AU2008101194A4 - Software-as-a-Service platform for finding, attracting, managing and selling expertise and services - Google Patents

Description

THERE ARE SEVEN PAGES OF

DESCRIPTION

00

O

Innovation Patent Application Title Software-as-a-Service platform for attracting, managing and selling expertise and services.

00 Specification Details Description The invention is a web based software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that facilitates Users in attracting, accessing and selling expertise and services. It uses unique and innovative processes to deliver a solution of significant value to businesses, government and community organisations.

The Invention addresses a real problem: The Invention was created in response to clear inefficiencies and frustrations associated with how the global marketplace currently operates in relation to the sourcing, accessing and selling of professional expertise and services.

Problems in finding and evaluating expertise and service providers from the open market.

While it's easy to find thousands of experts and professional services firms on the internet using search engines and directories, it is exceptionally inefficient and challenging to find the right expertise or services. As it stands, there is no single platform or electronic venue that enables buyers and sellers to come together in a targeted fashion in relation to expertise and services. Even to identify a shortlist of vendors, the onus is largely on the buyer to: identify who provides relevant services; to review their websites and collateral to see if they have worked in similar industries or on similar projects; to individually contact each of them and provide a briefing of requirements; to review any pitches from potential vendors; to evaluate who may have sufficient relevant experience and capability to deliver the required results within the parameters; to invite the shortlisted parties to participate in a more thorough evaluation. The only real tools that are available to assist this process are key word searches using internet search engines, directories, and personal networks. The available alternatives are on one hand the complexity and expense of a full tender process, or the risk of using vendors who have not effectively been compared to market competitors and may deliver sub-optimal results.

Problems in finding and evaluating expertise and service providers from Panels. Most large organizations have preferred vendor and supplier panels for consulting and professional services. The rationale for most Panels centre's around ensuring that staff use appropriately compliant organizations, and where possible leverage their buying power to extract greater discounts and value. Most organizations have established tendering, requisitioning, purchase order, contracting, and payment processes. However, there is not a readily available platform or infrastructure to assist buyers in deciding who from the panels they should be negotiating with to get the best results. Most organizations are without a platform to provide access to their panels other than a list of contact details. This presents a 00 0

U

0 number of problems: Buyers (Staff) often do not know who is on the Panel, and often don't know how to find Panels; Even where Panels exist, buyers (Staff) are not given an easy way to determine who has the best fit for each specific request; Instead of using panels, buyers _often buy from consulting firms they already know, even though these may not be the best fit, and may not be selected in a competitive comparative bid; Procurements and Supplier O management divisions are often not aware of purchases until transactions have already occurred or contracts have been drafted, at which point it is more difficult to influence buyer 0behaviour; It is difficult to manage 'leakage' outside of panels beyond retrospective analysis; The value of Panels is often not realised because of high leakage, low visibility of early buying signs, limited reporting, and missed opportunities to increase discounts and value; Lack of feedback and testimonial information as to others experience of working with specific Firms.

Problems in finding and evaluating sales leads for provision of expertise and services, The irony of the current marketplace inefficiencies and frustrations is the difficulty that vendors and providers have in finding quality sales leads. They currently spend significant time, money and resources trying to identify potential sales prospects and leads through advertising, web sites, cold calling, direct marketing, relationship building, networking and asking for referrals. Even where sellers are part of a Panel, they often have no visibility of if and where opportunities exist within these organizations, and may never get an opportunity to pitch their services even though they have successfully won a position on the Panel.

The Invention offers an innovative solution: The Invention offers a unique solution. It is an intelligent software platform that draws the right businesses together, at the right time using highly automated processes and systems. It is an online marketplace where the business solutions and expertise you need... find you.

The Invention simplifies the process of attracting the expertise a business needs. It's easier, more targeted and a lot cheaper than spending hours trawling through web pages, directories and networks.

It facilitates the following key business outcomes...

Enables buyers to attract the expertise they need in an efficient and targeted manner ask once and let the solutions come to you.

Enables consultants, firms and experts to identify targeted quality sales leads, and respond to these sales leads in order to get in front of businesses that want to buy their services; Provides a platform for managing access to expertise in both the open market and preferred supplier panels in an efficient and targeted manner.

