METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR CONNECTING CONSUMERS TO LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDERS

摘要

Aspects of the present disclosure are presented for allowing a customer to request a service and to very quickly be put in touch with a local service provider who can perform the requested service. The customer need not know the identity of the vendor beforehand, and the vendor may not know the identity of the customer before agreeing to discuss the service, in some embodiments. Multiple local service providers may be contacted in parallel by a centralized server configured to connect the customer with the local service providers. In some embodiments, the most qualified or most highly rated local service providers for the particular service may be identified and then contacted first. In some embodiments, the customer may be put in touch with one or more vendors in a very short amount of time after submitting the request, e.g., within 90 seconds.

主权项

1. A method for facilitating a search for a service provider to provide a service for a user, the method comprising:
accessing, by a network-based system, a request from the user to obtain a professional service from a local service provider; conducting a call wave procedure of a plurality of service providers relevant to providing the request to the user, the call wave procedure comprising contacting, by the network-based system, the plurality of service providers in parallel with one another and inquiring whether each of the contacted service providers will accept a communication with the user to provide the service; receiving an indication from a first service provider among the contacted service providers in parallel that said service provider will accept the communication with the user; and initiating, by the network-based system, a conference communication between the user and the first service provider while both the first service provider and the user remain in communication with the network-based system.