System and method for providing managed instant communication (or chat)-based helpdesk services

• US 9,443,216 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2009
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Singh, Amit, Li, Minbao, Kavouspour, Dinyar, Ebrahimi, Fari, Yang, Tao
• Primary Examiner(s): Survillo, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US12/487,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,643 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/227, 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/401 Performance feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

An approach for managed instant communication (or chat)-based helpdesk services. An inquiry for a support service is received, at a helpdesk management platform, from a customer requesting assistance, the inquiry including one or more parameters defining the support service. A response is generated to the inquiry based on the one or more parameters, the response indicating a plurality of helpdesks associated with at least one service provider. An instant communication session is established between the customer and one of the helpdesks. The instant communication session is placed into a queue for an agent associated with the one helpdesk.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

aggregating, via a helpdesk management platform, a plurality of helpdesk networks comprising a plurality of helpdesk service providers serving a plurality of enterprises that provide services, products, and information to a plurality of market sectors, wherein the aggregating includes receiving a service provider registration information and a helpdesk information from each of the plurality of helpdesk service providers;

receiving, at the helpdesk management platform, an inquiry for a support service from a customer requesting assistance, the support service being associated with an enterprise of the plurality of enterprises, the inquiry including one or more parameters defining the support service;

generating, via at least one processor of the helpdesk management platform, a response to the inquiry based on the one or more parameters, the response indicating a plurality of helpdesks associated with a group of helpdesk service providers serving the enterprise based on a profit sharing policy of the group for sharing profits amongst the plurality of helpdesk service providers;

establishing, via the at least one processor, an instant communication session between the customer and one of the plurality of helpdesks; and

placing, via the at least one processor, the instant communication session into a queue for an agent, the agent being associated with the one helpdesk.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

initiating, via the at least one processor, a presentation on a user interface of a web portal for access control and one or more helpdesk management operations; and

receiving, via the user interface, a selection of the one helpdesk based on one or more selection criteria,

wherein the web portal is customized for the enterprise, the one helpdesk, the agent, or a combination thereof, and

wherein the user interface is available for one or more administrators of the group of the helpdesk service providers, one or more helpdesk service agents of the group of the helpdesk service providers, the customer, or a combination thereof.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the selection is performed by the customer.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the selection is performed by management logic based on the one or more parameters together with the one or more selection criteria.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via the at least one processor, availabilities for the plurality of helpdesks,

wherein placing the instant communication session into the queue is based on the availabilities of the plurality of helpdesks and one or more predefined thresholds, and

wherein the helpdesk management platform physically and logically aggregates the plurality of helpdesk networks.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

placing, via the at least one processor, the instant communication session into another queue based on a fixed or variable ratio proportional to capacity of the queue and the another queue,

wherein capacity is defined as a product between a total number of agents associated with the helpdesk and a number of instant communication sessions being concurrently handled by the total number of agents,

wherein the one or more parameters defining the support service include threshold customer feedback information, real-time threshold helpdesk status information, threshold cost parameters, a business flow of a web portal from which the customer initiates the query, one or more questions answered by the customer during previous helpdesk inquiry processes, or a combination thereof.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

bridging the instant communication session between the customer and the agent; and

transferring the instant communication session to another agent either associated with the one helpdesk or another one of the helpdesks.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

bridging the instant communication session between the customer, the agent, and at least one other agent either associated with the one helpdesk or another one of the helpdesks.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring, via the at least one processor, the queue according to one or more bandwidth metrics, one or more congestion metrics, one or more throughput metrics, one or more latency metrics, or a combination thereof associated with service level agreements corresponding to the enterprises and the plurality of helpdesk service providers; and

placing, via the at least one processor, the instant communication session into at least one other queue wherein at least one of the metrics satisfies one or more predefined thresholds,

wherein the at least one other queue is ordered among a plurality of overflow queues.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

publishing, via the at least one processor, helpdesks of the plurality of helpdesk networks with availability status information as part of a managed helpdesk service to a plurality of customers including the customer,

wherein the plurality of helpdesk service providers register with the managed helpdesk service and provide helpdesk services for the enterprises to the customers.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of helpdesk service providers are assigned to a plurality of policies as part of registering with the managed helpdesk service.

12. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

prompting the customer, via the at least one processor, for feedback information corresponding to satisfaction with helpdesk service experience,

wherein the feedback information is included as part of a response to a subsequent inquiry for a support service.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive an inquiry for a support service from a customer requesting assistance, the inquiry including one or more parameters defining the support service associated with an enterprise of a plurality of enterprises that provide services, products, and information to a plurality of market sectors; and

a processor configured to aggregate a plurality of helpdesk networks comprising a plurality of helpdesk service providers serving the plurality of enterprises, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a service provider registration information and a helpdesk information from each of the plurality of helpdesk service providers, and to generate a response to the inquiry based on the one or more parameters, the response indicating a plurality of helpdesks associated with a group of helpdesk service providers serving the enterprise based on a profit sharing policy of the group for sharing profits amongst the plurality of helpdesk service providers,

wherein the communication interface is further configured to establish an instant communication session between the customer and one of the plurality of helpdesks, and the processor is further configured to place the instant communication session into a queue for an agent, the agent being associated with the one helpdesk.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the one helpdesk is selected from the plurality of helpdesks based on one or more selection criteria.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to determine availabilities for the plurality of helpdesks and place the instant communication session into the queue based on the availabilities of the plurality of helpdesks and one or more predefined thresholds.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to place the instant communication session into another queue based on a fixed or variable ratio proportional to capacity of the queue and the other queue, capacity being defined as a product of a total number of agents associated with the helpdesk and a number of instant communication sessions being concurrently handled by the total number of agents.

17. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the communication interface is further configured to bridge the instant communication session between the customer and the agent, and transfer the instant communication session to another agent either associated with the one helpdesk or another one of the helpdesks.

18. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the communication interface is further configured to bridge the instant communication session between the customer, the agent, and at least one other agent either associated with the one helpdesk or another one of the helpdesks.

19. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a monitoring module configured to monitor the queue according to workforce information characterizing the one helpdesk and a plurality of agents associated with the one helpdesk,

wherein the processor is further configured to place the instant communication session into at least one other queue if the workforce information satisfies one or more predefined thresholds, the at least one other queue being ordered among a plurality of overflow queues.

20. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a publication module configured to publish helpdesks of the plurality of helpdesk networks with availability status information as part of a managed helpdesk service to a plurality of customers including the customer,

wherein the plurality of helpdesk service providers register with the managed helpdesk service and provide helpdesk services for the enterprises to the customers.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the plurality of helpdesk service providers are assigned to a plurality of policies as part of registering with the managed helpdesk service.

22. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a feedback module configured to prompt the customer for feedback information corresponding to satisfaction with helpdesk service experience,

wherein the feedback information is included as part of a response to a subsequent inquiry for a support service.