Consumption Alert Messaging

Application Name: Consumption Alert Bulletin
The Consumption Alert™ application is designed for Providers who offer usage-based tiers of service to their subscribers.  This application allows Providers to display a time-critical, in-browser message to any subscriber who is approaching or has just reached the byte cap limits of his respective service tier.  Focus group research has shown that the majority of subscribers want to be proactively notified by their Providers when limits are approached, in time to avoid excess charges or other penalties.  Consumption alerts, displayed immediately upon subscriber browsing activity, have resulted in increased user satisfaction regarding usage-based service models.

Benefits for the subscriber:

• Proactively informs any subscriber nearing or exceeding byte cap limits
• Saves the subscriber from having to constantly remember to check his own usage
• Helps the subscriber to avoid unwanted, excess usage charges
• Helps the subscriber better choose the usage tier that meets his online usage needs
• Alerts are sure to be seen, but non-invasive
• Subscribers may opt-out of consumption alerts; opt out is permanent and does not rely on cookies
• Consumption alerts never interfere with requested website data, which is fully rendered and delivered directly from the respective publisher server to the subscriber's PC

Benefits for the Provider:

• Timely alerts foster improved customer satisfaction
• Alerts can be automated or scheduled according to the Provider's usage monitoring tools
• Revenue can be gained through online offers to upgrade to higher-capacity tiers
• Consumption-conscious subscribers have been shown to moderate extensive, heavy usage, which in turn makes for smoother network operations for all
• Moderated broadband demand by consumption-informed subscribers allows Providers to better plan for and manage network expansion expenditures
• Delivery of consumption alerts are time-stamped and logged on an individual subscriber basis, allowing delivery confirmation
• Subscriber response is tracked, including acknowledgement, "close", opt-out, etc. for reporting purposes