JP2003533757A - Electronic technical support market system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A user support recommendation system (34) is provided for automatically recommending a user to a user support provider (38, 40, 42) for a software application, system software or computer hardware. The system automatically detects various computer problems, such as software application crash or error messages, system software crash or error messages, or computer hardware error messages, and notifies the client computer when such computer problems occur. Generate machine state information. This machine state information is communicated to a user support recommendation system (34), which can then recommend the user of the client computer (34) a support provider that provides a solution to the computer problem.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

【Technical field】

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for matching users to appropriate user support providers, and more particularly to various technical questions involving software applications, system software or hardware.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A system and method for automatically matching a user's technical support needs based on user information collected by the system to one or more suitable online user support providers.

[0002]

[Background technology]

With the growth of the Internet and the widespread use of personal computers, more and more users have relied on different software applications to perform different tasks. For example, a few people are using typewriters to type letters, while many people are using computers to send electronic messages to others. Thus, people are heavily dependent on computers and the software applications that run on them to perform numerous tasks. When a software application is made publicly available, the developer may ask the user various technical questions such as problems with the software application and how-to questions about the software (eg how to print in landscape mode on a particular printer). User support should be provided. Similarly, for system software and computer hardware (including main computer hardware such as memory and disk drives, and computer peripheral hardware such as printers, mice, keyboards or scanners). The hardware developer must provide user support to answer the user's technical questions.

However, user support for software applications, system software or hardware is very costly and time consuming. For a typical company, user support for software applications listens to the user's technical questions or complaints and attempts to solve the user's technical questions by following a script of potential solutions. It is a group of. The cost of maintaining this group of personnel to support users is enormous. Moreover, support personnel are probably unaware of the answers to each technical question the user asks, and therefore often end up with low satisfaction. This process is frustrating for both users and support personnel. Moreover, support personnel cannot remember all previous solutions to technical questions they rarely see, and are often fed up with repetitive answers to common technical questions. In the case of a user who has a technical question, the user does not know who to call to solve the technical question and is kept on hold for a long time to get the answer to the technical question, And even after waiting on hold, they often receive inadequate or inaccurate advice. Therefore, there is a need for a system that reduces the frustration of users and support providers associated with current user support systems.

Technical questions raised by users of software applications, system software or computer hardware are divided into two distinct categories: how-to questions and technical problems. To resolve these types of technical questions, support personnel typically rely on machine configuration, software environment,
And participate in a slightly longer live question-and-answer game with the user to determine recent actions and events that have occurred in the system (eg, error messages displayed or menu actions invoked). This is often a difficult conversation.
This is because, in most cases, a nontechnical end user attempts to interpret what the machine is doing and provides that information to the user support personnel via the telephone. Finally, when the support personnel have the information they need, they can search manuals, knowledge bases, newsgroups and / or other sources of information to resolve technical questions and solutions to technical questions. Guide users through.

There are many conventional user support systems that attempt to assign user support personnel to the user to resolve the user's technical questions. However,
These conventional systems have limitations. For example, conventional systems do not automatically collect user and system information from the user's computer when a technical question arises, and thus the user and support provider still run dialogs to identify user-specific technology. It is necessary to determine specific questions as well as the appropriate user support personnel. Also, conventional systems do not allow user support providers to remotely control a user's computer while resolving technical questions. These problems limit the ability of conventional systems to adequately address user technical questions and resolve them quickly and efficiently.

This manual support process is very expensive, and annual labor costs are estimated to exceed $ 30 billion in just one year. Therefore, the user expresses the technical question and the support provider chooses to solve the technical question,
And it is desired to provide a market where either the user or the support provider can set the price of the support advice. It is further desired to provide a user support market that reduces the frustration experienced by support providers and users. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an electronic technical support market system and method for supporting software applications, system software or computer hardware, and the present invention is directed to this end.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an electronic user support market that overcomes the above problems and limitations associated with conventional systems. More specifically, the system comprises a client-based software application known as a collector or detector, which automatically collects user and system information from the user's computer, allowing the user to When having a question, the system uses the information collected on the user's computer to automatically direct the user to the appropriate user support provider. For example, if the user needs help printing in Word, the system automatically collects information from the client computer indicating that the user is in Word, and the user is specialized in Word. Route to a knowledgeable user support provider. The system may also provide the user with a web page that is resource-tuned specifically for the user's technical questions. The system may also include a remote control tool that allows a user support provider to make changes on the user's machine to resolve a technical question. Also, the remote control tool according to the present invention may be limited using the information automatically collected so that the user support provider can only change the information related to the technical question. For example, if the user has a technical question in Word, the remote control tool may only affect Word's software application and not other applications in the user system. In summary, a single click on the submit button of the user interface directs the user to a web page containing solutions to the user's support request, based on automatically collected information about the user's computer.

More specifically, the electronic user support market according to the present invention provides a technical question of a user in a specific technical area based on automatically collected information, and specialization in the technical area. Includes automatically matching one or more knowledgeable support providers. Thus, the system can connect a user having a technical question with a support provider who has the expertise to quickly answer the technical question. The information provided by the user is
It may be manually entered in a web page or it may be from an automatically generated black box. A black box is information collected by the collecting device according to the present invention regarding a user's system, and the black box may include one or more signs. This code may be a unique index generated based on a black box. For example, a black box contains information about the operating system version, application name, user last action and amount of memory. The system can then generate a signature that is a hash of the application name and user action from the black box. There is another signature that is the application name and operating system version. These signatures allow the system to generate high-level information out of a black box containing hundreds of data fragments.

