SYSTEM TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION WITH CASINO EMPLOYEES AND PLAYERS AND TO LOG DATA RELATED TO EMPLOYEE WORK
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method for dispatching a person to a location in a casino to respond to a request for service at the location. A listing of persons who may be dispatched to various locations is stored on in a database. At least some of the persons are associated with a primary qualification for the type of service that he or she may provide. A communication on a network of gaming devices is received indicating that service is required a particular location. A signal is automatically sent to a wireless device carried by a person having an appropriate qualification to provide the service. Player tracking data is also sent to permit the provider to personalize the service.
1 . A method for dispatching a person to a location in a casino to respond to a request for service at the location comprising:
creating a listing of persons who may be dispatched to various locations to provide service;
associating with at least some of the persons a primary qualification for the type of service that he or she may provide;
monitoring a network of electronic gaming machines;
detecting a communication on the network indicating that service is required at the location;
automatically assigning a person having an appropriate qualification to provide the service; and
automatically sending a signal notifying the person of the need for service.
2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a signal indicating whether or not the person will provide the service.
3 . The method of claim 2 further comprising automatically assigning another person having an appropriate qualification to provide the service if the signal indicates that the first person will not provide the service.
4 . The method of claim 2 further comprising receiving a second signal from the after he or she arrives at the location.
5 . The method of claim 4 wherein the second signal indicates that the person is requesting another person to help with the service.
6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises associating with at least some of the persons a primary section of the casino where the person is normally located.
7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises associating with at least some of the persons a secondary qualification for the type of service he or she may provide.
8 . The method of claim 7 wherein the method further comprises associating with at least some of the persons a primary section of the casino where the person is normally located.
9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises associating a nearby secondary section with at least some of the primary sections.
10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the method further comprises determining the availability of a person having a primary qualification in the primary section.
11 . The method of claim 10 wherein the method further comprises determining the availability of a person having a primary qualification in the secondary section.
12 . The method of claim 11 wherein the method further comprises determining the availability of a person having a secondary qualification in the primary section.
13 . The method of claim 12 wherein the method further comprises determining the availability of a person having a secondary qualification in the secondary section.
14 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
storing a plurality of qualified positions associated with certain types of service; and
automatically sending a signal to a plurality of people having the qualified positions notifying them of the need for service.
15 . A method of automatically dispatching a person to provide service at one of a plurality of electronic gaming machines on a network of gaming machines:
populating a database on the network with a list of people;
associating each person with at least one type of service that he or she is qualified to provide;
associating each person with a plurality of the gaming machines located in a primary section;
associating each primary section with a secondary section located relatively near the primary section;
receiving a signal on the network indicating a type of service is required in the primary section;
automatically sending a first wireless signal to a device carried by persons in the primary section to determine their availability to provide service; and
if not available, automatically sending a second wireless signal to a person in the secondary section to determine their availability to provide the service.
16 . A method of assigning tasks to people working in a casino comprising:
creating a list of tasks;
broadcasting the list of tasks via a wireless network to each of a plurality of such people who are qualified to do the work;
receiving a first wireless communication from one of the people that he or she is initiating work on the task;
receiving a second wireless communication from the person who initiated work on the task indicating that the task is complete; and
removing the task from the list.