Method for providing occasional in-home care addressing trust and safety

Disclosed are systems, media, and methods to provide a coarse qualification process, the coarse qualification process comprising specifying filters and associated ranking characteristics for service providers, the filters comprising at least location, availability, and skills, and resolving practical concerns by displaying candidate service providers based on the filters and ranked based on the ranking characteristics; provide a qualification refinement process, the qualification refinement process comprising modifying the filters and ranking characteristics, applying the refined filters and ranking characteristics, and displaying refined candidate service providers; and provide a service provider booking process, the service provider booking process comprising resolving emotional concerns by viewing service provider video clips, wherein the time to resolve emotional concerns is less than an optimal customer review period, and resolving rational concerns by viewing service provider qualifications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

New offerings in the service provider marketplace allow customers to receive numerous services from small and large suppliers using desktop or mobile applications or websites. Different types of service require different levels of trust on the part of the customer. Available service providers with valuable or uncommon qualifications, including locality and ability, may not meet customer trust requirements. Transactions to acquire products from previously unknown suppliers benefit from immediate establishment of trust prior to the transaction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Current offerings are insufficient to allow a customer to resolve practical, rational and emotional concerns required to engage a new service provider in the execution of requested duties on or for persons or property of valuable or irreplaceable nature. Current offerings are also insufficient to allow a customer to resolve practical, rational, and emotional concerns required to engage a new and previously unknown supplier of a required product.

Practical concerns over the shortcomings of current technologies involve the challenges (excessive time and effort) in finding, vetting, and scheduling a service provider or determining product availability. Rational challenges include a means of resolving qualifications sufficient to understand the proper fit between the service provider or product and the client (such as servicing the right model of dishwasher). Emotional challenges involve the need to satisfy the intuitive judgment of the customer that the service provider or product is trustworthy and safe—a place where first impressions count.

Many of these services occur on inanimate objects in the home in the presence of the client. Well known services allow, for example, a homeowner to find a handyman to assemble a desk or to find numerous washing machine repair technicians. These services rely on the customer to accept without any validation that these individuals can be trusted to work in the client's home. The ongoing presence of an adult customer in the home during the service mitigates some of the trust concerns. However, many adults are still uneasy when having service people work on appliances in their home even in their presence, demonstrating this concern by constantly monitoring the service person while in their home. The primary concern driving following the service provider in the accomplishment of duties is often focused on assuring that valuables, pets, children, and elders are not alone with the unknown service personnel for even a minute. Most customers requiring in-home appliance service can satisfy practical concerns for booking an appointment and establishing sufficient qualifications in a phone call, but emotional concerns about safety are left unanswered. Accordingly, most potential customers avoid service personnel in their home unless there is an emergency (broken washing machine) due to the lack of resolution of the emotional challenge (satisfying emotional concerns about trust and safety).

A specific type of service industry, the occasional in-home care industry known by previous generations as babysitting, best illustrates the problem of resolving practical, rational and emotional concerns for service for or around persons or property of valuable or irreplaceable nature. Occasional in-home care, which now represents a broader category including elder care, relied in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s on the teenage sons and daughters of friends and colleagues in the immediate neighborhood to babysit their young children. Teenage boys and girls, the service providers, abounded in the neighborhood, everybody knew their neighbors and bookings were done over coffee or over the fence, and teenage girls were considered to be trustworthy as a class. No serious practical, rational or emotional concerns were unresolved.

By the 1990s, changes in society significantly increased the challenges for customers seeking in-home care. More women were working and more families relied on two income families (driving up the need for babysitters). People no longer knew their neighbors, and fewer teenagers were around as the baby boom subsided. Parents no longer had friends with teenage children of suitable character to watch their children. The advent of the Internet in the 1990s spawned the creation of on-line companies that attempted to fill the void by allowing a customer, for a subscription or per-use fee, to use a website to locate sitters in their neighborhood. The process of booking a service provider, such as an occasional in-home caregiver or sitter, was largely focused on and the responsibility of the customer. The customer had to typically perform a large number of steps to a book a sitter: 1) subscribe to a sitting service company by entering a customer credit card over the Internet; 2) look through lists of sitters and pick several candidates to evaluate based on a text description; 3) call each sitter and get their qualifications, references and availability; 4) call the sitters' references (which would probably not be objective); 5) call the sitter back to book the event, 6) on the day of the event, tell the sitter all of the requirements for the person under care; and 7) pay with cash at the end of the visit. Even with all the work on the part of the customer, very little objective verification of the caregiver's qualification, experience, or criminal history occurred. Serious unresolved practical, rational and emotional concerns limited the market and reach of the early Internet-based care providers.

The advent of mobile devices since 2000 has done little to change the paradigm of heavy customer responsibility of the 1990s. Accessing the list of caregivers is now easier on mobile devices such as a smart phone, and the service providers now display one or more photographs and text describing qualifications in their own words. Some care providers provide trust ratings with proprietary levels of trust and unknown value to the customer. Videos of caregivers are hard to find or non-existent and video interviews unheard of. The customer still has to confirm availability, select a caregiver based on limited and arbitrary information, and book the event directly with the caregiver. In the current mode of operation for mobile and desktop accessible service providers, the limited information available to the consumer is insufficient to appeal to the practical need to book a service, the rational need to evaluate meaningful qualifications, and the emotional need to establish trust sufficient to overcome the reluctance to book an in-home care provider.

A second specific type of service industry, appliance repair, well illustrates the problem of resolving practical, rational, and emotional concerns for service for or around persons or property of valuable or irreplaceable nature when trust resources cannot be met by the primary service provider. For some services and in some locations and at some times, the limited pool of service providers may not allow the customer to locate any service provider that meets practical (e.g., scheduling, etc.) and rational requirements (e.g., qualifications, etc.) and meets emotional requirements for trust and safety. A service provider, such as a washing machine repairperson or a plumber, may require unfettered travel between the in-home repair site and a service vehicle, necessitating frequent trips past master and children's bedrooms, where people and property of valuable and irreplaceable nature may be unsupervised. The presence of a service provider in the customer home that does not meet emotional requirements for trust and safety requires the ongoing presence and active supervision of the customer and inhibits the transaction from occurring.

