Dispatch and service support system

• US 7,464,046 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2003
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilson, Christopher R., Robbins, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett; Jonathan G
• Application Number:
  US10/619,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20050015292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,974 Days
• Field of Search: 705 7- 9
• US Class Current: 705/7.15
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to a service support system that includes a service request interface, a dispatch system interface, and a service assignment module. The service request interface is configured to communicate with a service request system. The dispatch system interface is configured to communicate with a dispatch system. The service assignment module is configured to assign a particular service request to a particular technician based at least in part on a historical technician performance statistic. The particular service request is received via the service request interface. The service assignment module notifies the particular technician of the service request via the dispatch system interface.

Claims

1. A service support system comprising:

a service request interface including a service request processor and configured to communicate with a service request system;

a dispatch system interface including a dispatch processor and configured to communicate with a dispatch system configured to utilize historical work force and work load statistics to formulate dispatch instructions;

a service support processor configured to execute instructions residing in a service assignment module; and

a memory to store;

the service assignment module comprising processor-executable instructions that when executed by the service support processor, cause the service support processor to;

assign a first service request to a technician associated with an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) from a pool of available technicians based at least in part on a historical performance statistic of the technician, and a first location of the technician determined at least in part from global positioning location data associated with a Global Positioning System (GPS) locator, the first service request received via the service request interface;

notify the technician of the first service request via the dispatch system interface; and

assign a second service request to the technician based at least in part on a second location of the technician after receiving service order completion data and frame order completion data related to the first service request, wherein the service order completion data and the frame order completion data related to the first service request indicate that tasks associated with the first service request are complete.

2. The service support system of claim 1, further comprising a geo-location interface configured to access the GPS locator to determine the first location of the technician, the second location of the technician, or any combination thereof.

3. The service support system of claim 1, further comprising a service request status interface to access status data associated with the first service request, the second service request, or any combination thereof.

4. The service support system of claim 3, wherein the service request status interface is a web-based interface.

5. The service support system of claim 3, wherein the service request status interface is accessible to a competitive local exchange carrier.

6. The service support system of claim 1, further comprising:

a frame system interface configured to access a frame operation management system, the service assignment module configured to transfer frame related service requests to the frame operation management system via the frame system interface.

7. The service support system of claim 1, further comprising:

a scoring interface configured to access a technician scoring system, the technician scoring system storing an efficiency scoring associated with the technician.

8. The service support system of claim 1, further comprising:

a statistical knowledge interface configured to access a statistical knowledge system, the statistical knowledge system storing statistical data associated with the service request.

9. The service support system of claim 1, further comprising:

a billing system interface configured to communicate with a billing system, the billing system to receive completion data associated with the service request.

10. The service support system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface to provide data associated with the technician.

26. The service support system of claim 1, wherein the second location of the technician is different from a third location, wherein the third location is associated with the first service request.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS locator is associated with a service delivery vehicle.

11. A work force administration system comprising:

a dispatch interface configured to communicate with a technician dispatch system;

a processor to execute instructions stored in memory; and

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory storing a dispatch module comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed, cause the processor to;

receive a service order via a service request interface;

access technician statistics associated with each of a plurality of technicians, the technician statistics indicating an expected travel time to a location associated with the service order and an expected time remaining to complete a current task, wherein the expected travel time for each respective technician is based on a location of the respective technician relative to the location associated with the service order, wherein the location of the respective technician is determined at least in part from a global positioning location received from a Global Positioning System (GPS);

assign at least one task of the service order to a technician of the plurality of technicians, wherein the technician is associated with an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC), wherein the assignment is based at least in part on the technician statistics of each of the plurality of technicians while the technician is engaged in the current task;

utilize historical work force and work load statistics to formulate dispatch instructions associated with the service order; and

transfer service instructions associated with the service order via the dispatch interface to the technician dispatch system.

12. The work force administration system of claim 11, wherein the dispatch module utilizes the global positioning location received from the GPS system based at least in part on GPS data generated by a GPS locator associated with the technician to formulate the dispatch instructions.

13. A system comprising:

a mobile technician interface configured to communicate with a mobile technician monitoring system;

a processor adapted to execute instructions stored in memory; and

a memory accessible by the processor, the memory storing;

a frame order management system interface including processor-executable instructions that when executed, cause the processor to directly manipulate a central office equipment management system via communication with a frame order management system;

a web-based order status reporting interface;

a dispatch module that utilizes historical work force and work load statistics to formulate dispatch instructions associated with a service request;

an assignment module including processor-executable instructions that when executed, cause the processor to;

assign a first task of the service request via the mobile technician interface wherein the first task is assigned based at least in part on Global Positioning System (GPS) data received from a Global Positioning System (GPS); and

assign a second task of the service request via the frame order management system interface;

wherein the first task or the second task is assigned to a technician associated with an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC); and

an order status monitoring module including additional processor-executable instructions that when executed, cause the processor to access the mobile technician monitoring system via the mobile technician interface to receive service order completion data associated with the first task and configured to access the frame order management system via the frame order management system interface to receive frame order completion data associated with the second task, and to provide an order status associated with the service request based on the service order completion data and the frame order completion data via the web-based order status reporting interface.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the additional processor-executable instructions within the order status monitoring module, when executed, cause the processor to report a complete status associated with the service request upon receipt of both the service order completion data and the frame order completion data.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising an internal service management interface configured to communicate with an internal service management system, and wherein the additional processor-executable instructions within the order status monitoring module, when executed, cause the processor to access the internal service management system via the internal service management interface to receive internal service completion data.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a service order request interface configured to communicate with a service order request system; and

wherein the dispatch module is configured to access the service order request system to receive the service request.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising an inventory provisioning interface configured to access a public switch telephone network inventory system.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the web-based order status reporting interface is configured to provide access to a competitive local exchange carrier.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the web-based order status reporting interface comprises:

a processor to post a web page, the web page based at least in part upon processor-executable instructions associated with the web page and stored in memory; and

a memory storing an order status monitoring module comprising the processor-executable instructions associated with the web page that when executed by the processor, provides access to;

the service order completion data;

the frame order completion data; and

a service request status associated with the service order completion data and the frame order completion data.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the web page is accessible by a competitive local exchange carrier.

27. The system of claim 13, wherein the GPS data is received from a GPS locator associated with a service delivery vehicle.

28. The system of claim 13, wherein the second task is associated with work on central office equipment.

21. A method comprising:

assigning a first task related to a service request to a first technician via a mobile technician interface, wherein the first task is assigned based at least in part on a technician location determined at least in part based on data received from a Global Positioning System (GPS) locator;

assigning a second task related to the service request to a second technician via a frame order management system interface, wherein the first technician or the second technician is associated with an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC);

formulating dispatch instructions based at least in part on historical work force and work load statistics;

accessing a mobile technician monitoring system via the mobile technician interface to receive service order completion data associated with the first task;

accessing a frame order management system interface to receive frame order completion data associated with the second task; and

providing an order status associated with the service request based on the service order completion data and the frame order completion data via a web-based order status reporting interface.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

notifying the first technician of the first task via a dispatch system interface.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising accessing status data associated with the service request via a service request status interface.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the service request status interface is a web-based interface.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising accessing a technician scoring system via a scoring interface, the technician scoring system storing an efficiency scoring associated with the technician.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the second task is associated with work on central office equipment or work on regional office equipment.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the frame order management system interface is configured to directly manipulate a central office equipment management system.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein the GPS data is received from a GPS locator associated with a service delivery vehicle.