Automated Customer Check-in via Wireless Hotspot Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customers who order items for pick-up online often face delays, leading to spoilage of perishable items, as stores typically fill orders at the beginning of the designated time slot, regardless of the customer's arrival time, resulting in inefficient operations and increased wait times for customers.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses mobile applications on customer and associate devices to automatically check-in customers upon approaching the store, allowing the store to track the customer's location and estimate arrival time, enabling timely preparation of orders and reducing waste by filling orders only when the customer is near.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the store fills the customer order at the beginning of the designated time slot, then the order preparation is completed timely, but perishable items may spoil or frozen items may thaw while waiting for the customer to arrive
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-preparing the order at the beginning of the time slot, but then suspends this action until the customer actually arrives. The order preparation is initiated in advance but executed conditionally based on customer arrival, allowing the store to be ready without committing to filling the order until the customer is present, thus preventing spoilage of perishable items.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces dynamic flexibility by allowing the order filling time to be adjusted based on actual customer arrival. Instead of a fixed schedule where the order must be filled at the beginning of the time slot, the system dynamically adapts the order filling timing to match the customer's actual arrival time, enabling the store to wait until the customer arrives before filling the order, thereby preventing item spoilage.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the store associate waits until the customer arrives before filling the order, then item spoilage is prevented, but customer wait time increases and operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback mechanisms through the mobile application to communicate with the customer and monitor their arrival. The system receives feedback about the customer's arrival status and adjusts the order filling process accordingly. This feedback loop allows the store to know when the customer arrives and trigger order filling at the optimal moment, preventing both spoilage and excessive wait times.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the traditional mechanical approach of manual order filling with an automated electronic system. The mobile application and server automatically handle customer check-in, location tracking, and order triggering, eliminating the need for manual intervention and reducing the time between customer arrival and order fulfillment. This automation speeds up the process while maintaining the ability to prevent spoilage.
3Ease of operation
If the store uses traditional manual check-in and order filling processes, then the system is simple to operate, but operational efficiency is low and customer wait times are long
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service functionality where the customer uses their mobile device to automatically check in, provide location information, and trigger the order filling process. The customer initiates the interaction through the mobile application without requiring manual assistance from store associates. This self-service approach maintains ease of operation for customers while significantly improving operational efficiency by automating the check-in and order triggering process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical processes with electronic automation. The mobile application and server computer automatically handle customer identification, location tracking, and order triggering, eliminating the need for manual check-in procedures. This substitution of mechanical systems with electronic ones maintains simplicity for the user while dramatically improving operational efficiency and reducing customer wait times.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for automatically checking-in a customer includes a database and a server computer including a processor coupled to a memory device. The processor is programmed to install a customer application on a customer mobile computing device, install an associate application on an associate mobile computing device, receive a signal from the customer device indicating that the customer device has automatically recognized a wireless hotspot about the store and including a unique customer identification associated with the customer device, retrieve a data record from the database including a customer profile associated with the unique customer identification, determine if the retrieved data record includes a customer order, and if the retrieved data record includes a customer order, then automatically check-in the customer and transmit a signal to the associate device including an indication that the customer is checked-in and available to pick-up the customer order.