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Network-based platform for providing customer technical support

  • US 9,929,881 B2
  • Filed: 08/01/2007
  • Issued: 03/27/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A technical support system for providing technical support to a computer system end-user in response to a reported incident, wherein the end-user'"'"'s computer system has associated parameters characterizing a configuration of the computer system, the technical support system comprising:

  • a problems data store, stored in at least one database, storing a plurality of problem information related to a plurality of previously reported incidents, said plurality of problem information having been validated for accuracy and being available for read only access;

    a solutions data store, stored in the at least one database, storing a plurality of solutions, each solution includes an indication of at least one related problem information, wherein the plurality of solutions have been validated and approved for use in response to any reported incidents;

    a pre-disposition solutions data store, stored in the at least one database, storing potential solutions accessible by technical support center agents but inaccessible to an end-user;

    a problem search module, executed by at least one computing device, configured to search only the problems data store for a first set of problem information that are relevant to one or more key words provided by an input agent, the first set of problem information being applicable to a general population of computer systems;

    a problem filter module, executed by the at least one computing device, configured to filter the first set of problem information with parameters associated with the end-user'"'"'s computer system configuration to determine a system-specific set of problem information from the first set of problem information that is specific to the end-user'"'"'s computer system, wherein the problem filter module is configured to filter the first set of problem information with parameters associated with the end-user'"'"'s computer system configuration by being at least configured to;

    gather parameters specific to the end user'"'"'s computer system in response to the user using the end user'"'"'s computer system to log in to a technical support services architecture, the gathering including;

    reading a registry of hardware and software components residing on the end user'"'"'s computer system; and

    querying different hardware and software components of the end user'"'"'s computer system to obtain details about the components;

    store the parameters specific to the end user'"'"'s computer system into a configuration file;

    generate configuration difference information in a form of a difference file, the generated configuration difference information indicating a difference between the parameters specific to the end user'"'"'s computer system and a last most recent system configuration of the end user'"'"'s computer system prior to the gathering of the parameters specific to the end user'"'"'s computer system;

    use the configuration difference information to generate a prior configuration file including hardware and software parameters of a prior system configuration of the end user'"'"'s computer system;

    cause display on a graphical user interface a current system configuration of the end user'"'"'s computer system, the current system configuration of the end user'"'"'s computer system being presented in a technical support information presentation window pane that is positioned next to a chat window pane that has an active chat session occurring with a technical support technician in an integrated graphical user interface window;

    determine one or more possible causes of a problem exhibited by the end user'"'"'s computer system based on the generated configuration difference information;

    identify in the solutions data store at least one solution with problem indicator relevant to problem information in the system-specific set based on the generated configuration difference information, the at least one solution to be provided to the end user; and

    provide the at least one solution to the end user;

    wherein the potential solutions stored in the pre-disposition solutions data store are moved to the solutions data store when they are approved for use based on validated implementation of the potential solutions by the technical support center agents.

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