Many products require the establishment of some level of trust with the supplier prior to a customer purchase. For small businesses without a familiar brand, the trust issues about the small business and small business owner must resolved before even a simple product without trust ramifications can be purchased. The purchase of a ream of paper from a specialty paper company best illustrates the problem of resolving practical, rational and emotional concerns for purchasing a product from a previously unknown supplier. For some products and in some locations, the limited pool of suppliers may not allow the customer to locate a required product from a known and trusted supplier. Many customers will not start, or fail to complete, transactions with a new and unknown supplier because of unresolved emotional concerns about being a victim of poor product or financial malfeasance. Both the customer needing a product and the supplier having the necessary product are unsatisfied because the customer cannot establish a sufficient level of trust in a new supplier to engage in and complete a transaction.

The concerns challenging the customer in finding trustworthy service providers and product suppliers today are pertinent across a broad number of potential applications as more and different services and more service providers of many types are available via the Internet. The physical proximity of children, elders, the sick or infirm, or valuable or irreplaceable property to other required services in the home make the emotional challenge of judging trust and safety critical in most in-home service requests, whether the service is for people or property.

The judgment of trustworthiness and safety by the customer is complex, but as with job interviews, first impressions and non-verbal communications are critical components of engaging in a personal relationship and generating as sense of trust. All practical, emotional, and rational concerns for a service provider are best resolved within a very short period of time if a customer is to book an in-house service provider where there are valuable or irreplaceable persons or property.

It would seem simple to augment existing Internet-based service and product providers to add a trust rating system to satisfy the rational component and a video clip of the client to attempt to satisfy the rational component, but such efforts are problematic. Relevant certifications are absent or proprietary and cryptic. If video is available at all, it is accessed through a link somewhere among the qualifications and experience. The time to make a good first impression that can establish the foundation for trust passes as the customer is presented with a deluge of qualifications in text. While a photograph establishes eye contact briefly, the unchanged image of a photograph over time does not satisfy the need for an emotional connection that occurs with a dynamic presentation of that person in a video clip.

The problem to be solved in the resolution of practical, rational and emotional concerns required to engage a new service provider or product supplier in the execution of requested duties on or for persons or property of valuable or irreplaceable nature is to simultaneously or nearly so: 1) resolve practical concerns by offering only candidates who are available for hire at the required date and time; 2) resolve emotional concerns of trust and safety with video technology in the initial review period (for example 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, or 45 seconds) that allows the customer to perceive appropriate virtues through dynamic characteristics—appearance, voice, other non-verbal communications such as eye contact; and 3) resolve rational concerns through establishment of consistent and reputable credentials for suitability for employment or use during the same initial period.

In one aspect, disclosed herein are computer-implemented systems comprising: a digital processing device comprising an operating system configured to perform executable instructions and a memory; a computer program including instructions executable by the digital processing device to create an application for selecting and engaging a new in-home care service provider, the application comprising: a software module configured to provide a coarse qualification process, the coarse qualification process comprising specifying filters and associated ranking characteristics for service providers, the filters comprising at least location, availability, and skills, and resolving practical concerns by displaying candidate service providers based on the filters and ranked based on the ranking characteristics; a software module configured to provide a qualification refinement process, the qualification refinement process comprising modifying the filters and ranking characteristics, applying the refined filters and ranking characteristics, and displaying refined candidate service providers; and a software module configured to provide a service provider booking process, the service provider booking process comprising resolving emotional concerns by viewing service provider video clips, wherein the time to resolve emotional concerns is less than an optimal customer review period, and resolving rational concerns by viewing service provider qualifications. In some embodiments, the skills comprise fluency in a specified language. In some embodiments, the software module configured to provide a service provider booking process creates a contractual commitment between the service provider and a customer. In some embodiments, the qualifications comprise experience, certifications, licenses, or references.

In another aspect, disclosed herein are non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with a computer program including instructions executable by a processor to create an application for selecting and engaging a new in-home care service provider, the application comprising: a software module configured to provide a coarse qualification process, the coarse qualification process comprising specifying filters and associated ranking characteristics for service providers, the filters comprising at least location, availability, and skills, and resolving practical concerns by displaying candidate service providers based on the filters and ranked based on the ranking characteristics; a software module configured to provide a qualification refinement process, the qualification refinement process comprising modifying the filters and ranking characteristics, applying the refined filters and ranking characteristics, and displaying refined candidate service providers; and a software module configured to provide a service provider booking process, the service provider booking process comprising resolving emotional concerns by viewing service provider video clips, wherein the time to resolve emotional concerns is less than an optimal customer review period, and resolving rational concerns by viewing service provider qualifications. In some embodiments, the skills comprise fluency in a specified language. In some embodiments, the software module configured to provide a service provider booking process creates a contractual commitment between the service provider and a customer. In some embodiments, the qualifications comprise experience, certifications, licenses, or references.

In another aspect, disclosed herein are computer-implemented methods for selecting and engaging a new in-home care service provider, the method comprising: providing, by a computer, a coarse qualification process, the coarse qualification process comprising specifying filters and associated ranking characteristics for service providers, the filters comprising at least location, availability, and skills, and resolving practical concerns by displaying candidate service providers based on the filters and ranked based on the ranking characteristics; providing, by the computer, a qualification refinement process, the qualification refinement process comprising modifying the filters and ranking characteristics, applying the refined filters and ranking characteristics, and displaying refined candidate service providers; and providing, by the computer, a service provider booking process, the service provider booking process comprising resolving emotional concerns by viewing service provider video clips, wherein the time to resolve emotional concerns is less than an optimal customer review period, and resolving rational concerns by viewing service provider qualifications. In some embodiments, the skills comprise fluency in a specified language. In some embodiments, the service provider booking process creates a contractual commitment between the service provider and a customer. In some embodiments, the qualifications comprise experience, certifications, licenses, or references.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Described herein, in certain embodiments, are computer-implemented systems comprising: a digital processing device comprising an operating system configured to perform executable instructions and a memory; a computer program including instructions executable by the digital processing device to create an application for selecting and engaging a new in-home care service provider, the application comprising: a software module configured to provide a coarse qualification process, the coarse qualification process comprising specifying filters and associated ranking characteristics for service providers, the filters comprising at least location, availability, and skills, and resolving practical concerns by displaying candidate service providers based on the filters and ranked based on the ranking characteristics; a software module configured to provide a qualification refinement process, the qualification refinement process comprising modifying the filters and ranking characteristics, applying the refined filters and ranking characteristics, and displaying refined candidate service providers; and a software module configured to provide a service provider booking process, the service provider booking process comprising resolving emotional concerns by viewing service provider video clips, wherein the time to resolve emotional concerns is less than an optimal customer review period, and resolving rational concerns by viewing service provider qualifications.

