Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for reducing customer noise a facilities management computing environment. The method includes creating an electronic service request record (SRR) in response to a job request; placing the SRR in a first electronic queue if an estimated time of arrival (ETA) is not communicated to the customer within a first time period t1; entering a time of arrival into the SSR after the ETA is communicated to the customer; placing the SRR in a second electronic queue if the job is not completed within an SLA time period t2; entering a time of completion into the SRR after the job is completed; placing the SRR in a third electronic queue if a customer survey is not completed within a survey time period t3; and closing the SRR after completion of the customer survey.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for allocating tasks within a hybrid workforce which includes staff technicians and outsourced technicians in a facilities management computing environment. The method includes: identifying a geographic market where a new staff technician is needed; adding the new staff technician to a pool of staff technicians; assigning pending preventive maintenance (PM) tasks and pending service request (SR) tasks to the pool of staff technicians; calculating routes for the pool of staff technicians and dynamically establishing schedules for the pool based on the calculated routes; assigning an additional SR to the pool of staff technicians if the staff technician schedules are full; and assigning the additional SR to the outsourced technician if all of the staff technician schedules are not full.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for interactively identifying a replacement part from a list of parts by prompting a user to define product attributes. The method includes displaying a first data set on a mobile computing device; prompting a user of the mobile computing device to select a first attribute value from a first list of attribute values; applying the selected first attribute value to the first data set; generating a second data set comprising a subset of the first data set; displaying the second data set on the mobile computing device; prompting the user to select a second attribute value from a second list of attribute values; applying the selected second attribute value to the second data set; generating a final data set comprising a subset of the second data set; displaying the final data set on the mobile computing device; and prompting the user to select a unique entry from the final data set.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling labor and component costs for a service request (SR). The method includes: defining a specific at-work labor rate; verifying the location of the recording of an arrival time and completion time by a technician using (GPS) information; defining a total labor cost as the at-work labor rate multiplied by the difference between the completion time and the arrival time; defining a total component part cost by displaying a list of parts on a mobile computing device, repeatedly applying an attribute value to successive subsets of the list of parts, and prompting a technician to select a unique entry from a final data set displayed on the mobile computing device; generating an electronic work ticket for the SR which includes only the total labor cost and the total component part cost; and capturing an electronic customer signature for the electronic work ticket.

Abstract: The present invention provides an automated invoice vetting, negotiation and payment system that automatically collects goods and labors hour data, sets a reasonable pricing structure for each such good and service, dynamically analyzes the price data to adjust for market changes and provides a automatic negotiation and settlement feature for bill payment. The present invention readily accommodates the above features over electronic networks such as the Internet. The present invention therefore provides a method of payment of invoices of vendors by purchasers, comprising providing a settlement authority with invoice information from a vendor, comparing the invoice charges to a predetermined range of values for the charges, accepting the charges that are within a predetermined sub-range for the charges, adjusting the charges that are greater or less than that the predetermined sub-range for the charges and paying the accepted charges and the adjusted charges.

Abstract: A conduit elbow assembly includes a hollow conduit piece having an end with an outer diameter, a body and a cap. The body has a first connective end with an end bore at the first connective end receiving the hollow conduit piece therein. A male fitting is located at the first connective end, the male fitting having an outer surface and an end which extends into the end bore. The outer surface of the male fitting has barbs which engage and retain the end of the hollow conduit piece thereon. The cap is attached ton the body and has a plurality of tapered projections, of which two are diametrically opposed to each other relative to the outer diameter of the hollow conduit piece. The two tapered projections form a wedge fit with the outer diameter of the hollow conduit piece.

Abstract: A conduit elbow assembly includes a hollow conduit piece having an end with an outer diameter, a body and a cap. The body has a first connective end with an end bore at the first connective end receiving the hollow conduit piece therein. A male fitting is located at the first connective end, the male fitting having an outer surface and an end which extends into the end bore. The outer surface of the male fitting has barbs which engage and retain the end of the hollow conduit piece thereon. The cap is attached to the body and has a plurality of tapered projections, of which two are diametrically opposed to each other relative to the outer diameter of the hollow conduit piece. The two tapered projections form a wedge fit with the outer diameter of the hollow conduit piece.