The system stores profiles of one or more support providers,
Each profile dictates the expertise of the support provider. Based on the user information and this profile, the system can match the user information to one or more profiles and generate a list of matching support providers that can resolve the user's support request. In one embodiment, a list of matching support providers is provided to the user along with other information about the support providers (cost, current availability, current score) and the user can select a support provider. In another embodiment, the user information is provided in a list of recommended support providers, and the support providers can bid to determine which support provider will respond to the support request. In another embodiment, the user writes a technical question and posts the dollar amount offered for help, and the support provider picks up the user based on the user's reputation, such as bill payment. In yet another embodiment, the user writes a technical question and posts a dollar amount to offer for help, the provider determines if the user can be helped, and the user determines that he can. Pick a provider from the list of providers (in this state it contributes to the reputation of both the user and the provider).
In yet another embodiment, the user writes a technical question, the provider posts an amount to solve the technical question, and the user picks up the provider. In another embodiment, the user writes a technical question, is presented with a list of providers with expertise in the area, and selects a provider as described above.

When a support provider is selected, the system automatically establishes a communication session between the support provider and the user, who can process his support request. According to the present invention, the communication session is a bulletin board (bulletin board) session, a voice over IP session, a live chat session, a remote control session, etc. In accordance with the present invention, the system allows a user to quickly find a support provider with the expertise needed to quickly resolve the user's support request. The system also automatically collects various information about the user's support request, which the user can
There is no need to remember the exact steps taken before the technical question was raised.

According to the present invention, there is provided a system for automatically matching user support in response to a support request, the system providing a support request from a client computer when the support request occurs at the client computer. The support request identifies the source of the support request, including means for receiving the information including. Furthermore, the system comprises means for storing profiles of one or more support providers, each profile indicating an area of the support provider's user support expertise, and further requesting support.
A means for matching one or more stored profiles of a support provider based on the information in that support request to determine a support provider with the expertise to respond to a particular support request, and the support provider. And means for establishing a communication session between the selected support provider and the user.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for automatically recommending user support in response to a support request, the system comprising a client computer when the support request occurs. A receiver receives information from the computer including the support request, the support request identifying a source of the support request. The system further comprises a database storing profiles of one or more support providers, each profile
Indicate areas of the support provider's user support expertise, and further respond to specific support requests by matching the support request to one or more stored profiles of the support provider based on the information in the support request. Matching device for determining a support provider having the expertise to do so, a selector for selecting the support provider, and a communication link for establishing a communication session between the selected support provider and the user. ing.

According to another feature of the invention, there is provided a method for automatically recommending user support in response to a support request, the method comprising: The step of receiving information including a support request from a computer, the support request identifying a source of the support request. The method further includes storing profiles of one or more support providers, each profile indicating an area of the support provider's user support expertise, and further providing a support request with information in the support request. Based on determining one or more support providers with the expertise to respond to a particular support request by matching one or more stored profiles of the support providers, selecting a support provider, and selecting the support provider. And establishing a communication session between the support provider and the user.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for automatically receiving a recommended user support provider in response to a support request, the apparatus supporting when a support request occurs. A means for generating information including a request from the device, the support request identifying the source of the support request. The apparatus further includes means for communicating the support request to the user support recommendation system, matching the support request to one or more stored profiles of the support provider based on the database of support provider profiles,
A means for receiving one or more support provider's recommendations from the user support recommendation system to determine a support provider with the expertise to respond to a particular support request, and to receive a communication session with the selected support provider. And means of.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention is particularly applicable to World Wide Web (WWW) based client / server systems for automatically recommending software application user support, and in this respect the present invention will be described. However, the systems and methods according to this invention have significant utility as they can also be implemented using different computer systems. In addition, the system includes system software defects and problems, how-to questions, and computer hardware (main computer hardware such as memory and disk drives,
As well as computer peripherals such as mice, trackballs, CD drives, video or sound hardware, keyboards, printers or scanners).

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of an automated software application user support recommendation system 30 according to the present invention. The system 30 includes one or more client computers (Client # 1, Client # 2 and Client # N) for accessing a World Wide Web (WWW) site via a communication medium such as the Internet. It includes a microprocessor (not shown) that executes a browser application stored in memory (not shown) of the client computer. Each client computer also includes a detector / collector (ED) 32, which automatically detects when a software application problem, such as a software application crash or software application error message, occurs on the client computer. To detect. It also includes a menu item or key that allows the user to initiate a request when the user detects a software problem or requests user support. When a support request for a software application is initiated,
The detector 32 on each client computer generates a black box based on the context of the software application, which characterizes the software application and machine state at the time of its request. This black box contains information about the application being used, the application version number, a history of user actions prior to the request, etc. The black box and the signatures derived therefrom allow the software application user support recommendation system according to the present invention to automatically recommend user support personnel to provide a solution to a support request, as described in detail below. To do.

