Method, system and computer program product for selecting and tracking a service provider in response to a customer request

A network computer system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a set of memory resources to store a set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• forward, over a network, a request from a customer regarding scheduling of a task to a group of service providers, the request including a task completion location and a video recording, an audio recording or a combination thereof as a representation of the task;
• identify, at least partially relying on artificial intelligence, the task based on the video recording, the audio recording or a combination thereof, to produce an identification of the task;
• cross-reference the identification of the task with one or more service providers from the group of service providers who are within a defined maximum radius from the task completion location and who are skilled to perform the task to define a sub-set of preferred service providers;
• automatically forward the task to the one or more service providers;
• provide a price quote from the one or more service providers, the one or more service providers using a smartphone, the price quote provided upon the one or more service providers being notified of the task via the network;
• organize the sub-set of preferred service providers based on the price quote to produce a hierarchy, lower price quotes receiving greater weightage resulting in preferential placement on the hierarchy;
• display the hierarchy to the customer to permit for selection of an optimal service provider by the customer from the sub-set of preferred service providers;
• reserve the optimal service provider at the task completion location at an appointment time;
• and
• display tracked movement of the optimal service provider from a start location to the task completion location.

A method for selecting a service provider over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining, based at least partially on input data from a client device, that a customer has initiated a task request by specifying a particular task from a group of available tasks;
• cross-referencing the particular task selected by the customer against a group of service providers within a pre-defined service area of the customer;
• linking the customer to one or more service providers based on:
• (1) the particular task specified from the group of available tasks;
• and, (2) any given service provider's ability to successfully complete the particular task within a prescribed time of arrival and duration of completion;
• automatically forwarding the task-related request to the one or more service providers;
• providing a price quote from the one or more service providers, the one or more service providers using a smartphone, the price quote provided upon the one or more service providers being notified of the particular task via the network system;
• organizing linked service providers into a hierarchy based on the price quote for completing the particular task provided by each of the one or more service providers;
• presenting the hierarchy to the customer for the selection of an optimal service provider therefrom;
• and
• displaying tracking information of the optimal service provider from a start location to the customer.