Also described herein, in certain embodiments, are non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with a computer program including instructions executable by a processor to create an application for selecting and engaging a new in-home care service provider, the application comprising: a software module configured to provide a coarse qualification process, the coarse qualification process comprising specifying filters and associated ranking characteristics for service providers, the filters comprising at least location, availability, and skills, and resolving practical concerns by displaying candidate service providers based on the filters and ranked based on the ranking characteristics; a software module configured to provide a qualification refinement process, the qualification refinement process comprising modifying the filters and ranking characteristics, applying the refined filters and ranking characteristics, and displaying refined candidate service providers; and a software module configured to provide a service provider booking process, the service provider booking process comprising resolving emotional concerns by viewing service provider video clips, wherein the time to resolve emotional concerns is less than an optimal customer review period, and resolving rational concerns by viewing service provider qualifications.

Also described herein, in certain embodiments, are computer-implemented methods for selecting and engaging a new in-home care service provider, the method comprising: providing, by a computer, a coarse qualification process, the coarse qualification process comprising specifying filters and associated ranking characteristics for service providers, the filters comprising at least location, availability, and skills, and resolving practical concerns by displaying candidate service providers based on the filters and ranked based on the ranking characteristics; providing, by the computer, a qualification refinement process, the qualification refinement process comprising modifying the filters and ranking characteristics, applying the refined filters and ranking characteristics, and displaying refined candidate service providers; and providing, by the computer, a service provider booking process, the service provider booking process comprising resolving emotional concerns by viewing service provider video clips, wherein the time to resolve emotional concerns is less than an optimal customer review period, and resolving rational concerns by viewing service provider qualifications.

Certain Definitions

Overview

The systems, media, and methods described herein provide a means of using software technology, web site technology, and live streaming and recorded video to resolve practical, rational and emotional concerns in a near simultaneous manner so as to allow a customer to decide to trust and engage a new service provider in the execution of requested duties on or for or in physical proximity to persons or property of valuable or irreplaceable nature, hereafter known as “trusted duties.”

The invention applies to a single individual service provider or supplier, or service providers or suppliers operating collectively and representing themselves to customers, or service providers or suppliers operating through one or more agents or agencies, with service providers or suppliers within a group having either similar or disparate services or offerings. The invention also applies to the establishment of trust with a new previously unknown supplier where trust and emotional concerns may dominate the decision making process to start and complete the purchase.

As described herein, the software technology, web site technology, and live streaming and recorded video may be rendered on known platforms such as Internet-connected desktop computers, laptops, smart phones and tablets, as well as emerging technology such as web-enabled television and video-capable smart watches—this invention also applies to all future technology capable of two-way communications to Internet servers and capable of the display or live streaming and/or recorded video content.

The systems, media, and methods described herein resolve three types of concerns—practical, rational, and emotional—as follows. The systems, media, and methods described herein resolve practical concerns by eliminating the challenges (excessive time and effort) in finding, vetting and scheduling a service provider or product supplier. The systems, media, and methods described herein resolve rational concerns by providing a means of resolving qualifications sufficient to understand the proper fit between the service provider's skills and experience, or product specifications, and client requirements. The systems, media, and methods described herein resolve emotional challenges to satisfy the intuitive judgment of the customer that the service provider or product supplier is trustworthy and safe within a limited timeframe, and provides reinforcement for the initial resolution of emotional concerns prior to and during the service event or product purchase. Critically, the systems, media, and methods described herein resolve all three concerns in a limited period of time—the optimal customer review period—when the customer makes a first impression. While the optimal review period varies depending on the nature of the task, for example here, 30 seconds. Finally, the systems, media, and methods described herein provide means to reinforce the initial decision to trust the service provider being scheduled during and after the event.

Referring toFIG. 1, the subject matter described herein100, in some embodiments, is for resolving practical, emotional and rational client concerns for booking a service provider before, during and after the service event. The instant subject matter includes a method of initially resolving practical, rational and emotional concerns between a customer102and a service provider104during the initial booking and scheduling method when a contract between the customer and service provider is let, and subsequently resolving ongoing customer rational and emotional concerns through the period before the service event, during the service event, and following the service event.

For the purpose of this disclosure, a service provider who has resolved for a specific customer all necessary practical, rational and emotional concerns required to book or contract a service for or around valuable or irreplaceable persons or property is a “trusted service provider.”

In some embodiments, the subject matter described herein includes systems, media, and methods for resolving practical, rational, and emotional concerns required to book a service provider for or around valuable or irreplaceable persons or property110for initially resolving practical, rational and emotional concerns that customer102has about service provider104leading to the customer booking an event, a contractual commitment, with a service provider.

In some embodiments, the subject matter described herein optionally includes systems, media, and methods for resolving ongoing rational and emotional concerns prior to an event for a service provider for or around valuable or irreplaceable persons or property120that reinforces the rational and emotional resolution of customer102concerns with the service provider104after the event has been scheduled but before the service event has occurred. Method120includes but is not limited to: scheduled or non-scheduled live video interviews, conversations or chats between the customer and service provider; scheduled or non-scheduled live audio interviews, conversations or chats between the customer and service provider; the presentation of additional recorded video clips, blogs or podcasts from the service provider or company staff or representatives to the customer which may be directed specifically at one or more customers; or other customer-specific communications from the service provider to the customer using the customer's previously specified preferred form or mode of communication.