In another embodiment of the recommended system, the client computer does not have a detector 32 to collect black box information. In this embodiment, the user logs in to the user support website and enters information regarding the technical question. More specifically, a classification of technical questions, including issues and how-to questions, is browsed by the user, as described below, to allow the user to focus on current support requests. Based on information such as application, problem type, etc., the system can automatically recommend one or more user support personnel to the user. User support personnel recommended to the user have expertise in the particular area where the user has a problem or have a technical question so that the user can quickly resolve the technical question or problem An individual who does. In order to match user support personnel to technical questions or problems, the system, in any embodiment, provides a qualification / credential for each user support provider.
Maintains a database of profiles, allowing technical questions or issues to be matched to the appropriate one or more user support providers. According to one embodiment of the invention, providing the user with a list of possible user support providers, the system provides the user with various information about each user support provider, such as the provider's current availability and the provider's rating. Allows you to choose a support provider. A provider's score can be generated based on various information, such as feedback from previous users of that provider. According to another embodiment of the invention, user information is used by a recommended support provider, who can determine who will respond to the user. Therefore, according to the present invention, the system can recommend an appropriate user support provider to solve the user's support request. The system then allows the user to 1) participate in a live chat or voice over IP session with the selected provider, an optional remote control session or a screen sharing session, or 2) a bulletin board. To be able to run a dialog with the provider. A variety of commercially available tools can be used to provide remote control and shared screen sessions, hence
These tools will not be described in detail here. One example of a conventional remote control tool is a product called Timbuktu manufactured by Nettopia. The system then either mediates data traffic between the provider and the user (automatically establishes a session) and removes itself from the session, or passes all data traffic through the system so that the provider can Tracking provider expertise and solutions (auditing the provider's expertise or examining past solutions), tracking user reputation (ie prospective payments or ratings by other providers), Checks for viruses (i.e., if FTP traffic passes through the server, the server validates the file being sent), and so on. In addition, the system can capture video from available screen sharing sessions and generate instruction segments for future users as self-help instructions, for example.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the detector 32 communicates the black box to the remote software application user support system 34 via a typical communication medium such as the Internet, a corporate intranet, a local area network, a wide area network, or the like. However, the software application user support system provides the user with appropriate user support personnel recommendations to provide a response to the support request. The black box generated by the detector is used to identify a list of suitable user support providers and to inform the selected user support providers regarding a technical question or problem. For example, the user does not have to remember his actions, error messages that may have been displayed, or specific details about the configuration of that machine. Also, the user does not necessarily have to be able to consistently explain the technical question or problem. This is because the information in the black box allows the user support provider to resolve support requests without any user intervention. The detector 32 may be a piece of hardware, but is preferably a software application stored in the memory of the client computer and executed by the microprocessor of the client computer.

When a software application support request is made to a client computer, a black box is generated by detector 32 and a computer network 36 such as the Internet or World Wide Web (WWW).
Via the user support system 34. This user support system is a server computer that can be accessed via the Internet or WWW. The black box generated by each detector on each client computer contains various information about the software support request, such as the name of the software application currently in use, the version of the application, the current stack contents when the request was made. , The actual error message, the DLL in memory at the time of the request, the user's actions and events that occurred prior to the request, the operating system and version being used, the type of computer being used (ie Apple or IMB compatible), and the client Having the amount of memory in the computer. At a minimum, the black box is the application name,
And the error message generated. This information is used to help the user support provider's recommendations and to help the user support provider diagnose technical questions and provide solutions to the user. Filed December 19, 1997, which was automatically owned by the same assignee of the present invention incorporated herein by reference for automatically collecting black box information, generating signatures, and communicating it to a user support recommendation system. No. 08 / 994,840.

The user support system 34 receives the black box information from one or more client computers and, based on the black box information, provides the black box information to an appropriate user support provider who can resolve the technical question. Decide whether to route. More specifically, based on the black box information like the application name and the error message generated,
The system 34 can select one or more of a plurality of user support providers 38, 40, 42 to handle support requests as dictated by the support provider's profile. More specifically, when the system receives a black box, it creates a trouble ticket to track the status of the support request.
For example, the trouble ticket includes information such as the current status of the support request, which support provider it was assigned to, when the support request was initiated, and so on. Trouble tickets can be attached to black box data, and trouble tickets with black boxes can be matched against support providers using black box information.

Each user support provider is disclosed in pending US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 322,699, filed May 29, 1999, owned by the same assignee as the invention herein incorporated by reference. Automated support systems or knowledge bases 46, 48, 50 may be used. Therefore, the black box and support provider profiles received from the client computer are
Can be used to select one or more user support providers. For example, a black box associated with a support request in Ward is a user support with knowledge of Ward as specified by user support provider information (profile) stored in the user support system database (see FIG. 2). Matched to the provider. User support providers 38, 40, 42
May be co-located with the user support system 34 or may be co-located and use a computer network 44 such as the Internet, World Wide Web, local area network or wide area network. You can then connect to the user support system.

Based on the black box information, the server 34 attempts to identify a user support provider who can provide a solution to a particular support request. In particular, the server matches the support request (using automatically generated black box information or manually entered information) to the profile of the support provider (the profile dictates the expertise of the support provider), Select the appropriate support personnel. In another embodiment, the support request is generated by each support provider that filters the support requests that are of interest to the support provider based on the information in the black box, and the support provider considers the support provider as a possible support provider. By being presented to the user, it is matched against the support provider. In one embodiment, when a user presents a trouble ticket (or a black box), the available support providers whose profile matches the profile in question will have trouble tickets and a user's reputation (eg, User's payment status)
And if the provider thinks it can (and wants) to help the user, it can respond by saying that it can. Therefore,
In response to the help request, the user is given a list of support providers who can help. In this regard, the provider dictates the approximate time to solve the problem and how much it will cost. The user can then select a provider based on the provider's reputation and fees. Once selected, the user and the provider work together towards a solution to the user's problem.

