Trouble ticket assignment

• US 7,366,731 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2003
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, Richard Gregory, Young, Randy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Tim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morrison; Jay A
• Application Number:
  US10/734,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A trouble ticket handling system is provided. The system typically includes a login logic, a monitoring device, and a user interface logic. The login logic typically operates to log a user into several trouble ticket systems. The monitoring device typically polls the trouble ticket systems for open trouble tickets. The user interface logic enables the user to automatically load a proper trouble ticket from any of the open trouble tickets in the trouble ticket systems. Methods and other systems are also provided.

Claims

1. A trouble ticket handling system including a processor, comprising:

login logic configured to log a user into a plurality of trouble ticket systems, wherein each trouble ticket system services a different geographic region;

a monitoring device configured to poll the plurality of trouble ticket systems for information relating to open trouble tickets in each of the trouble ticket systems; and

user interface logic configured to enable the user to automatically load a proper trouble ticket from any of the plurality of open trouble tickets at the plurality of trouble ticket systems and assign the proper trouble ticket to the user, determination of the proper trouble ticket being based upon regulatory fines that are subject to being levied against the proper trouble ticket from different regulatory agencies within the different geographic regions, wherein the proper trouble ticket is subject to cause issuance of a regulatory fine from the regulatory agency in which the regulatory fine is the largest for trouble ticket pendency.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising memory coupled to the login logic, the memory being configured to store at least one password associated with each of the plurality of trouble ticket systems, and to store and a username associated with the user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each of said at least one password is different and each of said at least one password is associated with one of the plurality of trouble ticket systems.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is configured to poll the plurality of trouble ticket systems on a periodic basis.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is configured to poll the plurality of trouble ticket systems upon receiving an instruction from the user interface logic.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is configured to retrieve information from each of the plurality of trouble ticket systems regarding a plurality of open trouble tickets associated with the user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the trouble tickets are associated with the user through a common language location identifier based on a center associated with the user.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising sorting logic configured to determine the proper trouble ticket to load to the user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sorting logic is configured to sort a plurality of trouble tickets responsive to a common language location identifier, a tracking key, and a time stamp associated with each of the plurality of trouble tickets.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the sorting logic is further configured to sort a plurality of trouble tickets responsive to a tracking key associated with each of the plurality of trouble tickets.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface logic inhibits the user from choosing a trouble ticket to work on based on a perceived level of difficulty associated with the chosen trouble ticket.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface logic is further configured to enable the user to manually load to a trouble ticket.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user interface logic is further configured to enable the user to enter a reason for manually loading the trouble ticket.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user interface logic is further configured to set an alarm when the user exceeds a threshold number of allowable manual load tickets.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a reporting logic configured to report the alarm to a supervisor of the user.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the proper trouble ticket is determined by a sorting logic which is configured to provide the user interface with an oldest maintenance ticket as determined by a tracking key associated with each of the plurality of trouble tickets.

17. A method of assigning trouble tickets, comprising:

periodically polling a plurality of trouble ticket systems for at least one trouble ticket associated with a support center, wherein each trouble ticket system services a different geographic region;

sorting said at least one trouble ticket with a plurality of previously received trouble tickets;

storing a plurality of sorted trouble tickets in a memory device;

receiving a request for a trouble ticket from a technician at the support center; and

providing the technician with a proper trouble ticket from the plurality of sorted trouble tickets, determination of the proper trouble ticket being based upon regulatory fines that are subject to being levied against the proper trouble ticket from different regulatory agencies from the different geographic regions, wherein the proper trouble ticket is chosen from the regulatory agency in which issuance of a regulatory fine for trouble ticket pendency is the largest.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

storing at least one password for the technician associated with each of the plurality of trouble ticket systems in the memory device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising logging the user into the plurality of trouble ticket systems with said at least one password.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein each of said at least one password is different and each of said at least one password is associated with one of the plurality of trouble ticket systems.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising polling of the plurality of trouble ticket systems occurs upon receiving a request for a trouble ticket from a technician at the support center.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the trouble tickets are associated with the support center through a common language location identifier associated with the support center.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein sorting said at least one trouble ticket with a plurality of previously received trouble tickets comprises sorting trouble tickets in accordance with a tracking key, and a time stamp associated with each trouble ticket.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the user interface logic inhibits the user from choosing a trouble ticket to work on based on a perceived level of difficulty associated with the chosen trouble ticket.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a request from the technician to manually load a trouble ticket; and

assigning the trouble ticket to the technician responsive to the request to manually load the trouble ticket.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising receiving a reason from the technician for manually loading the trouble ticket.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising causing an alarm when the technician exceeds a threshold number of allowable manual load tickets.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising reporting the alarm to a supervisor of the technician.

29. A computer readable storage medium having a program for assigning a trouble ticket to a responsible technician, the program having instructions to perform:

periodically polling a plurality of trouble ticket systems for at least one trouble ticket associated with a support center, wherein each trouble ticket system services a different geographic region;

sorting said at least one trouble ticket with a plurality of previously received trouble tickets responsive to a tracking key and time stamp included with each of the trouble tickets;

storing a plurality of sorted trouble tickets in a memory device;

receiving a request for a trouble ticket from a technician at the support center; and

assigning the technician to a proper trouble ticket from the plurality of sorted trouble tickets, determination of the proper trouble ticket being based upon regulatory fines that are subject to being levied against the proper trouble ticket from different regulatory agencies from the different geographic regions, wherein the proper trouble ticket is chosen from the regulatory agency in which issuance of a regulatory fine for trouble ticket pendency is the largest.

30. The program of claim 29, further performing:

storing at least one password for the technician associated with each of the plurality of trouble ticket systems in the memory device.

31. The program of claim 30, wherein each of said at least one password is different and each of said at least one password is associated with one of the plurality of trouble ticket systems.

32. The program of claim 29, further performing:

polling of the plurality of trouble ticket systems occurs upon receiving a request for a trouble ticket from a technician at the support center.

33. The program of claim 29, wherein the trouble tickets are associated with the support center through a common language location identifier associated with the support center.

34. The program of claim 29, wherein the user interface logic inhibits the user from choosing a trouble ticket to work on based on a perceived level of difficulty associated with the chosen trouble ticket.

35. The program of claim 29, further performing:

receiving a request from the technician to manually load a trouble ticket; and

assigning the trouble ticket to the technician responsive to the request to manually load the trouble ticket.

36. The program of claim 35, further performing:

receiving a reason from the technician for manually loading the trouble ticket.

37. The program of claim 36, further performing:

causing an alarm when the technician exceeds a threshold number of allowable manual load tickets.

38. The program of claim 37, further performing:

reporting the alarm to a supervisor of the technician.

39. The program of claim 29, the program being further performing:

tracking a plurality of work schedules associated with a plurality of technicians.

40. The program of claim 39, the program being further performing:

assigning the trouble ticket responsive to a work schedule among the plurality of work schedules, associated with the technician.