WO2024013200A1 - Device for performing a plurality of services - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for carrying out a plurality of services, by a plurality of service providers and for a plurality of customers, the device comprising a central computer (18) programmed to implement, in real time, a method comprising the following steps: a) receiving event information (I20, I12, I14) about an event likely to cause a delay for at least one appointment in a customer schedule or a service provider schedule; b) accessing all the schedules of customers and service providers and determining, on the basis of the event information and the schedules, the occurrence of such a delay or of a risk of such a delay; c) determining a potential modification to all the schedules to make them compatible with the event; and d) implementing the potential modification.

Description

Description

Title: Device for the execution of a plurality of services

Technical area

The present invention relates to a device intended for the execution of a plurality of services to be carried out by a plurality of service providers for a plurality of clients.

Prior art

With the widespread use of cell phones, everyone has a schedule in which they record their appointments. An appointment is typically recorded in the schedules of each of the participants in the meeting. Everyone manages their schedule independently, to record their appointments, but also other tasks.

Schedule management is for example described in US 2011/270640 or in US 8,849,689.

When an appointment must be changed late, for example less than an hour before the start of the appointment, this change has detrimental consequences. In particular, when the customer postpones the appointment, the modification can lead to a period of inactivity, and therefore to a loss of income for the service provider. When the service provider postpones the appointment, for example because he is late, it can lead to an unforeseen wait for the client, or even to a disruption of his schedule.

There is therefore a need for a system limiting the consequences of events affecting the time at which planned services are carried out.

One aim of the invention is to respond, at least partially, to this need.

Presentation of the invention

The invention relates to a device intended for the provision of a plurality of services, by a plurality of service providers and for a plurality of clients, the device comprising:

- preferably, a plurality of devices, each device belonging to a service provider and being adapted for carrying out at least one service;

- a plurality of telephones, each telephone belonging to a client and having access to a client schedule, said client schedule comprising a set of appointments, each appointment in the client schedule planning a service by a service provider; - a plurality of local computers, each local computer belonging to a service provider and having access to a schedule of the service provider, said schedule of the service provider comprising a set of appointments, each appointment of the schedule of the service provider planning a service to be carried out for a said customer, preferably with a device from said service provider;

- a central computer in communication with said telephones and with said local computers and programmed, that is to say comprising code instructions, to implement, in real time, a process comprising the following steps: a) receiving event information on an event likely to generate a delay for at least one appointment in a customer schedule or a service provider schedule; b) access all customer and service provider schedules, and determine, based on said event information and said schedules, the occurrence of a said delay or a risk of a said delay; c) determine a potential modification of said set of schedules to make it compatible with said event; d) implement said potential modification.

As will be seen in more detail in the remainder of the description, such a method advantageously allows continuous updating of schedules, steps a) to d) being repeated continuously. This update allows customers and service providers to quickly adapt to events. This allows providers to use their devices more efficiently. In addition, customers and service providers can be continuously informed of the progress of their schedules, which limits wasted time and associated dissatisfaction.

A device according to the invention may also include one or more of the following optional and preferred characteristics:

- the central computer is programmed to

- request, optionally via a telephone or a local computer, prior to step d), approval of said potential modification by at least one customer and/or at least one service provider,

- in the event of disapproval, restart a new step c) to determine a new potential modification and renew said request;

- the central computer is programmed to, after step d), inform, preferably via local computers and telephones, the customer(s) whose appointment has been modified in step d), and preferably the service provider(s) for whom an appointment has been modified in step d);

- which the central computer is programmed to, in step d), determine a potential modification which includes the modification of an appointment independent of said delay, that is to say which is not necessarily affected or likely to be affected by said delay;

- the potential modification includes a modification of the service associated with an appointment, for example by simplification of said service or by permutation with a service associated with another appointment for the same client;

- the central computer is programmed to, in step d),

- determine several modifications of said set of schedules capable of making said set of schedules compatible with said event, called “test modifications”, then

- select the potential modification among the test modifications;

- the selection is made based on criteria defined by customers and/or service providers;

