System and method to manage problems with network-based services

• US 8,555,113 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fan, James, Lam, Jennifer K.
• Primary Examiner(s): BONZO, BRYCE P
• Application Number:
  US13/571,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20120303787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 714/26
• US Class Current: 714/26
• 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 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36

Abstract

A method includes receiving a problem report from a customer via an access interface of a plurality of access interfaces at a first horizontal layer of a problem management system, wherein the problem report indicates that the customer is having a problem with one of the network-based services, receiving a request from the customer for self-service problem resolution via the access interface, identifying a workflow related to the problem, obtaining the workflow from a second layer of the problem management system, providing a diagnostic tool to the customer via the access interface, according to the workflow, and providing the diagnostic tool to an agent via another access interface after the customer contacts the agent.

Claims

1. A method of managing problems with network-based services, the method comprising:

receiving a problem report from a customer via an access interface of a plurality of access interfaces at a first horizontal layer of a problem management system, wherein the problem report indicates that the customer is having a problem with one of the network-based services;

receiving a request from the customer for self-service problem resolution via the access interface;

identifying, by utilizing instructions from memory that are executed by a processor, a workflow related to the problem;

obtaining the workflow from a second layer of the problem management system;

providing a diagnostic tool to the customer via the access interface, according to the workflow; and

providing the diagnostic tool to an agent via another access interface after the customer contacts the agent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a network problem prior to receiving the problem report from the customer;

creating a response related to the network problem; and

providing the response to the customer via the access interface when the problem report includes a problem related to the network problem.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying a customer account before providing the diagnostic tool to the customer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a customer trouble report and storing data indicating that the customer has reported the problem with the network-based service.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

storing additional data with the trouble report after providing a diagnostic tool to the customer, the additional data indicating the diagnostic tool was provided to the customer.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

when the problem is resolved based on the diagnostic tool, storing data indicating how the problem was resolved in a common knowledge data store, a problem handling domain, and a customer tracing domain.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

storing further data with the trouble report after the customer contacts the agent, the further data indicating that the customer has contacted an agent.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a self-healing application to a customer premises equipment device after the customer premises equipment device detects the problem.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the problem report is received from the customer after the customer premises equipment attempts to resolve the problem using the self-healing application.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing information at the problem management system indicating that the customer premises equipment attempt to resolve the problem using the self-healing application, where the information is accessible to the agent after the customer contacts the agent.

11. A problem management device comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions to implement a system architecture that includes;

a first horizontal layer including a plurality of access interfaces, wherein each access interface receives a problem report from a customer, wherein the problem report indicates that the customer is having a problem with a network-based service of a plurality of network-based services;

a task management domain at the first horizontal layer that performs operations comprising;

obtaining a workflow from a second horizontal layer of the problem management system; and

providing a diagnostic tool from the second layer to the customer via the access interface, according to the workflow; and

an agent support platform that provides the diagnostic tool to an agent via another access interface after the customer contacts the agent.

12. The problem management device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise obtaining information from a third horizontal layer to verify customer access to a problem management service before providing the diagnostic tool to the customer.

13. The problem management device of claim 11, wherein the first horizontal layer includes a customer tracking domain that stores a customer trouble report, wherein the trouble report includes data indicating what has previously been done to resolve the problem, wherein the trouble report is accessible to the agent after the customer contacts the agent.

14. The problem management device of claim 11, wherein the first horizontal layer includes a common knowledge domain accessible to the agent and the customer, wherein the common knowledge domain stores data indicating how a problem previously reported by another customer was resolved.

15. The problem management device of claim 11, wherein the second horizontal layer includes a problem handling domain to store customer problem and repair records, including complete problem resolution cases, problem histories related to a network, problem histories related to a service, customer contact logs, and problem outcomes.

16. The problem management device of claim 11, wherein the second horizontal layer includes a reporting domain to compile reports related to problem trends, alerts, service and network performance indicators, and agent performance indicators.

17. The problem management device of claim 11, wherein the access interface includes a web interface, an interactive voice response interface, an e-mail interface, a messaging interface, and a self-service television channel delivered to the customer via a private access network.

18. The problem management device of claim 11, wherein the other access interface includes a thin client graphical user interface.

19. A problem management system, comprising:

a system architecture that includes;

a first horizontal layer including a plurality of access interfaces, wherein each access interface receives a problem report from a customer, wherein the problem report indicates that the customer is having a problem with a network-based service of a plurality of network-based services;

a task management domain at the first horizontal layer that obtains a workflow from a second horizontal layer of the problem management system, and provides a diagnostic tool from the second layer to the customer via the access interface, according to the workflow, wherein the diagnostic tool is provided by utilizing instructions from memory that are executed by a processor; and

an agent support platform that provides the diagnostic tool to an agent via another access interface after the customer contacts the agent.

20. The problem management system of claim 19, wherein the task management domain obtains information from a third horizontal layer to verify customer access to a problem management service before providing the diagnostic tool to the customer.