Scheduling System Optimizing Provider Travel Time and Billable Hours
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for scheduling service providers and clients are inefficient, as they rely on manual processes that fail to optimize provider availability, travel time, and client requirements, leading to suboptimal scheduling and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for generating schedules that include receiving client and provider data, determining pairings based on various criteria such as availability, credentials, and travel time, and displaying potential sessions on a graphical user interface, with the ability to optimize schedules using metrics like revenue and constraints like provider hours.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual scheduling methods are used to satisfy client conditions and requirements, then scheduling can be performed with simple tools, but efficiency of maximizing provider's substantive work time is lost and cognitive load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service scheduling where the automated scheduling system independently performs schedule generation, optimization, and adjustment without requiring manual intervention. The system automatically processes provider availability, client requirements, travel time calculations, and schedule optimization to produce finalized schedules, allowing the scheduling process to serve itself rather than requiring continuous human management
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual scheduling process with an automated computational system that uses algorithms to process scheduling data, calculate travel times, evaluate multiple scheduling options, and generate optimized schedules. This substitution eliminates the need for manual cognitive processing while significantly improving scheduling efficiency and provider work time utilization
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual scheduling is used to account for travel time and client preferences, then flexibility in handling individual cases is maintained, but time consumption and cognitive load increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic scheduling where schedules are generated and optimized based on real-time data including provider availability, client preferences, and travel time calculations. The system can dynamically adjust schedules by evaluating multiple potential sessions and selecting optimal pairings that satisfy all constraints while minimizing travel time and maximizing provider productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The automated scheduling system acts as an intermediary between providers and clients, processing their individual requirements, preferences, and constraints through algorithmic evaluation. The system mediates the matching process by calculating travel times, evaluating compatibility, and generating optimal pairings that satisfy all parties' requirements without requiring manual negotiation or adjustment
3Reliability
If schedules are created to satisfy each client's conditions and requirements individually, then client satisfaction is improved, but overall scheduling efficiency and provider utilization decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple scheduling objectives into a unified optimization process. It simultaneously considers client requirements, provider availability, travel time constraints, and productivity goals by evaluating multiple potential sessions and selecting pairings that optimize the overall schedule. This combined approach ensures client satisfaction while maximizing provider utilization and scheduling efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices are provided for generating a graphical user interface configured to display, at least in part, a schedule. According to one aspect, the system can receive selectable fields of a client and selectable fields one or more providers from a plurality of providers. The system can determine the quality of pairings between the client and each of the one or more providers based on the one or more selectable fields of the client and the one or more selectable fields of the one or more providers. The system can generate a schedule of potential sessions based on the pairings. The system can score each of the potential sessions and display the schedule and scores to a user.