- the potential modification is selected based on a cost and/or a loss of time and/or a loss of profit that it would generate for one or more customers and/or for one or more service providers, preferably for all customers and/or service providers;

- the potential modification is selected according to the nature of the services associated with the appointments, in particular to take into account the practical difficulties in modifying an appointment which depend on the nature of the associated service, in particular to encourage the modification of the appointments that are easiest to modify;

- the potential modification is selected based on the number of potentially modified client and/or service provider appointments;

- the selection of the potential modification depends on the result of one or more steps d) carried out previously, and, for example, takes into account, to evaluate the impact of a modification of an appointment associated with a service , the existence of a postponement of a previous appointment, for the same service, during a previous stage d);

- the selection of the potential modification depends on the profile of clients and/or service providers, in particular to take into account their physical conditions and/or their places of residence and/or their ability to accept a modification of an appointment -YOU ;

- the potential modification includes the correction of the schedules of at least two providers providing services of different natures, for example the schedule of a hairdresser and the schedule of a doctor, or the schedules of two care professionals having different specialties;

- the potential modification includes a correction of schedules indirectly impacted by modification of one or more appointments for clients different from the client whose schedule is directly impacted;

- the potential modification includes

- a correction of the schedules of the client and the service provider directly impacted by the delay, and

- a correction of the schedules of one or more other client(s) and one or more service provider(s) indirectly impacted by said delay, the said service provider(s) being able to be all different from the service provider whose schedule is directly impacted;

- the potential modification includes a correction of schedules indirectly impacted by modification of one or more appointments for services of a nature different from that of the service of the directly impacted appointment;

- the schedules directly and indirectly impacted concern services of different natures and/or to be carried out at a distance from each other, for example more than 1 km or more than 10 km from each other, more than 1000 km from each other.

The invention also relates to a method comprising the execution of a plurality of services, by a plurality of service providers and for a plurality of customers, by means of a device according to the invention, method in which

- the central computer implements, in real time, steps a) to d) in order to keep the schedules of service providers and customers up to date;

- preferably, each local computer informs in real time the service provider who owns it of corrections to the schedule of said service provider;

- preferably, each telephone informs in real time the customer who owns it of corrections to said customer's schedule.

Brief description of the drawings

[Fig 1] Figure 1 schematically represents an example of a device according to the invention.

detailed description

Referring to Figure 1, which represents a device 10 according to the invention. This device comprises a plurality of telephones 12 owned by respective customers, a plurality of local computers 14 and devices 16 owned by providers offering services to customers, and a central computer 18, in communication with the telephones, by radio, conventionally by a mobile telephone network, and with the central computers, by wire and/or by radio.

By “computer”, we mean any electronic device, which includes a set of several machines, having computer processing capabilities. Conventionally, a computer comprises in particular a processor, a memory, a man-machine interface, conventionally comprising a screen, a communication module via the Internet, by WIFI, by Bluetooth® or by the telephone network. Software configured to implement a method of the invention is loaded into the computer's memory. The computer can also be connected to a printer. The computer can be a remote server, for example the “cloud”.

Customers and service providers each have a schedule, or “agenda”, which allows them to plan their activity.

Each appointment in a customer or service provider schedule is associated

- to a time slot, that is to say a time slot defined by two instants,

- to a service provider and to a client, the association with the service provider or the client possibly resulting from the fact that the schedule in which the appointment is recorded is that of the service provider or the client, respectively, and

- a service to be carried out during this time slot by the service provider for the customer.

An appointment in Mr. C's P12 schedule defines, for example, a time slot of June 28, 2023 between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., the hairdresser Mr. P, and a hairdressing service when the client has agreed with Mr. P to have his hair cut on June 28, 2023 between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The corresponding appointment in the schedule of the service provider P14 is associated with the same time slot, with the client, and with the same service to be carried out during this time slot by the service provider. An appointment from Mr. P's P14 schedule defines, for example, the time slot of June 28, 2023 between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., the client Mr. C, and the hairdressing service.

