Enterprise software with contextual support

• US 20070164849A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Schneider, Thomas, Jin, Feng, Kloeffer, Michael, Subat, Juergen, Haeberle, Tilmann, Wocher, Berthold, Kotchanovskaia, Lilia, Pulkowski, Sebastian
• Application Number:
  US11/322,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20070164849A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/7.230
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

An incident message, including user-generated input data and collected context data both characterizing a state of a computing system may be received. Thereafter, the incident message may be assigned and routed to a key user based on the context data. The key user may then initiate an implementation of a solution to the incident message causing a solution message to be routed to the end user to notifying the end user of a solution to the incident message. Related apparatuses, methods, computer program products, and computer systems are also described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving an incident message generated by an end user, the incident message including user-generated input data and collected context data both characterizing a state of a computing system;

assigning the incident message to a key user based on the context data;

routing the incident message to the key user;

initiating an implementation of a solution to the incident message by the key user; and

routing a solution message notifying the end user of a solution to the incident message.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the end user, the incident message in a graphical user interface integrated into a software application operating on the computing system.

3. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

collecting the context data, the context data comprising diagnostic data associated with the operation of the computing system.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the initiating an implementation of a solution to the incident message comprises:

transmitting the incident message to a remote node;

polling a knowledge base associated with the remote node to obtain one or more pre-defined solutions associated with at least a portion of the context data; and

transmitting the obtained one or more pre-defined solutions to the key user.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the initiating an implementation of a solution to the incident message comprises:

transmitting the incident message to a remote node;

routing, at the remote node, the incident message to a support user; and

transmitting one or more solutions to the incident message identified by the support user to the key user.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein routing the incident message to the key user comprises:

queuing the incident message in a work list associated with the key user.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein routing the incident message to the key user comprises:

e-mailing the incident message to an e-mail address associated with the key user.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein routing the solution message to the end user comprises:

queuing the solution message in a work list associated with the end user.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein routing the solution message to the end user comprises:

e-mailing the solution message to an e-mail address associated with the end user.

10. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user-generated feedback data from the end user confirming whether the solution resolves an incident associated with the incident message.

11. A method as in claim 8, further comprising:

routing the feedback data and the incident message to the key user if the end user does not confirm that the solution resolved the incident associated with the message.

12. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

storing the solution message in a knowledge base repository.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein the initiating an implementation of a solution to the incident message comprises:

selecting a solution message stored in the knowledge base repository based on the context data.

14. An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

receiving an incident message generated by an end user, the incident message including user-generated input data and collected context data both characterizing a state of a computing system;

assigning the incident message to a key user based on the context data;

routing the incident message to the key user;

initiating an implementation of a solution to the incident message by the key user; and

routing a solution message notifying the end user of a solution to the incident message.

15. An article as in claim 14, the article operable to cause one or more machines to perform further operations comprising:

generating, by the end user, the incident message in a graphical user interface integrated into a software application operating on the computing system.

16. An article as in claim 15, the article operable to cause one or more machines to perform further operations comprising:

collecting the context data, the context data comprising diagnostic data associated with the operation of the computing system.

17. An article as in claim 14, wherein the initiating an implementation of a solution to the incident message comprises:

transmitting the incident message to a remote node;

polling a knowledge base associated with the remote node to obtain one or more pre-defined solutions associated with at least a portion of the context data; and

transmitting the obtained one or more pre-defined solutions to the key user.

18. An article as in claim 14, wherein the initiating an implementation of a solution to the incident message comprises:

transmitting the incident message to a remote node;

routing, at the remote node, the incident message to a support user; and

transmitting one or more solutions to the incident message identified by the support user to the key user.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving an incident message generated by an end user, the incident message including user-generated input data and collected context data both characterizing a state of a software application;

assigning the incident message to a key user based on the context data;

routing the incident message to the key user;

initiating an implementation of a solution to the incident message by the key user;

routing a solution message identifying the solution to the end user; and

determining whether to initiate the implementation of the solution by the end user.

20. A method as in claim 19, further comprising:

initiating, by the end user, an implementation of the solution.