The user can then instruct the support provider and server 34 if the solution was successful. The server can use the success / failure of the response to the support request to change the rating of a particular support provider as described below. Further, when more users have a technical question for a particular software application, the server or support provider can generate a knowledge base for solutions to the technical question for that particular software application. The provider may also generate a knowledge base for all software application issues or technical questions reported in connection with a particular software application.

According to the present invention, support from support providers can be provided in a number of different ways. For example, a live internet chat session may be initiated between the user and support personnel, in which case the support provider may optionally initiate a remote control session or a screen sharing session, in which case Allow the user's system to be modified to solve the question. As another example, a Voice over IP session can be initiated. According to the present invention, a person-to-person dialogue system can be used. As another example, a bulletin board type configuration may be used to allow a user to communicate with support personnel. However, the Bulletin Board solution does not provide live real-time support, which is accessible to users seeking to save money on non-live support responses. Thus, the system can provide different levels of support at different costs.

In this embodiment, a user or a limited group of users may have access to the support system at some level, or the system may provide different levels of support to different users. For example, a question can be posted on a bulletin board and given to all users the ability to incorporate the benefits of a free level of support, including the question being answered by other users. The second level of support (which requires only the lowest cost) is bulletin board communication with the actual support provider, and the third highest level of support (with higher cost) is the live support provider. Chat or voice
It is an over-IP session. The user can typically select from among these options, or a group may be selected based on black box information. In particular, the black box information may include information regarding the user's entitlement level for support, and the list of support providers displayed to the user may be based on entitlement level. For example, if a user is a home user under warranty, the user will be presented with a list of providers that are allowed to perform free support under warranty while being an employee of a large company. The user can see a list of support providers that are allowed to support the company's employees (because the company only allows one support provider to give the employee assistance).

The automated software application user support matching system according to the present invention has a number of advantages over typical user support systems. First
In addition, the system can quickly match user support personnel to resolve technical questions with minimal input from the user regarding the context of the system and application the user is requesting support for. Collection of this data is often tedious and error prone. This is pleasing to the user, as the user does not have to try and explain technical questions to user support personnel. Further, the user support matching system can provide the user with various support provider information for each support provider so that the user can select a support provider, as described below.
This information is based on the current availability of a particular support person (how long it takes for the user to get an initial response from that particular support person), the support provider's rating generated by the system based on various factors, identification. Including the cost of the support provider and whether the support provider can provide remote control help to the user.

The system also allows the user to type in “how-to” questions.
In these cases, based on the automatically gathered black box information, the system can do a very good job of routing the user to the correct location for an answer or solution. This is because the system has the additional context of what the user did in order to direct the user to the appropriate support provider who can provide the solution. For example, in a system of event history (user actions automatically collected by the system of the present invention),
A system according to the present invention when a user attempts to print from a Microsoft® word to an Epson® stylus color printer and asks “How do I print in color?”. Is
It has a lot of important information to help settle the right solution. If the system further learns that the printer is currently configured to print only grayscale (since the printer's configuration data can also be automatically collected by the system), the system should immediately provide the correct solution. You can direct users to support providers that can

In accordance with the present invention, a user support matching system provides a user selected support provider in a variety of different ways, including voice over IP, live chat sessions, remote control or shared screen sessions and bulletin boards as described above. Can be connected to. In addition, the system
Allows support request information to be provided to the support provider, or automatically collected black boxes with information regarding the user's support request. Once the user selects a support provider based on the information provided by the system, the system remains engaged in the user support process, for example to monitor the results used to change the support provider's score. Become. In addition, the user support matching system has a voice over I
All data from P, remote control sessions, shared screen sessions, chats or bulletin boards can be passed through the user support matching server. In the preferred embodiment, the system allows the user and the support provider to communicate with each other and to provide the user and the support provider with feedback to the system.

According to one aspect of the invention, the user support matching system automatically collects data about the client machine at the point of defect with a single click (ie, when a software or hardware crash occurs). , An error message occurs, or the context of the system when the user asks "how-to" questions), and one or more suitable user support providers to resolve the technical question are presented to the user, You can connect to that support person or provider. An advantage of the system according to the invention is that the user does not need to know where the support information is or who is the appropriate user support personnel to handle a particular support request. The system automatically directs the user to one or more appropriate support providers. Less than,
A preferred embodiment of an automatic user support matching system according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of an automatic user support matching system 30, and in particular a user support server 34 according to the present invention. The user support server 34 comprises typical elements of a computer system, such as a central processing unit, random access memory, and permanent storage, which are
Not shown for clarity. The elements of the system described below are one or more software applications executed by the CPU of the server, or pieces of hardware that perform particular functions. Accordingly, the server 34 comprises a matcher / scorerer module 60, a watcher module 62 and a database 64. The matcher / scorer receives the client information about the support request (either from the user by filtering the form or clicking a button, or from the information contained in the black box), and stores that information in the database 64. Match one or more support provider profiles. For example, the support provider's profile indicates that the Word 97 issue or technical question is appropriate, but the PowerPoint issue and technical question is not appropriate for that particular support provider. Generally, each support provider will provide a profile that lists programs that the support provider can handle and programs that the support provider cannot handle (no expertise). For example, one of the matching criteria for a support provider is that "a support provider can handle a support request if the problem is with Word 97 on a Windows-based machine that does not use Epson printers." Is. The support provider's profile also contains geographical information about where the support personnel are located, so the user support matching system can direct the user to a support provider in the same geographical area as the user. According to the present invention, each support provider can view support requests that can be handled by the support providers and select ones that can be currently answered. Support provider information also includes access information that indicates that the provider can access certain information, such as the ability to change the system password.