The telephones are preferably conventional cell phones. A telephone has a screen, a processor and a wireless communication module. It also allows you to manage the P12 schedule for the client who owns it. This schedule allows to save tasks. Among these tasks, we distinguish the meetings which mobilize the client and a service provider so that a service is carried out, by this service provider, for this client.

The client's schedule is constantly updated by the client.

Customers and service providers can be individuals or professionals. In a preferred embodiment, the customers are individuals and the service providers are professionals.

Service providers can be chosen in particular from the group formed by healthcare professionals, legal professionals, travel professionals, industrialists, craftsmen, and civil servants.

In one embodiment, the customers are individuals and the services are services intended for individuals, in particular to improve their health. A service may be in particular

- a provision of care, for an individual or an individual's animal, for example at a veterinarian, at a general practitioner or specialist, for example a dentist, a physiotherapist, an ophthalmologist, in a hospital or a private care center,

- a diagnostic or data acquisition service, for example a radiology service,

- an aesthetic service, for example hairdressing or manicure or beautician,

- a service of delivery of an object to the individual, for example a document or an item purchased,

- an advisory service, for example from a real estate agent, from a banker, from an accountant, or

- a travel service for the individual, for example by car, train or plane.

A service provider's appointments are managed by a local computer 14, for example a PC at the service provider or by a server accessible from a PC at the service provider. The service provider's schedule is constantly updated, based on appointments made by the service provider's clients.

A service provider may have one or more devices 16 for the performance of the services it offers to its customers, for example a dentist's chair for a dental care professional, an airplane for an airline, reception desks for a administration, or a workshop for a mechanic. The service offered by a service provider may be any. In particular, it may include an intervention on the client, for example to treat him or cut his hair, or an intervention for the client, for example as part of an administrative procedure, or an intervention on an object held by the client. customer, for example his car.

In a conventional organization, each provider schedule is managed independently, with the client making an appointment with the provider at a time convenient to the client and the provider.

According to the invention, the central computer 18 has access to all of the schedules. However, schedules can be saved in the central computer but also in the cloud or in a local computer of a service provider or in a customer's telephone. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the schedules of the service providers Pu are managed by the local computers, the schedules of the clients P12 are managed by the telephones, and all these schedules are transmitted to the central computer 18.

The central computer implements steps a) to d), and preferably e), in real time.

The device according to the invention is all the more efficient as the number of service provider and customer schedules increases.

The number of client schedules is preferably greater than 1,000, preferably greater than 10,000, preferably greater than 100,000. It may be less than 100,000,000.

The number of service provider schedules is preferably greater than 1,000, preferably greater than 10,000, preferably greater than 100,000. It may be less than 100,000,000.

The places where the services are provided, that is to say the meeting places with the different service providers, are generally different, for example more than 1 km apart from each other.

In step a), the central computer accesses event information on events affecting compliance with at least one schedule. The event information can in particular identify a delay by a customer or a service provider preventing them from keeping an appointment, or a cause of such a delay, the central computer then being programmed to determine the delay accordingly .

The cause of a delay may, for example, be

- the occurrence of a slowdown in road, rail or air traffic, in particular a slowdown of a means of transport used by a customer or service provider, for example the occurrence of a traffic jam,

- a breakdown of a service provider’s device,

- unavailability or difficulty in supplying a raw material or a tool or an article necessary to carry out a service,

- the occurrence of an abnormal meteorological situation.

The central computer can receive: said event information I20 from a measurement center 20, for example

- a road, air or rail information center, for example the Waze® application, or an SNCF application, or a road, air or rail traffic management center, informing for example of the the occurrence of a technical incident, a traffic jam or a strike,

- a meteorology center, informing for example of the occurrence of an exceptional meteorological event, but also of said event information I12 from telephones and/or said event information I14 from local computers.

In particular, a telephone can provide the central computer with the geographical position of the telephone, a local computer can transmit event information on the customers of a service provider, and in particular the identity of the customers and/or their arrival times. at the service provider and/or their departure times and/or the times at which the services were provided.

In one embodiment, event information from the telephones is determined from the geographical positions of the customers, preferably determined by their telephones, from GPS data. In particular, telephones can transmit their GPS positions to the central computer, preferably in real time.

