instructions further comprises: a fifth set of
instructions configured to select a first subset of guideline terms
stored by the CRM system, wherein the first subset of guideline
terms comprises all guideline terms that correspond to a product of
the item the first subset of guideline terms comprises all
guideline terms that correspond to a product line of the item, if
no guideline terms stored by the CRM system correspond to the
product of the item, the first subset of guideline terms comprises
all guideline terms that correspond to a product class of the item,
if no guideline terms stored by the CRM system correspond to either
the product of the item or the product line of the item; and an
sixth set of instructions configured to select the corresponding
guideline term for the customer segment from the first subset of
guideline terms.
18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein said
sixth set of instructions further comprises: a seventh set of
instructions configured to select a second subset of guideline
terms from the first subset of guideline terms wherein the second
subset comprises one or more guideline terms having a start date
earlier than an effective date of the quote; and an eighth set of
instructions configured to select a third subset of guideline terms
from the second subset of guideline terms wherein the third subset
comprises one or more guideline terms matching a maximum set of
parameters associated with the quote.
19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein said
eighth set of instructions further comprises: a ninth set of
instructions configured to select the corresponding guideline term
for the customer segment to be a highest priority guideline term
from the third subset.
20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, said
instructions further comprising: a fourth set of instructions
configured to compare parameters for the quote with a corresponding
deal guideline term for a customer segment comprising the customer;
a fifth set of instructions configured to determine whether the
quote conforms with the corresponding deal guideline term; and a
sixth set of instructions configured to display a result of
executing said fifth set of instructions.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119 (e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/456,462 filed
Feb. 27, 2009, entitled "Deal Management in a Customer Relationship
Management Environment," and naming Tarak Ishwarbhai Patel, Arun
Abichandani, William Thomas Turchin, Deepak Hazarika, David Andrew
Fraser, Paul Lars Helgeson, Anamitra Debnath, Neha Dubey, Kalyanpur
Satish Baliga, Arvind Dangeti, Stanley Edward Quinn, Laurel Ann
Turner, Rachel Alexander Scales, and David Wayne Trice as
inventors. The above-referenced application is hereby incorporated
by reference herein in its entirety as if completely and fully set
forth herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to deal management in a
customer relationship management environment, and, more
particularly, providing decision support tools integrated into a
deal negotiation process to aid in achievement of profit and
revenue objectives.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Business entities interact with customers, potential
customers and other contacts through a wide variety of different
communication channels. Such communication channels include
face-to-face, telephone, fax, email, voicemail, wireless
communication, Internet sessions, and the like. With all these
various communication channels, business entities are faced with
managing each customer interaction while meeting service levels and
maximizing customer satisfaction. In addition, business entities
are faced with staffing and training a workforce to interact with
customers through these communication channels through, for
example, customer support centers, telebusiness organizations, or
sales, marketing and service professionals. Customer relationship
management (CRM) applications enable business entities to more
effectively sell to, market to, and serve their customers across
multiple channels in any industry.
[0004] In a competitive marketing environment, business entities
have historically strived to increase profits by reducing costs and
increasing sales volumes. But there is a limit to the effectiveness
of cost cutting initiatives to improve corporate revenues. Once
cost cutting initiatives have been in place, a business entity
tends to focus on improving pricing performance in order to
maximize profitability. One such focus relates to pricing
initiatives that can more fully capture value of a business
entity's product offerings to their customers. As a result, price
management solutions are desired by business entities in helping to
achieve profit and revenue objectives. Enabling an organization to
enhance margin and revenue by delivering value-driven prices to
value-conscious customers throughout the business entity, while
employing industry best practices is desirable.
[0005] A deal management solution that provides a mechanism for
creation of price policies and enforcement of those price policies
throughout a business entity is desired. Tying such a deal
management solution to a customer relationship management
environment will enable dissemination of price policies throughout
the business entity through the CRM environment. Thus, price
policies can be quickly instituted at every level impacted by the
CRM solution. Typical deal management solutions are not integrated
and therefore fail to provide real-time feedback at the quote
stage. Instead, such typical systems require separate data stores
and involve asynchronous updating of those separate data stores,
along with additional management overhead such as security and
database management. An integrated solution that eliminates this
separate and parallel management of resources is desired to reduce
resource expenditure of the business entity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention facilitates consistent application of
price polices on every sales transaction supported through a
customer relationship management system, in order to identify price
exceptions in violation of stated corporate pricing objectives.
Having such capabilities coupled with a customer relationship
management system enables embodiments of the present invention to
reduce the time to identify and evaluate price exceptions that
impact revenue and margin. Agents responsible for sales interaction
with customers can immediately identify violations of price
policies. Those responsible for authorizing exceptions can easily
determine the effect of those exceptions upon impacted markets.
[0007] Embodiments of the present invention provide a customer
relationship management system that includes an opportunity
management subsystem, a quote management subsystem, a deal
management subsystem, and a database storing deal management tables
associated with the deal management subsystem and accessible by the
other subsystems of the customer relationship management system. In
aspects of the above embodiments, the deal management tables
include one or more guideline tables that define pricing criteria
and guideline plans. In additional aspects of the above
embodiments, the pricing criteria tables can include pricing
segment definition tables and pricing strategy tables.
[0008] In a further aspect of the above embodiments, the deal
management subsystem evaluates parameters of a quote entered in the
quote management subsystem and returns results of the evaluation to
the quote management subsystem. The evaluation is performed on the
quote as the quote is entered and uses data stored in the deal
management tables. The data can include customer-related
information provided by the opportunity management subsystem. The
quote parameters include line items of the quote and
characteristics of the quote. In aspects of the above embodiment,
the evaluation includes comparing prices in the quote with limits
of a pricing segment associated with the quote customer.
[0009] The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity,
simplifications, generalizations and omission of detail;
consequently those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way
limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the
present invention, as defined solely by the claims, will become
apparent in the non-limiting detailed description set forth
below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The present invention may be better understood, and its
numerous objects, features and advantages made apparent to those
skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a customer
relationship management system architecture usable in conjunction
with embodiments of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a logical
configuration of a customer relationship management system 200,
incorporating embodiments of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating a process
for creating a pricing strategy, in accord with embodiments of the
present invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram illustrating one
example of a deal management data model usable to implement
embodiments of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates a user interface screen providing an
example of definitions of pricing segments with primary pricing
criteria.
[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates a user interface providing an example of
an association between customer accounts and pricing segments.
[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates a user interface providing an example of
guideline terms associated with one of a set of guideline
plans.
[0018] FIG. 8 illustrates a user interface displaying an example of
data that can be found in a pricing strategy table, in accord with
one embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 9A illustrates an example of a user interface that can
be provided by embodiments of the present invention and used to
enter a quote or order by a sales person.
[0020] FIG. 9B illustrates an example of a user interface that can
be provided by embodiments of the present invention to select an
appropriate deal management pricing strategy.