To generate a support provider profile, each support provider 38, 40, 42 submits its matching / scoring criteria to server 34, and the profile is stored in database 64. The server 34 can collect profile information by generating a form that the support provider fills in to become an authorized support provider. Once the matcher / scorer 60 determines which support provider's profile matches the user's support information, the system returns a list of matching / recommended support providers to the user, as described below with reference to FIG. (In the form of a web page in the preferred embodiment). The list of support providers also includes support provider information such as current availability, costs, ratings and other information. As mentioned above, users may select support providers based on cost, and different support providers may provide different levels of support at different rates.

According to the invention, there are three different ways to select a support provider. In that one method, the user is presented with a list of matching support providers, and the user selects a support provider based on the additional information provided to the user for each support provider. Alternatively, the user may submit a support request and other information, and the support provider may provide various information about the user, such as the price the user is willing to pay,
Based on the questions asked, and possible information about the user's reputation (eg, the user's past payment history or ratings received by the user from past support providers), pick up the support request to be answered. In the third method, the above two methods are combined. More specifically, a matching set of available providers (ie, providers whose profile matches a trouble ticket indicating expertise in the area) can see the user's trouble ticket and help that user. Have the opportunity to decide whether you can / will try. Based on user questions and ratings / reputation (payment history), the provider
Enter the time and cost bid for answering the technical question. Based on these bids from the support providers, the user can see zero or more bids from the providers and select the provider based on price, reputation and other factors. In this way, both the provider and the user have the opportunity to factor reputation into the criteria element, and the provider has the opportunity to proactively consider the user's problem before offering help. Accordingly, system 30 can support both user-driven and support provider-driven support provider matching systems.

When the user selects one of the suggested support providers, the system 30
And the server 34 acts as a monitor in one embodiment of the invention, and the watcher module 62 acts as an intermediary between the user and the support provider, thus the system provides information about the support provider and the user. You can collect and use it to keep an audit trail and check it in the event of a dispute. Moreover, if the technical question is not resolved by a particular support provider, future support providers can review the audit trail and see what was previously attempted. The Watcher module can also notify the administrator if certain actions are taken, such as checking the transferred files for viruses and / or changing the settings of the network, which may pose a security risk. Can warn. In another embodiment of the invention, the communication between the user and the support provider is not monitored by the watcher module of the system 30 as an audit point, but rather the user and the support provider provide feedback directly to the system. Is required. In general, users and support providers are always required to provide feedback to the system, which can be used to determine their reputation. Thus, the user support matching system mediates the connection between the user and the support provider (establishes a session), but does not monitor the communication or monitor / watch the data traffic between the user and the support provider. . Upon monitoring the data traffic, the system 30 scans the data traffic for viruses, maintains privacy, raises its own knowledge base for problems or technical questions and solutions,
The data traffic can then be used as an audit trail and as part of the certification process for each support provider. A score for each support provider or user is generated based on the feedback of the user and the support provider. The method of the present invention for matching user support is described below.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method 70 for automatically matching user support providers according to the present invention. To initiate the matching process, user information regarding a support request is received at step 72.
User information is received by receiving an automatically generated black box or by querying the user. Based on this user information, the system
In step 74, the user's request is matched with a plurality of support provider profiles stored in the database as described above. According to one feature of the invention, the system provides the user with a list of matching / recommended support providers, and the user can select a support provider. According to another feature of the invention, the support provider may choose to respond to the user based on the user information. The system can then automatically connect the user and the selected support provider together at step 76. As mentioned above, the system may monitor the data traffic, or may simply request feedback from the support provider and the user after the interaction between the support provider and the user. In any case, the system receives feedback at step 78,
Thus, the system can change the rating of a particular user or support provider. An example of a preferred automatic user support matcher (matching device) according to the present invention is described below.

FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred automated user support system web page 80 according to the present invention.
An example is shown. This example shows details of a web page implementation of a user support system, but the system can also be implemented using different computer networks and different user interfaces. The web page 80 includes a login portion 82, a problem category portion 84, a support provider portion 86,
And a help portion 88. The login portion 82 is for the user to view a web page,
Allows you to log in to a user support system or create a new account.
The help portion 88 allows the user to get free help, search the web for technical questions or solutions to problems, and post the question on the bulletin board to allow other users of the user support system to search. Allows them to post the answers to their technical questions there. The help portion 88 provides the user with free changes if desired by the user.

