Dynamic schedule mediation

• US 20060111957A1
• Filed: 11/23/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TOA Technologies, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TOA Technologies, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Brisker, Yuval, Carmi, Irad
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

An apparatus and method provides dynamic schedule mediation by scheduling and monitoring appointments between a service provider and customers. The apparatus and method uses a statistical analysis to determine a best appointment time based on at least one of: historical performance patterns, the type of service requested during the appointment, geographic location of the customer or the service provider, time of day, time of year, weather, skills of the service provider, and automobile traffic conditions. The system and method continuously monitors changes to the appointment initiated by the customer or the service provider and notifies the other. Reminders are also sent to the customer and confirmation prompts may also be sent to the customer. The apparatus and method also provides the ability to select service providers based on their historical performance or other factors. The statistical information of a service provider may also be used to evaluate the rules of the service provider and to evaluate individual field service personnel of the service provider.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing appointments between a customer and a service provider comprising:

a communication gateway which receives and delivers communications;

a microprocessor that schedules appointments of a customer with a service provider based on a communication from a customer, business rules of a service provider and a statistical determination of characteristics of a requested appointment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a statistics engine, and wherein the statistical determination of characteristics of a requested appointment include information indicative of performance of the service provider based on at least one of:

historical performance patterns, a type of service requested during the requested appointment, geographic location of the customer or the service provider, time of day, time of year, weather, skills of the service provider, or automobile traffic conditions.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a notification engine which provides a predetermined notification to the customer related to an appointment.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the predetermined notification includes a reminder to the customer of an appointment.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the predetermined notification includes a notification of a change in an appointment schedule.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor determines if a delay occurs in a schedule of appointments and determines if the delay will propagate to affect other appointments.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the determination if a delay will propagate is based on a type of appointment of the requested appointment, a type of delay of the delay, or a statistical determination of delay propagation based on historical information related to the requested appointment.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the statistical determination is based on at least one of duration of appointment, start of appointment, or end of appointment.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor selects a service provider from a plurality of service providers for an appointment based on the historical performance patterns of the plurality of service providers.

10. A method of dynamically scheduling appointments between a customer and a service provider using a computer comprising the steps of:

receiving requests for appointments from a customer; and

determining an appointment schedule using a microprocessor based on the request for an appointment from the customer, business rules of a service provider and a statistical determination of performance of the service provider.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the statistical determination of performance of the service provider is based on at least one of:

historical performance patterns, the type of service requested during the appointment, geographic location of the customer or the service provider, time of day, time of year, weather, skills of the service provider, and automobile traffic conditions.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of determining if a performed appointment was delayed, and determining if the delay will propagate to other appointments to be performed.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of modifying the appointment schedule if the delay is determined to propagate, and notifying customers of a change in appointment schedule.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of determining if the delay will propagate includes determining one of:

whether the service is repetitive, whether the delay was caused by a global problem, or whether the delay is likely to propagate based on historical information indicative of characteristics of the appointment.

15. The method claim 12, further comprising selecting a service provider from a plurality of service providers for an appointment based on the historical performance patterns of the plurality of service providers.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of prompting customers to respond to automated messages confirming an appointment and applying a response of the customer to an existing appointment schedule.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of periodically collecting statistical data indicative of the statistical determination of performance of the service provider, evaluating business rules of the service provider using the statistical data, and providing optimization recommendations.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of monitoring a plurality of field service personnel associated with the service provider in providing a requested service, providing continuously updated statistical evaluation of field service personnel activities, and indicating performance of a service of each field service personnel.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions to instruct a computer to perform the steps of periodically scanning system logs collect statistical data indicative of the statistical determination of performance of the service provider, evaluating business rules of the service provider using the statistical data, and providing optimization recommendations.

19. A computer readable medium carrying instructions for a computer to perform a method of dynamically scheduling appointments between a customer and a service provider comprising the steps of:

receiving requests for appointments from a customer; and

determining an appointment schedule using a microprocessor based on the request for an appointment from the customer, business rules of a service provider and a statistical determination of performance of the service provider.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the statistical determination of performance of the service provider is based on at least one of:

historical performance patterns, the type of service requested during the appointment, geographic location of the customer or the service provider, time of day, time of year, weather, skills of the service provider, and automobile traffic conditions.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising selecting a service provider from a plurality of service providers for an appointment based on the historical performance patterns of the plurality of service providers.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions to instruct a computer to perform the steps of prompting customers to respond to automated messages confirming an appointment and applying a response of the customer to an existing appointment schedule.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions to instruct a computer to perform the steps of monitoring a plurality of field service personnel associated with the service provider in providing a requested service, providing continuously updated statistical evaluation of field services personnel activities, and indicating performance of a service of each field service personnel.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising instruction to perform the steps of determining if a performed appointment was delayed, and determining if the delay will propagate to other appointments to be performed.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions to perform the steps of modifying the appointment schedule if the delay is determined to propagate, and notifying customers of a change in appointment schedule.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the step of determining if the delay will propagate includes determining one of:

whether the service is repetitive, whether the delay was caused by a global problem, or whether the delay is likely to propagate based on historical information indicative of characteristics of the appointment.