[0021] FIG. 9C illustrates an example of a user interface that can
be provided by embodiments of the present invention for entering
line items associated with a quote or order.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example
of a process that can be followed for entry and analysis of a
customer quote, in accord with embodiments of the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example
of a process for gathering item terms associated with a quote or
order, in accord with embodiments of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating a process
for selecting an appropriate deal guideline term to be associated
with a quote or order, in accord with embodiments of the present
invention.
[0025] FIG. 13 is a simplified block diagram of a computer system
suitable for implementing aspects of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 14 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a network
architecture suitable for implementing aspects of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The present invention provides a method, system and
computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for
facilitating consistent application of price polices on every sales
transaction supported through a customer relationship management
system, in order to identify price exceptions in violation of
stated corporate pricing objectives. Embodiments of the present
invention further enable analysis of an impact of a given price
exception against a relevant market segment to aid in identifying
revenue and margin impact. Embodiments of the present invention
also enable understanding of price erosion, discount effectiveness
and margin impact for price exceptions. Having such deal management
capabilities coupled with a customer relationship management system
enables embodiments of the present invention to reduce the time to
identify and evaluate price exceptions that impact revenue and
margin. Agents responsible for sales interaction with customers can
immediately identify violations of price policies. Those
responsible for authorizing exceptions can easily determine the
effect of those exceptions upon impacted markets.
[0028] An Example Architecture for Deal Management in a Customer
Relationship Management Environment
[0029] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a customer
relationship management architecture usable in conjunction with
embodiments of the present invention. The illustrated customer
relationship management environment includes an enterprise server
110 that is a logical grouping of one or more servers 120 that
support a group of clients (160,165) accessing a common database
130. An enterprise server can be configured, managed and monitored
as a single logical group, allowing an administrator to start,
stop, monitor or set parameters for servers 120 within enterprise
server 110. In such a configuration, parameters for the customer
relationship management system can be set at the enterprise server
level, and these parameters can apply to every server operating
within the enterprise server. In addition, other parameters can be
adjusted at a server (120) level to support fine tuning of those
parameters. In this hierarchical parameter context, if a parameter
is set at a server level, then the server-specific value for the
parameter can override an enterprise server-level setting for the
parameter. Further, parameter settings at a component level
(processes executed on servers 120) will override those set at the
server level.
[0030] Servers 120 can support back-end and interactive processes
for each client accessing the server. These processes are
illustrated as one or more components 125 within each server. A
server 120 can support, for example, multiprocess and multithreaded
components, and can operate components in background, batch, and
interactive modes. A server component can also operate on multiple
servers 120 simultaneously to support an increased number of users
or larger batched workloads. Examples of component processes
include, for example, mobile web client synchronization, operation
of business logic for web clients, connectivity and access to
database and file system for clients, integration with legacy or
third-party data (e.g., data not native to the CRM system),
automatic assignment of new accounts, opportunities, service
requests, and other records, and workflow management. Embodiments
of the deal management processes of the present invention can also
be implemented to execute on one or more of servers 120 as
components.
[0031] Servers 120 are coupled to a gateway server 150, illustrated
as part of enterprise server 110. Gateway server 150 can coordinate
the operations of enterprise server 110 and servers 120. A gateway
server can provide persistent storage of enterprise server
configuration information, including, for example, definitions and
assignments of component groups and components, operational
parameters, and connectivity information. A gateway server can also
serve as a registry for server and component availability
information. For example, a server 120 within enterprise server 110
can notify gateway server 150 of availability. Connectivity
information such as network addresses can be stored in a storage
accessed by gateway server 150. If a server 120 shuts down or
otherwise becomes unavailable, connectivity information related to
that server can be cleared from gateway server 150.
[0032] Through their relationship in enterprise server 110, servers
120 and their components 125 can access one or more databases 130
and/or file systems 140. Database 130 can store, for example, RDBMS
client software and tables, indexes, and data related to all
operations impacted by the CRM system. Database information can
include, for example, customer information, market data, historical
pricing information, current pricing information, contact
information, and the like. Similarly, file system 140 can store
data and physical files used by clients 160 and 165 and enterprise
server 110. File system 140 can be a shared directory, or set of
directories on different devices, which is network-accessible to
all servers 120 in enterprise server 110. In order for a client to
gain access to files in file system 140, a client can connect to an
appropriate server 120 to request file uploads or downloads. Server
120 can then access file system 140 using, for example, a file
system management component.
[0033] As stated above, embodiments of the deal management
processes of the present invention can be implemented to execute as
components on one or more of servers 120, accessing database 130 to
store and retrieve data. An alternative embodiment provides a
separate server accessible by the same or different web server. The
separate server can provide access to database 120, and thereby
providing access to deal management information to other component
processes through enterprise server 110.
[0034] Clients 160 and 165 provide access to enterprise server 110
for agents using the customer relationship management system.
Clients communicate to enterprise server 110 through gateway server
150 either directly (e.g., client 160) or via a web server 170
(e.g., clients 165). A web server 170 can provide a mechanism by
which enterprise server 110 can respond to web-based requests
(e.g., HTML, XML, and the like). Web clients 165 can include
clients coupled to web server 170 via a local area network,
metro-area network or wide area network and propagated over a
variety of communications media, as discussed above. Further, web
clients 165 can include mobile clients accessing web server 170
through wireless communications means. Users of clients 160 and web
clients 165 can include, for example, sales agents, service agents,
customer representatives, managers of the business entity using the
CRM, and the like. Users have access to all information accessible
to enterprise server 110 in database 130, as controlled by a user's
secured access rights.
[0035] Specifically, users of embodiments of the present invention
include, for example, price administrators who create pricing
strategies that can influence price negotiation processes, sales
representatives who can select a pricing strategy previously
provided by a price administrator that satisfies an account and
conditional-deal specific designations and who can quote and
negotiate a quote with an entity corresponding to the account, and
price approvers who review price exceptions generated during the
deal process and detected and displayed by embodiments of the
present invention.
[0036] FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a logical
configuration of a customer relationship management system 200
incorporating embodiments of the present invention. As discussed
above, embodiments of customer relationship management system 200
can be implemented by enterprise server 110 described in FIG. 1.
Customer relationship management system 200 is illustrated as
including subsystems that provide functionality for opportunity
management (210), quote management (220), and deal management
(230). Customer relationship management system 200, including all
integrated subsystems, can access and store data in a customer
relationship management database 240, corresponding to one or more
of database 130 and file system 140. It should be noted that
although FIG. 2 illustrates the customer relationship management
system as including the three subsystems discussed above,
additional subsystems providing additional functionality can also
be incorporated in the customer relationship management system.
Further, the described capabilities of the subsystems can be
combined into one or the other of the individual subsystems. Each
subsystem of the customer relationship management system can be
implemented as one or more components 125, as discussed above with
regard to FIG. 1.
