Provision of alert messages to customers of an establishment
View Patent ↗Customer management for an establishment involves operating a server that hosts system software and interacts with various computing devices over internet and wireless network gateway connections. The server communicates with devices at the establishment and customer computing devices in real-time, providing system performance updates, text messaging communications to the customer regarding table availability and marketing information and synchronizing the information communicated within the system. A computer user interface at the establishment communicates with the server and allows an establishment host to capture and transmit customer information to the server and make of the server processing requests that can include sending text message alert notifications to a customer mobile device informing of an available table and providing marketing messages. A secondary device, operated by a waiter of the establishment, communicates with the computing devices of the system and can receive communications, such as customer attention requests, from the customer mobile device.
1. A customer management system for a business establishment, comprising:
a server for hosting software and interfaces that establish and allow the execution of operations for the business establishment, wherein the server is communicatively enabled over an internet web browser and wireless message gateway to communicate with a customer of the business establishment via text messaging that provides alert notification regarding table availability at the business establishment and marketing messages, and wherein the server maintains real-time synchronization of data processed by and information communicated throughout the customer management system;
a user interface presented to a first user by a computer at the business establishment in communication with the server, wherein the user interface displays multiple processing request options and establishment configuration information to the first user, wherein the user interface allows inputs by the first user to capture information including information indicating that the customer is physically present at the business establishment and make processing request selections that can be transmitted to the server, wherein the information display provided by the user interface is updated and synchronized in real-time by the server;
a wireless message gateway for enabling a customer mobile device to be in communication with the server and thereby enabling the customer to receive text message alert notifications and allowing the customer to communicate with devices communicatively coupled by the customer management system; and
a secondary device in communication with the server allowing a second user to enter and transmit information throughout the system, wherein, when the captured information includes information indicating that the customer is physically present at the business establishment, the secondary device provides to the second user a display of information that is updated and synchronized in real-time by the server, wherein the secondary device can receive customer service attention requests from the customer via the customer mobile device.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the customer mobile device is enabled via an internet web browser to communicate with the server.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary device receives the customer service attention request after the customer has received the text message alert notification regarding table availability.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary device is a mobile device possessed at the business establishment by the second user.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary device is configured to update a status change into the system.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary device is configured to add a customer to a wait queue of the customer management system.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is configured to present information representing the customer to the first user when the service request is ready to be offered by the business establishment, and to accept an input representing a selection of the customer by the first user.
8. An apparatus for communicating with a customer of a business establishment, the apparatus comprising:
a processor;
a memory;
a hosted Internet browser based customer management system for the business establishment, including software and interfaces hosted and executable by the processor and memory, wherein the apparatus is configured to communicate to the customer, via text messaging enabled by a wireless message gateway, an alert notification regarding table availability at the business establishment and marketing messages, wherein the apparatus maintains real-time synchronization of data processed by and information communicated throughout the customer management system, and wherein the apparatus is in communication with:
a computer at the business establishment that presents a user interface to a first user, wherein the user interface displays multiple processing request options and establishment configuration information to the first user, wherein the user interface allows inputs by the first user to capture information including information indicating that the customer is physically present at the business establishment and make processing request selections that can be transmitted to the apparatus, wherein the information display provided by the user interface is updated and synchronized in real-time by the apparatus;
a wireless message gateway that operates to provide text message alert notifications from the apparatus to a customer mobile device when the captured information includes information indicating that the customer is physically present at the business establishment, and that operates to provide the apparatus with communications received from the customer mobile device, wherein the apparatus is configured to supply the communications received from the customer mobile device to devices communicatively coupled by the apparatus; and
a secondary device at the business establishment allowing a second user to enter and transmit information throughout the system, wherein, when the captured information includes information indicating that the customer is physically present at the business establishment, the secondary device provides to the second user a display of information that is updated and synchronized in real-time by the apparatus, wherein the secondary device can receive customer service attention requests from the customer via the customer mobile device.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the customer mobile device is enabled via an internet web browser to communicate with the server.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the secondary device receives the customer service attention request after the customer has received the text message alert notification regarding table availability.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the secondary device is a mobile device possessed at the business establishment by the second user.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the secondary device is configured to update a status change into the system.
13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the secondary device is configured to add a customer to a wait queue of the customer management system.
14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the user interface is configured to present information representing the customer to the first user when the service request is ready to be offered by the business establishment, and to accept an input representing a selection of the customer by the first user.