Washington Patent of the Month – December 2021
Many organizations use multiple appointment scheduling systems to accommodate a wider range of clients. This could range from web-based portals to phone applications to classic telephone scheduling. As appointments are scheduled, the organization must smartly attribute resources to the appointment, from staff to supplies. As an organization grows, this process can become more time consuming and error prone. The provider must vigilantly track resources to make sure a scheduled appointment can be fulfilled, and cannot allow for appointments to be booked where a resource won’t be available. For instance, if a user booked an appointment to have an electrician come fix something but no electrician is available, this would be a nuisance to both the provider and the client.
SkedgeAlert, Inc. has previously developed a system that connects providers with clients through smart, real-time availability matching. They have since expanded this system to enhance their technology by offering scalable data management solutions, allowing the system to effectively grow with the company and better manage appointments.
This system helps to manage resources across a network. Each resource or object is stored in a datacenter using a separate key container with a region key, shard key, and nonce key. This combination of keys provides security and even distribution. The system can schedule appointments based on available resources (staff, supplies etc.) in order to not book appointments in slots where resources won’t be available. When the client tries to book an appointment, the system would evaluate what resources are needed and offer potential appointment times for the client to choose from accordingly.
The system can further manage resources by smartly and rapidly filling in canceled appointment slots. A cancellation often results in lost revenue, but filling in the spot may be difficult as they would first need to identify a client who would be willing to take the appointment on short notice. The system identifies future appointments, waitlisted clients, and other potential clients that match the appointment slot (i.e. similar time frame, provider type etc.) and contacts them one by one to try to rapidly fill the appointment. This system creates a smoother appointment process by ensuring any booking has the required resources available, and offers a potential solution to wasted resources as a result of canceled appointments.
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