Any company that offers on-site services knows how important it is to have an efficient system in place for scheduling, routing, and dispatching field workers. Take Geeks On Call, for instance. Geeks On Call operates more than 300 independently owned franchise locations, and services more than 250,000 customers. The company was founded in 1999, and the first franchise opened in 2001. Geeks On Call offers same-day or next-day on-site computer services, including system security, hardware and software repairs, spyware and virus prevention and removal, and data backups and transfers, in both home and business settings. Franchises are located in 24 states, and every appointment that is made is scheduled through one call center.
Four years ago, Geeks On Call implemented a route optimization system to effectively schedule all of the franchises' technicians from the single call center. With it, Geeks On Call created a database of computer service rates that differ based on geographical region and technician expertise and availability. Customer records also are entered into the database. As a customer calls in to the call center, the customer service representative answering the phone uses the system to look up which technician is best suited to solve the customer's problems based on location and applicable skill set. The rep then sends the information for the appointment in real time via corporate intranet to the franchise location or specific technician.
Source: Integrated Solutions, http://www.integratedsolutionsmag.com