Preferably, the central computer also has access to the geographical positions of the service providers, for example from their GPS position.

It can therefore evaluate the travel time for a customer to go to a service provider and/or determine whether a customer has arrived at a service provider, or even the time of arrival. It can thus, in particular, determine in real time the waiting time and/or delays of customers with service providers. In one embodiment, at least some of the service providers are equipped with a detector making it possible to record the arrival and/or departure and/or pick-up of a customer from a service provider. The detector can for example be an access door or a gate equipped with a reader of a support for a customer identifier, for example a smart card in which a customer identifier is recorded. The detector can for example be an infrared detector covering an airlock through which customers enter a service provider.

A service provider can record the arrival and/or departure and/or pick-up of a customer and transmit this event information to the central computer.

The event information can be communicated in any format, for example in the form of an email or an SMS or a data file, for example of the .xml type.

In step b), the central computer can, based on this event information, determine the impossibilities of respecting certain appointments, and in particular the delays directly caused by the events.

The existence of a delay means that at least two schedules are not compatible with the occurrence of the event, that is to say that at least one planned appointment cannot be respected.

Event information can provide information directly on the delay. For example, the provider's local computer or a customer's phone can inform the central computer that the provider or customer, respectively, is behind schedule, and quantify that delay.

Determining a delay from its cause can be carried out by statistical processing of historical data. For example, the central computer can know the duration for a car to travel the different sections of road between the customer's location and that of the service provider. From the geographical position of the customer, it can thus determine a time of arrival of the customer at the service provider, and, by comparing it to the time planned for the start of the service, determine a delay.

In step b), the computer determines the appointments directly impacted by the delay.

In step c), the central computer searches for a potential modification, that is to say a modification of the schedules of the client and the service provider, or even one or more other clients and/or service providers, which would make all schedules compatible with the event information it has received.

In other words, the potential modification of the set of schedules is chosen so that this set thus modified is compatible with the event(s) identified as causing or likely to cause a delay for at least one appointment. . By “compatible”, we mean that the set of schedules modified with the potential modification would be such that the central computer would no longer identify the occurrence of a delay or a risk of delay for any appointment.

The potential modification is therefore a set of appointment corrections envisaged. A change to a planned appointment imposed, directly or indirectly, by an event is called a “correction”. A correction therefore reflects an impossibility of respecting an appointment as planned and is preferably expressed in the form of a deletion of an appointment, and/or a postponement of the appointment in time, and/or a modification of the start time of the appointment, and/or a modification of the end time of the appointment, and/or a modification of the service associated with the appointment YOU.

A potential modification could be for example

- to postpone all appointments following an appointment directly impacted or to cancel one or more of these appointments,

- to delete a directly impacted appointment and bring forward one or more following appointments, in particular if the client of the immediately following appointment has already arrived at the service provider, or

- to cancel an appointment directly impacted and postpone it to another date, in particular in the event of delay by the service provider, or

- to modify the duration of an appointment, for example by modifying the service to be performed during this appointment.

A service at a dentist can, for example, include the treatment of a cavity and scaling. The potential modification could for example include postponing a scaling until the next appointment. The potential modification could for example include swapping the services of two appointments planned for a client, for example carrying out scaling before caries treatment whereas scaling was initially planned after caries treatment.

A potential modification includes a correction of the directly impacted appointments of the client and the service provider and may include a correction of the schedules of one or more other clients and/or other service providers. For example, if the client had two consecutive appointments with two different providers, the delay to the first appointment (“directly impacted”) may affect the second appointment (“indirectly impacted”) in turn.

An appointment directly impacted by a delay is an appointment which, due to the delay, cannot be kept, regardless of changes made to other appointments. For example, if the customer's car breaks down while going to their appointment, so that they will necessarily arrive late, this delay directly impacts the appointment. On the other hand, a subsequent appointment which will be postponed due to the delay will be considered to be indirectly impacted by the delay. Indeed, this next appointment could have been respected by canceling the first appointment.