In some embodiments, the subject matter described herein optionally includes systems, media, and methods for resolving ongoing rational and emotional concerns during an event for a service provider for or around valuable or irreplaceable persons or property130that reinforces the rational and emotional resolution of customer102concerns with the service provider104during the service event. Method130includes but is not limited to: scheduled or non-scheduled live video interviews, conversations or chats between the customer and service provider or customer and company staff or representatives; or other customer-specific communications from the service provider to the customer using the customer's previously specified preferred form or mode of communication.

In some embodiments, the subject matter described herein optionally includes systems, media, and methods for resolving ongoing rational and emotional concerns after an event for a service provider for or around valuable or irreplaceable persons or property140that reinforces the rational and emotional resolution of customer102concerns with the service provider104after the service event has concluded. Method140includes but is not limited to: scheduled or non-scheduled live video interviews, conversations or chats between the customer and service provider; scheduled or non-scheduled live audio interviews, conversations or chats between the customer and service provider; the presentation of additional recorded video clips, blogs or podcasts from the service event itself; or other customer-specific communications from the service provider to the customer using the customer's previously specified preferred form or mode of communication.

Method of Booking a Service Provider

Referring toFIG. 2, the method of resolving practical, emotional and rational client concerns for booking a service provider for or around valuable or irreplaceable persons or property200(here known as “method of booking a service”): method of resolving practical, emotional and rational client concerns for booking a service provider results in the resolution of practical, rational and emotional concerns required for customer202to book, or engage in a contract to perform work for pay, Service Provider204. The invention specifies the resolution of all of these three concerns by customer202about service provider204in a near simultaneous manner and within the period of time in which a first impression is made, the optimal customer review period250, which in various embodiments, is about 3, 2, or 1 minute or less, or about 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, or 10 seconds or less.

Method of booking a service200includes a coarse qualifications process210which allows the customer202to specify filtering and ranking characteristics to view a ranked display of service providers and their characteristics who meet customer-specified requirements for availability and skills. Coarse qualifications process time212is the period of time required to perform coarse qualifications process210.

Following the coarse qualifications process210, method of booking a service200includes refinement process220, which allows the customer202to modify filtering and ranking characteristics to enhance their pool of available service provider candidates that meet their requirements. Refinement process time222is the period of time required to perform refinement process220.

Following the refinement process220, method of booking a service200includes review and selection process230, which allows the customer202to select one potential service provider to review at a time, to review that service provider's video clip(s) and associated picture or text data that resolve emotional and rational concerns, and to choose to do one of the following actions: 1) select the current candidate service provider for a booking by following path customer booked selected candidate service provider234; 2) go back to the start of review and selection process230(this path is shown inFIG. 5—review and selection process for trusted caregiver); 3) go back to the start of refinement process220by following path customer refines search to select and review another service provider236; or 4) cancel the selection effort (not shown). If the customer selects the current candidate service provider for a booking, method of confirming event550confirms critical event parameters with the customer, makes changes as required to satisfy the customer, and culminates in a contract between the customer202and service provider204for payment in exchange for goods or services. Critical event parameters may include, but are not limited to: the service provider, location, date and time of the event, any other customer-identified critical requirements, initial invoice, and deposit. Review and selection process time232is the period of time required to perform review and selection process230.

The total process time240is the sum of coarse qualifications process time212, refinement process time222, and review and selection process time230. While it is desirable for the overall total process time240to be less than or equal to optimal customer review period250, the review and selection process time230must be less than or equal to optimal customer review period250.

Coarse Qualification Process

Referring toFIG. 3, the coarse qualifications process to display filtered and ranked service providers300—coarse qualification of a trusted service provider is comprised of method of authenticating customer310to authenticate the customer302to allow access to secure data310, a method of specifying a required date and time320, a method of specifying primary filter and ranking characteristics330, a method of submitting the request340, a method of filtering and ranking candidate service providers350, and a method of displaying coarsely filtered and ranked service providers360.

Method of authenticating customer310is required to allow access to private or secure data, such as service provider phone number. This method is comprised of a number of alternatives commonly known to practitioners of the art, including username and password, fingerprint scanners, biometrics, retina patterns, and other identification and authentication means not yet devised. The invention has been reduced to practice with a login dialogue box requiring an approved username and password.

Method of specifying start and end (date/time) of service320allows the customer to specify a required date and time for the service event. The method is comprised of a number of alternatives commonly known to practitioners of the art, including text field, month/date/time selectors, and other methods not described for start date, start time of day, end date and end time of day; and start date, start time of day and duration. One or more events or a series of events or a long duration continuous event (over a 24-hour duration) may be specified. Times may be entered in a variety of formats. The invention has been reduced to practice with selection field for a single service event with each of start date, start time of day, end date and end time of day.

The method of specifying primary filter and ranking characteristics330specifies additional critical characteristics used to filter and rank the candidate service providers. Method330is comprised of customer input in the form of free text, guided text, selectors of predetermined alternatives including radio button (only one of many), additive (check all that apply), and other methods of entering or selecting text keywords. Text for filters or ranking characteristics can be entered in a variety of methods, including keyboard with or without predictive spelling, or voice recognition. The invention has been reduced to practice with text field for keyword matches, pull-down menus for regions, and a selector to display service providers in A-Z or Z-A alphabetical order.

The method of submitting request340is comprised of depressing a button on the website or application, or entering a value in a final field, or having entered values in all required fields, or any other common alternative that indicates an active customer request. The invention has been reduced to practice with a button on a website that indicates the customer's request to book a service provider that can only be depressed by a logged-in and authenticated customer who has used method of authenticating customer310.

The method of filtering candidate service providers350uses the customer-specified start and end date/time from method320and primary filter characteristics from method330to select certain service providers from the set of all known service providers. Primary filter characteristics from method330used in method350typically include key pass/fail requirements that can be answered with a clear yes or no answer, such as:

Is the client in the service provider's service area?

Does the service provider possess specific required skills, such as the foreign language Spanish?

