Technical support agent and technical support service delivery platform

• US 8,666,921 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Troppus Software Corporation
• Original Assignee: Troppus Software Corporation
• Inventors: Fisher, John W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hill, Stanley K
• Application Number:
  US13/588,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20120310842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/46
• 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: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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

Abstract

An embodiment of a method for providing technical support service includes generating a plurality of problem resolutions that are determined to resolve an identified technical problem; attributing weights to each of said plurality of problem resolutions according to frequency of use; and in response to a request to resolve said identified problem, selecting a problem resolution from among said plurality of problem resolutions based at least in part on said attributed weights.

Claims

1. A method of providing technical support to an end user of an end user system, the method comprising:

inferring a skill level of said end user based on usage patterns of said end user;

auditing said end user system to determine said usage patterns;

storing said gathered usage pattern information in a repository remote from said end user system;

assigning weights to a plurality of problem resolutions based at least in part on frequency of use of said plurality of problem resolutions; and

selecting a problem resolution to resolve an identified technical problem exhibited by said end user system, wherein selecting a problem resolution is based at least in part on said skill level of said end user and comprises a technical support agent in communication with said end user selecting the problem resolution.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prioritizing resolutions based on relationships between agent skill level, end user skill level and applicably weighted resolutions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering the selected problem resolution to said end user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a skill level to each problem resolution among a plurality of problem resolutions determined to resolve the identified problem.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting a problem resolution further comprises selecting a problem resolution assigned a skill level matching said skill level inferred to said end user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein auditing comprises gathering usage pattern information from said end user system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein auditing comprises gathering usage pattern information indicative of one or more applications of said end user system used by said end user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said gathered usage pattern information in said repository is accessible by the technical support agent.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a problem resolution further comprises selecting a problem resolution based at least in part on weights assigned to a plurality of problem resolutions determined to resolve the identified technical problem.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said end user system comprises a computing system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said end user system comprises one of a medical system, a vehicle system, a satellite system, a telecommunications device, and a television system.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions that, when executed, enable a receiving device to record a retransmission of a prior program, by performing a method comprising:

inferring a skill level of said end user based on usage patterns of said end user;

auditing an end user system to determine said usage patterns;

storing said gathered usage pattern information in a repository remote from said end user system;

assigning weights to a plurality of problem resolutions based at least in part on frequency of use of said plurality of problem resolutions;

selecting a problem resolution from the plurality of problem resolutions to resolve an identified technical problem exhibited by said end user system, wherein selecting a problem resolution is based at least in part on said skill level of said end user; and

delivering the selected problem resolution to said end user.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein selecting a problem resolution further comprises selecting a problem resolution assigned a skill level matching said skill level inferred to said end user.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein auditing comprises gathering usage pattern information from said end user system.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein auditing comprises gathering usage pattern information indicative of one or more applications of said end user system used by said end user.