The problem category portion 84 allows the user to enter various information about the problem into the system, so that the system is one in which the technical question expertise matches the user's technical question or problem. The above support providers can be recommended. In this example, rather than the system determining information for a technical question from a black box that was automatically generated in accordance with another aspect of the invention, the user enters information about the technical question into a web page. Problem category part 84
Provides a classification of technical question categories, which the user can browse to focus on the user's problem / technical question and allow one or more support providers to match the technical question. In this example, the top levels of window support classifications are shown as "Internet", "Hardware", and "Software" problem categories. When the user clicks on one of these categories, another more detailed classification is given. For example, if the user clicks on the Hardware Issues category, the next level of classification will give the user a detailed list of hardware issues such as printers, mice, keyboards, hard drives, scanners, etc. If the user selects the printer problem category,
Another level of more detailed classification is given, such as "Epson", "HP", "Canon". In this way, using multi-level classification, the user can focus on the actual problem, and thus the system can match the user-specific problem to one or more suitable support providers. The user may also enter a technical question description, which will be parsed by the matcher and given to the selected support provider.

Support provider portion 86 contains a list of support providers that match the user information entered using problem category portion 84. In this example, the list includes the name of each provider, the cost of each provider, the current state of each provider, and the system's rating for each provider, but may include other information. In order to better understand this list, the list 90 of support providers will be described in detail. Each list includes a provider name portion 92, a cost portion 94, a status portion 96 and a rating portion 98. The provider name portion contains a hyperlink to the support provider, and the user can simply click on the link to go directly to that support provider and be automatically connected.
The provider name portion also includes a mouse-like icon 100 in this example,
This indicates that the particular support provider supports remote control user support, where the support provider can remotely log in to the user's computer to resolve a technical question. The cost portion 94 lists the support provider's support costs. According to one embodiment of the invention, the cost of the support provider is billed to the user only if the user's problem or technical question is resolved. As shown, for any technical question, there are one or more different matching support providers that charge different amounts and the user makes a selection based at least in part on their cost. The state portion 96 lists the current availability of the particular support provider. For example, for the support provider 90,
There is currently one other user waiting inline in front of the user. As shown, the other support providers in this example are long waits (3 people) or
Never wait (available) or require the user to call the phone number when not online. The score portion 98 lists the system score for that support provider based on previous support request responses and user feedback. In this way, the user can select a support provider based on a number of different criteria. When the user selects a support provider, the user and support provider will automatically connect to each other via live chat, voice over IP, remote control session, shared screen session or bulletin board based on the level of support selected. To be done. An example of bulletin board support is described below.

5a and 5b are diagrams illustrating an example of a user support bulletin board (bulletin board) web page 150 according to the present invention. More specifically, when a user submits a support request and requests bulletin board user support, the user's browser application, along with a solution for the user's particular support request,
Directed to a specific location / web page. In this example, the user is as disclosed in detail in pending patent application 09 / 322,699, filed May 29, 1999, owned by the same assignee as the present invention, which is incorporated herein by reference. And to a uniform resource locator (URL).

There are banner advertisements and other advertisements, which the user can choose from, as is usually the case for most web pages. The web page 150 includes a portion 152 that allows a user to request live support from user support personnel, as described below. The web page 150 also includes an upper portion 154 with information of interest to the user. The web page also includes a problem identification portion 156 that automatically lists user-specific problems based on the black box information.
Also includes. Web page 150 also includes a paper portion 158 containing a list of papers suggesting solutions to support requests, and a link 1 to the website where the paper is located.
Also includes 59. The web page also contains a newsgroup / chatroom solution part 1 that contains a list of solutions that appear in the newsgroup maintained by the system.
Also includes 60. Thus, the web page 150 allows the user to select an official support paper or newsgroup solution (possibly presented to the user support system by another user), who is then linked to the appropriate web page. It Therefore, a single click on the submit button of the user interface directs the user to a web page containing solutions to the user's support request. An example of posting a solution to the problem in a newsgroup / bultenboard style is described below.

FIG. 6 shows a web page 176 displayed to the user when the user selects the newsgroup / burtenboard solution from the web page shown in FIG. 5b. In this example, the solution is shown in newsgroup format, but it may be shown in bulletin board format. The web page 176 includes a header portion 178 and a text portion 180. The header portion 178 contains information about the particular newsgroup bulletin, such as the author, the date and name of the newsgroup in which the solution was placed. The text portion contains the text of the newsgroup bulletin containing information about the resolution of the support request. In this example, the newsgroup bulletin provides the same solution to the support request as a paper from the official support site. Returning to FIG. 4, a raw support session is established between the user and the support provider when the user selects a support provider and selects raw support. An example of such a live support session is described below.

FIG. 7 shows the Microsoft Personal Support Center Raw Support Center web page 1 including a static user input portion 192 and a raw chat portion 194.
It is a figure which shows an example of 90. The static user input portion allows the user to interact with the live support center, for example to log in to the system. Chat portion 194 allows the user to have a live chat session with user support personnel from the support center, as described below with reference to Figures 8a and 8b.

8a and 8b are diagrams illustrating an example of a raw support web page 200 that includes an information portion 202 and a raw chat portion 194. The information portion 202 includes various pieces of information included in the black box information as well as other information that is displayed to the user support personnel, such as overview information, user information, system information, application information, and the like.
And can be included with customer information. This information is black box information,
It can be collected based on the user's interaction with the user support system.
Using the information in this information portion, the user and the user support personnel can participate in the chat session using the chat portion 194 and thus the user support personnel can provide a solution to the user's support request. .
As described above, after the chat session is completed, the user fills out the user support system's evaluation form, and the user support system can then update the raw support center's score as needed.