All service providers that are available at the required date and time and available for the necessary duration, and meeting all of the customer-specified required (filter) characteristics, such as location or language requirements, are known here as candidate service providers. All candidate service providers resolve the practical concerns of the customer by virtue of being available at the specified time and having all specific required skills. The output of method350is a list or set of candidate service providers who meet the practical availability requirement from320and fulfill all critical filter characteristics from330needed to satisfy fully the practical part of the client's concerns. The set of candidate service providers can be null (no members) if service date/time/location or other specific customer needs eliminate all available service providers.

The method of displaying coarsely filtered service providers by rank360concurrently displays N selected candidate service providers from method350according to customer-specified ranking characteristics from method330, where N may be zero or any number of service providers up to a maximum useful simultaneous review count determined by display size and user environment. N may be zero if method350output was a null set and no service providers met service date/time/location requirements or other critical specific customer requirements. If any service providers match requirements, one or many service providers may be candidate service providers, but the number N to view at one time is optimally four to nine service providers. One or more different ranking characteristics from method330may applied, where ranking characteristics are used to sort the display of service providers in order of their degree of match against the specified ranking characteristics.

In the method of displaying coarsely filtered service providers by rank360, if the number of displayable service providers is larger than the number that can be simultaneously viewed, additional service providers after the first viewable set can be viewed by paging through successive pages of viewable service providers using standard paging techniques known in the industry such as page number lists with up and down arrows, lists of all pages by index. The output of method360is a display of N service providers, known to be available at date and time specified by method320, further selected using filter characteristics, such as region and language, specified by method330, and sorted by ranking characteristics, such as years of experience, specified by method330, such that additional qualified candidate service providers can be viewed N at a time until all have been viewed.

Refinement Process

Referring toFIG. 4(refining initial selection of filtered and ranked service providers), the refinement process to display filtered and ranked service providers400refines the initial selection of filtered and ranked caregivers displayed to the customer from the total pool of available service providers made available from the coarse qualification process402. Refinement process400is comprised of method of modifying filter and ranking characteristics410, method of applying modified filter and ranking characteristics420, and method of displaying filtered and ranked candidate service providers430. The output of refinement process to display filtered and ranked service providers400is a list of candidate service providers filtered and ranked by customer requirements and displayed N at a time on a computer or mobile device display.

The method of modifying filter and ranking characteristics410includes without limitation the ability to change the time and date or specify a range of times and dates, the ability to change the location or region of service, to add to or change the object of the service (persons or property), and to add new or change existing key skills or abilities required by the customer, such as but not limited to second language, specific training or years of experience. Method410includes a number of alternatives commonly known to practitioners of the art for text data entry, including text field and selection means and other not described for start date, start time of day, end date and end time of day; and start date, start time of day and duration. Times may be entered in a variety of formats. Locations or regions can be specified with pull-downs, free text, guided text, three-letter airport abbreviations, or other common methods. Languages and other choice-rich areas are best handled with auto-complete text or pull-downs.

The method of applying modified filter and ranking characteristics420uses the modified start and end date/time and modified filter characteristics from method410to select certain service providers from the set of all known service providers. Primary filter characteristics from method410used in method420typically include key pass/fail requirements that can be answered with a clear yes or no answer:

Is the client in the service provider's service area?

Does the service provider possess specific required skills, such as the foreign language Spanish?

All service providers that are available at the required date and time and available for the necessary duration, and meeting all of the customer-specified filter characteristics, such as location or language requirements, are known here as candidate service providers. The output of method420is a list or set of candidate service providers who meet the practical availability requirement specified by method410and fulfill all critical filter characteristics from410needed to satisfy fully the practical part of the client's concerns.

The method of displaying filtered and ranked candidate service providers430displays N selected candidate service providers from method420at a time according to modified ranking characteristics from method410, where N may be zero or any number of service providers up to a maximum useful simultaneous review count determined by display size and user environment. N may be zero, one, or a larger number up to around a dozen, but N is optimally four to nine service providers viewable at a time. One or more different ranking characteristics from method410may applied, where ranking characteristics are used to sort the display of service providers in order of their degree of match against the specified ranking characteristics. If the number of displayable service providers is larger than the number that can be simultaneously viewed, additional service providers after the first viewable set can be viewed by paging through successive pages of viewable service providers using standard paging techniques known in the industry such as page number lists with up and down arrows, lists of all pages by index. The output of method430is a display of N service providers, known to be available at date and time specified by method410, further selected using filter characteristics, such as region and language, specified by method410, selected using method420, ranked or sorted by ranking characteristics, such as years of experience, specified by method410, such that additional qualified candidate service providers can be viewed N at a time until all have been viewed.

Review and Selection Process

Referring toFIG. 5, the review and selection process for trusted service provider500takes a set of candidate service providers as input from refinement process502who all resolve the practical (scheduling and location) concerns of the customer. Review and selection process for trusted service provider500allows the customer to resolve outstanding rational and emotional concerns so as to book an appointment with one of the available qualified candidate service providers. The review and selection process is comprised of a method of selecting one of many displayed service providers510, method of resolving client emotional concerns for selected service provider520, method of resolving client rational concerns for selected service provider530, method of selecting service provider540, and method of confirming service provider and event550.

Method of selecting one of many displayed service providers510is a method of selecting one of the available and displayed service providers for examination and inspection from refinement process502. Method510may include techniques standard to the industry such as using a mouse, touchscreen or tab key to highlight the selection with, for example, reverse video for text or graphics, border on/off/change color or other visual reminders, followed by a mouse click or keyboard action.

Method of resolving client emotional concerns for selected service provider520is a method of resolving the critical client emotional concerns (such as trust) for the selected service provider so as to allow the customer to book an event with the selected service provider. This method of resolving client emotional concerns for the selected service provider, further described inFIG. 6, includes a method of providing service provider live or streaming recorded video composited with other video, still images, or text, with or without audio, to client to resolve client emotional concerns522and a method of providing service provider credentials to client to resolve client emotional concerns524. The book now button528is a button on an application or website, or any other user input method that can be performed contemporaneously with or during any other part of method of resolving client emotional concerns for selected service provider520, that concludes any other part of method520already in progress, and follows path select current service provider552to immediately start method of confirming service provider and event550with the currently selected service provider.

