Method and system for routing a question based on analysis of the question content and predicted user satisfaction with answer content before the answer content is generated

• US 10,083,213 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Podgorny, Igor A., Cannon, Matthew, Goodyear, Todd Frey, Hung, Kelvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Uddin, Mohammed R
• Application Number:
  US14/697,108
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 707728, 707713, 707771, 707708, 707999003
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls

Abstract

A question and answer based customer support system is provided through which users submit question data representing questions to be answered using support resources. Low quality and/or high quality question formats are defined and questions having a low quality question format are labeled improperly formatted questions, while questions having a high quality question format are labeled properly formatted questions. Received question data is analyzed to determine if the question data represents an improperly or properly formatted question before allocating support resources to generating an answer. If, a determination is made that the question data represents an improperly formatted question, corrective actions are taken before allocating support resources to generating an answer. If a determination is made that the question data represents a properly formatted question, the question represented by the question data is allocated support resources to generate an answer on a priority basis.

Claims

1. A method for allocating support resources to a question based on analysis of the question content and predicted user satisfaction, based on that analysis of the question content, with answer content before the answer content is generated, the method comprising:

providing users of a software system a question and answer based customer support system through which question data can be entered by the users, the question data representing questions to potentially be provided to one or more support resources associated with the question and answer based customer support system so that the questions represented by the question data can be answered via answer data generated using the support resources;

receiving question data representing a question submitted by the user through the question and answer based customer support system;

obtaining user question data, user historical data and user profile data, and once the user question data, user historical data and user profile data is obtained, the user question data, user historical data and user profile data is shared with, or linked to, two or more software system used by the user;

analyzing, before allocating any support resources to generating answer data related to the question data, the question data, user historical data, and user profile data to determine, based on whether the question data represents a question that is expected to have an answer that will result in a greater than threshold level of user satisfaction or instead alternatively represents a question type that is expected to have an answer that will result in a lower than threshold level of user satisfaction, the analysis being performed by;

parsing, before allocating any support resources to generating answer data related to the question data, the received question data to determine interrogative pronouns of the question data;

mapping, before allocating any support resources to generating answer data related to the question data and using user historical data and user profile data, the determined interrogative pronouns to a question category;

determining, based on the question category, whether the question data represents a question category that is expected to have an answer that will result in a greater than threshold level of user satisfaction or alternatively whether the question data represents a question category that is expected to have an answer that will result in a lower than threshold level of user satisfaction; and

if, based on the analysis of the question data, a determination is made that the question data represents a question category that is expected to have an answer that will result in a greater than threshold level of user satisfaction, allocating support resources to generating answer data related to the question data;

if, based on the analysis of the question data, a determination is made that the question data represents question category that is expected to have an answer that will result in a lower than threshold level of user satisfaction, taking corrective action with the user to assist the user in reforming the question represented by the question data, the corrective action being customized for the user through the consideration of user attributes identified using the user'"'"'s own question data, historical data and user profile data.

2. The method claim 1 wherein the software system is selected from the group of software systems consisting of:

a computing system implemented tax preparation software system;

a network accessed tax preparation software system;

a web-based tax preparation software system;

a cloud-based tax preparation software system;

a computing system implemented business management software system;

a network accessed business management software system;

a web-based business management software system;

a cloud-based business management software system;

a computing system implemented accounting software system;

a network accessed accounting software system;

a web-based accounting software system;

a cloud-based accounting software system;

a computing system implemented financial management system;

a network accessed financial management system;

a web-based financial management system; and

a cloud-based financial management system.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

before allocating support resources to generating answer data related to the question data, analyzing the question data to determine what type of question is represented by the question data; and

based on the determined type of question represented by the question data, identifying the type of support resources to which the question should be routed.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the question and answer based customer support system includes a web-based question and answer forum associated with the software system and/or an area of endeavor of the software system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the support resources include a support community of support personnel for the software system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the support community of support personnel for the software system includes volunteer support personnel that are part of a support community for the software system and professional agent support personnel that are part of a support community for the software system.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

