Referral Tracking System with Net Flow Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
It is difficult for businesses to track and quantify referral relationships between service providers, making it challenging to assess the nature and value of these connections effectively.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method for tracking favors between parties, involving the receipt of submissions, association with parties in a database, and providing a user interface for actions such as searching for connections that have granted favors, displaying net flows of favors, and suggesting connections based on favor profiles, with features like time-decay factors and graphical representations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual tracking methods are used for referral relationships, then simplicity is maintained, but tracking precision and quantification capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a referral management system as an intermediary between service providers and referral tracking. This system automatically captures, stores, and analyzes referral data, eliminating the need for manual tracking while providing precise measurement of referral relationships through structured databases and automated calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking methods with automated electronic systems. The system uses computer algorithms to automatically track referrals, calculate metrics, and generate reports, substituting human effort and error-prone manual processes with precise automated computation and data management.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive tracking of all referral details is implemented, then measurement precision improves, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service functionality where the system automatically captures referral data, performs calculations, and generates reports without requiring manual intervention. The automated system handles data entry, metric computation, and analysis, reducing operational burden while maintaining comprehensive tracking capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional system that handles multiple tracking requirements simultaneously. The system can track various types of referrals, calculate different metrics, generate diverse reports, and provide analytical insights all through a single integrated platform, simplifying operations while maintaining comprehensive measurement precision.
3Productivity
If automated tracking systems are deployed, then productivity improves, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tracking system into distinct functional modules: data capture components, database storage structures, calculation engines, and reporting interfaces. This modular segmentation allows the complex system to be managed through independent, well-defined components that can be developed, maintained, and scaled separately, improving productivity while managing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
One aspect of the invention provides a computer-implemented method of tracking favors between a plurality of parties. The method includes: receiving a submission regarding a favor performed by one or more first parties for one or more second parties; associating the favor with the one or more first parties and the one or more second parties in a database; and providing a user interface programmed to receive instructions from a plurality of users to take one or more or more actions selected from the group consisting of: searching for connections that have granted a particular type of favor in the past, searching for connections that have granted a specified quantity of a particular type of favor in the past, and displaying net flows of favors between a first organization having a plurality of parties and a second organization having a plurality of parties.