The time to resolve emotional concerns526is the sum of the time to perform method522and the time for to perform method524. The time to resolve emotional concerns526must be less than the optimal customer review period560, associated with the time to make a first impression, which in various embodiments, is about 3, 2, or 1 minute or less, or about 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, or 10 seconds or less.

Method of resolving client rational concerns for selected service provider530is a method of resolving critical, outstanding and as of yet unresolved client rational concerns (such as additional required skills like second language) for the selected service provider so as to allow the customer to book an event with the selected service provider. If all client rational concerns have been resolved in method of resolving client emotional concerns for selected service provider520, then this method may be skipped. This method of resolving client rational concerns for the selected service provider, further described inFIG. 7, includes a method of providing service provider live or streaming recorded video composited with other video, still images, or text, with or without audio, to client to resolve client rational concerns. The book now button536is a button on an application or website, or any other user input method that can be performed contemporaneously with or during any other part of method of resolving client rational concerns for selected service provider530, that concludes any other part of method530already in progress, and follows path select current service provider554to immediately start method of confirming service provider and event550with the currently selected service provider. The time to resolve rational concerns534is the period of the time to perform method530. The time to resolve rational concerns534must be less than the optimal customer review period560, associated with the time to make a first impression, which in various embodiments, is about 3, 2, or 1 minute or less, or about 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, or 10 seconds or less.

In method of resolving client rational concerns for selected service provider530, the resolution of emotional concerns in method520and the resolution of rational concerns in method530are enhanced when both are resolved near simultaneously or in parallel. The time to resolve emotional concerns526plus the time to resolve rational concerns534should be less than the optimal customer review period560, associated with the time to make a first impression, which in various embodiments, is about 3, 2, or 1 minute or less, or about 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, or 10 seconds or less.

The method of selecting service provider540is a method of allowing the client to select a course of action during or after performing method520for resolving client emotional concerns and during or after method530for resolving client emotional concerns. As an example, a sequential flow of activity, such as starting with method520, which concludes before method530starts, which concludes before method540starts, is an illustration of a single simple implementation that omits for clarity the execution of method540during method520or during method530. The execution of method540during method520or method530would immediately conclude the respective method currently in progress to allow actions in method540to be immediately performed. Based upon customer selection, the four allowable courses of action in method540are:

1) to continue to method of confirming service provider and event550by following path select current candidate service provider542to select the current candidate service provider and confirm and complete the booking and contract activity for the planned event;

2) to return to method of selecting one of many displayed service providers510by following path review new candidate from existing selection544to review another candidate from the existing and current displayed pool of filtered and tanked service providers without changing filtering or ranking characteristics;

3) to return to refinement process502by following path change filter and rank characteristics to create new pool of service providers546to change filter and ranking characteristics which are applied against the complete set of available caregivers to create a new pool of candidate service providers from which to again review and select in review and selection process for trusted service provider500; and

4) to cancel the service provider evaluation process by following path cancel548to return to the home page of the application or web site.

The method of selecting service provider540may use a variety of methods known to practitioners of the art for displaying and selecting one of four alternatives, such as depressing a button on the website or application, selecting a radio button, or other common alternative that indicates an active customer selection. The invention has been reduced to practice with radio buttons for selecting a primary and secondary choice from a field of candidate service providers.

The method of confirming service provider and event550confirms practical concerns have been properly resolved with the customer, and confirms the service event by setting a contract in place between the customer and the service provider. Practical concerns subject to verification and agreement between customer and service provider may include, but are not limited to: the service provider name; service location; service date and time of the event; any other customer-identified critical requirements; initial invoice; and deposit. Terms and condition from other contracts and agreements between customer and service provider may be incorporated in the practical concerns by reference. The confirmation of resolution of practical concerns requires presentation of a summary of practical concerns, terms and conditions to the customer using the preferred communications method of the customer, and a positive response by the customer indicating their acceptance of the invoice as a contract with terms of services and payment. Various methods of recording customer acceptance may be employed, including but not limited to a button press on an application or website with password authentication, audio recording with explicit customer permission, or other methods agreed to by both customer and client in advance in writing.

Method of Displaying Service Providers to Resolve Emotional Concerns

Referring toFIG. 6(Method Of Displaying Service Providers To Resolve Emotional Concerns), the three different depictions of service providers provide preferred ways to display a service provider to a customer that enhances the customer's ability to resolve quickly his or her critical emotional concerns, about for example but not limited to safety and trust.

On a computer or mobile display device600, service provider1display area610contains all of the information provided to the customer about the selected service provider, and is comprised of: 1) a service provider video area612; and 2) a service provider book button614, which is in service provider1display area610but may or may not be on top of service provider video area612. The service provider video area612presents a recorded video stream of the service provider with the cut of the video stream focused on the upper body and torso of the service provider so as to include the head, shoulders, arms and hands. If the service provider book button614is located within the service provider video area612, it should be placed at the upper left or upper right of service provider video area612so as to not occlude the centrally located face of the service provider in the recorded video playing in service provider video area612. The service provider video area612presents a short recorded video of the service provider conveying the service provider's name, offering and qualifications, with the aim of using eye contact and non-verbal communications and gestures to establish an initial bond of trust between the customer and service provider to resolve emotional concerns, and the aim of using the verbally communicated qualifications to resolve rational concerns. The customer pressing of the service provider book button614, operable before, contemporaneously or after the viewing of a live or recorded video stream in Service provider video area612, indicates that outstanding emotional and rational concerns about booking a service event with the currently selected service provider have been resolved, concludes any viewing of any live or recorded video stream in progress, and proceeds directly to confirm the practical concerns of booking the event culminating in the approval of a service contract between the customer and service provider. The duration of the video clip playing in service provider video area612which comprises the time to resolve emotional concerns650must be less than optimal customer review period640, which is the time it takes to make a first impression, usually about 1-3 minutes or less or about 10-60 seconds or less.