By extension, a schedule containing an appointment directly or indirectly impacted by a delay is also qualified as “directly or indirectly impacted”, respectively.

In one embodiment, an operator searches for the potential modification. In one embodiment, the central computer searches for the potential modification autonomously.

The search can be guided by rules, for example to first test the possibility of a simple postponement of the appointment(s) directly affected by the event(s), preferably with as little time lag as possible .

In one embodiment, a potential modification includes modifying

- schedules of the service provider and the client directly affected by the event(s), for example by a delay incurred by the service provider or the client, but also

- the schedule of one or more other clients and/or service providers affected indirectly, due to the modification of the schedules of said service provider and said client. For example, a delay may impact all customers whose appointments with the service provider followed the missed appointment due to the delay resulting from the events. The search for a potential modification can be carried out by testing modifications until an acceptable modification is found, preferably a modification which allows all customers to keep appointments with their providers, preferably with a minimum of reports. Neural networks, i.e. artificial intelligence algorithms, can also be implemented to search for a potential modification.

To search for a potential modification, the central computer therefore consults several schedules.

In a preferred embodiment, the central computer determines several modifications to all of the schedules capable of making this set compatible with said event. These modifications are called “test modifications”. The central computer evaluates them based on criteria and then selects an “optimal” test modification. Each test modification can for example be quantified by means of a score, determined according to criteria, the selected test modification, that is to say the potential modification, being the one which presents the best score. The criteria can be determined depending on the clients and/or providers and/or circumstances.

A test change, like any potential change, is a set of potential fixes.

In one embodiment, an elementary score is determined for each potential correction.

The basic score may depend on the service associated with the potential correction, for example whether it requires equipment or personnel, or imposes time constraints or other appointments.

The basic score associated with a potential correction of a client's schedule may in particular depend on the consequences of the fact that the service will not be carried out within the planned time slot, for example because

- that the client will not be operated on on the scheduled date, or

- that his car will not be repaired on the scheduled date, or

- that he will have additional expenses, for example due to additional travel, or - that he will suffer a loss of time, for example because he is on his way to go to the service provider and will have to turn back.

The basic score preferably depends on the impact of postponing the appointment in the client's schedule due to the potential correction. The impact of the postponement may itself depend on the additional time before the new appointment resulting from the postponement and/or the distance between the client's place of residence and the service provider's place of practice.

If the appointment has already been postponed, the basic score preferably depends on the number of previous postponements and/or their impact, and in particular the cumulative additional time and/or the cumulative lost time, in particular the cumulative waiting time, resulting from the previous postponement(s).

The basic score associated with the correction of a client's schedule preferably depends on the particular importance given by the client to the appointment, for example because this appointment concerns the client's health or has a financial impact for the customer. For example, the basic score may be higher if the appointment concerns the treatment of a serious or rapidly progressing illness of the client, or involves a change in a treatment undergone by the client.

The basic score associated with correcting a client's schedule preferably depends on the client's profile. For example, the basic score may be higher if the client has difficulty getting around, for example if the client is elderly or disabled, preferably depending on the severity of these difficulties.

The elementary score for modifying the schedule of a client “c” can for example be equal to S = (ki*Ci + k ₂ *C ₂ + k ₃ *C ₃ + k ₄ *C ₄ ), where

- the coefficients Ci each measure a criterion “i”,

- the factors ki designate weights for the different coefficients Ci.

For example,

- Ci is a coefficient which measures, in absolute value, the difference between the instants of the start of appointments before and after application of the potential correction (if it was applied), Ci possibly taking lower values if the appointment is advanced to you rather than postponed;

- C ₂ is a coefficient which measures the additional cost, for the customer, which would result from the application of the potential correction;

- C3 is a coefficient which measures the loss of comfort, for the customer, which would result from the application of the potential correction;

- C4 is a coefficient which measures the cumulative delay of previous modifications to the client's schedule.

Preferably, one or more of the factors ki, or “weight”, and/are determined according to the needs expressed, for example by means of a questionnaire, by the customer. For example, it can be questioned so that it specifies the relative importance it gives to the different coefficients.