[0037] Opportunity management subsystem 210 provides a user of
customer relationship management system 200 a mechanism for
entering and accessing information related to a customer
opportunity. The opportunity management subsystem can provide, for
example, user interface screens that lead a user through a workflow
allowing input of all data necessary to identify a customer and the
nature of an opportunity associated with that customer. In
addition, the opportunity management subsystem can provide a user
with the opportunity to associate the customer related to the
opportunity with similar customers serviced by the entity using the
customer relationship management system. As will be discussed in
greater detail below, associating a customer with such a segment of
the customer population of the entity can aid in analyzing deals
for particular items in light of similarly situated customers. A
user interface associated with the opportunity management subsystem
can provide, for example, access to pre-defined segment descriptors
to be associated with a customer (e.g., through the use of
drop-down menus). These pre-defined customer segments can be
created and maintained, for example, by an administrative subsystem
of deal management subsystem 230, as will be discussed in greater
detail below. Tables and other data associated with customer
segments are stored in customer relationship management database
240 and are accessible by each subsystem of customer relationship
management system 200.
[0038] Quote management subsystem 220 can provide a mechanism by
which a user (e.g., a sales representative) can enter parameters of
a proposed quote for a customer. In addition, quote management
subsystem 220 can provide real-time analysis of the proposed quote
parameters in light of information associated with the customer
segment associated with the customer, showing whether the proposed
quote is acceptable in light of those customer parameters. For
example, a customer segment can have an acceptable range of prices
for a particular product represented as a line item in a quote. If
the proposed quote parameters (e.g., a discount) result in a quoted
price for a line item outside the acceptable range for the customer
segment, the quote management subsystem can flag that line item. In
addition, an overall analysis of the quote itself, encompassing all
the line items, can also be performed and result in a flag.
Embodiments of the quote management subsystem can also provide for
a user to select a pricing segment for the customer based upon
whether there are multiple pricing segments associated with the
customer segment. In order to perform such real-time analysis of
proposed quotes, quote management subsystem 220 has access to
tables created by deal management subsystem 230 stored in customer
relationship management database 240. These tables include
relationships between a customer and customer segments and further
details related to those customer segments, as will be discussed
more fully below.
[0039] Deal management subsystem 230 can provide for maintaining
and administrating various tables and data associated with deal
management stored in customer relationship management database 240.
These tables and data can include definitions of customer segments,
pricing guidelines and terms associated with such guidelines, and
pricing strategy. In addition, deal management subsystem 230 can
provide a mechanism for pricing administrators to review, authorize
and modify proposed quotes falling outside of a pricing strategy
associated with a customer's segment. Deal management subsystem 230
can provide this functionality through, for example, a workbench
utility displaying information such as pricing waterfalls,
comparison quotes, and the like. Deal management subsystem 230 can
provide such functionality through access to not only deal
management data stored in customer relationship management database
240, but also by accessing opportunity and quote information stored
in database tables by opportunity management subsystem 210 and
quote management subsystem 220. Integration of the data from all
the customer relationship management system subsystems in customer
relationship management database 240 enables, in part, the
real-time analysis provided by embodiments of the present
invention.
[0040] Creating Pricing Strategies
[0041] Pricing strategies are pricing policies for a business
entity. Pricing strategies influence price negotiation processes
conducted by sales representatives and can determine the latitude
for action that a sales representative has when negotiating prices
for a quote or order. Should a sales representative enter a
negotiated price that is lower than or equal to a price associated
with a pricing strategy, a price exception will result. To create a
pricing strategy, price administrators first create the pricing
strategy elements, such as pricing criteria, pricing segments,
guideline plans, and price lists, and then use these elements to
define a pricing strategy. Embodiments of the present invention
enable a pricing administrator to create, configure and define a
pricing strategy using all these elements.
[0042] FIG. 3 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating a process
for creating a pricing strategy, in accord with embodiments of the
present invention (e.g., using deal management subsystem 230). As
an initial step, price administrators create a pricing criterion
that represents characteristics of a customer or a deal (310).
Pricing criteria are key factors in determining pricing strategy
for a business entity. Values for the pricing criteria are used in
the subsequent steps related to defining pricing segments and
pricing strategy. Embodiments of the present invention can use, for
example, two categories to define pricing criteria: primary and
conditional-deal specific. A primary category can represent
characteristics of a customer account, including, for example,
customer value, pricing criteria industry, geography, channel
(e.g., consumer, distributor, OEM, retailer, systems integrator),
and cost-to-service (e.g., the cost to service the customer
account). A conditional-deal specific criteria can represent the
characteristics of a deal, which can be used to define pricing
strategies. Examples of conditional-deal specific criteria include,
for example, deal type (e.g., quote and order) and competitor.
Embodiments of the present invention can provide an interface by
which a pricing administrator can review currently entered pricing
criteria and to create new criteria, as appropriate. New criteria
can then be stored in an appropriate database table.
[0043] Once a pricing criterion has been created, embodiments of
the present invention can then enable a pricing administrator to
configure the pricing criterion (320). Embodiments of the present
invention provide a pricing administrator tools by which tables
stored in CRM database 240 (discussed below) can be modified to
reflect new primary criteria and conditional-deal specific criteria
associated with the pricing criterion.
[0044] Embodiments of the present invention further provide a
mechanism for defining a pricing segment (330) which represents
groups of customer accounts. Such groups can be based upon common
buying and purchasing behavior of customers in the group.
Therefore, similar pricing policies can apply to customer accounts
in a pricing segment. Pricing segment definitions designate a
unique set of customer accounts. Pricing segments can be defined by
selecting an available value for each of the primary criteria.
Embodiments of the present invention enable such defining of a
pricing segment by enabling a pricing administrator to name a
pricing segment and to select a value for each of the primary
criterion fields and then storing that information in database 130.
As new customer opportunities are added to the customer
relationship management system (e.g., using opportunity management
subsystem 210), the customer can be associated with an appropriate
pricing segment. This customer-segment association can be made by
the person originating the opportunity, a sales administrator, or
deal management administrator, as appropriate in light of the
security needs of the system and business needs of the entity.
