Service level agreement design and enforcement for outsourced call center

• US 20050261933A1
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Magnuson, Richard K.
• Application Number:
  US11/133,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20050261933A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method for managing support services includes storing one or more support level agreements (SLAs), each having an associated attribute, in a database as one or more corresponding data objects. One or more trouble tickets, each having one or more associated attributes, are entered into the database as one or more corresponding data objects. One or more of the one or more stored SLAs are automatically applied to each of the one or more trouble tickets by matching the attributes of the one or more trouble tickets with the attributes of the one or more SLAs.

Claims

1. A method for managing support services, comprising:

storing one or more support level agreements (SLAs), each having an associated attribute, in a database as one or more corresponding data objects;

entering one or more trouble tickets, each having one or more associated attributes, into said database as one or more corresponding data objects;

automatically applying one or more of said one or more stored SLAs to each of said one or more trouble tickets by matching said attributes of said one or more trouble tickets with said attributes of said one or more SLAs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein SLAs for one or more clients are stored in said database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein SLAs for one or more service contracts are stored in said database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of said one or more trouble tickets is assigned one or more of said one or more SLAs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said SLAs have associated violation costs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said SLAs have associated fire times.

7. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising determining one or more conditions or a period of time for triggering a violation of said SLAs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said attributes comprise one or more of affected organization, priority or affected equipment.

9. A system for managing support services, comprising:

a database for storing one or more support level agreements (SLAs), each having an associated attribute, in a database as one or more corresponding data objects;

an interface for entering one or more trouble tickets, each having one or more associated attributes, into said database as one or more corresponding data objects;

an application unit for automatically applying one or more of said one or more stored SLAs to each of said one or more trouble tickets by matching said attributes of said one or more trouble tickets with said attributes of said one or more SLAs.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein SLAs for one or more clients are stored in said database.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein SLAs for one or more service contracts are stored in said database.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein one or more of said one or more trouble tickets is assigned one or more of said one or more SLAs.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said SLAs have associated violation costs.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said SLAs have associated fire times.

15. The system of claim 9, additionally comprising a Time to Violation (TTV) unit for determining one or more conditions or a period of time for triggering a violation of said SLAs.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein said attributes comprise one or more of affected organization, priority or affected equipment.

17. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer recording medium including computer executable code executable by the processor for managing support services, the computer executable code comprising;

code for storing one or more support level agreements (SLAs), each having an associated attribute, in a database as one or more corresponding data objects;

code for entering one or more trouble tickets, each having one or more associated attributes, into said database as one or more corresponding data objects; and

code for automatically applying one or more of said one or more stored SLAs to each of said one or more trouble tickets by matching said attributes of said one or more trouble tickets with said attributes of said one or more SLAs.

18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein SLAs for one or more clients are stored in said database.

19. The computer system of claim 17 wherein SLAs for one or more service contracts are stored in said database.

20. The computer system of claim 17 wherein one or more of said one or more trouble tickets is assigned one or more of said one or more SLAs.

21. The computer system of claim 17 wherein said SLAs have associated violation costs.

22. The computer system of claim 17 wherein said SLAs have associated fire times.

23. The computer system of claim 17 further comprising code for determining one or more conditions or a period of time for triggering a violation of said SLAs.

24. The computer system of claim 17 wherein said attributes comprise one or more of affected organization, priority or affected equipment.

25. A computer recording medium including computer executable code for managing support services, the computer executable code comprising:

code for storing one or more support level agreements (SLAs), each having an associated attribute, in a database as one or more corresponding data objects;

code for entering one or more trouble tickets, each having one or more associated attributes, into said database as one or more corresponding data objects; and

code for automatically applying one or more of said one or more stored SLAs to each of said one or more trouble tickets by matching said attributes of said one or more trouble tickets with said attributes of said one or more SLAs.