JP2003208484A - Software maintenance method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a software maintenance method capable of sufficiently supporting and maintaining a question from a user or the like even in a special package software having limited persons in charge capable of respond thereto. <P>SOLUTION: This method comprises a step for enumerating and displaying question items on the display part of a user terminal 12; a step for inputting the question selection information corresponding to a question item selected from the question items to a maintenance server 11 through a communication network 11; a step for automatically inputting the answer information corresponding to the answer to the selected question item from the maintenance server 11 to the user terminal 13 through the communication network 13; and a step for displaying the answer to the selected question item on the display part of the user terminal 12 by the input of the answer information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a software maintenance method, and more particularly to a software maintenance method for maintaining and managing packaged software using the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, package software is maintained and managed by a software maker who provides package software used in a computer system to a customer (user) who has installed the computer system. A plurality of general-purpose programs are usually packaged in the package software.

Support maintenance of this packaged software is continuously carried out after the system is installed, and basically, the person in charge of the system installation responds to user's questions and the like. If this person is absent, a person who understands the packaged software in-house answered.

[0004]

However, depending on the packaged software, there are cases where sufficient support maintenance cannot be performed. In other words, in packaged software that has many people in charge, it is unlikely that there will be no one in charge of answering questions from users, but in special packaged software where the number of people in charge is limited, there is no person in charge. In such a case, since it is necessary to contact the person in charge and deal with the matter, it is not possible to respond immediately to a question or the like from the user, so that sufficient support cannot be provided.

The object of the present invention is to provide special packaged software, which has a limited number of persons who can handle it.
It is to provide a software maintenance method capable of performing sufficient support maintenance for questions from users.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a software maintenance method according to the present invention is a software maintenance method for providing a maintenance service to a user of software, enumerating question items on a display unit of a user terminal. And displaying, and the question selection information corresponding to the question item selected from the question items is selected by the step of inputting to the maintenance service server via the communication network and the input of the question selection information. The answer information corresponding to the answer of the question item is automatically input from the maintenance service server to the user terminal via the communication network, and the answer of the selected question item is input by inputting the answer information. Displaying on the display unit of the user terminal.

With the above configuration, the question selection information corresponding to the question item selected from the question items listed and displayed on the display unit of the user terminal is input to the maintenance service server via the communication network. Then, when the question selection information is entered, the answer information corresponding to the answer of the selected question item is automatically entered from the maintenance service server to the user terminal via the communication network, and when the answer information is entered, it is selected. The answers to the question items are displayed on the display unit of the user terminal, and the maintenance service is provided to the software user. As a result, even with special packaged software that can handle only a limited number of people,
Sufficient support and maintenance can be performed for questions from users.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a maintenance system for carrying out a software maintenance method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a maintenance system 10 for performing maintenance management of packaged software includes a maintenance service server 1
1, a plurality of user terminals 12, and a communication network 13 such as the Internet for connecting these to each other.

The maintenance service server 11 is installed by a software maker who provides package software used for the computer system to a customer (user) who has installed the computer system, or a company which performs maintenance management of the package software. An information processing device such as a workstation server. The maintenance service server 11 has a function of replying to the user terminal 12 in a state where the question transmitted from the user terminal 12 is received.

The user terminal 12 is registered as a member,
An information processing device such as a personal computer used by a user who receives a maintenance service when using the packaged software. The user terminal 12 can use electronic mail via the communication network 13 and has a function of displaying a response from the maintenance service server 11 on a screen.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the flow of the software maintenance method according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a login menu screen displayed in the flow of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a package selection menu screen displayed in the flow of FIG. 2, and FIG.
2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a question menu screen displayed in the flow of FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an example of an answer screen displayed in the flow of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, first, the user who is using the packaged software is his or her own user terminal 1.
2 accesses the maintenance service server 11 via the Internet (communication network 13) (step S101). As a result, on the display unit of the user terminal 12,
Opens the maintenance service home page provided by the maintenance service server 11.

In response to the access from the user terminal 12, the maintenance service server 11 transmits the login menu screen data for the package maintenance service to the user terminal 12. As a result, the login menu screen (see FIG. 3) is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 12. Looking at the displayed login menu screen, the user inputs the registration number and the password using the user terminal 12 (step S102).

Next, by the maintenance service server 11,
After the entered registration number and password are confirmed, the package selection menu is displayed on the user terminal 12 (see FIG. 4). The package selection menu is enumerated and displayed so that the package names of a plurality of packaged software that can be queried by the user, for example, “package A”, “package B”, and “package C” can be individually selected.

Looking at this package selection menu, for example, the user performs a click operation on a selection designation portion (indicated by a circle in the figure) of the desired package name to designate and specify the desired package name ( Step S10
3).

Next, a question menu regarding the selected package name is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 12 (see FIG. 5). For example, in the package selection menu,
When "Package C" is selected, the question items about "Package C", "I want to know the operation description", "I want to know how to change the screen display", "I want to know how to enter comments", etc. Are displayed in order.