[0045] Guideline plans determine pricing adjustments that sales
representatives are allowed to negotiate when creating quotes and
orders. Pricing for a guideline plan can apply to a line item in a
quote, to a line item in an order, or to the entire quote or order
(e.g., a deal). Embodiments of the present invention enable a
pricing administrator to create a guideline plan when creating a
pricing strategy (340). Embodiments of the present invention can
provide for a pricing administrator selecting a type of guideline
plan (e.g., product type or deal type), a sequence number for the
line item term, a role of a user who can negotiate pricing for a
quote and order, a geographic area for a customer account on a
quote or order (restricting areas in which the guideline plan is
effective), constraints, products, product lines, product classes,
and date restrictions for line item type guideline plans. For
deal-type guideline plans, terms can include, for example, the role
of a user who can negotiate pricing for a quote and order,
geographic territory restrictions, constraints, date restrictions,
minimum and maximum deal values and a percentage associated with a
deal value. Guideline plan terms can also relate to a list of
adjustments used to calculate the final price for a quote or an
order line item (e.g., a waterfall). These waterfall adjustments
can consist of adjustments that the pricing engine calculates and
adjustments that the sales representative enters. Waterfall
segments can include, a ceiling (highest published price for a
quote, order, or line item), segment (price that a company offers
to customers in a pricing segment for a quote, order, or line
item), invoice (price that the customer pays for a quote, order, or
line item calculated by subtracting negotiated discounts, volume
discounts, and other on-invoice discounts from the segment price),
pocket price (final price that a company realizes for a quote,
order, or line item calculated by subtracting off-invoice
adjustments from the invoice price), and pocket margin (price
associated with the profit that the company realizes for a quote,
order, or line item calculated by subtracting the cost from the
pocket price).
[0046] Finally a pricing strategy can be defined (350) using the
pricing strategy elements of pricing criteria, pricing segments,
guideline plans and price lists. Embodiments of the present
invention provide a mechanism by which a pricing administrator can
select the criterion, pricing segments, guideline plans, and price
lists for the pricing strategy that are then stored by database
130.
[0047] Once the pricing strategies have been entered using
embodiments of the present invention, embodiments of the present
invention further allow the business entity to define and
administer pricing strategies in a single location allowing for
dissemination of these pricing strategies throughout the CRM
environment. Embodiments of the present invention reduce the need
to integrate data across disparate systems and allow for a
consistent user experience. A business entity can define and
administer price policies, price lists, product/service offerings,
and sales workflow inclusive of pricing approval within the same
solution.
[0048] Deal Management Data Model
[0049] Embodiments of the present invention provide for a customer
relationship management system having a set of deal management data
tables and storage that is integrated with tables and storage used
by other CRM subsystems. In this manner, not only can each
subsystem of the customer relationship management system access
deal management data, but also user security and other management
tasks can be centralized and coordinated within the CRM system.
[0050] FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram illustrating one
example of a deal management data model usable by embodiments of
the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates not only connectivity of
the various deal management tables, including foreign keys from one
table to another, but also an example relationship between the deal
management tables and non-deal management tables (as illustrated by
hatched shading on the table names (e.g., S_PARTY, S_DOC_QUOTE, and
S_QUOTE_ITEM)).
[0051] As discussed above, tables provided by a deal management
subsystem 230 define elements of pricing strategies that influence
price negotiation processes. Elements of such pricing strategies
include pricing criteria, pricing segments, guideline terms and
guideline plans. Tables illustrated in FIG. 4 provide storage and
relationships between that storage for the pricing strategy
elements. It should be understood that embodiments of the present
invention are not limited to the tables, relationships, or the data
definitions illustrated in FIG. 4 and that these tables are
provided for illustrative purposes. Data stored in the deal
management tables can be provided, as discussed above, by a pricing
administrator and is intended to be consistent across an enterprise
as disseminated by the customer relationship management system.
[0052] As discussed above, in order to apply consistent pricing for
customers having similar characteristics, a pricing segment can be
created that associates desired characteristics with a segment that
can then be associated with a group of customers having those
characteristics. Primary pricing criteria aid in the definition of
pricing segments. As illustrated in FIG. 4, S_PRICESEGDEF table 410
stores these primary pricing criteria as tabular columns. Each row
of S_PRICESEGDEF 410 is a defined segment. A deal management system
can have several pre-defined pricing criteria that are commonly
used by business entities (e.g., industry type and geography) and
can also provide for customization of primary pricing criteria
through the addition of columns to table S_PRICESEGDEF 410.
[0053] FIG. 5 illustrates a user interface screen providing an
example of definitions of pricing segments (listed as rows) with
primary pricing criteria (illustrated as columns) FIG. 5
illustrates pricing criteria including "Industry," "Customer
Value," "Geography," "Channel," and Cost-to-Serve ("CTS"). The
various pricing segments (listed under "Name") are defined by
various values of the listed pricing criteria. For example, the
pricing segment "Distributors-Tier Two" is defined by having a
customer value of "high" and a channel type of "distributor." As
another example, the pricing segment "Strategics-Commercial" is
defined by an industry type of "commercial," a customer value of
"very high," a channel type of "direct," and a cost-to-serve of
"low."
[0054] Once the pricing segments have been defined in table
S_PRICESEGDEF 410, those pricing segments can then be associated
with customers that are either already stored in the customer
relationship management system or those who are subsequently
introduced into the customer relationship management system (e.g.,
via an opportunity management subsystem 210). Information relating
customers with segment types is provided in table S_ORG_EXT_DM 415.
Table S_PARTY 417 can provide the customer list used by all
subsystems of the customer relationship management system.
[0055] FIG. 6 illustrates a user interface providing an example of
an association between customer accounts and pricing segments.
Columns 610, 615, 620, 630 and 640 correspond to similarly
identified columns from FIG. 5 (e.g., Geography, Channel, Customer
Value, CTS, and Industry). These are the identified pricing
segments. In addition, identifiers are associated with the various
accounts defined in the customer relationship management system.
Accounts (listed under "Name") can be associated with a pricing
segment (listed under "Segment Name"). Accounts can be associated
within the customer relationship management system with other
accounts in a parent-child relationship, as indicated by the
"Parent Account" column in FIG. 6. Child accounts can have their
own segment identification or can inherit their parent's segment
association, as indicated in FIG. 6 by a checkmark in the "deal
negotiation eligible" column. Thus, a child account can be defined
to have different deal negotiation characteristics as defined by a
different associated price segment.
[0056] In addition to providing pricing segments to associate
various customers with one another for similar treatment, a deal
management subsystem can also provide for guideline plans that
determine pricing adjustments sales representatives are allowed to
negotiate when creating quotes and orders. These guideline plans
can apply to line items in a quote or to an entire quote or order.
Data associated with such guideline plans can also be stored in
deal management tables illustrated in FIG. 4. Table S_DM_GLTERM 420
can store the guideline terms associated with each guideline plan.
Those terms can then be associated with a defined plan in Table
S_DM_GLPLAN 425.
[0057] FIG. 7 illustrates a user interface providing an example of
guideline terms 710 associated with one of a set of guideline plans
720 ("line item GLPLAN II"). The information illustrated in section
710 of FIG. 7 is provided from a guideline term table (e.g., table
S_DM_GLTERM 420). The columns represent fields associated with, in
this case, a line item guideline plan. The following table provides
an example of fields that can be used to define a guideline
term.
TABLE-US-00001 Field Description Role The role of the user who can
negotiate pricing for a quote and order. If no value is selected,
the pricing term for the line item applies to all users. Territory
The geographic area for the customer account on the quote or order.
