System and method for providing computer assisted user support

• US 7,602,898 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilbum, Donn Jr., Sullivan, Marc Andrew, Scott, Charles, Klein, Adam Lee, McAfee, Wesley
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Quynh H
• Application Number:
  US10/920,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20060039547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: 379/220.01, 379/265.01, 709/224
• US Class Current: 379/265.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to a customer support call system including an interactive voice response system configured to receive a customer support call and configured to determine a caller identification. The interactive voice response system is configured to determine whether the customer support call is associated with a computer system having an installed self-support tool. The customer support call system further includes a call center management system responsive to the interactive voice response system. The call center management system is configured to direct the customer support call in response to determining whether the customer support call is associated with the computer system having the installed self-support tool.

Claims

1. A customer support calls system comprising:

an interactive voice response system to receive a customer support call, to determine a caller identification associated with the customer support call, and to determine whether the a computer system associated with the customer support call˜

includes an installed self-support tool;

a self-support tool server to receive a self-support tool identifier from the computer system associated with the customer support call and to provide the self-support tool identifier to the interactive voice response system;

wherein the interactive voice response system compares the caller identification associated with the customer support call to the self-support tool identifier provided by the self-support tool server to determine whether the computer system associated with the customer support call includes the installed self-support tool;

a call center management system responsive to the interactive voice response system, the call center management system configured to direct the customer support call to a destination in response to determining whether the computer system associated with the customer support call includes the installed self-support tool;

a call center metrics database responsive to the call center management system, the call center metrics database to store metrics data associated with the customer support call;

a data warehouse responsive to the call center metrics database and responsive to the self-support tool server, the data warehouse to store the metrics data associated with the customer support call and to store the self-support tool identifier from the computer system associated with the customer support call; and

an interface system to access the data warehouse and to display measurement data associated with effectiveness of the installed self-support tool.

2. The customer support call system of claim 1, wherein the self-support tool server receives trouble issue data from the installed self-support tool.

3. The customer support call system of claim 1, wherein the self-support tool server receives trouble issue data and resolution data from the installed self-support tool, and wherein the data warehouse stores the trouble issue data and the resolution data.

4. The customer support call system of claim 1, wherein the measurement data includes a measurement of deflected calls.

5. The customer support call system of claim 1, wherein the measurement data includes a return on investment associated with the installed self-support tool.

6. A method of providing computer assisted user support to a user, the method comprising:

receiving, at an interactive voice response system, a customer support call;

determining, at the interactive voice response system, a caller identification associated with the customer support call;

receiving, at a self-support tool server, a self-support tool identifier from a computer system associated with the customer support call

comparing, at the interactive voice response system, the caller identification information associated with the customer support call to the self-support tool identifier received at the self-support tool server to determine whether the computer system associated with the customer support call includes an installed self-support tool;

directing the customer support call using a call center management system to a destination when the computer system includes the installed self-support tool;

storing, at a call center metrics database, metrics data associated with the customer support call;

storing, at a data warehouse, the self-support tool identifier from the computer system associated with the customer support call; and

sending measurement data accessed from the data warehouse to an interface system for display, wherein the measurement data is associated with effectiveness of the installed self-support tool.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising notifying a support agent that the computer system associated with the customer support call includes the installed self-support tool.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transferring the customer support call to the support agent.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the support agent follows a troubleshooting flow when the computer system associated with the customer support call includes the installed self-support tool.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving, at the self-support tool server, notification of a trouble issue from the installed self-support tool.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing information associated with the notification of the trouble issue to a call center agent in conjunction with transferring the customer support call to the call center agent.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the caller identification is determined using automated number identification.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining whether the customer support call relates to installation activities associated with the installed self-support tool.

14. A tangible computer readable storage memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a customer support call;

determine a caller identification associated with the customer support call;

receive a self-support tool identifier from a computer system associated with the customer support call;

compare the caller identification information associated with the customer support call to the self-support tool identifier to determine whether the computer system associated with the customer support call includes an installed self-support tool;

direct the customer support call to a destination when the computer system includes the installed self-support tool;

store metrics data associated with the customer support call at a call center metrics database;

store the self-support tool identifier from the computer system associated with the customer support call at a data warehouse in response to the call center metrics database and the self-support tool server; and

send measurement data associated with effectiveness of the installed self-support tool to an interface system for display.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the measurement data includes a measurement of deflected calls.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the measurement data includes return on investment information associated with the installed self-support tool.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the caller identification is determined using automated number identification.