The Invention is a win-win solution that's smarter, easier and cheaper for everyone. The Invention is a unique and innovative process, and is made available via a unique and innovative web interface.

00

U

Innovative processes functionality 1. Users create a profile and personalised interface is generated.

The profile captures their business and contact details. Based on the profile information, a personalised interface (referred to as their dashboard) is created from which they can manage all elements of their marketplace activity. Based on their privileges, Users can do 00 some or all of the following request and attract expertise; create, manage, and attract expertise from panels; create sales alerts, review and qualify sales leads, respond to sales leads and pitch expertise; contact buyer (if invited based on pitch).

Users can assume different roles depending on what they want to do within the marketplace. These roles include buyers, panel administrators and sellers. They are not required to have a different User ID. They are simply able to conduct range of processes from the same dynamic interface.

2. Attracting Expertise (from the Open Market) ATTRACTING EXPERTISE For buyers... expertise and solutions find you. By posting requirements on Buyers receive tailored responses from firms outlining how their experience and capability align to their business criteria. The buyer can compare responses using a simple interface and determine which consultants, experts or professional services firm are worth meeting. Using The Inventions intelligent matching and response process, it offers a simple way for buyers to get the right people at the table, without the hassle.

a. Users create and post requests for expertise. Those Users (referred to as buyers for this process) who wish to source expertise and services can use The Invention to attract the expertise and services they require. The system generates a request template wizard that steps buyers through the process of developing an appropriate request for expertise. It includes items such as: what they need or what the problem /opportunity is; relevant background information parameters; what is unique about the request; the expected benefits of the solution being sought; areas of expertise required; relevant parameters; the regions in which work is required; the approximate dates for delivery of expertise or services; when a decision will be made; the value of the opportunity. The buyer selects 'open market' as a parameter which means that any Users whose expertise aligns will be able to respond to the request. The template/wizard also enables the buyer to outline specific criteria that are important in determining who will be shortlisted, and to ask specific questions that the experts/providers must answer.

This information is saved as a unique request specific to that particular User. The buyer is able to save as draft, or post the request to attract expertise and service that match requirements.

b. The Invention alerts Users who have registered to sell relevant expertise. Based on the information provided in the request for expertise, The Invention cross references against all of the registered Users who have registered to sell expertise and services (referred to as sellers). The Invention identifies those sellers whose expertise and delivery capability match some or all elements of the request. The Invention sends a sales alert that 00 0

C)

automatically notifies these sellers that an opportunity has been identified and offers them the opportunity to review the request as a potential sales lead.

c. Sellers receive an alert about the request, review it, and elect whether to respond.

_Sellers evaluate the opportunity details in full to assess whether or not they have the capability, experience and skills required (contact details of the buyers are withheld at this point). If the seller likes the sales lead and wants the opportunity to contact the buyer, they may be required to pay a nominal fee in order to respond, depending on the 00 pricing structure being used (see optional features).

d. Sellers create and submit a pitch. When a matched seller elects to respond, a response template is automatically generated. The response template outlines all areas of the original request, and provides opportunities (input fields) for the seller to detail their relevant experience, case studies, answers, ideas, and information. This information is bundled in alignment with each section of the request, so that the buyer requesting expertise or services can easily and clearly evaluate how well the seller aligns to each element. The seller can add additional information to support their pitch. The seller is able to track, from their dashboard, how their pitch progresses through the evaluation process. They can see as their pitch progresses through statuses such as 'not yet read, awaiting decision, declined, invited to contact'.

e. Buyer evaluates pitches. The buyer is notified automatically when responses are received. They can then view each of the responses, and allocate it an appropriate status decline (when response not successful and will not be progressed), decide later (a limbo state), invite to contact (when response is successful and is being progressed).

The Invention notifies sellers of their terminal status (declined, invited to contact).

Limbo status's (not yet read, decide later) are reflected on the sellers dashboard.

f. Buyer selects shortlist. Based on pitches, the buyer shortlists the most suitable sellers for offline negotiations. The Invention notifies successfully invited sellers and provides an automated email with buyers profile, contact details, and invitation to contact them.

g. Buyer and shortlisted sellers make direct contact. The Inventions attract expertise process concludes once all responses have been allocated a terminal status. The successful sellers and the buyer are provided with necessary information to be in contact directly.

h. End of attracting expertise (open market) process. Buyer and shortlisted sellers complete final selection, negotiation, agreements and payments directly and offline.