The values selectable for this field are the same as those selected
for the region field in the S_PRICESEGDEF Table. If no value is
selected, the pricing term for the line item applies to all
territories. Constraint Type The nature of a price exception for
the pricing term: Constraining: a sales representative will see a
red square in a guideline field after entering a price for a quote
or order that is lower than or equal to the minimum price
associated with the pricing term for the line item. Recommended:
sales representative sees a yellow square in the guideline field
after entering a price break quote or an order that is lower than
or equal to the minimum price associated with the pricing term for
the line item. In the quote management subsystem, if a quote line
item is flagged red, the sales representative cannot convert the
quote to an order until a price approver handles the price
exception. A red flag indicates that the sales representative
violated a pricing policy. A yellow flag is a cautionary indicator
and does not prevent the sales representative from further
processing the quote or order. Product The product for the pricing
term. If no product value is selected, the pricing term for the
line item applies to all products. Product Line The product line
for the product. If no value is selected, the pricing term for the
line item applies to all product lines. Product Class The product
class for the product. If no value is selected, the pricing term
for the line item applies to all product classes. Reference
Waterfall The waterfall segment to which the pricing term applies.
The price that is Segment associated with the pricing term for this
waterfall segment is compared to the price for the impacted
waterfall segment on a quote or an order. If the price that is
associated with the pricing term for this waterfall segment is
higher than or equal to the price for the impacted waterfall
segment, a price exception results. Values in this field can
include ceiling and segment. When a price administrator configures
waterfall segments, the price administrator can configure other
values. Impacted Waterfall The price on this waterfall segment on a
quote or an order price is compared Segment to the price that is
associated with the pricing term for the reference waterfall
segment. Values for this field can include invoice, pocket, and
pocket margin. When a price administrator configures waterfall
segments, the price administrator can configure other values. Start
Date The date and time the pricing term begins. End Date The date
and time the pricing term ends. Adjustment Type The nature of the
adjustment for the pricing term. Values include percent discount
and price override. Term The value that is associated with the
adjustment. For example, for a percent discount adjustment type,
term will be the percentage of the percent discount.
[0058] Section 710 of FIG. 7 illustrates values that can be
associated with a product type guideline plan. As discussed above,
guideline plans can also include deal-type guideline plans wherein
the guideline plan is associated with the entirety of a deal rather
than just an individual product within the deal. Deal type
guideline plans can include many fields similar to those described
above with regard to product-type guideline plans. In addition,
deal-type guideline plans can include a lowest value in a deal
value range ("deal min") and a highest value in the deal value
range ("deal max"). A term can be provided that is a percentage
associated with the deal value range. As discussed above, table
S_DM_GLPLAN 425 can include associations of various guideline terms
for a plan. Various plans are listed in section 720 of FIG. 7.
[0059] Once pricing strategy elements such as pricing criteria,
pricing segments, line item guideline plans, deal guideline plans
and price lists have been created, as discussed above, or defined
elsewhere within a customer relationship management system (as in
the case of price lists), those pricing strategy elements can be
used to define a pricing strategy. Table S_DM_STRATEGY 430 can
contain the relationships between the various pricing strategy
elements that define the pricing strategies of the enterprise.
[0060] FIG. 8 illustrates a user interface displaying an example of
data that can be found in table S_DM_STRATEGY 430. As shown in FIG.
8, several defined strategies are listed under a variety of
strategy names (e.g., "Improve Margin Strategics-Commercial,"
"Harvest Strategics-Commercial," and "Share Protect
Strategics-Retail"). Some of the fields illustrated in the pricing
strategy definition view of FIG. 8 are defined by the following
table.
TABLE-US-00002 Field Description Active If this field is checked
for a pricing strategy, sales representatives can select that
strategy when creating quotes and orders. A deal management
administrator cannot change the data in the fields for that
strategy once the strategy is active. Revision This is the version
number that is populated automatically for the defined pricing
strategy. Newly defined pricing strategies are populated with a
version number of 1. The first pricing strategy created by revising
a pre- existing pricing strategy is populated with a version number
of 2. Subsequent pricing strategies that can be created by revising
pre-existing strategies can be populated with a version number of
3, 4, and so on. Segment Name The name of the pricing segment for
the pricing strategy. Start Date The date and time the pricing
strategy begins. End Date The date and time the pricing strategy
ends. Price List Name The identifying name of a price list for the
pricing strategy. If this price list contains ceiling prices, this
list designates ceiling prices. If this price list does not contain
ceiling prices, this list designates segment prices. Deal Guideline
The name of the deal guideline plan for the pricing strategy. Name
Product Guideline The name of the line item guideline plan for the
pricing strategy. Name
[0061] As illustrated in FIG. 8, additional fields can be defined
and used in a pricing strategy definition table including, for
example, associating a particular strategy definition with a
particular type of deal (e.g., quote or order) and associating a
strategy with a named competitor of the enterprise. As with other
tables described herein, embodiments of the present invention are
not limited to tables including the terms or items illustrated, but
instead the tables are provided as examples of types of values and
their interrelationships.
[0062] The deal management data model illustrated in FIG. 4 also
provides for tables that define those fields which are displayed to
a user when generating a quote or order, for example. For example,
if additional pricing segments or pricing strategies are added, the
ability to provide those segments or strategies to a user
generating a quote or order can be provided by modifying Tables
S_DOC_QUOTE_DM 440 and S_ORDER_DM 450 for a quote or order,
respectively. Similarly, Tables S_QUOTE_ITEM_DM 445 and
S_ORDER_ITEM_DM 455 define those fields that can be displayed for
individual line items within a quote or an order, respectively.
[0063] Price Enforcement
[0064] One advantage embodiments of the present invention exhibit
by combining a deal management data model, such as described above,
with a data model already present in a CRM system (e.g., 200) is
that analysis of a quote or order can be provided to a sales
representative as the sales representative is entering criteria
related to the quote or order. In this manner, price enforcement in
line with pricing criteria can be provided throughout an
enterprise, as defined by pricing administrators. In addition,
should a quote or order stray from a defined pricing strategy
associated with a customer, that quote or order can be flagged for
follow up by a price approver who can review those price exceptions
and provide feedback to the sales representative or customer
regarding the pricing exception.
[0065] Price enforcement analysis begins with entry of a quote or
order by the sales representative. An assumption is made that a
particular customer has already been defined within an opportunity
management subsystem 210 and information related to that customer
is available to the sales representative.