In summary, the system according to the present invention automatically collects information about the user's computer and, with a single mouse button click, a support provider or help page that focuses specifically on the user's technical questions. Is given to the user. Rather than browsing websites and inputting information bundles as in traditional systems, this system uses a collector / detector to automatically collect information, allowing the user to ask technical questions. For "help" or "submit"
At the press of a button, the system directs the user to a web page that is directly related to the user's technical question (non-raw help). In the case of raw help, the system automatically collects information about the user's computer and technical questions, and then, based on the collected information, one person with expertise in that technical question. Present the above support providers to the user. In both cases, the system requires minimal user effort and proficiency to direct the user to a suitable web page or support provider that can solve the user's technical questions as efficiently as possible. Thus, the system reduces frustration for both users and support providers during the user support process. In particular, the support provider may assist the user in the area (using the support provider's profile) that the support provider chooses, and the user should answer the technical question as quickly as possible with minimal user intervention. You can choose not to help a particular user while getting.

Although described in detail with reference to particular embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Would be obvious.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an automated software application user support recommendation system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a preferred embodiment of an automatic user support recommendation system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to the present invention for recommending user support personnel.

FIG. 4 is an example showing a user interface of a preferred automated user support recommendation system according to the present invention.

FIG. 5a is a diagram showing an example of a user support bulletin board web page according to the present invention.

FIG. 5b is a diagram showing an example of a user support bulletin board web page according to the present invention.

[Figure 6]   It is a figure which shows an example of the news group / bulletin board bulletin board by this invention.

[Figure 7]   It is a figure which shows an example of a raw support center web page.

FIG. 8a   It is a figure which shows an example of a raw support web page.

FIG. 8b   It is a figure which shows an example of a raw support web page.

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Claims (57)

