Service call-ahead system and method

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing service orders are disclosed herein. A computer implemented method, according to some implementations of the present disclosure, includes storing an estimated travel time and estimated time of arrival (ETA). The estimated travel time may be defined as an estimated period of time for a servicer to travel from a current location to a service destination associated with a customer who is to receive a service from the servicer. The ETA may be defined as an estimated time of day when the servicer is expected to arrive at the service destination. The computer implemented method also includes calculating a call-ahead time defined by a time of day when the customer is to be notified of the servicer's ETA at the service destination. The calculation of the call-ahead time may be based in part on a predetermined advanced-warning time period and the ETA. The predetermined advanced-warning time period may be defined as a predetermined amount of time before the ETA for providing an advanced warning of the ETA. The method also includes automatically notifying the customer of the servicer's ETA at the service destination no earlier than the call-ahead time.

1 . A service order management system comprising:
 a processing device configured to execute logic instructions; and   a memory device in communication with the processing device, the memory device configured to store an order management program enabling the processing device to:
 store an estimated travel time and estimated time of arrival (ETA) in the memory device, wherein the estimated travel time is defined by an estimated period of time for a servicer to travel from a start location to a service destination associated with a customer for whom the servicer is to perform a service job, and wherein the ETA is defined by an estimated time of day when the servicer is expected to arrive at the service destination; 
 calculate a call-ahead time defined by a time of day when the customer is to be notified of the ETA of the servicer at the service destination, wherein the calculation of the call-ahead time is based in part on a predetermined advanced-warning time period and the ETA, and wherein the predetermined advanced-warning time period is defined by a predetermined amount of time before the ETA for providing an advanced warning of the ETA; and 
 automatically notify the customer of the ETA of the servicer at the service destination no earlier than the call-ahead time. 
   
     
     
         2 . The service order management system of  claim 1 , wherein the order management program further enables the processing device to:
 receive information related to the start location of the servicer and information related to the service destination;   in response to receipt of at least the start location information and service destination information, determine the estimated travel time and ETA.   
     
     
         3 . The service order management system of  claim 1 , wherein the order management program further enables the processing device to receive at least one of the estimated travel time and ETA from the servicer. 
     
     
         4 . The service order management system of  claim 3 , wherein the order management program further enables the processing device to calculate the ETA when only the estimated travel time is received from the servicer and calculate the estimated travel time when only the ETA is received from the servicer. 
     
     
         5 . The service order management system of  claim 1 , wherein the order management program further enables the processing device to:
 receive a request from the servicer to extend the estimated travel time by a specific amount of time;   add the specific amount of time to the estimated travel time to obtain a revised estimated travel time;   advance the ETA by the specific amount of time to obtain a revised ETA.   
     
     
         6 . The service order management system of  claim 1 , wherein the call-ahead time is calculated independently of information related to locations of the servicer between the start location and the service destination. 
     
     
         7 . The service order management system of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined advanced-warning time period is 30 minutes. 
     
     
         8 . The service order management system of  claim 1 , wherein automatically notifying the customer of the ETA comprises notifying the customer of the ETA of the servicer at the service destination no later than a latest call time, wherein the latest call time is defined by the latest time before the ETA at which an automatic notification is made to the customer. 
     
     
         9 . The service order management system of  claim 8 , wherein the latest call time is 5 minutes before the ETA. 
     
     
         10 . The service order management system of  claim 1 , wherein the order management program further enables the processing device to:
 receive an indication that the servicer has arrived at the service destination; and   record information regarding the servicer's arrival.   
     
     
         11 . The service order management system of  claim 1 , wherein the order management program further enables the processing device to receive an indication that the servicer has completed the service job. 
     
     
         12 . The service order management system of  claim 1 , wherein the order management program further enables the processing device to:
 receive an indication that the servicer has completed the service job and is leaving the service destination; and   receive an indication from the servicer of a next service destination, if any, wherein the next service destination is associated with another customer.   
     
     
         13 . The service order management system of  claim 1 , further comprising an interface device configured to communicate with a mobile device associated with the servicer. 
     
     
         14 . The service order management system of  claim 13 , wherein the interface device comprises an integrated voice response device. 
     