[0066] FIG. 9A illustrates an example of a user interface that can
be provided by embodiments of the present invention and used to
enter a quote or order by a sales person. The view illustrated by
FIG. 9A is a quote header showing information such as an account
name (e.g., "Marriott International") a name of the quote (e.g.,
"751A-62HMC") and a quote number. Much of the information displayed
in the quote header of FIG. 9A is the same as would normally be
displayed by a customer relationship management system during the
quote phase. In addition, as defined by tables such as
S_DOC_QUOTE_DM 440, other fields such as "pricing segment" and
"strategy" are provided. In the example provided by FIG. 9A,
pricing segment field 910 shows that the account "Marriott
International" is associated with pricing segment
"Strategics-Commercial." Such an association can be made by a deal
management administrator when defining the various accounts in the
account pricing segment profile illustrated in FIG. 6, for example.
In general, a sales representative handling entry of a quote or
order would not be able to change the pricing segment provided in
field 910.
[0067] FIG. 9B illustrates an example of a user interface that can
be provided by embodiments of the present invention to select an
appropriate deal management pricing strategy. As discussed above,
pricing segments and pricing lists can be associated with more than
one pricing strategy. By selecting the "Strategy" field 920 of FIG.
9A, an applet can be activated which displays those pricing
strategies available for the order being entered. A sales
representative can use a variety of criteria associated with the
customer and the nature of the deal (e.g., whether a competitor is
involved) in selecting an appropriate deal strategy.
[0068] FIG. 9C illustrates an example of a user interface that can
be provided by embodiments of the present invention to a sales
person for entering line items associated with a quote or order.
Once a pricing strategy has been selected for a particular deal or
order, the sales person can enter the line items associated with
the deal or order. As shown in FIG. 9C, for each entered line item,
information related to that item can be displayed. In the example
provided by FIG. 9C, waterfall price point information is displayed
for each item. For example, ceiling price (e.g., the highest
published price), segment price (e.g., a starting price offered to
customers in the pricing segment), invoice price (e.g., a price
minus all discounts on invoice), pocket price (e.g., invoice price
minus off-invoice adjustments), and pocket margin (e.g., realized
profit of the enterprise for the particular line item) are
displayed.
[0069] In addition to the information related to the customer and
pricing strategy and the various line items, the user interface
display illustrated by FIG. 9C includes a guideline indicator
("GL") that graphically flags whether the invoice price for the
item is within the discounting policy set up in the deal management
subsystem. The guideline indicator provides the sales
representative immediate feedback as to whether the parameters
proposed for the deal are acceptable in light of the defined
pricing strategies associated with the deal.
[0070] FIG. 10 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example
of a process that can be followed for entry and analysis of a
customer quote, in accord with embodiments of the present
invention. In response to a request to provide a quote, a sales
representative can create a quote (1010). As discussed above, the
sales representative can use an interface such as that provided in
FIG. 9A to perform quote creation. Quote creation can involve
associating an account with the quote (1015). By such account
association, the pricing segment previously associated with the
account will automatically be associated with the quote. The
automatically associated Pricing Segment can be displayed, for
example, in the quote header in a pricing segment field 910. The
sales representative can then pick a strategy from the available
strategies for the pricing segment and the customer in light of
pricing lists and the like (1020).
[0071] As illustrated in FIG. 9C, the sales representative can then
add line items to the quote for the various items desired by the
customer (1025). To the extent that additional discounts are
proposed during the course of negotiating the quote, the sales
representative can add those discounts to the various line items
listed (1030). At this point, the quote management subsystem,
through interaction with the deal management subsystem, can gather
all item and deal pricing terms associated with the quote or order
based on the selected pricing strategy (1035).
[0072] FIG. 11 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an example
of a process for gathering item terms associated with a quote or
order, in accord with embodiments of the present invention. As
discussed above with regard to steps 1010-1030, the various
parameters for the quote or order can be input (1110). A process
then begins to review each line item in the quote or order (1115).
A determination can then be made as to whether any product terms
defined in table S_DM_GLTERM 420 have a product that is the same as
an item product (1120). If this is the case, then all product terms
having a same product as that of the item are selected (1125). If
no product term has a product equal to the product of the item,
then a determination is made as to whether any product terms have a
product line equal to the item's product line (1130). If so, then
all terms having the same product line as that of the item are
selected (1135). If no product terms have a matching product line
as that of the item, then a determination is made as to whether any
product terms have a product class equal to that of the item's
product class (1140). If so, then all terms having the same product
class as that of the item are selected (1145). If no product term
has a product class equal to the product class of the item, then a
determination is made as to whether the item being analyzed is the
last item of the quote or order (1150). If the present item is not
the last item then the process returns to selecting the next line
item for analysis (1115) and the process continues until the last
item has been analyzed. If the present item is the last item, then
the process can continue to selecting an appropriate deal term
associated with the order, as will be discussed more fully with
regard to FIG. 12 (1157).
[0073] Since more than one pricing term can be selected for a
particular item, a process for selecting the best term to use in
determining whether a quoted price is in alignment with a pricing
strategy is used. The selection process can begin, for example, by
making a determination as to whether the pricing term has a start
date prior to the effective date of the quote or order (1155). If
there is no pricing term with a start date before the effective
date, then the process can determine whether or not this is the
last item in the list (1150) and return to selecting a next line
item for analysis or to go to a deal term selection logic
illustrated in FIG. 12 (1157). If there are terms having a start
date prior to the effective date, those items are selected for
further analysis, then a determination can be made as to whether a
defined role associated with those terms is the same as that
associated with the quote or order (1160). The role, as discussed
above, is associated with the user who is performing the entry or
analysis of the quote or order. If there are no pricing terms
having the same role as that of the user who is performing the
analysis, then a determination can be made, for example, as to
whether a pricing term having an appropriate effective date also
has the same territory as that of the quote or order (1165). The
territory can relate to the geographic limitations of particular
pricing terms, for example. If there is no pricing term having a
matching territory (or role), then terms can be selected having
just the start date before the effective date (1170). If there are
terms having a territory the same as that associated with the quote
or order, then those terms having the matching territory as well as
the start date before the effective date of the quote or order can
be selected (1175).
[0074] If there are selected pricing terms having a role the same
as that of the person performing the analysis as well as an
appropriate effective date (1160), then a determination can be made
as to whether there are also selected pricing terms having a role
and territory the same as the quote or order (1180). If not, then a
selection can be made of terms having a matching role along with a
start date prior to the effective date (1185). If there are terms
having a role and territory the same as those associated with the
quote or order along with a start date prior to the effective date,
then a selection can be made of those matching terms (1190).
[0075] Once this analysis of a matching of term parameters has been
made, there may still be more than one term selected for a
particular line item. In this case, a determination can be made of
relative prioritization of guideline terms that has been
predetermined by the deal management administrator when entering
those guideline terms. This can be performed by a deal management
administrator, for example, by having a sequence number associated
with guideline terms and those terms with higher priority having a
lower sequence number. Thus, selection of an appropriate guideline
term in an event of more than one guideline term being available
can be made by choosing the guideline term with the lowest sequence
number or highest priority.
