Processes and systems for creating and for managing trouble tickets and work orders

• US 7,289,605 B1
• Filed: 09/04/2001
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Scherer, Rita H., Marcopulos, Judy M., Jean, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/946,271
• Time in Patent Office: 2,247 Days
• Field of Search: 379/2, 379/5, 379 101- 103, 379 12- 13, 379/14, 379 1501- 1505, 379 2601- 2602, 379/27.01, 379/27.08, 379 2901- 2911, 379 3201- 3205, 379 902- 904
• US Class Current: 379/32.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1058 Shopping and product ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/08 Indicating faults in circuits or apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/247 Knowledge-based maintenance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/26 with means for applying test signals or for measuring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

Processes and systems are disclosed for creating and for managing trouble tickets and work orders. One embodiment includes communicating with a communications network and receiving a request to create a trouble ticket. The trouble ticket is created to investigate a problem with a communications system. The trouble ticket is assigned a work item number, with the work item number including a telephone number experiencing the problem with the communications system. The trouble ticket is tracked, from initial creation to final closure, using the assigned work item number.

Claims

1. A process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket, the trouble ticket describing a problem in a telecommunications system, the process comprising:

communicating with a communications network and receiving a request to create the trouble ticket;

creating the trouble ticket to investigate the problem with the telecommunications system;

assigning a work item number to the trouble ticket, and work item number comprising a telephone number experiencing the problem with the telecommunications system; and

tracking the trouble ticket, from initial creation to final closure, using the assigned work item number;

screening the trouble ticket for known indications of the problem in the telecommunications system, wherein screening the trouble ticket includes filtering the trouble ticket for a screening criteria, the screening criteria having a corresponding action;

updating the trouble ticket according to the corresponding action, the corresponding action updating at least one of a telephone system status code, a telephone system route code, and a narrative portion describing the telecommunications system, whereby the process screens the trouble ticket for known indications of trouble in the telecommunications system.

2. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 1 further comprising annotating the trouble ticket with information from a telephone line record.

3. The process for crating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 1, further comprising annotating the trouble ticket with information from a telephone line record, the information from the telephone line record comprising at least one of i) information associated with a customer'"'"'s service, ii) facility information associated with the customer'"'"'s service, and iii) information associated with equipment used by the customer.

4. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to a claim 1, further comprising annotating the trouble ticket with information from a telephone line record, the information from the telephone line record comprising at least one of i) customer information from a Customer Record Information System, ii) facility information from a Loop Facility Assignment Control System, and iii) equipment information form a TELCORDIA™

SWITCH system.

5. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 1, further comprising communicating a test request for a test of the telecommunications system.

6. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 5, further comprising formatting the test request with testability data desired by a test system.

7. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 5, further comprising communicating with the communications network and acquiring results of a test of the telecommunications system.

8. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 1, further comprising correlating the trouble ticket with tan existing trouble ticket that shares a similar characteristic, wherein the trouble ticket may be grouped with the existing trouble ticket to efficiently resolve related trouble tickets.

9. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 1, further comprising annotating the trouble ticket with a date and time.

10. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 9, further comprising correlating the trouble ticket with an existing trouble ticket that has an annotated date and time within a predetermined interval of an annotated date and time of the existing trouble ticket.

11. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 1, further comprising searching the trouble ticket and a database of existing trouble tickets for at least one correlation parameter, and grouping the trouble tickets with an existing trouble ticket that shares the at least one correlation parameter and that shares a common designation of a telephone system wire center.

12. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 1, further comprising assigning a telephone system status code to the trouble ticket.

13. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 1, further comprising closing related, common cause trouble tickets.

14. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 1, further comprising closing the trouble ticket when the problem with the telecommunications system is resolved.

15. The process for creating and for managing a trouble ticket according to claim 1, further comprising generating a maintenance report using information from the trouble ticket.

16. A computer program for managing a trouble ticket, the trouble ticket describing trouble with a telephone system local loop, the computer program comprising:

communicating with a communications network and receiving a request to create the trouble ticket;

acquiring information from a telephone line record to help resolve the trouble, the information from the telephone line record comprising at least one of i) customer information from a Customer Record Information System, ii) facility information from a Loop Facility Assignment Control System, and iii) equipment information from a TELCORDIA™

SWITCH system;

creating the trouble ticket to investigate the trouble with the telephone system local loop;

assignment a work item number to the trouble ticket, the work item number comprising a telephone number experiencing the trouble with the telephone system local loop;

screening the trouble ticket for known indications of the trouble with the telephone system local loop;

wherein the screening the trouble ticket includes filtering the trouble ticket for a screening criteria, the screening criteria having a corresponding action;

updating the trouble ticket according to the corresponding action, the corresponding action updating at least one of a telephone system status code, a telephone system route code, and a narrative portion describing the telecommunications system, whereby the process screens the trouble ticket for known indications of trouble in the telecommunications system;

correlating the trouble ticket with an existing trouble ticket having a common characteristic and having a common designation of a wire center; and

closing the trouble ticket when the trouble with the telephone system local loop is resolved.

17. A system for creating and for managing a trouble ticket, the trouble ticket describing a problem in a telecommunications system, the system comprising:

at least one processor capable of manipulating information to create and to manage the trouble ticket; and

at least one of the following modules

a Trouble Ticket Manager for creating and for managing trouble tickets, the trouble Ticket Manger communicating with a communications network and receiving a request to create the trouble ticket, the Trouble Ticket Manger creating the trouble ticket and identify the trouble ticket with a work item number, the work item number comprising a telephone number experiencing the problem in the telecommunications system, the Trouble Ticket Manger also distributing the trouble ticket along the communications network to clients;

a Line Record Assembler module for assembling telephone line records, the Line Record Assembler module communicating information from a telephone line record to the Trouble Ticket Manager, the information from the telephone line record comprising at least one of i) customer information from a Customer Record Information System, ii) facility information from a Loop Facility Assignment Control System, and iii) equipment information from a TELCORDIA™

SWITCH system; and

a Test Manager module for managing test request of the telecommunications system, the Test Manager module receiving a request for a test of the telecommunications system, the Test Manager module prioritizing the request for the test according to at least one of a date, a time, an origin of the request to create the trouble ticket, and an origin of the request for the test, the Test Manager module submitting the request for the test to a test system conducting the test the telecommunications system, the Test Manager module communicating results of the test to the Trouble Ticket Manger;

a Screening Manger screening the trouble ticket for known indications of the problem in the telecommunications system;

wherein screening the trouble ticket includes filtering the trouble ticket for a screening criteria, the screening criteria having a corresponding action;

updating the trouble ticket according to the corresponding action, the corresponding action updating at least one of a telephone system status code, a telephone system route code, and a narrative portion describing the telecommunications system, whereby the process screens the trouble ticket for known indications of trouble in the telecommunications system.