On a computer or mobile display device600, service provider2display area620contains all of the information provided to the customer about the selected service provider, and is comprised of: 1) a service provider video area622; 2) a service provider book button624, which is in service provider2display area620but may or may not be on top of service provider video area622; and 3) a service provider identification area626. The service provider video area622presents a recorded video stream of the service provider with the cut of the video stream focused on the upper body and torso of the service provider so as to include the head, shoulders, arms and hands. If the service provider book button624is located within the service provider video area622, it should be placed at the upper left or upper right of service provider video area622so as to not occlude the centrally located face of the service provider in the recorded video playing in service provider video area622. The service provider video area622presents a short recorded video of the service provider conveying the service provider's offering and qualifications, with the aim of using eye contact and non-verbal communications and gestures to establish an initial bond of trust between the customer and service provider to resolve emotional concerns, and the aim of using the verbally communicated qualifications to resolve rational concerns. The customer pressing of the service provider book button624, operable before, contemporaneously or after the viewing of a live or recorded video stream in service provider video area622, indicates that outstanding emotional and rational concerns about booking a service event with the currently selected service provider have been resolved, concludes any viewing of any live or recorded video stream in progress, and proceeds directly to confirm the practical concerns of booking the event culminating in the approval of a service contract between the customer and service provider. The service provider identification area626contains the simplest information that allows the customer to unambiguously refer to a specific service provider viewing one or more service providers on computer or mobile display device600—it is hard to establish trust someone without a name, and a name introduction is generally the first step in a job interview. The information in service provider identification area626is most often a name with or without abbreviations and with or without titles and suffixes, but may include other means of identification such as, but not limited to locations, such as a specific service bay in a car dealership or a specific room in a massage studio, and times, such as the 12:30 pm train. The duration of the video clip playing in service provider video area622which comprises the time to resolve emotional concerns650must be less than optimal customer review period640, which is the time it takes to make a first impression, usually about 1-3 minutes or less or about 10-60 seconds or less.

On a computer or mobile display device600, service provider3display area630contains all of the information provided to the customer about the selected service provider, and is comprised of: 1) a service provider video area632; 2) a service provider book button634, which is in service provider3display area630but may or may not be on top of service provider video area632; 3) a service provider identification area636; and 4) a service provider infographic area638. The service provider video area632presents a recorded video stream of the service provider with the cut of the video stream focused on the upper body and torso of the service provider so as to include the head, shoulders, arms and hands. If the service provider book button634is located within the service provider video area632, it should be placed at the upper left or upper right of service provider video area632so as to not occlude the centrally located face of the service provider in the recorded video playing in service provider video area632. The service provider video area632presents a short recorded video of the service provider conveying the service provider's offering and qualifications, with the aim of using eye contact and non-verbal communications and gestures to establish an initial bond of trust between the customer and service provider to resolve emotional concerns, and the aim of using the verbally communicated qualifications to resolve rational concerns. The customer pressing of the service provider book button634, operable before, contemporaneously or after the viewing of a live or recorded video stream in service provider video area632, indicates that outstanding emotional and rational concerns about booking a service event with the currently selected service provider have been resolved, concludes any viewing of any live or recorded video stream in area632or infographic in area638in progress, and proceeds directly to confirm the practical concerns of booking the event culminating in the approval of a service contract between the customer and service provider. The service provider identification area636contains the simplest information that allows the customer to unambiguously refer to a specific service provider viewing one or more service providers on computer or mobile display device600—it is hard to establish trust someone without a name, and a name introduction is generally the first step in a job interview. The information in service provider identification area636is most often a name with or without abbreviations and with or without titles and suffixes, but may include other means of identification such as, but not limited to locations, such as a specific service bay in a car dealership or a specific room in a massage studio, and times, such as the 12:30 pm train. The service provider infographic area638contains the simple graphics that show the service providers qualifications using one or more or the customer-specified filter or ranking characteristics specified by the customer to display service providers of interest. The simple graphics may be horizontal bar graphs with a title consisting of one or two words or an icon or logo of a familiar organization and a horizontal bar showing degree or amount or level associated with that title; a collection of one or more graphics, logos or icons showing certifications and meaningful affiliations including but not limited to past employers; or one or more still images or photographs or artistic renditions. The content of the service provider infographic area638specifically does not contain detailed text that draws significant focus and attention away from the recorded or live video stream presented in service provider video area632. The duration of the video clip playing in service provider video area632which comprises the time to resolve emotional concerns650must be less than optimal customer review period640, which is the time it takes to make a first impression, usually about 1-3 minutes or less or about 10-60 seconds or less.

Method of Displaying Service Providers to Resolve Rational Concerns

Referring toFIG. 7(Method Of Displaying Service Providers To Resolve Rational Concerns), the two different depictions of service providers provide preferred ways to display a service provider to a customer that enhances the customer's ability to resolve quickly his or her critical rational concerns, about for example but not limited to specific requirements for language such as Spanish or special care needs such as autism.

On a computer or mobile display device700, service provider1display area710contains all of the information provided to the customer about the selected service provider, and is comprised of: 1) a service provider text and still image area712; 2) a service provider book button714, which is in service provider1display area710but may or may not be on top of service provider text and still image area712; and 3) a service provider identification area716. The service provider text and still area712presents text and still images that resolve outstanding rational concerns about qualifications indicated by the customer selection of filtering and ranking characteristics, and often include but are not limited to location, experience, applicable certifications and licenses, and references. If the service provider book button714is located within the service provider text and still image area712, it should be placed at the upper right of service provider text and still image area712so as to not occlude the text and still images which are frequently left justified in service provider text and still image area712. The customer pressing of the service provider book button714, operable before, contemporaneously or after the viewing of a text or images in service provider text and still image area712, indicates that any outstanding rational concerns about booking a service event with the currently selected service provider have been resolved, concludes any viewing of any text or images in progress, and proceeds directly to confirm the practical concerns of booking the event culminating in the approval of a service contract between the customer and service provider. The service provider identification area636contains the simplest information that allows the customer to unambiguously refer to a specific service provider viewing one or more service providers on computer or mobile display device600. The information in service provider identification area626is most often a name with or without abbreviations and with or without titles and suffixes, but may include other means of identification such as, but not limited to locations, such as a specific service bay in a car dealership or a specific room in a massage studio, and times, such as the 12:30 pm train. The information presented to the customer in service provider1display area710which comprises the time to resolve rational concerns760must be visible for less than optimal customer review period640, which is the time it takes to make a first impression, usually a minute or less. For optimal resolution of rational and emotional concerns, the information presented to the customer in service provider1display area710which comprises the time to resolve rational concerns760plus any previous time to resolve emotional concerns750should be for less than optimal customer review period640, which is the time it takes to make a first impression, usually a minute or less.

