Method and system for sharing knowledge

• US 7,565,338 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2001
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ClickSoftware Technologies, Ltd. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ClickSoftware Technologies, Ltd. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beniaminy, Israel, Ben-Bassat, Moshe
• Primary Examiner(s): Vincent; David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): COUGHLAN, PETER D
• Application Number:
  US10/332,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20040044542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,931 Days
• Field of Search: 706/1, 706/15, 706/45, 706/25, 706/60, 707/3, 707/9, 709/206, 705/10, 705/1, 364/474.22, 364/550, 364/552, 364/513, 364/551.01, 380/25, 345/327, 700/1, 700/90, 600/300, 600/301
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition

Abstract

A method for providing technical support via a network is disclosed. The method involves providing a database which contains searchable technical support information, the searchable technical support information remotely accessible and divided into a plurality of support sessions. When the database is accessed for technical support, the method performs an electronic serial dialogue between the database and a user. If no solution to the failure is obtained at the end of the electronic serial dialogue, the method immediately transfers a display of the electronic serial dialogue so far conducted to a selected expert. The method continues the electronic serial dialogue between the user and the selected expert while using the same textual format. When a solution to the failure is obtained based on the continued electronic serial dialogue, the method adds the continued electronic serial dialogue to the database, thereby expanding the scope of support of the database.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing a combination of human expert type and database type technical support to users via a network, which comprises the steps of:

a. providing a database which contains searchable technical support information, said technical support information being remotely accessible to the users, being divided into a plurality of textual support sessions, each support session being formatted as a serial dialogue of;

a.1. one or more textual questions to the user for receiving failure symptoms from the user; and

a.2. textual guidance for performing operations by the user in order to solve the failure, based on the failure symptoms received from the user, and report by the user stating the corresponding results of said operations;

b. providing within said network at least one on-line expert terminal;

c. providing to the users a remote access to said database;

d. when a user who needs a technical support accesses said database in order to find a solution to a failure the user faces, performing an electronic serial dialogue between the database and the user which includes said introduction of questions and providing of guidance as in steps a.1 and a.2;

e. if in response to said serial dialogue a solution to the failure is obtained, terminating by the user the dialogue;

f. if, however, no solution to the failure is obtained at the end of said serial dialogue between the user and the database, immediately transferring a display of the dialogue as so far conducted to selected one or more of said on-line expert terminals;

g. continuing by the one or more experts by means of said terminals said serial supporting dialogue with the user, while using a same textual format as in steps a.1 and a.2; and

h. when a solution to the failure is obtained based on the textual dialogue between the one or more experts and the user, adding said formatted textual dialogue between the expert and the user to the database, thereby expanding the scope of support of the database.

2. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein in step (g) more than one expert attend the same session with the user, thereby all attending experts contributing to the failure solution.

3. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising forwarding via a network the display of the dialogue from a first expert to a second expert for providing further textual support, in case said first expert failed to find a solution to the failure.

4. The computer implemented method according to claim 3, wherein the transfer to the second expert is based on seniority criterion.

5. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the transfer to the one or more selected experts is based on “

first to answer”

criterion.

6. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising within each supporting session an indication of one or more possible experts to which the session will be forwarded in case of no solution to the user failure.

7. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the experts being divided into groups, according to the type of equipment or according to the type of failure.

8. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising within each supporting session an indication of priority, according to the failure severity.

9. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said addition of the formatted textual dialogue to the database goes through a quality control process.

10. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the on-line expert terminals are mobile, wireless terminals.