[Claims] 1. A system for automatically matching a user having a support request with a user support provider based on information collected on the user's computer, from the user's computer when the support request occurs on the user's computer. A means for automatically receiving a support request is provided, wherein the support request is
A means for including information about the source of the support request, and further for filtering the support request to determine the topic area of the user's support request, and for storing the profile of one or more support providers. The profile comprises information about the expertise of the support provider in a specific topic area, and further based on the topic area derived during the filtering,
Match one or more support providers based on the profile of the support provider whose domain expertise matches the user's topic domain, and have the expertise needed to expedite the resolution of the above support request 1 A system with means to automatically direct users to more than one support provider. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for selecting a support provider to resolve the support request based on one or more support providers matching the support request. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising means for establishing a communication session between the selected support provider and a user to resolve the support request. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the source of the support request includes one or more of technical issues and how-to questions. 5. The source of the support request further includes data regarding the user initiating the support request, such that the list of support providers provided to the user is based in part on the support entitlement data of the user. 5. A support entitlement data indicating the level of support to be given to the user.
The system described in. 6. The support request further includes automatically collected black box data regarding a user's computer, the black box data including data regarding a configuration of the computer including hardware and software. The system according to 3. 7. The system of claim 3, wherein the support request includes means for browsing problem classifications to identify a particular area of the support request. 8. The selecting means is for presenting a support request to one or more support providers having the expertise required to resolve the support request, and to respond to the support request based on the support request. 7. The system of claim 6, comprising means of each support provider for selecting. 9. The selecting means further comprises means of each support provider for posting a bid for a support request, means for presenting a bid for a support request to a user, and support based on the bid from the support provider. 9. The system of claim 8, comprising a user's means for selecting a request. 10. The method of claim 6, wherein the selecting means comprises means for presenting a list of recommended support providers to the user and means for selecting a support provider based on the profile of each support provider. The system described. 11. The selecting means further comprises means for presenting the support request and user reputation data to one or more support providers who have the expertise necessary to resolve the support request, and the support request. In response, each support provider's means for giving a bid based on support requests and reputation data, a means for presenting the support provider's bid to the user, and a user for selecting a support provider based on the bid. 7. The system of claim 6, comprising: 12. The system of claim 10, wherein each profile includes one or more of cost of support, support provider rating and support provider availability. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein each profile further includes the geographic vicinity of the support provider. 14. The establishing means further comprises means for establishing one of a control session and a shared screen session between a user and the selected support provider, the session being provided by a support provider. 9. The system of claim 8 which allows modification of a user's computer to resolve a support request. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the establishing means further comprises means for restricting at a user's computer an application that can be modified by a support provider during the session. 16. The means for establishing comprises means for establishing a live chat session between a user and the selected support provider.
The system described in. 17. The system of claim 8, wherein the establishing means comprises means for establishing a voice over IP session between a user and the selected support provider. 18. The system of claim 8, wherein the establishing means comprises means for establishing a bulletin board session between a user and the selected support provider. 19. The system of claim 1, wherein the matching means comprises means for comparing a support provider's profile with a support request. 20. The profile of claim 19, further comprising one or more rules that dictate the expertise of the support provider, the rules including one or more of yes, no and conditional yes. system. 21. The system of claim 3, further comprising means for capturing communication session traffic between a user and the selected support provider. 22. Means for receiving feedback from a user and a support provider in response to a support request, the feedback comprising:
The system of claim 1 used to modify a support provider's rating or user reputation. 23. A system for automatically matching a user with a support request with a user support provider based on information collected on the user's computer, the support from the user's computer when the support request occurs on the user's computer. A receiver for receiving a request, the support request including information about a source of the support request, and further filtering the support request to determine a topic area of the user's support request; A database storing a profile of the support provider, the profile containing information about the expertise of the support provider in a particular topic area, and further based on the topic area derived during the filtering. The,
Match one or more support providers based on the profile of the support provider whose domain expertise matches the user's topic domain, and have the expertise needed to expedite the resolution of the above support request 1 A system with matching devices that automatically directs users to more than one support provider. 24. A method of automatically matching a user with a support request with a user support provider based on information collected on the user's computer, the support from the user's computer when the support request occurs on the user's computer. A request is automatically received, the support request includes information about the source of the support request, and the support request is further filtered to determine the topic area of the user's support request and the profile of one or more support providers. This profile contains information about the expertise of the support provider in a specific topic area, and further based on the topic area derived during the filtering,
Match one or more support providers based on the profile of the support provider whose domain expertise matches the user's topic domain, and have the expertise needed to expedite the resolution of the above support request 1 A method with the steps of automatically directing users to more than one support provider. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising selecting a support provider to resolve the support request based on one or more support providers matching the support request. 26. The method of claim 25, further comprising establishing a communication session between the selected support provider and a user to resolve the support request. 27. The method of claim 24, wherein the source of the support request includes one or more of technical issues and how-to questions. 28. The source of the support request further includes data regarding the user initiating the support request, such that the list of support providers provided to the user is based in part on the user's support entitlement data. 28. The method of claim 27, including support entitlement data indicating a level of support to be provided to the user. 29. The support request further comprises automatically collected black box data regarding a user's computer, the black box data including data regarding a configuration of the computer including hardware and software. 26. The method according to 26. 30. The method of claim 26, wherein the support request comprises browsing problem categories to identify a particular area of the support request. 31. The selecting presents a support request to one or more support providers who have the expertise necessary to resolve the support request, and for each support provider, base the support request on a support request basis. 30. The method of claim 29, comprising electing to respond. 32. The selection further comprises posting the bid of each support provider for the support request, presenting the bid for the support request to the user, and selecting the support request by the user based on the bid from the support provider. 32. The method of claim 31 including. 33. The method of claim 29, wherein the selecting comprises presenting a list of recommended support providers to the user and selecting a support provider by the user based on the profile of each support provider. 34. The selection further presents the support request and user reputation data to one or more support providers who have the expertise necessary to resolve the support request, and in response to the support request, the support request. 30. The method of claim 29, further comprising providing a bid by each support provider based on the reputation data, presenting the support provider's bid to the user, and selecting the support provider by the user based on the bid. 35. The method of claim 33, wherein each profile includes one or more of cost of support, support provider rating and support provider availability. 36. The method of claim 35, wherein each profile further includes the geographic vicinity of the support provider. 37. The establishing further comprises establishing one of a control session and a shared screen session between the user and the selected support provider, the session wherein the support provider requests a support request. 32. The method of claim 31, allowing the user's computer to be modified to resolve. 38. The method of claim 37, wherein said establishing further comprises restricting applications on the user's computer that can be modified by the support provider during the session. 39. The method of claim 31, wherein the establishing comprises establishing a live chat session between a user and the selected support provider. 40. The method of claim 31, wherein the establishing comprises establishing a voice over IP session between a user and the selected support provider. 41. The method of claim 31, wherein the establishing comprises establishing a bulletin board session between a user and the selected support provider. 42. The method of claim 24, wherein the matching includes comparing a profile of a support provider with a support request. 43. The profile of claim 42, wherein the profile further comprises one or more rules dictating expertise of a support provider, the rules including one or more of yes, no and conditional yes. Method. 44. The method of claim 26, further comprising capturing communication session traffic between a user and the selected support provider. 45. Receiving a feedback from a user and a support provider in response to a support request, the feedback being used to modify a rating of the support provider or a reputation of the user.
The method described in. 46. A computer for receiving a user support provider that is automatically matched to a user's support request for automatically generating a support request including information from the computer when the support request occurs. Means for identifying the source of the support request, and means for automatically communicating the support request to the user support system, and responding to the support request from the user support system. A computer including at least one support provider whose expertise matches the topic area of the user's support request. 47. The computer of claim 46, further comprising means for selecting a support provider to resolve the support request based on one or more support providers matching the support request. 48. The computer of claim 47, further comprising means for establishing a communication session between a user and the selected support provider by a user support system to resolve the support request. 49. The computer of claim 46, wherein the source of the support request includes one or more of technical issues and how-to questions. 50. The source of the support request further includes data regarding the user initiating the support request, such that the list of support providers provided to the user is based in part on the user's support entitlement data. The computer of claim 49 including support entitlement data indicating a level of support to be provided to a user. 51. The support request further comprises automatically collected black box data regarding a user's computer, the black box data including data regarding a configuration of the computer including hardware and software. 48. The computer according to 48. 52. The computer of claim 48, wherein the support request includes means for browsing problem classifications to identify a particular area of the support request. 53. The establishing means further comprises means for establishing one of a control session and a shared screen session between the user and the selected support provider, the session comprising: 49. The computer of claim 48, which allows modification of a user's computer to resolve a support request. 54. The computer of claim 53, wherein the establishing means further comprises means for restricting at the user's computer applications that can be modified by the support provider during the session. 55. The establishing means comprises means for establishing a live chat session between a user and the selected support provider.
8. The computer according to item 8. 56. The computer of claim 48, wherein the establishing means comprises means for establishing a voice over IP session between a user and the selected support provider. 57. The computer of claim 48, wherein the establishing means comprises means for establishing a bulletin board session between a user and the selected support provider.