     
         15 . A computer implemented method comprising:
 storing an estimated travel time and estimated time of arrival (ETA), the estimated travel time being defined as an estimated period of time for a servicer to travel from a current location to a service destination associated with a customer who is to receive a service from the servicer, and the ETA being defined as an estimated time of day when the servicer is expected to arrive at the service destination;   calculating a call-ahead time defined by a time of day when the customer is to be notified of the servicer's ETA at the service destination, the calculation of the call-ahead time being based in part on a predetermined advanced-warning time period and the ETA, and the predetermined advanced-warning time period being defined as a predetermined amount of time before the ETA for providing an advanced warning of the ETA; and   automatically notifying the customer of the servicer's ETA at the service destination no earlier than the call-ahead time.   
     
     
         16 . The computer implemented method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 receiving information related to the start location of the servicer and information related to the service destination;   in response to receiving the start location information and service destination information, determining the estimated travel time and ETA.   
     
     
         17 . The computer implemented method of  claim 15 , wherein the computer implemented method further comprises receiving at least one of the estimated travel time and ETA from the servicer. 
     
     
         18 . The computer implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein the computer implemented method further comprises calculating the ETA when only the estimated travel time is received from the servicer and calculating the estimated travel time when only the ETA is received from the servicer. 
     
     
         19 . The computer implemented method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 receiving a request from the servicer to extend the estimated travel time by a specific amount of time;   adding the specific amount of time to the estimated travel time to obtain a revised estimated travel time;   advancing the ETA by the specific amount of time to obtain a revised ETA.   
     
     
         20 . The computer implemented method of  claim 15 , wherein calculating the call-ahead time comprises calculating the call-ahead time independently of information related to intermediate locations of the servicer between the start location and the service destination. 
     
     
         21 . A computer implemented method comprising:
 receiving a service order from a business, the service order including information related to a service job to be performed for a customer, the information including at least a telephone number associated with the customer;   automatically calling the telephone number to obtain confirmation of the service job; and   enabling a recipient of the telephone call to connect with a live operator if desired.   
     
     
         22 . The computer implemented method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 receiving a plurality of service orders from a business, each service order including information related to a respective service job to be performed for a customer, the information for each respective service job including at least a telephone number associated with the respective customer;   automatically calling in succession the telephone numbers associated with the respective customers to obtain confirmation of the respective service jobs; and   enabling a recipient of each of the telephone calls to connect with the live operator if desired.   
     
     
         23 . The computer implemented method of  claim 21 , wherein automatically calling the telephone number comprises utilizing an integrated voice response (IVR) device. 
     
     
         24 . The computer implemented method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 receiving an indication when the servicer has arrived at a loading location;   indicating to the servicer which items are to be loaded onto a vehicle associated with the servicer; and   receiving an indication when the servicer is leaving the loading location.   
     
     
         25 . The computer implemented method of  claim 24 , further comprising:
 receiving an indication that an item to be delivered has been scanned by the servicer;   receiving an indication as to whether or not the scanned item is being loaded; and   recording an issue with the scanned item if it is not loaded.   
     
     
         26 . The computer implemented method of  claim 24 , further comprising:
 communicating to the servicer which item is to be delivered;   receiving an indication from the servicer when the item is scanned;   receiving an indication as to whether or not the scanned item is being unloaded and delivered; and   recording an issue with the scanned item if it is not unloaded and delivered.   
     
     
         27 . A computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions, the computer-readable medium comprising:
 logic adapted to receive a service order from a business, the service order including information related to a service job to be performed for a customer, the information including at least a telephone number associated with the customer;   logic adapted to automatically call a telephone number to obtain confirmation of the service job; and   logic adapted to enable a recipient of the telephone call to connect with a live operator if desired.   
     
     
         28 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 logic adapted to receive a plurality of service orders from a business, each service order including information related to a respective service job to be performed for a customer, the information for each respective service job including at least a telephone number associated with the respective customer;   logic adapted to automatically call in succession the telephone numbers associated with the respective customers to obtain confirmation of the respective service jobs; and   logic adapted to enable a recipient of each of the telephone calls to connect with the live operator if desired.   
     
     
         29 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 logic adapted to store an estimated travel time and estimated time of arrival (ETA), wherein the estimated travel time is an estimated period of time for a servicer to travel from a start location to a service destination associated with the customer for whom the servicer is to perform the service job, and wherein the ETA is an estimated time of day when the servicer is expected to arrive at the service destination;   logic adapted to calculate a call-ahead time defined by a time of day when the customer is to be notified of the ETA of the servicer at the service destination, wherein the calculation of the call-ahead time is based in part on a predetermined advanced-warning time period and the ETA, and wherein the predetermined advanced-warning time period is a predetermined amount of time before the ETA for providing an advanced warning of the ETA; and   logic adapted to automatically notify the customer of the ETA of the servicer at the service destination no earlier than the call-ahead time.   
     
     
         30 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 logic adapted to receive information related to the start location of the servicer and information related to the service destination;   logic adapted to determine the estimated travel time and ETA based in part on the start location information and service destination information.   
     
     
         31 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 logic adapted to receive an indication of an additional amount of time requested by the servicer to travel from the start location to the service destination;   wherein the logic adapted to automatically calculate the estimated travel time and ETA is further adapted to add the requested additional amount of time to the estimated travel time and extend the ETA by the requested additional amount of time.   
     
     
         32 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 logic adapted to receive an indication that the servicer has arrived at the service destination; and   logic adapted to record information regarding the servicer's arrival.   
     
     
         33 . An order management program stored on a computer-readable medium, the order management program comprising:
 a service status receiving module configured to receive information regarding a starting location of a servicer and information regarding a service destination;   an ETA module configured to store information regarding an estimated time of arrival (ETA) that the servicer is expected to reach the service destination, wherein the ETA is based in part on an estimated period of time for the servicer to travel from the starting location to the service destination, and wherein the service destination is associated with a customer for whom the servicer is to perform a service job; and   an en route call module configured to calculate a call-ahead time defined by a time of day when the customer is to be notified of the ETA, wherein the calculation of the call-ahead time is based in part on a predetermined advanced-warning time period and the ETA, and wherein the predetermined advanced-warning time period is defined by a predetermined amount of time before the ETA at a time when an advanced warning of the ETA is to be provided;   wherein the en route call module is further configured to automatically notify the customer of the ETA of the servicer at the service destination no earlier than the call-ahead time.   
     
     
         34 . The order management program of  claim 33 , further comprising:
 a service order receiving module configured to receive a plurality of service orders, each service order including a service job to be fulfilled during a service day;   a routing module configured to determine a plurality of service schedule routes to fulfill the service jobs during the service day, each service schedule route designated for a respective servicer; and   a confirmation call module configured to place a telephone call to each of a plurality of customers, each telephone call indicating a respective service time window for fulfilling a respective service job for the customer.   
     
     
         35 . The order management program of  claim 34 , wherein the confirmation call module is further configured to place the telephone calls sequentially to the plurality of customers, the telephone calls placed during evening hours the day before the service day. 
     
     
         36 . The order management program of  claim 34 , wherein the confirmation call module is further configured to enable the customers to connect to a live operator if desired. 
     
     
         37 . The order management program of  claim 33 , wherein the en route call module is further configured to enable the customer to select one of a confirmation that the customer is available to receive the service job, a desire to reschedule the service job, a desire to speak with a live operator, and an option to opt out of the service job. 
     
     
         38 . A portable communication device comprising:
 a processing device configured to execute logical instructions that are stored in memory;   a user interface in communication with the processing device, the processing device being configured to cause the user interface to display information regarding a plurality of service jobs; and   a transceiver device configured to wirelessly communicate with a service order management system that manages service orders for one or more servicers.   
     
     
         39 . The portable communication device of  claim 38 , wherein the processing device is configured to cause the user interface to display at least one of: a servicer's service schedule, a location status updating menu, a prompt to enter a next destination, a prompt to enter an extra time period needed to reach the next destination, a prompt to enter item scanning options, and a prompt to enter service issues. 
     
     
         40 . The portable communication device of  claim 38 , further comprising a scanner configured to scan bar codes placed on items to be delivered. 
     
     
         41 . A computer implemented method comprising:
 receiving a service schedule that includes information about a plurality of service jobs to be performed;   enabling a servicer to select a service job from the plurality of service jobs included in the service schedule; and   transmitting a signal to a service order management system to indicate the selected service job.   
     
     
         42 . The computer implemented method of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 receiving information from the service order management system regarding an estimated time of arrival (ETA) for the servicer to travel from a starting location to a service destination, the service destination associated with a location where the service job is to be performed.   
     
     
         43 . The computer implemented method of  claim 42 , further comprising:
 enabling the servicer to enter an extra time period needed to travel to the service destination; and   transmitting the extra period to the service order management system.   
     
     
         44 . The computer implemented method of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 enabling the servicer to indicate an arrival at the service destination;   enabling the servicer to indicate completion of the selected service job; and   enabling the servicer to indicate departure from the service destination.   
     
     
         45 . The computer implemented method of  claim 44 , further comprising:
 enabling the service to select a next service job from the plurality of service jobs included in the service schedule.   
     
     
         46 . A computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising logic adapted to perform the computer implemented method of  claim 41 .