Proactive problem resolution system, method of proactive problem resolution and program product therefor

• US 7,984,007 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Reumann, John, Saha, Debanjan
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin; Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bharadwaj; Kalpana
• Application Number:
  US11/619,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 706/48, 709/230, 700/1, 370/252
• US Class Current: 706/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A proactive problem resolution system, method of proactive problem resolution and program product therefor. User sensors extract data from user interaction with a computer terminal and pass extracted data to a sniffer agent. The sniffer agent checks for an indication of a user problem by comparing user behavior data against behavior data from previously encountered problems. When the sniffer finds a match, the computer terminal user may be asked if assistance is needed or the user may be automatically referred to the help desk. If a solution already exists for a problem that corresponds to the user behavior, that solution(s) is(are) presented at the computer terminal. Computer terminal users automatically receive problem support, even before it would otherwise be requested.

Claims

1. A proactive problem resolution system comprising:

a plurality of user sensors collecting data on computer terminal interactions with applications displayed on a computer terminal, wherein the user sensors include a keystroke logger and a program exit code interceptor;

a sniffer agent monitoring user sensor results and identifying computer terminal interaction patterns indicating a user at said computer terminal is encountering a problem;

a behavior database including previously encountered behavior that indicates user problems, said sniffer agent comparing identified said patterns with behavior associated with previously encountered said user problems;

a solution database including identified solutions for said previously encountered user problems; and

a proactive log storing collected said user sensor results.

2. A proactive problem resolution system as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of user sensors include, a help function interceptor, an Internet search interceptor and.

3. A proactive problem resolution system as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of user sensors and said sniffer agent are located on said computer terminal, and said sniffer agent selectively generates trouble tickets for user behavior that indicates a corresponding problem.

4. A proactive problem resolution system as in claim 3, wherein said sniffer agent presents a query on said computer terminal responsive to identifying a corresponding problem, said query allowing a user to request help desk assistance.

5. A proactive problem resolution system as in claim 1, wherein said behavior database includes a plurality of behavior records, each behavior record including relations indicating user behavior for a previously encountered problem, said relations comprising:

keyword search terms encountered;

exit code exceptions generated;

applications launched; and

uniform resource identifiers (URIs) visited.

6. A proactive problem resolution system as in claim 1, wherein said relations indicate a count for all occurrences of keywords, exit codes, and URIs.

7. A method of supporting product users, said method comprising:

monitoring activity on a user terminal with user sensors, wherein the user sensors include a keystroke logger and a program exit code interceptor;

logging monitored said activity indicative a potential problem with a supported product being encountered at said user terminal;

determining whether said monitored activity matches previously logged problem behavior;

searching for a previously identified solution to each matched problem; and

presenting a corresponding said previously identified solution at said user terminal.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein monitoring activity comprises extracting behavior from said monitored activity, extracted said behavior including keyword search terms used, exit code exceptions generated, applications launched, and uniform resource identifiers (URIs) visited.

9. A method as in claim 7, wherein determining whether said monitored activity matches previously logged problem behavior comprises comparing said monitored activity against problem behavior data stored in a problem database and associated with previously encountered product problems.

10. A method as in claim 7, wherein before searching for a previously identified solution, said method further comprises:

generating a user behavior record based on said monitored activity logged over a period of time;

matching said user behavior record with previously stored user behavior;

scoring matched said user behavior;

checking whether the score for said matched user behavior exceeds a threshold value; and

whenever said score exceeds said threshold value,

generating a preliminary trouble ticket.

11. A method as in claim 7, after searching for a previously identified solution, said method further comprises:

generating a trouble ticket; and

forwarding said generated trouble ticket to a help desk.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein said trouble ticket comprises:

a time field indicating when said trouble ticket was generated;

a host field indicating system information when said logged user behavior occurred; and

a behavior field indicating said logged user behavior.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein said trouble ticket further comprises:

a user field identifying a particular user;

an assigned category field indicating a selected problem category for said supported product; and

a comment field indicating optional comments added when said trouble ticket was created.