Looking at this, the user performs a click operation on an item corresponding to the desired question content, for example, by selecting and selecting the question item (indicated by a circle in the figure), and the desired question item is displayed. Is selected (step S1)
04).

After the selection and designation of question items in this question menu are completed, the next question menu is displayed on the user terminal 12, and the selection and designation of question items are similarly performed.
After that, the question contents are gradually made more detailed by repeatedly displaying the question menu and selecting and specifying the question items.

In this way, the display of the question menu and the selection and designation of the question items are repeated, and finally the maintenance service server 11 narrows down the question contents of the user from the answer results to the question items so far and answers to them. Is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 12 (step S105).

At this time, the maintenance service server 11 judges whether or not the reply contents are caused by the bug, and the maintenance service server 11 is caused by the bug and operates normally when the correction module is applied. In the case of a thing, the fact is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 12.

Then, from the display screen of the user terminal 12,
When the user confirms that the response contents are normally operated by the correction module due to the bug, the user determines whether to download the correction module (step S106). If the download is selected (Yes), the correction module is downloaded (step S107), and the process ends. If the download is not selected (No), the process ends.

If the user cannot obtain a satisfactory answer even by the package software maintenance method according to the above-mentioned procedure, the maintenance service side is asked to
You can also ask questions by e-mail via the Internet.

That is, the step of listing and displaying question items on the display unit of the user terminal 12 and the question selection information corresponding to the question item selected from the question items are transmitted via the Internet (communication network 13). The step of inputting to the maintenance service server 11 and the step of automatically inputting answer information corresponding to the answer of the selected question item from the maintenance service server 11 to the user terminal 12 via the Internet by inputting the question selection information. And the step of displaying the answer of the selected question item on the display unit of the user terminal 12 by inputting the answer information, the maintenance service for the user of the package software can be provided. At this time, the question content of the question item is narrowed down step by step in response to the selection result each time the display and selection of the question item on the display unit are repeated.

As described above, according to the present invention, the user only needs to select and specify each item of the plurality of question menus displayed on the user terminal 12 step by step for the question about the package software by the registered user. so,
It can be transmitted to the maintenance service server 11. As a result, the maintenance service server 11 can narrow down the content of the question and display the answer applicable to the user's question on the display screen of the user terminal 12.

Then, it is shown that the content of the reply is caused by a bug of the packaged software,
If the corrective module is applied and it operates normally, the user can select the download of the corrective module at the same time as getting the answer by the question.

Therefore, according to the software maintenance method of the present invention, even if the user inquired about the package software is absent, it is possible to inquire about the package software at any time. Therefore, even if the maintenance person tends to be absent due to a user visit or the like, the user will not be dissatisfied with being unable to ask a question, and the credit will not be deteriorated due to inadequate user support.

Further, since a company or the like which carries out maintenance management of packaged software does not need to have a dedicated person in charge for maintenance management for users, sales can be expected to increase without increasing personnel.

Further, for a company or the like which maintains and manages packaged software, the maintenance management service can be provided 24 hours a day, including after hours, so that the service efficiency for users can be improved.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, question items are listed and displayed on the display unit of the user terminal, and the question selection information corresponding to the question item selected from the question items is displayed. When the question selection information is input to the maintenance service server via the communication network, the answer information corresponding to the answer of the selected question item is automatically input from the maintenance service server to the user terminal via the communication network. , When the answer information is entered, the answer of the selected question item is displayed on the display part of the user terminal and the maintenance service is provided to the user of the software. Even if there is, sufficient support maintenance can be done for questions from users.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a maintenance system that performs a software maintenance method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of a software maintenance method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a login menu screen displayed in the flow of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a package selection menu screen example displayed in the flow of FIG.

5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a question menu screen displayed in the flow of FIG.

6 is an explanatory diagram of an example of an answer screen displayed in the flow of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Maintenance system 11 Maintenance service server 12 user terminals 13 Communication network

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A software maintenance method for providing a maintenance service to software users, the method comprising: enumerating and displaying question items on a display unit of a user terminal; and responding to a question item selected from the question items. The question selection information to be input is input to the maintenance service server via a communication network, and the answer information corresponding to the answer of the selected question item is automatically input from the maintenance service server by the input of the question selection information. Software maintenance comprising: a step of inputting to the user terminal via the communication network; and a step of displaying an answer of the selected question item on the display unit of the user terminal by inputting the answer information. Method. 2. The question content of the question item is stepwise narrowed down in response to a selection result every time the display and selection of the question item are repeated. Described software maintenance method. 3. The user can download the correction module if the answer content of the question item is caused by a bug and the correction module operates normally. The software maintenance method described in 1 or 2. 4. The software maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance service server accepts a question by e-mail from the user terminal at any time. 5. The software maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance service is for packaged software by a user who has registered as a member. 6. The software maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein the communication network is the Internet.