Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for matching ready-to-act consumers and pre-qualified service providers. According to one aspect of the present invention, the Internet is used to attempt to solve communications problems and to achieve efficiency in Consumer-to-Business commerce transactions. Initially, a database of pre-qualified service providers is established. Then, a description of the consumer's needs may be extracted from a consumer using decision trees appropriate for the desired task. Subsequently, the consumer needs are packaged and presented to multiple service providers that meet a set of predetermined qualifications. The consumer needs may be presented, for example, by way of a set of heterogeneous communication devices depending upon preferences supplied by the service providers. For example, the set of heterogeneous communication devices may include facsimile, pager, mobile phone, home phone, office phone, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) unit, email, etc.

Abstract: A method and system for matching ready-to-act consumers and pre-qualified service providers are described. Consumer-to-Business commerce transactions can be facilitated by pre-qualifying both consumers and service providers and matching a consumer who selects a single, pre-qualified service provider. For example, according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention, using information provided by the consumer, such as the consumer's address, type of work requested, etc., a matching system can determine whether a single, pre-qualified home service provider chosen by the consumer matches or meets the service need of the consumer and other criteria of the matching system. If the matching system determines that the consumer and the consumer's single, selected home service provider are not a match, then the consumer may permit his or her service request to be matched with the consumer lead criteria of one or more un-known or not previously selected service providers relative to the consumer.