Systems and methods for hybrid delivery of remote and local technical support via a centralized service

• US 8,804,941 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2008
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PlumChoice Incorporated (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PlumChoice Incorporated (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Werth, Ted, Surace, Richard T. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US12/198,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20090018890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,177 Days
• Field of Search: 379/266.09, 379/66.09, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.03, 379/265.04, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.07, 379/265.08, 379/265.09, 379/265.1, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/265.13, 379/265.14, 379/266.01, 379/266.02, 379/266.03, 379/266.04, 379/266.05, 379/266.06, 379/266.07, 379/266.08, 379/266.1, 705/14, 705/7.11, 705/7.12, 705/7.13, 705/7.14, 705/7.21, 705/7.22, 707/4, 714/25
• US Class Current: 379/265.05
• 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

Abstract

The present solution is directed to a hybrid customer support model for providing remote online support service in conjunction with local onsite support service. A local technician provides on site support service for a device at a premise for a predetermined amount of time. The onsite support by the local technician may be limited to a subset of the tasks for resolving an issue with the device or otherwise be limited to applying a subset or scope of skills to resolving the issue. In one embodiment, the local technician has a first type of skill from a plurality of skills. The local technician identifies an issue with the device and sends the issue to a centralized service. The centralized service receives an identification of the issue—the resolution of which may include a plurality of tasks. In one embodiment, each of the plurality of tasks is performed by one or more remote technicians having a skill type corresponding to the task. A resource pool is managed via the centralized service to support information flow in the hybrid model. The centralized service tracks service information and results.

Claims

1. A method for providing remote online support service in conjunction with local onsite support service, the method comprising:

(a) assigning, by a centralized service to a local technician, a predetermined amount of time to perform onsite support service for a device at a premise, the local technician having a first type of skill from a plurality of skills, the predetermined amount of time comprising a fixed amount of time for the local technician to perform a predetermined subset of one or more tasks of the plurality of tasks that resolve an issue with the device and established by the centralized service prior to performance of the onsite support service;

(b) receiving, by the centralized service, identification by the local technician of the issue with the device, resolution of the issue comprising a plurality of tasks, each of the plurality of tasks to be performed by one or more remote technicians having a corresponding skill type from the plurality of skills;

(c) performing, by a first remote technician having a second type of skill from the plurality of skills, a first task of the plurality of tasks on the device via a first network connection to the device, the central service assigning the first task to the first remote technician; and

(d) assigning, by the centralized service to the local technician, a second predetermined amount of time of onsite support for a second device at a second premise, the local technician leaving the device at the first premise connected to the centralized service upon expiration of the predetermined amount of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises performing, by the local technician within the predetermined amount of time, the predetermined set of one or more tasks at the premises restricted to a limited scope of work, the fixed amount of time comprising a portion of a time to resolve the issue.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises establishing, by the local technician as part of the predetermined set of one or more tasks and within the predetermined amount of time, remote connectivity between the device at the premise and the centralized service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises identifying, by the local technician, one or more of the plurality of tasks for resolution of the issue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises identifying, by the centralized service, one or more of the plurality of tasks for resolution of the issue.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises automatically assigning, by the centralized service, the first task to the first remote technician based on one or more attributes of the first task corresponding to one or more skill types of the first remote technician.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises automatically assigning, by the centralized service, a second task of the plurality of tasks to a second remote technician having a third type of skill and performing by the second remote technician, the second task via one of the first network connection or a second network connection to the device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises assigning, via the centralized service, the second task of the plurality of tasks to a third remote technician.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the tasks of the plurality of tasks for resolution of the issue comprise a different skill type of the plurality of skills.

10. A method for managing delivery of remote online support services and local onsite support services to a device at a premise, the method comprising:

(a) assigning, by a centralized service a first local technician to provide onsite support service at a premise for a predetermined amount of time comprising a fixed portion of a time to resolve an issue with device, the first local technician performing a first task during the onsite support service for a device at the premise, the local technician having a first type of skill from a plurality of skills;

(b) receiving, by the centralized service, identification by the first local technician of the issue with the device and status of the first task, resolution of the issue comprising a plurality of tasks, each of the plurality of tasks to be performed by one or more technicians having a corresponding skill type from the plurality of skills;

(c) assigning, by the centralized service, a second task of the plurality of tasks to a second remote technician of a plurality of remote technicians, the second remote technician to perform the task on the device via a network connection to the device; and

(d) determining, by the centralized service, status of resolution of the issue via status of the first task performed by the first local technician at the premise and status of the second task performed by the second remote technician via the centralized service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein step (a) further comprises completing, by the first local technician, the first task during the onsite support service at the premise.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein step (a) further comprises scheduling the first local technician to perform the onsite support service for a predetermined amount of time.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein step (b) further comprises identifying, by one of the first local technician or the centralized service, one or more of the plurality of tasks for resolution of the issue.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein step (c) further comprises automatically assigning, by the centralized service, the second task to the second remote technician based on one or more attributes of the second task corresponding to one or more skill types of the second remote technician.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein step (d) further comprises determining, by the centralized service, resolution of the issue is completed via completion of the first task at the premise and completion of the second task remotely by the second remote technician.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein step (d) further comprises determining, by the centralized service, resolution of the issue is not completed and assigning in response to the determination the second task or a third task of the plurality of tasks to a third remote technician.

17. A system for supporting delivery of remote online support services and local onsite support services to one or more devices at one or more premises, the system comprising:

an interface of a centralized service for receiving identification of a plurality of issues, each of the plurality of issues identified by local technicians for devices at a plurality of premises, each of the local technicians providing onsite support service at a premise for a predetermined amount of time comprising a fixed portion of a time to resolve issues with the devices;

an engine of the centralized service determining resolution of each of the plurality of issues comprises a plurality of tasks, each of the plurality of tasks to be performed by one or more technicians having a corresponding skill type from the plurality of skills;

one or more work queues for assigning each of the tasks for each of the issues to a remote technician of the one or more remote technicians based on the remote technician having the corresponding skill to perform the task, the remote technician performing an assigned task on a device via a network connection to the device;

wherein the centralized service determines status of resolution of each issue of the plurality of issues based on status of each task of the plurality of tasks for resolving the issue.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the devices at the plurality of premises is connected to the centralized service by a local technician and the one or more remote technicians connect via a network to the device to perform each task of the plurality of tasks for resolution of the issue.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the centralized service monitors the status of each task of the plurality of tasks for resolution of each issue and in response to the monitoring the centralized service assigns tasks to remote technicians.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the centralized service automatically assigns tasks to remote technicians based on attributes of the tasks corresponding to one or more skill types of the remote technicians.