[0076] The above describes an example of criteria that can be used
to select a particular guideline pricing term for a line item in a
quote. Depending upon the nature of defined guideline pricing terms
for an enterprise, different criteria can be used to select an
appropriate guideline term from among many guideline terms
available for a particular line item. Once a pricing term has been
selected for a line item, that selected term identifier can be
stored for use in analysis that will follow for that line item. A
determination can also be made as to whether this is the last line
item to be analyzed (1150), and if not then a selection can be made
of the next line item and the process can continue for that line
item (1115). If the last line item has been analyzed, then the
process can continue to selection of an appropriate deal term to be
associated with the order or quote (1157).
[0077] FIG. 12 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating a process
for selecting an appropriate deal guideline term to be associated
with a quote or order, in accord with embodiments of the present
invention. FIG. 12 continues the process started by FIG. 11 and is
entered from step 1157 (1210). A determination can be made as to
whether a deal guideline term has a term value range that includes
a deal value of the quote or order (1215). If there is no such deal
term then there is no deal term applicable (1220) and the process
can continue to step 1040 of FIG. 10 as will be described below
(1275). If a deal term having a term value range including a deal
value of the quote or order does exist, then the process can select
deal guideline terms with a term value range including the deal
value of the quote or order (1225).
[0078] Since there can be more than one deal guideline term
matching the above criteria, as discussed above with regard to line
item guideline terms, a selection process can be performed for
determining an appropriate deal term. For example, a determination
can be made as to whether a deal term has a start date prior to the
effective date of the quote or order (1230). If there is no such
deal term then there are no deal terms applicable to the current
deal (1220) and the process can continue by returning to the flow
of FIG. 10 (1275).
[0079] If a deal term has a start date prior to the effective date,
then a determination can be made as to whether a role associated
with the deal term is the same as that of the person performing the
analysis of the quote or order (1235). If not, then a determination
can be made as to whether a deal term has an associated territory
the same as that associated with the quote or order (1240). If not,
then the process can select those deal terms just having a start
date prior to the effective date of the deal or order (1245). If
there are deal terms having the same territory as that of the quote
or order as well as a start date prior to the effective date of the
quote or order (1240), then a selection can be made of those deal
terms having the appropriate territory and starting date prior to
the effective date of the quote or order (1250).
[0080] If there are deal terms having a start date prior to the
effective date as well as a role matching that of the person
performing the analysis (1235), then a determination can be made as
to whether any of those deal terms also have an associated
territory that is the same as that associated with the quote or
order (1255). If not, then the process can select deal terms having
an associated role corresponding to that of the person performing
the analysis and an associated start date prior to the effective
date of the quote or order (1260). If there are deal terms having
an associated start date prior to the effective date and an
associated role matching that of the person performing the analysis
and a territory corresponding to that of the quote or order (1255),
then a selection can be made of deal terms having matched all those
parameters (1265).
[0081] As with the selection process for line item guideline terms,
there can be more than one deal term that matches the various
parameters of the quote or order. Selection can then be made of the
deal term having the highest priority, for example, having the
lowest sequence number as described above (1270). Once a deal term
has been selected to be associated with the quote or order, that
deal guideline term can be stored for use in further analysis. The
process can then return to the analysis flow of FIG. 10 (1275).
[0082] Once the item and deal guideline terms have been selected
for each line item and the overall deal, each quoted line item can
be matched to its appropriate price in the price list associated
with the deal (1040). A determination can then be made as to
whether the deal itself is outside of the deal guideline term
associated with the deal (1045). If the deal is outside of the
guideline then a guideline violation can be stored and a guideline
flag associated with the deal can be set for display to the user
(1050). A variety of thresholds can be associated with a deal
violation such that flagged information can be more than just
binary. For example, a merely cautionary flag can be provided
(yellow) if the deal parameters are within a certain range and then
to a fatal flag (red) if the deal parameters exceed a particular
threshold. A determination can then be made as to whether any line
item is outside of the associated item guideline term determined
above (1055). If so, then the item guideline violation can be
stored and an informative flag can be set for display to the user
(1060). The item flags can then be displayed to the user (e.g.,
red/yellow/green) for each item (1065) and the deal flag can be set
as appropriate (1070) and all determined information can then be
displayed to the user (1080).
[0083] The process illustrated by FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, as well as
shown in FIGS. 9A-C, shows the advantages of having the integrated
system of the present invention. By integrating the deal management
tables with those of the customer relationship management system,
customer relationship to the pricing segment is already present
through the opportunity management entry of the customers and the
administrative coding of the pricing segments. Further, rules
regarding the pricing of various line items are already present
through the coding of pricing criteria and a single version of an
appropriate price list is provided across the enterprise through
the customer relationship management system. Through this
integration, flagging of items and deals that are out of guideline
becomes a quick calculation in real-time and is provided in a
screen that is already familiar to the user performing the quote or
order entry.
[0084] An Example Computing and Network Environment
[0085] As shown above, the present invention can be implemented
using a variety of computer systems and networks. An example of one
such computing and network environment is described below with
reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.
[0086] FIG. 13 depicts a block diagram of a computer system 1310
suitable for implementing aspects of the present invention (e.g.,
servers 120, gateway server 150, clients 160 and web clients 165).
Computer system 1310 includes a bus 1312 which interconnects major
subsystems of computer system 1310, such as a central processor
1314, a system memory 1317 (typically RAM, but which may also
include ROM, flash RAM, or the like), an input/output controller
1318, an external audio device, such as a speaker system 1320 via
an audio output interface 1322, an external device, such as a
display screen 1324 via display adapter 1326, serial ports 1328 and
1330, a keyboard 1332 (interfaced with a keyboard controller 1333),
a storage interface 1334, a floppy disk drive 1337 operative to
receive a floppy disk 1338, a host bus adapter (HBA) interface card
1335A operative to connect with a Fibre Channel network 1390, a
host bus adapter (HBA) interface card 1335B operative to connect to
a SCSI bus 1339, and an optical disk drive 1340 operative to
receive an optical disk 1342. Also included are a mouse 1346 (or
other point-and-click device, coupled to bus 1312 via serial port
1328), a modem 1347 (coupled to bus 1312 via serial port 1330), and
a network interface 1348 (coupled directly to bus 1312).
[0087] Bus 1312 allows data communication between central processor
1314 and system memory 1317, which may include read-only memory
(ROM) or flash memory (neither shown), and random access memory
(RAM) (not shown), as previously noted. The RAM is generally the
main memory into which the operating system and application
programs are loaded. The ROM or flash memory can contain, among
other code, the Basic Input-Output system (BIOS) which controls
basic hardware operation such as the interaction with peripheral
components. Applications resident with computer system 1310 are
generally stored on and accessed via a computer-readable medium,
such as a hard disk drive (e.g., fixed disk 1344), an optical drive
(e.g., optical drive 1340), a floppy disk unit 1337, or other
storage medium. Additionally, applications can be in the form of
electronic signals modulated in accordance with the application and
data communication technology when accessed via network modem 1347
or interface 1348.
