Multiple simultaneous session support by a remote technician using preliminary queues

• US 9,111,246 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Vera, Roy, Duffy, Michael P., Lamming, Frederick T., Tuggle, Colin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rines, David
• Application Number:
  US14/052,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20140039960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

In a remote technical support system, a technical support controller receives an indication of a maximum number of support sessions to be serviced by a remote technician. Thereafter, the technical support controller receives a service request for a user device, which service request is classified into a category and added to a preliminary queue corresponding to the category. The technical support controller determines if handling of the service request by the remote technician would cause the number of support sessions currently being handled by the remote technician to exceed the previously-indicated maximum number of support sessions. If not, the service request is added to a work queue for the remote technician and removed from the preliminary queue.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device, a service request for a user device;

transmitting, by the device and based on receiving the service request, validation information to the user device,

the validation information being used to validate capabilities of the user device and download information associated with processing the service request;

determining, by the device and based on transmitting the validation information, that processing of the service request by a first technician would cause a number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the first technician to exceed a maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician;

identifying, by the device and based on the determining, a second technician;

determining, by the device and based on information indicating a maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician, that processing of the service request by the second technician would not cause a number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the second technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician; and

adding, by the device and based on determining that processing of the service request by the second technician would not cause the number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the second technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician, the service request to a work queue associated with the second technician.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, based on determining that processing of the service request by the first technician would cause a number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the first technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician, an indication to the first technician that the processing of the service request by the first technician would cause the number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the first technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

classifying the service request into a category;

adding the service request to a queue corresponding to the category; and

removing, based on adding the service request to the work queue, the service request from the queue.

4. The method of claim 3, where, when classifying the service request into the category, the method includes:

determining a problem associated with the service request;

determining information associated with the user device; and

classifying the service request into the category based on the determined problem associated with the service request and the determined information associated with the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, based on adding the service request to the work queue associated with the second technician, a notification to the second technician,

the notification indicating that the service request has been added to the work queue.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, based on adding the service request to the work queue associated with the second technician, a health check to the user device;

providing, by the device and to the user device, an application; and

receiving, based on the transmitted health check and the application, first configuration information from the user device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, based on receiving the first configuration information, second configuration information,

the second configuration information being determined based on the service request;

transmitting, to the user device, the second configuration information;

receiving, based on transmitting the second configuration information, status information from the user device; and

transmitting, to the user device, another health check to the user device.

8. The method of claim 1, where the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician is different than the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an indication to the first technician to modify the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician,

the indication being based on an average resolution time for processing a support session by the first technician, and

the indication being used by the first technician to change the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician.

10. The method of claim 1, where

the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician is selected by the first technician, and

the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician is selected by the second technician.

11. A system comprising:

a memory storing a database containing information corresponding to a maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by one or more technicians, and

a technical support controller, executed by a processor to facilitate user device interaction with the one or more technicians, configured to;

receive, from a service interface, a service request for a user device;

transmit, based on receiving the service request, validation information to the user device,

the validation information being used to validate capabilities of the user device and download information associated with processing the service request

determine, based on information stored in the database and based on transmitting the validation information, that processing of the service request by a first technician would cause a number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the first technician to exceed a maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician;

identify, based on the determining, a second technician;

determine, based on information stored in the database indicating a maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician, that processing of the service request by the second technician would not cause a number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the second technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician; and

add, based on determining that processing of the service request by the second technician would not cause the number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the second technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician, the service request to a work queue associated with the second technician.

12. The system of claim 11, where the technical support controller is further configured to:

provide, based on determining that processing of the service request by the first technician would cause a number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the first technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician, an indication to the first technician that the processing of the service request by the first technician would cause the number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the first technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician.

13. The system of claim 11, where the technical support controller is further configured to:

classify the service request into a category;

add the service request to a queue corresponding to the category; and

remove, based on adding the service request to the work queue, the service request from the queue.

14. The system of claim 13, where the technical support controller, when classifying the service request into the category, is further configured to:

determine a problem associated with the service request;

determine information associated with the user device; and

classify the service request into the category based on the determined problem associated with the service request and the determined information associated with the user device.

15. The system of claim 11, where the technical support controller is further configured to:

transmit, based on adding the service request to the work queue associated with the second technician, a notification to the second technician,

the notification indicating that the service request has been added to the work queue.

16. The system of claim 11, where the technical support controller is further configured to:

transmit, based on adding the service request to the work queue associated with the second technician, a health check to the user device;

provide, by the device and to the user device, an application; and

receive, based on the transmitted health check and the application, first configuration information from the user device.

17. The system of claim 16, where the technical support controller is further configured to:

determine, based on receiving the first configuration information, second configuration information,

the second configuration information being determined based on the service request;

transmit, to the user device, the second configuration information;

receive, based on transmitting the second configuration information, status information from the user device; and

transmit, to the user device, another health check to the user device.

18. The system of claim 11, where the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician is different than the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician.

19. The system of claim 11, where the technical support controller is further configured to:

provide an indication to the first technician to modify the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician,

the indication being based on an average resolution time for processing a support session by the first technician, and

the indication being used by the first technician to change the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician.

20. The system of claim 11, where

the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician is selected by the first technician, and

the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician is selected by the second technician.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive a service request for a user device;

transmit, based on receiving the service request, validation information to the user device,

the validation information being used to validate capabilities of the user device and download information associated with processing the service request;

determine, based on transmitting the validation information, that processing of the service request by a first technician would cause a number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the first technician to exceed a maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician;

identify, based on the determining, a second technician;

determine, based on information indicating a maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician, that processing of the service request by the second technician would not cause a number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the second technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician; and

add, based on determining that processing of the service request by the second technician would not cause the number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the second technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician, the service request to a work queue associated with the second technician.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to provide, based on determining that processing of the service request by the first technician would cause a number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the first technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician, an indication to the first technician that the processing of the service request by the first technician would cause the number of support sessions simultaneously serviced by the first technician to exceed the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to classify the service request into a category;

where the one or more instructions to classify the service request into the category include;

one or more instructions to determine a problem associated with the service request;

one or more instructions to determine information associated with the user device; and

one or more instructions to classify the service request into the category based on the determined problem associated with the service request and the determined information associated with the user device.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to transmit, based on adding the service request to the work queue associated with the second technician, a notification to the second technician,

the notification indicating that the service request has been added to the work queue.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to transmit, based on adding the service request to the work queue associated with the second technician, a health check to the user device;

one or more instructions to provide, by the device and to the user device, an application; and

one or more instructions to receive, based on the transmitted health check and the application, first configuration information from the user device.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to determine, based on receiving the first configuration information, second configuration information,

the second configuration information being determined based on the service request;

one or more instructions to transmit, to the user device, the second configuration information;

one or more instructions to receive, based on transmitting the second configuration information, status information from the user device; and

one or more instructions to transmit, to the user device, another health check to the user device.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, where the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician is different than the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to provide an indication to the first technician to modify the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician,

the indication being based on an average resolution time for processing a support session by the first technician, and

the indication being used by the first technician to change the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, where

the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the first technician is selected by the first technician, and

the maximum number of support sessions that can be serviced by the second technician is selected by the second technician.