System, method, apparatus, and computer program product for providing mobile device support services

• US 9,961,538 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2016
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assurant Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Assurant Incorporated
• Inventors: Hurst, Cameron E., Conrad, Cassandra G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US15/195,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20170118630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0742 in a data processing system embedded in a mobile device, e.g. mobile phones, handheld devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• 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: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/56 including a user help function
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A method is provided for providing mobile device support services. The method may include monitoring a mobile device status. The method may additionally include performing device diagnostics based at least in part on captured device status data to identify potential faults that may affect mobile device functionality. A corresponding system, apparatus, and computer program product are also provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive device status data from a mobile device prior to a support session being initiated, wherein the device status data comprises an indication of support information accessed by a user of the mobile device and an indication of one or more self-help tools accessed by the user of the mobile device;

determine one or more potential faults related to the mobile device based at least in part of the device status data;

determine whether to escalate to a support session facilitated by a customer service representative, wherein the determination whether to escalate to a support session facilitated by a customer service representative is based at least in part on the one or more potential faults related to the mobile device, the received device status data, a sophistication level of a user of the mobile device, and a determination whether an escalation request was received via a user selection of an escalation option presented via the mobile device;

initiate, in an instance in which a determination is made to escalate, a support session with the mobile device;

select a particular customer service representative to assign to the support session based at least in part on information regarding a plurality of customer support representatives, the sophistication level of the user of the mobile device, and the one or more potential faults related to the mobile device, wherein the information regarding the plurality of customer service representatives comprises respective indications of the customer service representatives'"'"' experience with resolving the one or more potential faults;

assign the particular customer service representative to the support session; and

provide a record of the received device status data to the assigned customer service representative.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further configured to determine, based at least in part on the received device status data, a user sophistication level.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device status data comprises information regarding one or more corrective actions performed by a user of the mobile device prior to the support session being initiated.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the plurality of customer service representatives comprises at least one of:

languages spoken, fault resolution times, fault resolution success rates, or customer feedback.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the particular customer service representative at least by correlating the received device status data to the information regarding the plurality of customer support representatives.

6. A system comprising:

a mobile device comprising at least one first processor and at least one first memory coupled to the first processor, wherein said processor is configured to;

collect device status data, and

transmit the device status data;

a customer service center apparatus comprising at least one second processor and at least one second memory having second program code instructions embodied therein, the at least one second memory and second program code instructions being configured to, with the at least one second processor, direct the customer service center apparatus to at least;

receive the device status data from the mobile device prior to a support session being initiated wherein the device status data comprises an indication of support information accessed by a user of the mobile device and an indication of one or more self-help tools accessed by the user of the mobile device,

determine one or more potential faults related to the mobile device based at least in part on the device status data;

determine whether to escalate to a support session facilitated by a customer service representative, wherein the determination whether to escalate to a support session facilitated by a customer service representative is based at least in part on the one or more potential faults related to the mobile device, the received device status data, a sophistication level of a user of the mobile device, and a determination whether an escalation request was received via a user selection of an escalation option presented via the mobile device;

initiate, in an instance in which a determination is made to escalate, a support session with the mobile device;

select a particular customer service representative to assign to the support session based at least in part on information regarding a plurality of customer support representatives, the sophistication level of the user of the mobile device, and the one or more potential faults related to the mobile device, wherein the information regarding the plurality of customer service representatives comprises respective indications of the customer service representatives'"'"' experience with resolving the one or more potential faults;

assign the particular customer service representative to the support session; and

provide a record of the previously received status information to the assigned customer service representative.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the customer service center apparatus is further directed to determine, based at least in part on the received device status data, a user sophistication level.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the device status data comprises information regarding one or more corrective actions performed by a user of the mobile device prior to the support session being initiated.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the information regarding the plurality of customer service representatives comprises at least one of:

languages spoken, fault resolution times, fault resolution success rates, or customer feedback; and

wherein the customer service center apparatus is directed to select the particular customer service representative at least by correlating the received device status data to the information regarding the plurality of customer support representatives.

10. A method comprising:

receiving device status data from a mobile device prior to a support session being initiated wherein the device status data comprises an indication of support information accessed by a user of the mobile device and one or more self-help tools accessed by the user of the mobile device;

determining, by a mobile device support apparatus, one or more potential faults related to the mobile device based at least in part of the device status data;

determining, by a mobile device support apparatus, whether to escalate to a support session facilitated by a customer service representative, wherein the determination whether to escalate to a support session facilitated by a customer service representative is based at least in part on the one or more potential faults related to the mobile device, the received device status data, a sophistication level of a user of the mobile device, and a determination whether an escalation request was received via a user selection of an escalation option presented via the mobile device;

if the determining whether to escalate results in the support session, selecting, by the mobile device support apparatus, a particular customer service representative to assign to the support session based at least in part on information regarding a plurality of customer support representatives, the sophistication level of the user of the mobile device, and the one or more potential faults related to the mobile device, wherein the information regarding the plurality of customer service representatives comprises respective indications of the customer service representatives'"'"' experience with resolving the one or more potential faults;

assigning the particular customer service representative to the support session; and

providing a record of the received device status data to the assigned customer service representative.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining, based at least in part on the received device status data, a user sophistication level.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the device status data comprises information regarding one or more corrective actions performed by a user of the mobile device prior to the support session being initiated.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the information regarding the plurality of customer service representatives comprises at least one of:

languages spoken, fault resolution times, fault resolution success rates, or customer feedback.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the particular customer service representative comprises correlating the received device status data to the information regarding the plurality of customer support representatives.