Dynamic Telephone Number Allocation for Call Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Advertisers without a web presence or ineffective web pages are excluded from performance-based advertising models like paid inclusion and paid placement, as they require a web presence to participate.
Innovation Solution
A pay-per-call advertising system that dynamically allocates a unique telephone number to an advertiser's advertisement, allowing participation without a web presence, and recycles numbers not used within predefined periods to conserve resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If unique telephone numbers are allocated to each advertisement, then call tracking accuracy is improved, but the cost and complexity of number provisioning increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically allocates telephone numbers to advertisements based on real-time demand rather than pre-provisioning all numbers. When an advertisement is displayed, the system assigns an available number from a pool, and when the ad is removed, the number is recycled back to the pool. This dynamic approach maintains tracking accuracy while reducing provisioning complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recycles telephone numbers that are no longer associated with active advertisements. When an ad is removed or expires, its assigned telephone number is returned to the available pool for reuse. This recovery mechanism reduces the total number of unique numbers needed, lowering provisioning costs and complexity while maintaining accurate call tracking for active ads.
2Reliability
If a large pool of unique telephone numbers is provisioned, then all advertisements can be tracked simultaneously, but the cost of number acquisition and maintenance increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of statically provisioning a large pool of numbers, the system uses dynamic allocation where numbers are assigned only when needed for active advertisements. The system maintains a smaller pool of numbers that are actively used, reducing the quantity of numbers required while ensuring reliable tracking for all currently displayed ads through on-demand assignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recycles telephone numbers from inactive or removed advertisements back into the available pool. This recovery process allows the same numbers to be reused multiple times across different advertisements over time, significantly reducing the total quantity of unique numbers needed while maintaining reliable tracking for active advertisements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If telephone numbers are allocated to advertisers without web presence, then advertising accessibility is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a call tracking service as an intermediary between advertisers without web presence and potential customers. This intermediary manages the allocation and recycling of telephone numbers, handling the tracking and routing logic centrally. This approach enables advertisers without web presence to participate in performance-based advertising while keeping system complexity manageable by consolidating tracking functions in the intermediary service.
Data Source
AI summary
A method including: dynamically allocating a telephone number to an advertisement on a just-in-time basis; and if the telephone number is not called for a predefined period of time, unallocating the telephone number.