One or more of these factors may also be a function of the customer's profile, for example the turnover generated by the customer with the service provider, the age of the customer if it is a natural person, the duration during which the customer was a customer of the service provider, and/or a note given by the service provider to the customer.

The basic score associated with a potential correction of a service provider's schedule may in particular depend on the consequences resulting from the fact that the service will not be carried out within the time slot planned according to the schedule before modification, for example due to:

- customer dissatisfaction, and therefore a potential loss of the customer and/or a deterioration in the image of the service provider, and/or

- additional expenses or a loss of income for the service provider, and/or

- a loss of time or disorganization on the part of the service provider.

The elementary score for modifying the schedule of a service provider “p” can for example be equal to S' = (ki'*Ci' + k2'*C2' + k3'*C3' + k4'*C4'), where, for example,

- Ci' is a coefficient which measures, in absolute value, the difference between the moments of the start of the appointment before and after application of the potential correction, Ci' possibly taking lower values if the appointment is brought forward earlier than postponed;

- C2’ is a coefficient which measures the shortfall which would result from the application of the potential correction;

- C3' is a coefficient which measures the degradation of the service provider's image which would result from the application of the potential correction; - C4' is a coefficient which measures the cumulative delay of previous modifications to the service provider's schedule,

- the factors ki’ designate weights for the different coefficients Ci’.

Preferably, one or more of these factors are determined based on the needs expressed, for example by means of a questionnaire, by the service provider. For example, the service provider can be questioned so that he specifies the relative importance he gives to the different coefficients.

One or more of these factors may also depend on the profile of the service provider, for example the turnover generated by the service provider, its flexibility in changing an appointment, and/or a rating given by the service provider's customers. to the service provider. Flexibility depends on the nature of the service, and in particular the devices necessary to carry out the service. For example, the flexibility for a hair appointment is greater than for air travel. It also depends on professional constraints, for example the travel capacity of the service provider.

All of the elementary scores established for the schedules of customers and service providers affected by the test modification can then be combined, for example summed, to provide the score associated with the test modification.

For example, the score associated with the test modification may be equal to (sum of S + sum of S'), for all clients "c" and providers "p", the elementary scores S and S' may be weighted, for example according to turnover figures for the elementary scores S' or according to the expression of a level of satisfaction for the elementary scores S.

Such a score advantageously makes it possible to take into account the number of customers and service providers affected by the test modification.

The scores of different test modifications are then compared in order to identify the best score, or “optimal score”, and to retain the associated potential modification.

Of course, the determination of the potential modification is not limited to the embodiment described above. The criteria are not limited to those described above. They can be exploited in other ways than described above. In a preferred embodiment, the central computer determines several modifications to the set of schedules capable of making this set of schedules compatible with said event and a service provider or a client chooses the potential modification among these modifications.

For example, in the event of a delay for an appointment, in particular if a delay only affects one appointment, the central computer can submit to the client concerned several possible postponements so that the client chooses the postponement that suits him. the best.

In step d), the potential modification is applied by the central computer, that is to say that the central computer updates the schedules to take into account the event information. For example, he postpones the appointment of a client or several clients with a service provider who has fallen behind schedule, he deletes or modifies one or more appointments with one or more service providers, in particular with service providers providing services of a different, for example, at a hairdresser and a doctor.

Two services are of the same nature when they call on the same skills. For example, two hairdressers provide services of the same nature, a hairdresser and a child psychiatrist provide services of different types.

The central computer can directly modify the schedules, or, as illustrated in Figure 1, transmit information M to local telephones and computers so that they can make this modification.

In one embodiment, the modification is first submitted to the client and/or service provider for validation. In particular, it can be submitted to the client so that the latter accepts or refuses it.

In one embodiment, several potential modifications are submitted to the client or service provider so that they choose the one that seems preferable. For example, the central computer can offer a customer a wait of one hour, a postponement of a week, or a postponement to the next day while also postponing another appointment, possibly planned with another service provider.

