System and method for providing handheld field force data gathering automation in a big box retail environment

• US 8,694,352 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2008
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Reflexis Systems, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Hawkins, Stan, Maranville, Joe, Steele, Nick
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett, Jonathan G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Folashade
• Application Number:
  US12/218,040
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for tracking service representative activity and data. Service representatives are equipped with handheld devices that are configured to execute question and instruction sequences during a service call. Worksheets containing such surveys and instruction sequences may be periodically transmitted to the handheld device from a backend server. The handheld device records the times at which the service representative enters and exits a retail location and the times at which particular tasks are started and completed. The worksheets allow service representatives to enter relevant data into the handheld device. Such data may include digital images, signatures and the like. All data collected at the handheld devices may be transmitted via a network or other communication link to a secure backend server, where it stored in a database and made available for query by a reporting module.

Claims

1. A system for providing service representation for a vendor comprising:

a handheld device configured for displaying a sequence of prompts from a worksheet, and for receiving user input in response to said prompts, said user input comprising data from the worksheet collected during a service call at a retail location, each worksheet comprising a survey that includes sequence of instructions and questions about one or more products of the vendor sold at the retail location that guide a service representative through a service call at the retail location, the handheld device comprises a digital camera device for recording digital images during the service call, the digital images corresponding to answers of questions provided in the survey, the handheld device further comprises a bar code scanner device for scanning bar codes during the service call;

a server in communication with said handheld device via a network, said server configured for receiving the data from the handheld device and storing the data in a database;

a beacon provided at the retail location that emits a first signal encoded with a retail center identifier and the current date and time, wherein the handheld device is configured with a receiver for receiving the first signal upon entry into the retail location, the handheld device automatically records and associates the retail center identifier and the current date and time with the worksheet on the handheld device in response to detecting the first signal and in response to the handheld device being physically located within the retail location having the beacon, the beacon emitting a second signal that is received by the handheld device upon exiting the retail location, the second signal causing the handheld device to display a message asking if the service representative is ready to synchronize the data from the worksheet with the server and if a communication link exists between the handheld device and the server, the second signal comprising the current date and time which is associated by the handheld device with the worksheet to indicate a completion time and date for the worksheet, the beacon preventing tampering of the data in the worksheet from the service representative by emitting the first and second signals for supplying accurate time, date, and retail location which are associated with the completed worksheet

a network device in communication with said server via the network, said network device configured for interacting with a reporting module for querying the database and for generating a report based on the data;

wherein the service call comprises multiple tasks;

wherein the handheld device is further configured to record as data the times at which the service representative begins and completes the service call; and

wherein the handheld device is further configured to record as data the times at which the service representative begins and completes each task during the service call.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting module is hosted by the server and is accessed via the network by the network device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting module is executed locally by the network device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the server stores uploaded data in the database that is queried by a reporting module in order to generate reports;

and wherein said reporting module is hosted by the server and is accessed via a network by a network device.

5. A method for field force automation in a retail environment comprising:

providing a plurality of computer-implemented worksheets, each worksheet comprising a survey that includes sequence of instructions and questions about one or more products of the vendor sold at retail centers that are intended to guide service representatives through service calls in the retail centers;

storing said worksheets at a server;

downloading said worksheets from the server to a plurality of handheld devices operated by the service representatives, wherein each service representative enters a plurality of retail centers to perform the service calls while interacting with selected ones of the worksheets, each handheld device comprising a digital camera device for recording digital images during a service call, the digital images corresponding to answers of questions provided in the survey, each handheld device further comprising a bar code scanner device for scanning bar codes during a service call;

receiving data with each handheld device based on a respective service representative interacting with a worksheet;

providing each retail center with a beacon that emits a first signal encoded with a retail center identifier and the current date and time;

configuring each handheld device with a receiver for receiving the first signal upon entry into a retail center;

automatically recording and associating the retail center identifier and the current date and time with a worksheet on each handheld device in response to detecting the first signal and in response to the handheld device being physically located within a retail center having the beacon;

emitting a second signal with the beacon that is received by each handheld device upon exiting a retail location, the second signal comprising the current date and time which is associated by the handheld device with the worksheet to indicate a completion time and date for the worksheet;

in response to receiving the second signal, each handheld device displaying a message asking if the service representative is ready to synchronize data from a worksheet with the server and if a communication link exists between the handheld device and the server, the beacon preventing tampering of the data in the worksheet from the service representative by emitting the first and second signals for supplying accurate time, date, and retail location which are associated with a completed worksheet;

receiving the data input to the handheld devices at the server for storage in a database; and

querying the database to generate a report that indicates the service levels provided by the service representatives.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data input to the handheld devices includes digital signatures of retail associates.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the signal comprises an infrared signal.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein providing said worksheets comprises selecting a plurality of questions and instructions from a database of re-usable questions and instructions, each re-usable question and instruction identified by a unique identifier.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of assigning a relative complexity rating to each worksheet that is used to evaluate the level of effort required by the services representatives to complete the worksheet.

10. A method for field force automation in a retail environment comprising:

configuring a handheld device with a receiver;

receiving at the handheld device a plurality of worksheets each comprising a survey that includes sequence of instructions and questions related to one or more tasks to be performed in a retail center during a service call, each handheld device comprising a digital camera device for recording digital images during a service call, the digital images corresponding to answers of questions provided in the survey, each handheld device further comprising a bar code scanner device for scanning bar codes during a service call;

providing a retail center with a beacon;

emitting a first signal with the beacon that is encoded with a retail center identifier and the current date and time;

receiving the first signal with the receiver upon entry into the retail center;

initiating the service call at the retail center by executing a selected worksheet with the handheld device, and automatically recording and associating the current date and time and a retail center identifier from the first signal with the selected worksheet by the handheld device in response to the handheld device being physically located within a retail center having the beacon;

receiving data with the handheld device that is in response to the sequence of instructions and questions of the selected worksheet in order to input data relating to products of a vendor sold at the retail center into the handheld device;

obtaining at least one digital signature with the handheld device from an associate of the retail center to indicate that the service call is complete;

emitting a second signal with the beacon that is received by each handheld device upon exiting a retail location, the second signal comprising the current date and time which is associated by the handheld device with the worksheet to indicate a completion time and date for the worksheet;

in response to receiving the second signal, each handheld device displaying a message asking if the service representative is ready to synchronize data from a worksheet with the server and if a communication link exists between the handheld device and the server, the beacon preventing tampering of the data in the worksheet from the service representative by emitting the first and second signals for supplying accurate time, date, and retail location which are associated with the completed worksheet;

uploading the data from the handheld device to a secure server; and

wherein the service call comprises multiple tasks executed by the handheld device; and

further comprising the step of recording as data with the handheld device the times at which the service representative begins and completes each task during the service call.