Setting up scores

You use scores in IBM® Contact Optimization to rank possible offers for each customer using a patent-pending optimization algorithm. The higher the score you assign to a contact, the more desirable you are making that contact. Contact Optimization maximizes the sum of scores in the OCT.

Scores are numeric values that you provide. A higher score represents a more desirable contact. If Contact Optimization must choose one offer over another to use in a campaign, it can select the offer with the higher score.

Scoring defines your key marketing objectives. Virtually any marketing objective (potential value, revenue, profit, exposure, probability of response) can be used in the optimization.

During optimization, Contact Optimization maximizes the sum of scores of the surviving or optimized contacts, which are based on the optimization rules and constraints.

You can set up scores in Contact Optimization using one of the following methods:

Pass scores into Contact Optimization using a score field. Use the score field when you want Contact Optimization to assign one score per contact automatically from a field in the database.

Manually enter scores by using the score matrix. Use the score matrix when you want to rank offers relative to each strategic segment.

Scores can be positive, negative, integer, or decimal. Scores should be greater than or equal to 1 or less than or equal to -1. If you use negative scores, contacts with a negative score are used to fulfill minimum requirements only.

Your range of scores must be within 100,000 of each other. For example, your scores can range from 1 to 99,999 or from -50,000 to 50,000. If your range of scores is greater than 100,000, Contact Optimization might violate capacity rules.

Configure a Contact Optimization session to use a score field from the PCT

To configure Contact Optimization to use a score field from the PCT

Manually enter scores using the score matrix