before allocating support resources to generating answer data related to the question data, analyzing the question data to determine what type of question is represented by the question data;

if the question is identified as a question directed to the subject matter and area of endeavor of the software system, routing the question to the volunteer support personnel of a support community for the software system; and

if the question is identified as a question directed to the software system product, routing the question to the professional agent support personnel that are part of a support community for the software system.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the question and answer based customer support system includes a customer support question and answer database, the customer support question and answer database including question and answer pair data representing one or more questions submitted by asking users of the software system and the answers to those questions generated using the support resources for the software system, further wherein;

the question and answer pair data in the customer support question and answer database can be searched and accessed by searching users of the software system.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the question data is submitted by asking users of the software system through question data submission interfaces provided through the question and answer based customer support system, the question data submission interfaces including one or more question data entry fields to enter the question data, the question data to be parsed and analyzed before being allocated any of the support resources to determine if the question data represents an improperly formatted question.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein low quality question formats that are predicted to result in answers that will have user satisfaction ratings below a threshold level of user satisfaction include:

“

Who”

question formats;

“

What”

question formats;

“

When”

question formats;

“

Where”

question formats;

“

Why”

question formats;

“

How”

question formats;

rhetorical question formats;

grammatically incorrect question formats; and

ill-formed question formats.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein if, based on the analysis of the question data, a determination is made that the question data represents an improperly formatted question, the one or more corrective actions taken before allocating support resources to generating answer data related to the question data includes filtering out the improperly formatted question data before any support resources are allocated to generating answer data related to the question data.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein if, based on the analysis of the question data, a determination is made that the question data represents an improperly formatted question, the one or more corrective actions taken before allocating support resources to generating answer data related to the question data includes refusing to accept submission of the improperly formatted question data before any support resources are allocated to generating answer data related to the question data.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein if, based on the analysis of the question data, a determination is made that the question data represents an improperly formatted question, the one or more corrective actions taken before allocating support resources to generating answer data related to the question data includes attempting to correct the improperly formatted question data by providing the user with a set of format transformation/question reformation instructions used to transform the improperly formatted question data into a properly formatted question data before any support resources are allocated to generating answer data related to the question data.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the user is provided the format transformation/question reformation instructions representing suggestions on how to re-phrase/reform the improperly formatted question data that are customized to the specific question data being submitted.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein if, based on the analysis of the question data, a determination is made that the question data represents an improperly formatted question because the question represented by the question data is a general knowledge/open-ended format question, the asking user is provided format transformation/question reformation instructions that guide the user through a step-by-step process to transform the identified general knowledge/open-ended improperly formatted question into properly formatted closed-ended question.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein if, based on the analysis of the question data, a determination is made that the question data represents an improperly formatted question because the question represented by the question data is in a low quality rhetorical, or otherwise “

unanswerable”

, question format, the asking user is provided format transformation/question reformation instructions that guide the user through a step-by-step process to transform the identified rhetorical, or otherwise “

unanswerable”

, improperly formatted question into properly formatted closed-ended question.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein if, based on the analysis of the question data, a determination is made that the question data represents an improperly formatted question because the question represented by the question data is in a grammatically incorrect question or search query format, the asking user is provided format transformation/question reformation instructions that guide the user through a step-by-step process to transform the identified grammatically incorrect question or search query improperly formatted question into a properly formatted closed-ended question.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the user is provided the format transformation/question reformation instructions via a question transformation user interface screen.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the question transformation user interface screen includes a question quality indicator.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein question transformation user interface screen is a question optimizer question transformation user interface screen.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the user is provided the format transformation/question reformation instructions representing suggestions on how to re-phrase/reform the improperly formatted question through the question optimizer question transformation user interface screen as the question data is being submitted.