[0088] Storage interface 1334, as with the other storage interfaces
of computer system 1310, can connect to a standard
computer-readable medium for storage and/or retrieval of
information, such as a fixed disk drive 1344. Fixed disk drive 1344
may be a part of computer system 1310 or may be separate and
accessed through other interface systems. Modem 1347 may provide a
direct connection to a remote server via a telephone link or to the
Internet via an internet service provider (ISP). Network interface
1348 may provide a direct connection to a remote server via a
direct network link to the Internet via a POP (point of presence).
Network interface 1348 may provide such connection using wireless
techniques, including digital cellular telephone connection,
Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) connection, digital satellite
data connection or the like.
[0089] Many other devices or subsystems (not shown) may be
connected in a similar manner (e.g., document scanners, digital
cameras and so on). Conversely, all of the devices shown in FIG. 13
need not be present to practice the present invention. The devices
and subsystems can be interconnected in different ways from that
shown in FIG. 13. The operation of a computer system such as that
shown in FIG. 13 is readily known in the art and is not discussed
in detail in this application. Code to implement the present
invention can be stored in computer-readable storage media such as
one or more of system memory 1317, fixed disk 1344, optical disk
1342, or floppy disk 1338. The operating system provided on
computer system 1310 may be MS-DOS.RTM., MS-WINDOWS.RTM.,
OS/2.RTM., UNIX.RTM., Linux.RTM., or another known operating
system.
[0090] Moreover, regarding the signals described herein, those
skilled in the art will recognize that a signal can be directly
transmitted from a first block to a second block, or a signal can
be modified (e.g., amplified, attenuated, delayed, latched,
buffered, inverted, filtered, or otherwise modified) between the
blocks. Although the signals of the above described embodiment are
characterized as transmitted from one block to the next, other
embodiments of the present invention may include modified signals
in place of such directly transmitted signals as long as the
informational and/or functional aspect of the signal is transmitted
between blocks. To some extent, a signal input at a second block
can be conceptualized as a second signal derived from a first
signal output from a first block due to physical limitations of the
circuitry involved (e.g., there will inevitably be some attenuation
and delay). Therefore, as used herein, a second signal derived from
a first signal includes the first signal or any modifications to
the first signal, whether due to circuit limitations or due to
passage through other circuit elements which do not change the
informational and/or final functional aspect of the first
signal.
[0091] FIG. 14 is a block diagram depicting a network architecture
1400 in which client systems 1410, 1420 and 1430, as well as
storage servers 1440A and 1440B (any of which can be implemented
using computer system 1310), are coupled to a network 1450. Storage
server 1440A is further depicted as having storage devices
1460A(1)-(N) directly attached, and storage server 1440B is
depicted with storage devices 1460B(1)-(N) directly attached.
Storage servers 1440A and 1440B are also connected to a SAN fabric
1470, although connection to a storage area network is not required
for operation of the invention. SAN fabric 1470 supports access to
storage devices 1480(1)-(N) by storage servers 1440A and 1440B, and
so by client systems 1410, 1420 and 1430 via network 1450.
Intelligent storage array 1490 is also shown as an example of a
specific storage device accessible via SAN fabric 1470.
[0092] With reference to computer system 1310, modem 1347, network
interface 1348 or some other method can be used to provide
connectivity from each of client computer systems 1410, 1420 and
1430 to network 1450. Client systems 1410, 1420 and 1430 are able
to access information on storage server 1440A or 1440B using, for
example, a web browser or other client software (not shown). Such a
client allows client systems 1410, 1420 and 1430 to access data
hosted by storage server 1440A or 1440B or one of storage devices
1460A(1)-(N), 1460B(1)-(N), 1480(1)-(N) or intelligent storage
array 1490. FIG. 14 depicts the use of a network such as the
Internet for exchanging data, but the present invention is not
limited to the Internet or any particular network-based
environment.
Other Embodiments
[0093] The present invention is well adapted to attain the
advantages mentioned as well as others inherent therein. While the
present invention has been depicted, described, and is defined by
reference to particular embodiments of the invention, such
references do not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such
limitation is to be inferred. The invention is capable of
considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and
function, as will occur to those ordinarily skilled in the
pertinent arts. The depicted and described embodiments are examples
only, and are not exhaustive of the scope of the invention.
[0094] The foregoing describes embodiments including components
contained within other components (e.g., the various elements shown
as components of computer system 1310). Such architectures are
merely examples, and, in fact, many other architectures can be
implemented which achieve the same functionality. In an abstract
but still definite sense, any arrangement of components to achieve
the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the
desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein
combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as
"associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is
achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermediate components.
Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as
being "operably connected," or "operably coupled," to each other to
achieve the desired functionality.
[0095] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various
embodiments of the present invention via the use of block diagrams,
flowcharts, and examples. It will be understood by those within the
art that each block diagram component, flowchart step, operation
and/or component illustrated by the use of examples can be
implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of
hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof, including
the specialized system illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0096] The present invention has been described in the context of
fully functional computer systems; however, those skilled in the
art will appreciate that the present invention is capable of being
distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that
the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular
type of computer-readable media used to actually carry out the
distribution. Examples of computer-readable media include
computer-readable storage media, as well as media storage and
distribution systems developed in the future.
[0097] The above-discussed embodiments can be implemented by
software modules that perform one or more tasks associated with the
embodiments. The software modules discussed herein may include
script, batch, or other executable files. The software modules may
be stored on a machine-readable or computer-readable storage media
such as magnetic floppy disks, hard disks, semiconductor memory
(e.g., RAM, ROM, and flash-type media), optical discs (e.g.,
CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, and DVDs), or other types of memory modules. A
storage device used for storing firmware or hardware modules in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention can also include a
semiconductor-based memory, which may be permanently, removably or
remotely coupled to a microprocessor/memory system. Thus, the
modules can be stored within a computer system memory to configure
the computer system to perform the functions of the module. Other
new and various types of computer-readable storage media may be
used to store the modules discussed herein.
[0098] The above description is intended to be illustrative of the
invention and should not be taken to be limiting. Other embodiments
within the scope of the present invention are possible. Those
skilled in the art will readily implement the steps necessary to
provide the structures and the methods disclosed herein, and will
understand that the process parameters and sequence of steps are
given by way of example only and can be varied to achieve the
desired structure as well as modifications that are within the
scope of the invention. Variations and modifications of the
embodiments disclosed herein can be made based on the description
set forth herein, without departing from the scope of the
invention.
[0099] Consequently, the invention is intended to be limited only
by the scope of the appended claims, giving full cognizance to
equivalents in all respects.
[0100] Although the present invention has been described in
connection with several embodiments, the invention is not intended
to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. On the
contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications,
and equivalents as can be reasonably included within the scope of
the invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *