Patent Application
20160012450
For most organizations, delivering prompt, high-quality customer service is of paramount importance. Customers that experience prolonged wait times frequently become frustrated, and may opt to do business with a competitor, or the like. The delivery of timely, high-quality customer service is perhaps most important in the in-person context, where customers are physically present at a location of the organization and interact with representatives of the organization. In such contexts, frustration associated with delays may prove contagious among waiting customers, and may further degrade each customer's individual experience. Many organizations recognize these phenomena, and attempt to staff physical locations to accommodate projected customer needs (e.g., based on historical demand, and the like). Occasionally, however, organizations may experience unanticipated surges of customer demand (e.g., when an unpredictable event prompts customers to visit a particular physical location, or the like). Accordingly, a need exists for identification of alternate modes of customer service based on indoor positioning system detection of physical customer presence.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. It is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the disclosure. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the description below.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, a computing platform may receive a plurality of messages comprising data indicating physical presence of customers of a financial institution at a physical banking center location of the financial institution from an indoor positioning system located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution. The computing platform may determine a number of customers known to be currently located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution based on at least a portion of the data indicating the physical presence of customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution. The computing platform may determine whether the number of customers known to be currently located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution exceeds a threshold associated with the physical banking center location of the financial institution. Responsive to determining that the number of customers known to be currently located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution exceeds the threshold associated with the physical banking center location of the financial institution, the computing platform may identify an alternate mode of servicing at least one customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution.
In some embodiments, the indoor positioning system may include a plurality of personal computing devices presently in possession of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and at least one location beacon that is located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution and configured to emit a signal comprising an identifier associated with the physical banking center location. In such embodiments, receiving the plurality of messages comprising data indicating the physical presence of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include receiving data comprising the identifier associated with the physical banking center location from the plurality of personal computing devices.
In some embodiments, the plurality of messages comprising data indicating the physical presence of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include a plurality of customer identifiers. Each customer identifier of the plurality of customer identifiers may identify a customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution. In such embodiments, determining the number of customers known to be currently located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include determining a number of unique customer identifiers that are among the plurality of customer identifiers.
In some embodiments, the indoor positioning system may include a location beacon that is located at a first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution and configured to emit a signal comprising an identifier associated with the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and a location beacon that is located at a second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution and configured to emit a signal comprising an identifier associated with the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution. In such embodiments, receiving the plurality of messages comprising data indicating physical presence of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include receiving messages comprising data indicating physical presence of a portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and receiving messages comprising data indicating physical presence of a portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution.
In some embodiments, determining the number of customers known to be currently located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include determining a number of customers known to be located at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and determining a number of customers known to be located at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution. In such embodiments, determining whether the number of customers known to be currently located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution exceeds the threshold associated with the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include comparing the number of customers known to be located at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to a number of associates of the financial institution located at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and comparing the number of customers known to be located at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to a number of associates of the financial institution located at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution.
In some embodiments, the computing platform may receive, from the indoor positioning system located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution, messages comprising data indicating physical presence of associates of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution and messages comprising data indicating physical presence of associates of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution. In such embodiments, the computing platform may determine the number of associates of the financial institution located at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution based on the messages comprising data indicating physical presence of associates of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and may determine the number of associates of the financial institution located at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution based on the messages comprising data indicating physical presence of associates of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution.
In some embodiments, comparing the number of customers known to be located at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to the number of associates of the financial institution located at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include comparing a ratio of the number of customers known to be located at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution and the number of associates of the financial institution located at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to a predetermined threshold customer-to-associate ratio associated with the first location of the physical banking center location, and comparing the number of customers known to be located at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to the number of associates of the financial institution located at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include comparing a ratio of the number of customers known to be located at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution and the number of associates of the financial institution located at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to a predetermined threshold customer-to-associate ratio associated with the second location of the physical banking center location.
In some embodiments, identifying the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include identifying an alternate mode of servicing at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and identifying an alternate mode of servicing at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution.
In some embodiments, the computing platform may generate a message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and a message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution.
In some embodiments, the computing platform may identify one or more personal computing devices presently in possession of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution based on the messages comprising the data indicating the physical presence of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and one or more personal computing devices presently in possession of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution based on the messages comprising the data indicating the physical presence of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution. In such embodiments, the computing platform may communicate the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to the one or more personal computing devices presently in possession of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to the one or more personal computing devices presently in possession of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution.
In some embodiments, the computing platform may identify at least one incentive program for the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and at least one incentive program for the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution. In such embodiments, generating the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include generating a message identifying the at least one incentive program for the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the first location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution, and generating the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include generating a message identifying the at least one incentive program for the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the portion of the customers of the financial institution at the second location of the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution.
In some embodiments, determining whether the number of customers known to be currently located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution exceeds the threshold associated with the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include comparing the number of customers known to be located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution to a number of associates of the financial institution located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution. In such embodiments, comparing the number of customers known to be located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution to the number of associates of the financial institution located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution may include comparing a ratio of the number of customers known to be located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution and the number of associates of the financial institution located at the physical banking center location of the financial institution to a predetermined threshold customer-to-associate ratio associated with the physical banking center location.
In some embodiments, the computing platform may generate a message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution.
In some embodiments, the computing platform may identify one or more personal computing devices presently in possession of the at least one customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution based on at least a portion of the plurality of messages comprising data indicating physical presence of customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution. In such embodiments, the computing platform may communicate the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution that does not involve the at least one customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical banking center location of the financial institution to the one or more personal computing devices presently in possession of the at least one customer of the customers of the financial institution at the physical banking center location of the financial institution.
Other details and features will be described in the sections that follow.
The present disclosure is pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. Features of the disclosure will become more apparent upon a review of this disclosure in its entirety, including the drawing figures provided herewith.
Some features herein are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements, and wherein:
In the following description of various illustrative embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, various embodiments in which aspects of the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural and functional modifications may be made, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
It is noted that various connections between elements are discussed in the following description. It is noted that these connections are general and, unless specified otherwise, may be direct or indirect, wired or wireless, and that the specification is not intended to be limiting in this respect.
Computing system environment 100 may include computing device 101 having processor 103 for controlling overall operation of computing device 101 and its associated components, including random-access memory (RAM) 105, read-only memory (ROM) 107, communications module 109, and memory 115. Computing device 101 may include a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media may be any available media that may be accessed by computing device 101, may be non-transitory, and may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, object code, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of computer readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and that can be accessed by computing device 101.
Although not required, various aspects described herein may be embodied as a method, a data processing system, or as a computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions. For example, a computer-readable medium storing instructions to cause a processor to perform steps of a method in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiments is contemplated. For example, aspects of the method steps disclosed herein may be executed on a processor on computing device 101. Such a processor may execute computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.
Software may be stored within memory 115 and/or storage to provide instructions to processor 103 for enabling computing device 101 to perform various functions. For example, memory 115 may store software used by computing device 101, such as operating system 117, application programs 119, and associated database 121. Also, some or all of the computer executable instructions for computing device 101 may be embodied in hardware or firmware. Although not shown, RAM 105 may include one or more applications representing the application data stored in RAM 105 while computing device 101 is on and corresponding software applications (e.g., software tasks), are running on computing device 101.
Communications module 109 may include a microphone, keypad, touch screen, and/or stylus through which a user of computing device 101 may provide input, and may also include one or more of a speaker for providing audio output and a video display device for providing textual, audiovisual and/or graphical output. Computing system environment 100 may also include optical scanners (not shown). Exemplary usages include scanning and converting paper documents, e.g., correspondence, receipts, and the like, to digital files.
Computing device 101 may operate in a networked environment supporting connections to one or more remote computing devices, such as computing devices 141, 151, and 161. Computing devices 141, 151, and 161 may be personal computing devices or servers that include any or all of the elements described above relative to computing device 101. Computing device 161 may be a mobile device (e.g., smart phone) communicating over wireless carrier channel 171.
The network connections depicted in
The disclosure is operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the disclosed embodiments include, but are not limited to, personal computers (PCs), server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, smart phones, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
Computer network 203 may be any suitable computer network including the Internet, an intranet, a wide-area network (WAN), a local-area network (LAN), a wireless network, a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a frame relay network, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, a virtual private network (VPN), or any combination of any of the same. Communications links 202 and 205 may be any communications links suitable for communicating between workstations 201 and server 204, such as network links, dial-up links, wireless links, hard-wired links, as well as network types developed in the future, and the like.
Indoor positioning system(s) 304 may include one or more location beacons configured to emit or broadcast a signal (e.g., a Bluetooth Low Energy signal, a Bluetooth Smart signal, a low-power radio signal, or the like) comprising an identifier associated with its physical location (e.g., a physical banking center location of the financial institution and/or a location within the physical banking center location of the financial institution). For example, indoor positioning system(s) 304 may include location beacon 308 and location beacon 310. Location beacon 308 may be configured to emit a signal comprising an identifier associated with its physical location (e.g., Location “A”), for example, an identifier associated with the physical banking center location of the financial institution and/or a location within the physical banking center location of the financial institution (e.g., an area associated with one or more human tellers, an area associated with one or more automated teller machines, an area associated with one or more loan officers, an area associated with one or more financial planners, an area associated with one or more customer service professionals, an area associated with an indoor lobby, an area associated with an outdoor lobby, an area associated with a walk-up or drive-up window, or the like). Similarly, location beacon 310 may be configured to emit a signal comprising an identifier associated with its physical location (e.g., Location “B”), for example, an identifier associated with the physical banking center location of the financial institution and/or a different location within the physical banking center location of the financial institution. Indoor positioning system(s) 304 may also include one or more personal computing devices, which may be presently in the possession of individuals (e.g., customers and/or associates of the financial institution) located at indoor positioning system(s) 304's physical location. For example, indoor positioning system(s) 304 may include personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322.
Personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322 may be any type of computing device capable of detecting the signal(s) emitted or broadcast by location beacon 308 and/or location beacon 310, generating a messaging indicating detection of the signal(s), and communicating the message indicating detection of the signal(s) to one or more other computing devices. For example, personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322 may include one or more laptop computers, tablet computers, smart phones, mobile devices, near field communication tags, or the like. As will be described in greater detail below, when located within a proximity (e.g., zero to one hundred meters) of location beacon 308 and/or location beacon 310, personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322 may be configured to detect signal(s) emitted by location beacon 308 and/or location beacon 310. Responsive to detecting signal(s) emitted by location beacon 308 and/or location beacon 310, personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322 may be configured to generate a message indicating detection of the signal(s), and communicate the message to one or more other computing devices (e.g., one or more computing devices of backend computing system(s) 302). As indicated above, the signal(s) emitted by location beacon 308 and/or location beacon 310 may comprise one or more identifiers associated with their respective locations (e.g., Location “A,” Location “B,” or the like), and the message(s) generated by personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322 responsive to detection of the signal(s) may comprise the identifier(s) and/or information identified utilizing the identifier(s) (e.g., information associated with Location “A,” Location “B,” or the like). Additionally or alternatively, the message(s) generated by personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322 responsive to detection of the signal(s) may comprise identifiers associated with an individual presently in possession of one or more of personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322, for example, customer identifier(s), associate identifier(s), or the like.
Backend computing system(s) 302 may include one or more computing devices associated with the organization (e.g., the financial institution). For example, backend computing system(s) 302 may include customer management system(s) 324 and computing platform 326. As will be described in greater detail below, customer management system(s) 324 may include one or more computing devices (e.g., mainframes, servers, server blades, or the like) configured to maintain information regarding customers of the organization (e.g., profile data for customers of the financial institution). Computing platform 326 may include one or more processor(s) 328, memory 330, communication interface 332, and data bus 334. Data bus 334 may interconnect processor(s) 328, memory 330, and/or communication interface 332. Communication interface 332 may be a network interface configured to support communications between computing platform 326 and network(s) 306, or one or more sub-networks thereof. Memory 330 may include one or more program modules comprising instructions that when executed by processor(s) 328 cause computing platform 326 to perform one or more functions described herein. For example, memory 330 may include alternate mode module 336, which may comprise instructions that when executed by processor(s) 328 may cause computing platform 326 to perform one or more functions described herein.
In some embodiments, each of the plurality of messages may include an identifier associated with the location (e.g., the identifier contained in the signal emitted by location beacon 308 and/or location beacon 310, information identified utilizing the identifier(s), or the like) and/or one or more identifiers associated with an individual (e.g., an associate or customer of the financial institution) presently in possession of the personal computing device that generated the message. For example, a message received from personal computing device 312 may comprise an identifier associated with Location “A” and/or an identifier associated with an individual presently in possession of personal computing device 312 (e.g., at Location “A”). Similarly, a message received from personal computing device 314 may comprise an identifier associated with Location “A” and/or an identifier associated with an individual presently in possession of personal computing device 314 (e.g., at Location “A”); a message received from personal computing device 316 may comprise an identifier associated with Location “A” and/or an identifier associated with an individual presently in possession of personal computing device 316 (e.g., at Location “A”); a message received from personal computing device 318 may comprise an identifier associated with Location “B” and/or an identifier associated with an individual presently in possession of personal computing device 318 (e.g., at Location “B”); a message received from personal computing device 320 may comprise an identifier associated with Location “B” and/or an identifier associated with an individual presently in possession of personal computing device 320 (e.g., at Location “B”); and a message received from personal computing device 322 may comprise an identifier associated with Location “B” and/or an identifier associated with an individual presently in possession of personal computing device 322 (e.g., at Location “B”).
At step 2, computing platform 326 may generate a request for profile data for one or more customers identified by the messages received from indoor positioning system(s) 304. For example, as indicated above, one or more of the messages received from personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322 may include identifiers associated with individuals presently in possession of one or more of personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322, and computing platform 326 may utilize the identifier(s) to identify one or more customers present at the physical location(s) (e.g., Location “A” and/or Location “B”) and may generate a request for profile data associated with the customer(s). At step 3, computing platform 326 may communicate (e.g., via communication interface 332) the request for profile data for the customer(s) to customer management system(s) 324. Referring to
At step 6, computing platform 326 may determine a number of customers known to be currently located at the physical location(s) associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304. For example, computing platform 326 may determine a number of customers known to be located at Location “A” based on a portion of the messages (e.g., a count) that comprise identifier(s) associated with Location “A” (e.g., an identifier contained in the signal emitted by location beacon 308). Similarly, computing platform 326 may determine a number of customers known to be located at Location “B” based on a portion of the messages (e.g., a count) that comprise identifier(s) associated with Location “B” (e.g., an identifier contained in the signal emitted by location beacon 310). In some embodiments, determining the number of customers known to be currently located at the physical location(s) associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304 may include determining a number of unique customer identifiers. For example, as indicated above, one or more of the messages received from personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322 may include identifiers associated with individuals presently in possession of one or more of personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322, and computing platform 326 may determine, from amongst the identifiers, a number of unique identifiers (e.g., a number of unique customer identifiers associated with Location “A” and/or a number of unique customer identifiers associated with Location “B”).
At step 7, computing platform 326 may determine a number of associates known to be currently located at the physical location(s) associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304. For example, computing platform 326 may determine a number of associates known to be located at Location “A” based on a portion of the messages (e.g., a count) that comprise identifier(s) associated with Location “A” (e.g., an identifier contained in the signal emitted by location beacon 308). Similarly, computing platform 326 may determine a number of associates known to be located at Location “B” based on a portion of the messages (e.g., a count) that comprise identifier(s) associated with Location “B” (e.g., an identifier contained in the signal emitted by location beacon 310). In some embodiments, determining the number of associates known to be currently located at the physical location(s) associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304 may include determining a number of unique associate identifiers. For example, as indicated above, one or more of the messages received from personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322 may include identifiers associated with individuals presently in possession of one or more of personal computing devices 312 and 314 through 316, and/or personal computing devices 318 and 320 through 322, and computing platform 326 may determine, from amongst the identifiers, a number of unique identifiers (e.g., a number of unique associate identifiers associated with Location “A” and/or a number of unique associate identifiers associated with Location “B”).
At step 8, computing platform 326 may compare the number of customers known to be currently located at the physical location associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304 to a threshold associated with the physical location to determine whether the number of customers known to be located at the physical location exceeds the threshold associated with the physical location. For example, computing platform 326 may compare a number of customers known to be located at Location “A” to a predetermined threshold associated with Location “A” to determine whether the number of customers known to be located at Location “A” exceeds the predetermined threshold associated with Location “A.” Similarly, computing platform 326 may compare a number of customers known to be located at Location “B” to a predetermined threshold associated with Location “B” to determine whether the number of customers known to be located at Location “B” exceeds the predetermined threshold associated with Location “B.” In some embodiments, the predetermined threshold(s) may comprise a customer-to-associate ratio, and determining whether the number of customers known to be currently located at the physical location exceeds the predetermined threshold may include determining a ratio of the number of customers known to be located at the physical location and the number of associates known to be located at the physical location, and comparing the ratio to the predetermined customer-to-associate ratio for the location. For example, computing platform 326 may determine a ratio of the number of customers known to be currently located at Location “A” and the number of associates known to be currently located at Location “A,” and may compare the ratio to a predetermined customer-to-associate ratio for Location “A.” Similarly, computing platform 326 may determine a ratio of the number of customers known to be currently located at Location “B” and the number of associates known to be currently located at Location “B,” and may compare the ratio to a predetermined customer-to-associate ratio for Location “B.”
Responsive to determining that the number of customers known to be currently located at the physical location exceeds the threshold associated with the location, at step 9, computing platform 326 may identify an alternate mode of servicing at least one customer of the customers known to be currently located at the physical location that does not involve the at least one customer contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location. For example, computing platform 326 may identify an alternate mode of servicing a customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 (e.g., at Location “A”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location), for example, an alternative time when the customer could visit the physical location and likely experience a shorter wait time (e.g., an off-peak time), another physical location of the organization that is nearby the physical location at which the customer is currently located and/or is currently experiencing shorter wait times, an online service offered by the organization that may be able to address the transaction the customer is at the physical location to address, an automated teller machine that is nearby the physical location at which the customer is currently located and may be able to address the transaction the customer is at the physical location to address, or the like. Similarly, computing platform 326 may identify an alternate mode of servicing a customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 (e.g., at Location “A”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); an alternate mode of servicing a customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 (e.g., at Location “A”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); an alternate mode of servicing a customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 (e.g., at Location “B”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); an alternate mode of servicing a customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 (e.g., at Location “B”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); and/or an alternate mode of servicing a customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 (e.g., at Location “B”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location).
At step 10, computing platform 326 may identify at least one incentive program for the at least one customer to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer that does not involve the at least one customer contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location. For example, computing platform 326 may identify an incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 (e.g., at Location “A”) to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location), for example, points and/or credit with a rewards program offered by the organization, points and/or credit with a rewards program offered by a partner organization of the organization (e.g., a local gym, retailer, or the like), an offer to waive a fee the customer currently owes the organization, or the like. Similarly, computing platform 326 may identify an incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 (e.g., at Location “A”) to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); an incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 (e.g., at Location “A”) to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); an incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 (e.g., at Location “B”) to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); an incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 (e.g., at Location “B”) to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); and/or an incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 (e.g., at Location “B”) to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location).
In some embodiments, computing platform 326 may utilize profile data associated with the customer(s) (e.g., the data received from customer management system(s) 324 in step 5 above) to identify an incentive program for the at least one customer to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the at least one customer that does not involve the at least one customer contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location. For example, computing platform 326 may utilize profile data associated with the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 (e.g., at Location “A”) to identify the incentive program(s) for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location), for example, the profile data may indicate that the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 is more likely to be enticed by one type of available incentive program versus another type of available incentive program (e.g., based on past transactions of the customer, past incentive program redemptions of the customer, or the like). Similarly, computing platform 326 may utilize profile data associated with the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 (e.g., at Location “A”) to identify the incentive program(s) for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); profile data associated with the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 (e.g., at Location “A”) to identify the incentive program(s) for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); profile data associated with the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 (e.g., at Location “B”) to identify the incentive program(s) for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); profile data associated with the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 (e.g., at Location “B”) to identify the incentive program(s) for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location); and/or profile data associated with the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 (e.g., at Location “B”) to identify the incentive program(s) for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location (e.g., personnel of the organization associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304's location).
At step 11, computing platform 326 may generate message(s) identifying the alternate mode(s) of servicing the customer(s) of the customers at the physical location that does not involve the customer(s) contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location. In some embodiments, the message(s) identifying the alternate mode(s) of servicing the customer(s) of the customers at the physical location that does not involve the customer(s) contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location may also identify the incentive program(s) for the customer(s) to utilize the alternate mode(s) of servicing the customer(s) of the customers at the physical location that does not involve the customer(s) contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location. For example, computing platform 326 may generate a message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 (e.g., at Location “A”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location. Similarly, computing platform 326 may generate a message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 (e.g., at Location “A”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location; a message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 (e.g., at Location “A”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location; a message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 (e.g., at Location “B”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location; a message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 (e.g., at Location “B”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location; and/or a message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 (e.g., at Location “B”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location.
Referring to
At step 13, computing platform 326 may communicate (e.g., via communication interface 332 and network(s) 306) the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 (e.g., at Location “A”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and/or the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location to personal computing device 312. At step 14, computing platform 326 may communicate (e.g., via communication interface 332 and network(s) 306) the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 (e.g., at Location “A”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and/or the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 314 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location to personal computing device 314. At step 15, computing platform 326 may communicate (e.g., via communication interface 332 and network(s) 306) the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 (e.g., at Location “A”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and/or the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 316 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location to personal computing device 316.
At step 16, computing platform 326 may communicate (e.g., via communication interface 332 and network(s) 306) the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 (e.g., at Location “B”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and/or the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 318 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location to personal computing device 318. At step 17, computing platform 326 may communicate (e.g., via communication interface 332 and network(s) 306) the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 (e.g., at Location “B”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and/or the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 320 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location to personal computing device 320. At step 18, computing platform 326 may communicate (e.g., via communication interface 332 and network(s) 306) the message identifying the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 (e.g., at Location “B”) that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and/or the incentive program for the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 to utilize the alternate mode of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 322 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location to personal computing device 322.
Responsive to determining that the number of customers known to be located at the physical location exceeds the threshold, at step 608, the computing platform may identify one or more alternate modes of servicing at least one customer of the customers at the physical location that does not involve the at least one customer contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location. For example, computing platform 326 may identify one or more alternate modes of servicing a customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 that does not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304. At step 610, the computing platform may generate one or more messages identifying the alternate mode(s) of servicing the customer(s) of the customers at the physical location that do not involve the customer(s) contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location, and, at step 612, may communicate the message(s) to one or more personal computing devices presently in possession of the customer(s). For example, computing platform 326 may generate a message identifying the alternate mode(s) of servicing the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 that do not involve the customer presently in possession of personal computing device 312 contemporaneously utilizing personnel of the physical location associated with indoor positioning system(s) 304, and may communicate the message to personal computing device 312. Returning to step 606, responsive to determining that the number of customers known to be located at the physical location does not exceed the threshold, the method may return to step 602, to await one or more additional messages indicating physical presence of customers at the physical location from the indoor positioning system.
One or more aspects of the disclosure may be embodied in computer-usable data or computer-executable instructions, such as in one or more program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices to perform the operations described herein. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types when executed by one or more processors in a computer or other data processing device. The computer-executable instructions may be stored on a computer-readable medium such as a hard disk, optical disk, removable storage media, solid-state memory, RAM, and the like. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. In addition, the functionality may be embodied in whole or in part in firmware or hardware equivalents, such as integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and the like. Particular data structures may be used to more effectively implement one or more aspects of the disclosure, and such data structures are contemplated to be within the scope of computer executable instructions and computer-usable data described herein.
Various aspects described herein may be embodied as a method, an apparatus, or as one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions. Accordingly, those aspects may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, an entirely firmware embodiment, or an embodiment combining software, hardware, and firmware aspects in any combination. In addition, various signals representing data or events as described herein may be transferred between a source and a destination in the form of light or electromagnetic waves traveling through signal-conducting media such as metal wires, optical fibers, or wireless transmission media (e.g., air or space). In general, the one or more computer-readable media may comprise one or more non-transitory computer-readable media.
As described herein, the various methods and acts may be operative across one or more computing servers and one or more networks. The functionality may be distributed in any manner, or may be located in a single computing device (e.g., a server, a client computer, and the like).
Aspects of the disclosure have been described in terms of illustrative embodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications, and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occur to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of this disclosure. For example, one or more of the steps depicted in the illustrative figures may be performed in other than the recited order, and one or more depicted steps may be optional in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.