14. A method as in claim 7, after searching for a previously identified solution, said method further comprises presenting a help query at said user terminal.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein whenever a help request is received responsive to a presented said help query, said method further comprises:

generating a trouble ticket; and

forwarding said generated trouble ticket to a help desk.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein generating the trouble ticket comprises:

presenting a list of experienced analysts for matched problem;

receiving an analyst selection; and

identifying a selected said analyst with said matched problem, said generated trouble ticket being forwarded to said selected analyst.

17. A method as in claim 15, said method further comprising:

sharing a help session between said user terminal and a help desk terminal presenting a help query at said user terminal.

18. A method as in claim 17, wherein after a problem is resolved with help desk support, said method further comprises:

closing said trouble ticket;

logging newly encounter behavior; and

adding a new solution to a solution database, said solution database being searched for a previous solution.

19. A method as in claim 18, wherein closing the trouble ticket comprises updating the solution database.

20. A method as in claim 17, wherein updating the solution database comprises scoring relations for previously identified solutions based on a frequency of occurrence of each solution.

21. A computer program product for providing product support to product users on user terminals, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code means for remotely monitoring activity on one or more user terminals with user sensors, wherein the user sensors include a keystroke logger and a program exit code interceptor;

computer readable program code means for logging monitored activity, said activity indicative a potential problem with a supported product being encountered at said user terminal;

computer readable program code means for storing previously encountered problem behavior associated with supported products and corresponding solutions to said previously encountered problem behavior;

computer readable program code means for determining whether said monitored activity matches stored said previously encountered problem behavior;

computer readable program code means for searching for corresponding solutions for matched problems;

computer readable program code means for selectively generating and forwarding trouble tickets to a help desk responsive to failing to find a corresponding solution; and

computer readable program code means for remotely presenting each identified said corresponding solution at said user terminal.

22. A computer program product as in claim 21, wherein the computer readable program code means for monitoring comprises computer readable program code means for sensing user behavior activity.

23. A computer program product as in claim 22, wherein the computer readable program code means for sensing user behavior activity comprises computer readable program code means for sensing keyword search terms, computer readable program code means for sensing generated exit code exceptions, computer readable program code means for sensing launched applications, and computer readable program code means for sensing visited uniform resource identifiers (URIs).

24. A computer program product as in claim 21, further comprising:

computer readable program code means for generating user behavior records based on logged said monitored activity over a period of time;

computer readable program code means for matching said user behavior records with stored said previously encountered problem behavior;

computer readable program code means for scoring matched said user behavior and checking whether scores exceed a threshold value; and

computer readable program code means for selectively generating a preliminary trouble ticket whenever said scores exceed said threshold value.

25. A computer program product as in claim 21, wherein said trouble ticket comprises:

a time field indicating when said trouble ticket was generated;

a host field indicating system information when said logged user behavior occurred; and

a behavior field indicating said logged user behavior occurred.

26. A computer program product as in claim 25, wherein said trouble ticket further comprises:

a user field identifying a particular user;

an assigned category field indicating a selected problem category for said supported product; and

a comment field indicating optional comments added when said trouble ticket was created.

27. A computer program product as in claim 21, further comprising computer readable program code means for presenting a help query at said user terminal.

28. A computer program product as in claim 27, wherein said computer readable program code means for presenting a help query further comprises:

computer readable program code means for presenting a list of experienced analysts for matched problems;

computer readable program code means for receiving an analyst selection; and

computer readable program code means for identifying a selected said analyst with said matched problem, a corresponding said trouble ticket being forwarded to said selected analyst.

29. A computer program product as in claim 27, wherein said computer readable program code means for presenting a help query further comprises:

computer readable program code means for sharing a help session between said user terminal and a help desk terminal.

30. A computer program product as in claim 21, further comprising computer readable program code means for updating the solution database and scoring relations for previously identified solutions based on a frequency of occurrence of each solution.