SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EFFECTIVE WORKLOAD DISTRIBUTION FOR SERVICE TECHNICIANS

• US 20110213634A1
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Business Equipment Information Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Business Equipment Information Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Peters, Matthew John, Sharkey, Steven R., Worzel, Guy V. SR., Moseley, Gregory Scott, McArtor, Weston, Karakey, Buddy George
• Application Number:
  US13/038,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20110213634A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task

Abstract

Disclosed is a software/computer based system/method that optimizes assignment of a service technician'"'"'s territory (i.e., geographic area assigned to a service technician to support) based on a number of factors, particularly, the number and type of serviceable units in a territory, the usage history of the serviceable units (i.e., how often units may malfunction based on volume of use), and the historical expertise and efficiency of the technician in performing various types of expected repairs. Optimization goals include assigning service territories to service technicians such that each service technician is working 40 hours (or some other hourly goal) per week with few overtime hours (i.e., upset customers waiting for service) or under time (i.e., paying for time the service technician is not working for a customer). For example, copier repair technicians may be assigned to territories depending on how well the technicians have historically performed repairs on particular copier models. If a first technician is exceptionally fast and efficient, the first technician may be assigned an effectively larger workload area (i.e., more serviceable units) than a second technician that has a more average performance record.

Claims

1. A computerized method for optimally assigning service territories to a service technician comprising:

providing access to a database stored on computer readable media by a computer system, said database containing geographic location data, unit type data, historical usage data, and historical repair data for each serviceable unit of a plurality of serviceable units, said database further containing historical repair success data and historical repair time data for each service technician of a plurality of service technicians;

selecting by said computer system a territory geographic area of interest;

selecting by said computer system a subset of serviceable units from said plurality of serviceable units stored in said database such that said subset of serviceable units contains serviceable units of said plurality of serviceable units that have said geographic location data located within said territory geographic area of interest;

selecting by said computer system a service technician from said plurality of service technicians stored in said database;

calculating by said computer system an aggregated technician demand time as a function of said unit type data of said selected subset of serviceable units, said historical usage data for each serviceable unit of said selected subset of serviceable units, said historical repair data for each serviceable unit of said selected subset of serviceable units, said historical repair success data for said selected service technician, and said historical repair time data for said service technician stored in said database;

recalculating said aggregated technician demand time by said computer system dynamically if characteristics of said territory geographic area of interest change; and

displaying results of said calculations and said recalculations dynamically as said calculations and said recalculations are performed to a user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning said territory geographic area of interest to said selected service technician as a service territory for said selected service technician.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said characteristics of said territory geographic area of interest are comprised of at least one of a group consisting of:

size of said territory geographic area of interest consist, manufacturers associated with said territory geographic area of interest consist, equipment types/segments associated with said territory geographic area of interest consist, equipment models associated with said territory geographic area of interest consist, customers associated with said territory geographic area of interest consist, and said selected service technician associated with said territory geographic area of interest consist.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically adjusting a size of said territory geographic area of interest with respect to a number of serviceable units in said subset of serviceable units, reselecting said subset of serviceable units from said plurality of serviceable units based on said adjusted territory geographic area of interest, and recalculating said aggregated technician demand time by said computer system until said aggregated technician demand time falls within a desired aggregated technician demand time range, said adjustment of said territory geographic area of interest increases said size of said territory geographic area of interest if said calculated aggregated technician demand time is less than said desired aggregated technician demand time range and decreases said size of said territory geographic area of interest if said calculated aggregated technician demand time is more than said desired aggregated technician demand time range.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting by said user interacting with said computer system an initial work geographic area of interest; and

limiting by said computer system said territory geographic area of interest such that said territory geographic area of interest is contained within said work geographic area of interest.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising filtering said subset of serviceable units to only include serviceable units having a desired subset of said unit type data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said database further contains owner/customer data for each serviceable unit of said plurality of serviceable units and further comprises filtering said subset of serviceable units to only include serviceable units owned by desired owners/customers.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said database further contains repair certification data for each service technician of said plurality of service technicians and further comprises filtering said subset of serviceable units to only include serviceable units having said unit type data matching said repair certification data of said selected service technician.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising switching said selected service technician to a different service technician to calculate said aggregated technician demand time in order to assign said service territory.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said adjusting of said territory geographic area of interest is performed manually by a user through a graphical user interface with said computer system.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein said switching of said selected service technician is performed manually by a user through a graphical user interface with said computer system.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein said adjusting of said service technician is performed automatically by said computer system.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a part stock list for a vehicle of said service technician based on said subset of serviceable units in said service territory for said selected service technician and based on said unit type data, said historical usage data, and said historical repair data for each serviceable unit of said subset of serviceable units in said service territory of said service technician.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising checking territory integrity of said service territory assigned to said service technician on a periodic basis to identify when said selected service technician is not performing a predefined percentage of service calls in said service territory of said service technician and issuing an alert if said territory integrity of said assigned service territory falls outside a predefined, configurable and acceptable territory integrity range.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said service area is assigned to said selected service technician by assigning said subset of serviceable units in said territory geographic area of interest to said selected service technician.

16. A system for optimally assigning service territories to a service technician comprising:

a computer system that performs functions of said system for optimally assigning service territories;

computer readable media accessible by said computer system;

a database stored on said computer readable media and accessible to said computer system, said database containing geographic location data, unit type data, historical usage data, and historical repair data for each serviceable unit of a plurality of serviceable units, said database further containing historical repair success data and historical repair time data for each service technician of a plurality of service technicians;

a territory geographic area selection engine running on said computer system that selects a territory geographic area of interest and selects a subset of serviceable units from said plurality of serviceable units stored in said database such that said subset of serviceable units contains serviceable units of said plurality of serviceable units that have said geographic location data located within said territory geographic area of interest;

a service technician selection engine that selects a service technician from said plurality of service technicians stored in said database;

an aggregated technician demand timer calculation engine that calculates an aggregated technician demand time as a function of said unit type data of said selected subset of serviceable units, said historical usage data for each serviceable unit of said selected subset of serviceable units, said historical repair data for each serviceable unit of said selected subset of serviceable units, said historical repair success data for said selected service technician, and said historical repair time data for said service technician stored in said database and that recalculates said aggregated technician demand time dynamically if characteristics of said territory geographic area of interest change; and

a display results engine that displays results of said calculations and said recalculations dynamically as said calculations and said recalculations are performed to said user.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising a territory assignment engine that assigns said territory geographic area of interest to said selected service technician as a service territory for said selected service technician.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising a territory geographic area adjustment engine that automatically adjusts a size of said territory geographic area of interest with respect to a number of serviceable units in said subset of serviceable units, reselects said subset of serviceable units from said plurality of serviceable units based on said adjusted territory geographic area of interest, and recalculates said aggregated technician demand time until said aggregated technician demand time falls within a desired aggregated technician demand time range, said adjustment of said territory geographic area of interest increases said size of said territory geographic area of interest if said calculated aggregated technician demand time is less than said desired aggregated technician demand time range and decreases said size of said territory geographic area of interest if said calculated aggregated technician demand time is more than said desired aggregated technician demand time range.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein said service technician selection engine further switches said selected service technician to a different service technician to calculate said aggregated technician demand time in order to assign said service territory.

20. The system of claim 16 further comprising a territory integrity check engine that checks territory integrity of said service territory assigned to said service technician on a periodic basis to identify when said selected service technician is not performing a predefined percentage of service calls in said service territory of said service technician and issues an alert if said territory integrity of said assigned service territory falls outside a predefined, configurable and acceptable territory integrity range.