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Utilizing near field communication to improve customer interactions

  • US 9,727,872 B2
  • Filed: 10/04/2012
  • Issued: 08/08/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for directing customer traffic to a physical establishment, said method comprising:

  • providing a first near field communication device configured to be scanned by a mobile device;

    transmitting, in response to detecting that a customer has scanned the first near field communication device using the customer'"'"'s mobile device, to said mobile device of the customer, information regarding a plurality of locations, each of the plurality of locations corresponding to an establishment associated with the first near field communication device, wherein each of the plurality of locations is remote to the first near field communication device, wherein said information regarding a plurality of locations includes current waiting times for each of the plurality of locations and address information corresponding to each of the plurality of locations, and wherein said information regarding said plurality of locations is stored in a database;

    providing a plurality of near field communication devices at a physical establishment, said physical establishment identified in said information regarding the plurality of locations, said plurality of near field communication devices configured to assist in a transaction flow of a customer encounter, wherein at least one of said plurality of near field communication devices located at the physical establishment is configured to;

    initiate reception, from said mobile device, of customer profile data to be used in a given transaction;

    monitor wait times for a customer undertaking a transaction at the physical establishment, wherein the monitoring includes;

    marking a time entry corresponding to a customer check-in time, wherein said customer check-in time corresponds to a time when said customer is placed in a waiting queue, said waiting queue storing information associated with customers at the physical establishment waiting to engage in transaction services offered at the physical establishment;

    providing a notification to said customer when said customer reaches a front of the queue, wherein said customer receives the transaction services subsequent to receiving the notification, and wherein the transaction services facilitate completion of the transaction of said customer; and

    initiating reception of additional information from said mobile device, said additional information indicating that said transaction has been completed;

    determine a total visit time for said transaction based on the time entry corresponding to the customer check-in time and a time when said additional information indicating that said transaction has been completed is received from said mobile device; and

    updating said information regarding said plurality of locations stored at said database based on said monitoring to produce updated information regarding said plurality of locations that includes updated waiting times for at least one of said plurality of locations, wherein, after said information regarding said plurality of locations has been updated, said updated information regarding said plurality of locations is transmitted to a scanning device in response to detecting a scan of the first near field communication device by said scanning device;

    receiving transaction information in response to said customer scanning one of said plurality of near field communication devices with said mobile device; and

    configuring at least a portion of said transaction using said transaction information received from said mobile device.

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