In step e), preferably, the central computer informs the customer(s) whose appointments have been corrected, preferably by sending a message to their telephone and/or by modifying the display of a screen in a waiting room of the service provider. Preferably, the central computer informs the service provider(s) whose appointments have been corrected, preferably by sending a message to their local computers or telephones, for example an email or text message.

This real-time information is particularly advantageous for customer satisfaction and the organization of service providers.

As is now clear, the invention makes it possible to minimize the impact of an event affecting the respect of an appointment. It also provides better information to customers and service providers, which limits their dissatisfaction.

The invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described; In particular, it is possible to combine characteristics of the illustrated examples within non-illustrated variants.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the invention, one or more of the customer telephones are replaced by computers equipped with communication means allowing them to communicate with the central computer.

In one embodiment, service providers who own a local computer of a device according to the invention benefit from a label. Preferably, at least one internet search engine, for example Google®, is aware of the assignment of a label to a service provider, that is to say of the service provider's adherence to the system. The label, for example in the form of an icon, preferably appears when an internet search results in selecting a labeled service provider. Advantageously, when this search leads to offering several service providers to a client, for example several hairdressers or dentists, this client can choose a certified service provider. His diary will thus be updated according to the invention, preferably automatically.

Claims

Claims 1. Device intended for the provision of a plurality of services, by a plurality of service providers and for a plurality of clients, the device comprising: - a plurality of telephones (12), each telephone belonging to a client and having access to a client schedule (P 12), said client schedule comprising a set of appointments, each appointment in the client schedule scheduling a service by a said service provider; - a plurality of local computers (14), each local computer belonging to a service provider and having access to a schedule of the service provider (Pu), said schedule of the service provider comprising a set of appointments, each appointment of the service provider's schedule planning a service to be carried out for a client; - a central computer (18) in communication with said telephones and with said local computers and programmed to implement, in real time, a method comprising the following steps: a) receive event information (I20, I12, read) on a event likely to generate a delay for at least one appointment in a client schedule or a service provider schedule; b) access all customer and service provider schedules, and determine, based on said event information and said schedules, the occurrence of a said delay or a risk of a said delay; c) by testing modifications to said set of schedules, determine a potential modification of said set of schedules such that all of the appointments of said set of schedules are respected despite said delay, the potential modification including a correction of the schedules of a customer and a service provider directly impacted by the delay and a correction of the schedules of one or more other service providers indirectly impacted by the delay; d) implement said potential modification. 2. Device according to the preceding claim, in which the central computer is programmed to - request, prior to step d), approval of said potential modification by at least one client and/or at least one service provider, - in the event of disapproval, repeat a new step c) to determine a new potential modification and renew said request. 3. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the central computer is programmed to, after step d), inform the customer(s) whose appointment has been modified in step d). 4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the potential modification includes a modification of the service associated with an appointment. 5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the central computer is programmed to, - repeat step c) so as to determine several so-called potential modifications, called “test modifications”, then - select, for step d), a so-called test modification. 6. Device according to the preceding claim, in which the test modification is selected as a function of a cost and/or a loss of time and/or a loss of profit that it would generate for one or more clients and /or for one or more service providers, preferably for all customers and/or service providers. 7. Device according to any one of the two immediately preceding claims, in which the selected test modification is selected according to the nature of the services associated with the appointments. 8. Device according to any one of the three immediately preceding claims, in which the selected test modification is selected according to the number of potentially modified customer and/or service provider appointments. 9. Device according to any one of the four immediately preceding claims, wherein the selected test modification is selected according to the result of one or more steps d) carried out previously. Device according to any one of the five immediately preceding claims, wherein the selected test modification is selected according to the profile of the customers and/or providers, preferably to take into account their physical conditions and/or their places of residence and/or their ability to accept a change to an appointment. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which, to determine the potential modification in step c), the schedules directly and indirectly impacted concern services of different natures. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which, to determine the potential modification in step c), the directly and indirectly impacted schedules concern services to be performed more than 1 km from each other. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the correction of indirectly impacted schedules concerns services for clients different from the client whose schedule is directly impacted. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, in step d), the central computer modifies the set of schedules in accordance with the potential modification determined in step c).