Automated Queue System Using Facial Image Capture for Virtual Service Entry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing queue management systems are limited by the number of service providers, leading to lengthy wait times and frustration for customers, and require customers to fill out electronic information forms, which can be tedious and incomplete, affecting service efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An automated queue system that processes customer images and selected services to enter customers into a virtual queue, transmitting customer data and images to agent interfaces when they reach the front, eliminating the need for manual data entry and improving service efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If customers fill out electronic information forms to enter the virtual queue, then customer data can be retrieved for service transactions, but the process becomes tedious and time-consuming, leading to incomplete forms and reduced service efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically captures customer images and extracts data without requiring manual form filling. Customers simply present themselves for image capture, and the system self-services by extracting relevant information from the image or associated databases, eliminating the tedious form-filling process while maintaining data completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual form filling with an automated image-based data extraction system. Optical recognition and processing circuits automatically capture and extract customer information from images, substituting the manual mechanical action of typing or writing form data with an automated optical-mechanical system.
2Reliability
If the queue management system requires complete electronic information forms, then accurate customer data is obtained for service transactions, but customers may delay queuing to locate answers, slowing down the overall service process
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary data capture by automatically extracting customer information from images at the point of queue entry. This preliminary action ensures data accuracy is established before the customer reaches the service counter, eliminating the need for customers to delay queuing to gather information, thus maintaining both reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated image-based system performs the data collection function independently without requiring customers to manually search for or input information. The system self-services by capturing and validating customer data automatically, ensuring accuracy while maintaining high service throughput.
3Loss of time
If more service providers are added to reduce wait times, then customer service capacity increases, but the complexity and cost of the facility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary virtual queue system that mediates between customers and service providers. Instead of directly increasing service provider capacity, the virtual queue intermediary manages customer flow, allowing customers to wait remotely or in a relaxed lobby environment while being notified when service is available, thus reducing wait times without adding physical service infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions the queuing process from a physical spatial dimension (lines in the facility) to a virtual temporal dimension (notification-based scheduling). Customers are placed in a virtual queue and notified when service is available, changing the dimension of queue management from physical presence to virtual scheduling, thereby reducing the need for additional physical service providers.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated queue is provided including processing circuitry configured to receive an image including a face of a customer, receive an indication of a selected service, enter the customer in virtual queue based on the indication of the selected service, and in response to the customer reaching the front of the virtual queue, causing a transmission of the selected service and at least a portion of the image including the face of the customer to an agent user interface.