Systems and methods for distributing remote technical support via a centralized service

• US 7,676,035 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2008
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PlumChoice Incorporated (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PlumChoice Incorporated (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Werth, Theodore, Surace, Richard T. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar; Ahmad F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Khai N
• Application Number:
  US12/169,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.05, 379/265.01, 379/266.01, 379/266.02, 379/266.09
• US Class Current: 379/266.09
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales

Abstract

The solution described herein provides an innovative use of remote services technology integrated with service personnel onsite at the point of service, such as a consumer repair outlet, to provide a pool of technical support resources to service a widely distributed resource need, such as support and repair resource needs of a chain of consumer outlets or an aggregated group of single proprietor consumer outlets. With this solution, qualified technical resources are provided from a central location to service a widely distributed retail environment. This is on-demand online remote support service is called or referred to as “support from a spigot.” The distribution method enables the delivery of higher quality, more reliable and overall lower cost services. Instead of requiring dedicated technical resources at each location, lower skilled labor may be deployed at the location to enable the remote technical support services process.

Claims

1. A method for providing on-demand technical support services from a pool of technicians remote to a plurality of points of service via a centralized service in communication via one or more networks with the pool of technicians and a device at a point of service, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving, by a centralized service, a request for work to be performed on a device, the device connected to a point of service of a plurality of points of service, the centralized service operating on one or more servers in communication via one or more networks to the point of service, the point of service comprising a location of a consumer at which service is requested;

(b) determining, by the centralized service, from the request each of a type of work for the request, a predetermined service threshold for the type of work for the request and one or more service level attributes to perform the type of work for the request at the predetermined service threshold, the predetermined service threshold comprising a metric for a measurable element of performing the type of work; and

(c) assigning, by the centralized service responsive to the determination and prior to performing the type of work on the request, the request to a work queue of a plurality of work queues based on the one or more service level attributes corresponding to one or more capabilities identified for a plurality of remote technicians.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

(d) identifying, by the centralized service, a remote technician from the plurality of remote technicians, based on the one or more capabilities of the remote technician corresponding to the one or more service level attributes;

(e) receiving, by the identified remote technician from the centralized service, a communication to perform work on the device; and

(f) connecting, by the identified remote technician in response to the communication, from a remote location via one or more networks to the device at the point of service.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising matching each of the one or more service level attributes of the request to each of the one or more capabilities of at least one remote technician.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising matching, by an intelligent switch of the centralized service, the one or more service level attributes of the request with the one or more capabilities of the plurality of remote technicians to determine a remote technician suited to service the request at a service level identified by the predetermined service threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising corresponding the one or more service level attributes to the one or more capabilities based on a policy.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying one or more capabilities of a remote technician based on one of a type of the device or the type of work.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying, by the centralized service via each of the one or more service level attributes, one of a level of skill, a certification or a level of training to perform the type of work on the device at the predetermined service threshold.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying, by the centralized service via each of the one or more service level attributes one of a language, location or time to perform the type of work on the device at the predetermined service threshold.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning by the centralized service, the request to the work queue of the plurality of work queues based on the one or more service level attributes of the work request corresponding to the following one or more capabilities of a remote technician associated with the work queue:

a level of skill, a level of training, certification, a language, a location and availability.

10. A system for providing on-demand technical support services from a pool of technicians remote to a plurality of points of service via a centralized service in communication via one or more networks with the pool of technicians and a device at a point of service, the system comprising:

a centralized service receiving a request for work to be performed on a device at a point of service of a plurality of points of service, the point of service comprising a location of a consumer at which service is requested, the centralized service operating on one or more servers in communication via one or more networks to the point of service the centralized service determining from the request each of a type of work from the request, a predetermined service threshold for the type of work for the request and one or more service level attributes of the type of work to perform the type of work for the request at the predetermined service threshold, the predetermined service threshold comprising a metric for a measurable element of performing the type of work;

a database comprising information identifying one or more capabilities of a plurality of remote technicians; and

wherein the centralized service assigns, responsive to the determination and prior to performing the type of work on the request, the request to a work queue of a plurality of work queues based on the one or more service level attributes corresponding to the one or more capabilities identified for the plurality of remote.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the centralized service matches each the one or more service level attributes of the request to each of the one or more capabilities of at least one remote technician.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein an intelligent switch of the centralized service matches the one or more service level attributes of the request with the one or more capabilities of the plurality of remote technicians to determine a remote technician suited to service the request at a service level identified by the predetermined service threshold.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the centralized service comprises an intelligent switch that corresponds the one or more service level attributes to the one or more capabilities based on a policy.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the centralized service identifies one or more capabilities of a remote technician based on one of a type of the device or the type of work.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the centralized service identifies via each of the one or more service level attributes one of a level of skill, a certification or a level of training to perform the type of work on the device at the predetermined service threshold.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the centralized service identifies one of a language, location or time to perform the type of work on the device at the predetermined service threshold.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the centralized service assigns the request to the work queue of the plurality of work queues based on the one or more service level attributes of the work request corresponding to the following one or more capabilities of a remote technician associated with the work queue:

a level of skill, a level of training, certification, a language, a location and availability.

18. A method for receiving on-demand technical support services from a remote location, the method comprising

(a) transmitting, from a point of service to a centralized service, a request for service for a device connected from the point of service, the point of service comprising a location of a consumer at which service is requested, the request for service determined by the centralized service to comprise a type of work, the centralized service identifying from the request each of a predetermined service threshold for the type of work for the request and one or more service level attributes to perform the type of work for the request at the predetermined service threshold, the predetermined service threshold comprising a metric for a measurable element of performing the type of work;

(b) receiving, by the device at the point of service, a connection from a remote technician of a plurality of remote technicians to service the request assigned by the centralized service to a work queue of a plurality of work queues, the centralized service, responsive to the determination and prior to performing the type of work on the request, assigning the request to the work queue based on one or more capabilities identified for the plurality of remote technicians corresponding to the one or more service level attributes to perform the type of work at the predetermined service level threshold; and

(c) receiving, at the point of service, information from the centralized service indicating a status of service performed on the device by the remote technician.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the remote technician performing service on the device was identified by the centralized service from the plurality of remote technicians based one the one or more capabilities of the remote technician corresponding to the one or more service level attributes of the request.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the remote technician performing service on the device was identified by the centralized service from the plurality of remote technicians by identifying via the one or more service level attributes of the request, one or more of a level of skill, a certification, a level of training, a language, a location or time to perform the type of work on the device at the predetermined service threshold.