On a computer or mobile display device700, service provider2display area720contains all of the information provided to the customer about the selected service provider, and is comprised of: 1) a service provider text and still image area722; 2) a service provider book button724, which is in service provider1display area720but may or may not be on top of service provider text and still image area722; 3) a service provider identification area726; and 4) a service provider infographic area728. The service provider text and still area722presents text and still images that resolve outstanding rational concerns about qualifications indicated by the customer selection of filtering and ranking characteristics, and often include but are not limited to location, experience, applicable certifications and licenses, and references. If the service provider book button724is located within the service provider text and still image area722, it should be placed at the upper right of service provider text and still image area722so as to not occlude the text and still images which are frequently left justified in service provider text and still image area722. The customer pressing of the service provider book button724, operable before, contemporaneously or after the viewing of a text or images in service provider text and still image area722, indicates that any outstanding rational concerns about booking a service event with the currently selected service provider have been resolved, concludes any viewing of any text or images in progress, and proceeds directly to confirm the practical concerns of booking the event culminating in the approval of a service contract between the customer and service provider. The service provider identification area636contains the simplest information that allows the customer to unambiguously refer to a specific service provider viewing one or more service providers on computer or mobile display device600. The information in service provider identification area726is most often a name with or without abbreviations and with or without titles and suffixes, but may include other means of identification such as, but not limited to locations, such as a specific service bay in a car dealership or a specific room in a massage studio, and times, such as the 12:30 pm train. The service provider infographic area728contains simple graphics that show the service providers qualifications using one or more or the customer-specified filter or ranking characteristics specified by the customer to display service providers of interest. The simple graphics may be horizontal bar graphs with a title consisting of one or two words or an icon or logo of a familiar organization and a horizontal bar showing degree or amount or level associated with that title; a collection of one or more graphics, logos or icons showing certifications and meaningful affiliations including but not limited to past employers; or one or more still images or photographs or artistic renditions. The content of the service provider infographic area728specifically does not contain detailed text that draws significant focus and attention away from the recorded or live video stream presented in service provider video area722. The information presented to the customer in service provider2display area720which comprises the time to resolve rational concerns760must be visible for less than optimal customer review period640, which is the time it takes to make a first impression, usually a minute or less. For optimal resolution of rational and emotional concerns, the information presented to the customer in service provider2display area which comprises the time to resolve rational concerns760plus any previous time to resolve emotional concerns750should be less than optimal customer review period640, which is the time it takes to make a first impression, usually a minute or less.

Mobile User Interface

In some embodiments, the systems, media, and methods described herein include a mobile user interface, or use of the same. For example, in some embodiments, an application for selecting and engaging a new in-home care service provider presents an interactive mobile user interface. In further embodiments, the mobile user interface provides user's access to a coarse qualification process, a qualification refinement process, and a service provider booking process.

Referring toFIG. 8, in a particular embodiment, an application for selecting and engaging a new in-home care service provider presents an interactive mobile user interface including a landing screen. In this embodiment, the landing screen includes user interface elements to access infant care services, child care services, and elder care services. Further, in this embodiment, the landing screen includes caregiver videos.

Referring toFIG. 9, in a particular embodiment, an application for selecting and engaging a new in-home care service provider presents an interactive mobile user interface including a caregiver identification and selection screen. In this embodiment, the caregiver identification and selection screen includes user interface elements to input a start date and time and keyword search tags. Further, in this embodiment, the caregiver identification and selection screen includes user interface elements to configure parameters for display of results such as “sort by” and “sort order” parameters.

Referring toFIG. 10, in a particular embodiment, an application for selecting and engaging a new in-home care service provider presents an interactive mobile user interface including tools for accessing client invoices for occasional in-home care services. In this embodiment, an exemplary invoice includes a client summary and a breakdown of care provided and the cost thereof per caregiving session.

Digital Processing Device

In some embodiments, the digital processing device includes a display to send visual information to a user. In some embodiments, the display is a cathode ray tube (CRT). In some embodiments, the display is a liquid crystal display (LCD). In further embodiments, the display is a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD). In some embodiments, the display is an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. In various further embodiments, on OLED display is a passive-matrix OLED (PMOLED) or active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) display. In some embodiments, the display is a plasma display. In other embodiments, the display is a video projector. In still further embodiments, the display is a combination of devices such as those disclosed herein.

Non-Transitory Computer Readable Storage Medium

Computer Program

Web Application

Mobile Application

Those of skill in the art will recognize that several commercial forums are available for distribution of mobile applications including, by way of non-limiting examples, Apple® App Store, Android™ Market, BlackBerry® App World, App Store for Palm devices, App Catalog for webOS, Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, Ovi Store for Nokia® devices, Samsung® Apps, and Nintendo® DSi Shop.

Standalone Application

Web Browser Plug-in

Software Modules

Databases

In some embodiments, the systems, media, and methods disclosed herein include one or more databases, or use of the same. In view of the disclosure provided herein, those of skill in the art will recognize that many databases are suitable for storage and retrieval of child and caregiver information. In various embodiments, suitable databases include, by way of non-limiting examples, relational databases, non-relational databases, object oriented databases, object databases, entity-relationship model databases, associative databases, and XML databases. In some embodiments, a database is Internet-based. In further embodiments, a database is web-based. In still further embodiments, a database is cloud computing-based. In other embodiments, a database is based on one or more local computer storage devices.