The Invention is not involved in this final step.

00

O

3. Create. manage, share, and attract expertise from Panels A Panel is a group of preferred suppliers or vendors. Using Panels gives the buyer an option of submitting a request where only those suppliers and vendors who are on your Panel can view or respond to the request. The process is as follows: a. User creates a Panel and invites members. A User can create Panels from their 00 dashboard (referred to as Panel Administrator). They follow a structured process where they establish parameters for the panel such as panel title and description, and then invite experts and providers to become part of the panel. The Invention automates the (process of invitation by sending single use automated coupons to each invited party.

b. Invited parties accept /decline invitation. Those parties who receive an invitation to join the panel can either accept or decline the invitation. If they accept, they are linked to the Panel, and eligible for any opportunities that are published to the Panel. They must be or become a User of The Invention, create their own profile and have their own configured interface.

The process of attracting expertise from Panels is almost identical to a standard request for expertise from the open market, and follows the same broad steps described in la-lh. The variations in this process are as follows: c. Buyer attracts expertise from within Panel only. The buyer must have previously created or been granted access to a Panel. The buyer must actively select the parameter relating to who can respond to request as being 'My Panels' (instead of Open Market) during step If they have more than one panel, they can select which specific Panel they wish to use.

This process means that a buyer can control the population of experts or vendors who are eligible to view and respond to each request. This is particularly relevant if they represent an organisation that uses preferred supplier panels.

The panel administrator can change the panel members as required. The Invention provides automated communications to all parties to ensure they understand their current status. Depending on their permissions, an administrator may be able to share their Panel with other Users who can also attract expertise from the Panel.

4. Selling Expertise (via Open Market and Panels) SELLING EXPERTISE For Sellers, sales opportunities find you. Users (now referred to as sellers in this process) can register their expertise with The Invention to receive sales alerts when relevant opportunities arise. When they see an opportunity they want to pitch for, they can respond to it and outline their expertise and capability against the specific request. It's simple, clean and targeted. If they make the buyers shortlist, only then are they given the buyers contact details and invited to contact them directly. The Invention is a cheaper and more targeted way for expertise and service providers to find clients whose needs align to their expertise.

I

00

C)

a. Users Create Sales Alerts. Those Users (now referred to as sellers for the purpose of this process) who wish to sell their services can register their specific expertise to receive targeted sales alerts and the opportunity to respond to these sales leads. From their dashboard they select each category and subcategory of expertise, and the locations where they can offer these sections. They can create multiple alerts from a range of areas of expertise and a range of geographies.

b. The process continues in the same way as described Ic lh (attracting expertise). Refer 00 to previous section.

r-l 00 Essential Features The following are considered as essential features.

0 Ability to attract expertise describe what you want once, and relevant experts respond with targeted pitches to assist in identifying appropriate providers.

0 Ability to create, manage, share, and attract expertise from Panels of expertise.

0 Ability to sell expertise registering expertise and receiving targeted alerts that align 00 0to capability, and ability to pitch for these opportunities The details of these essential features are described in the previous section.

Optional Features The following are considered as optional features.

Users being given permission to function as all roles buyer, seller, panel administrator. And that within each role they are given full permissions. (In some cases it is appropriate to limit permissions associated with specific users or user groups).

The method of hosting and deployment of platform is optional. It may be web hosted, or in some cases it may be appropriate to offer as an independent installed software solution.

Transactional pricing model where Users are charged to respond to opportunities when selling expertise is optional. Other pricing models may be used, or the service may be available at no charge.

The layout of the software, look and feel, dashboard structure, table structure, and branding are all optional features.

The areas of expertise, types of services, and types of buyers are all optional.

Examples of how The Invention is put into effect One example of how the Invention will be put into effect is the Global Consulting and Professional Services Marketplace provided as www.expertmagnet.com. This platform uses the core elements of the invention to provide an innovative marketplace. Primarily it services the following areas of expertise: Management Consulting; IT Consulting Services; Human Resources; Training Development; Marketing PR; Engineering; Environmental Consulting; Planning; Financial audits advice; Legal Services; Procurement and Outsourcing.