WO2001004800A1

WO2001004800A1 - Real time support and information system

Info

Publication number: WO2001004800A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/018729
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Mcgarry
Original assignee: Wiseguide, Inc.
Priority date: 1999-07-09
Filing date: 2000-07-10
Publication date: 2001-01-18
Also published as: AU5924500A

Abstract

A support and information system is provided. The system includes a computer and a plurality of operators (20, 23, 24), each of the operators (20, 23, 24) being designated to receive queries (22, 27, 26) relating to one or more topics (21, 25, 29). A database (42) containing data indicating the one or more topics (21, 25, 29) for which each of the operators (20, 23, 24) is designated and how many queries (22, 27, 26) each of the operators (20, 23, 24) is answering (68) at any given time is accessible by the computer. Software executing on the computer receives a query which relates to a topic (28), examines the database to determine which of the operators (20, 23, 24) is designated to receive queries (22, 27, 26) relating to the topic (21, 25, 29) of the received query (22, 27, 26), examines the database to determine how many queries (22, 27, 26) each of the operators (20, 23, 24) so designated is answering at that time, and passes the received query (22, 27, 29) to the operator (20, 23, 24) so designated then answering the least queries (22, 27, 29).

Description

REAL TIME SUPPORT AND INFORMATION SYSTEM

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system for providing real time support and

information, and more particularly to a system which manages the communications

between users seeking support and information and operators providing the support

and information.

Background of the Invention

In our society today, one does not have to look far to find a need for support

and information services. Such support services are common, for example, in the

computer field. When one acquires a new piece of hardware or software, that

person may often have questions or problems which are not addressed in the

accompanying documentation. For this reason, the manufacturer or distributor will

often have to provide some type of customer support system to answer these

questions or help troubleshoot these problems. However, technology is not the only

area in which support and information services are needed. Such services may be

required for something as simple as helping a high school student with his

homework. For example, a student may have an algebra problem with which his

parents cannot help. In this case, an information service may be the most

convenient way for the child to acquire the answers he needs. ln order to fill the need for support and information services, several systems

have been developed. The simplest and perhaps most prevalent of these systems

is the provision of a telephone system staffed by a number of operators. Thus,

when one has a problem installing the software he has just purchased, he may

simply dial the provided telephone number and speak with an operator familiar with

troubleshooting the software in question. Similarly, the high school student may call

the telephone number of an information service and speak with an operator

knowledgeable in algebra.

These telephone systems, however, suffer from a number of disadvantages,

one important disadvantage being that the operator can only help one caller at a

time. During the conversation the caller may require time to perform certain actions

at the direction of the operator. For example, in the case of troubleshooting software

installation the caller may have to reboot a computer a number of times, a time

consuming process. In the algebra problem example, the caller may have to

perform a series of long division before moving on to the next step of the problem.

While the caller is performing these actions, the operator is sitting idle waiting for the

action to be completed. Such a system is therefore highly inefficient.

Other systems which has been developed to fill the need for support and

information services are automated pre-recorded message services and so-called

"fax-back" services. These services allow a user to call a specified telephone

number and request information in certain predetermined areas. In response the

systems provide either prerecorded voice information or send a pregenerated document to the caller's facsimile machine. Similar computer support systems have

also been developed which allow a user to select a topic from a list of predetermined

topics and then display information related to the selected topic. A disadvantage of

all of these systems, however, is that the information which the user is seeking may

often not be in one predetermined areas about which information is available.

Another disadvantage of these systems is that the caller may not be satisfied with

the impersonal nature of not being able to communicate with a human being.

What is desired, therefore, is a support and information service which is

capable of providing answers to a wide variety of questions a user may have about a

supported topic, which provides for direct communication between the user and a

human operator, and which is efficient.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a support and

information service which is capable of providing answers to a wide variety of

questions a user may have about a supported topic.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a support and information

service having the above characteristics and which is capable of providing answers to

queries relating to multiple topics. A further object of the present invention is to provide a support and information

service having the above characteristics and which provides for direct communication

between the user and a human operator.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a support and

information service having the above characteristics and which is efficient.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a support and

information service having the above characteristics and which minimizes the idle time

of operators.

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by provision of a

support and information system including a computer and a plurality of operators, each of the operators being designated to receive queries relating to one or more topics. A

database containing data indicating the one or more topics for which each of the

operators is designated and how many queries each of the operators is answering at

any given time is accessible by the computer. Software executing on the computer

automatically receives a query which relates to a topic, automatically examines the

database to determine which of the operators is designated to receive queries relating

to the topic of the received query, automatically examines the database to determine

how many queries each of the operators so designated is answering at that time, and

automatically passes the received query to the operator so designated then answering

the least queries. The system then automatically establishes a bi-directional communication link

between the user which submitted the query and the operator to which the query

was passed. Preferably, the communication link is an Internet communication link,

and the query is received through and the query is sent to the operator through an

Internet communication link. Also preferably, the communication link is not a direct

link, but rather flows through the system so that the communications may be

recorded and evaluated through the system. It should be understood that since

each operator may be answering multiple queries from multiple users at one time,

• each operator may have multiple communication links established simultaneously.

Preferably, the query may relate to a plurality of topics. When such is the case, the

software executing on the computer passes the query to operators designated to

receive queries relating to each of the plurality of topics.

The invention and its particular features and advantages will become more

apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the

accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the real time support and information system in

accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the steps performed by the transaction

processing software of the real time support and information system of FIG. 1 ; and Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a post query processing aspect of the real time

support and information system of FIG. 1.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Referring first to FIG. 1, a real time support and information system 10 in

accordance with the present invention is shown. System 10 includes a computer 14

accessible by a plurality of users 18 through the Internet, intranet, a wide area

network, a local area network, or any other appropriate means. Topic selection

software 11 , which may or may not be executing on a computer 14, displays a listing

of topics from which a user 18 may select. Software 11 may present the user with a

drop-down menu, and if appropriate, sub-menus, of topics, may present the user

with hyperlink buttons for the various topics, or may employ some other means of

displaying a list of topics and allowing the user 18 to select one of the topics. Once

user 18 has selected a topic or topics 15, query entry software 13 executing on

computer 14 allows user 18 to enter a query 16, and receives query 16 from user 18.

Query processing software 12 executing computer 14 automatically receives query

16 and an indication of the selected topic or topics 15 from software 11 and software

13. It should be understood that each user 18 may comprise a single person

operating a single computer, or may comprise multiple persons sharing one Internet

Protocol (IP) address, as may be the case, for example, with a plurality of persons

connecting to the internet through a network. WO 01/04800 PCTYUSOO/18729

- 7 -

Each user 18 may submit more than one query 16, and each of queries 16

relates to a particular supported topic or topics and includes an indication of to which

topic or topics it relates. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , user 20 has selected a

first topic A (shown at 21) and submitted one query 22 relating to topic A. Similarly,

user 23 has also selected first topic A (shown at 25) and submitted one query 27

relating to topic A. User 24 has submitted multiple queries 16 relating to multiple

selected topics 11. First, user 24 has selected a second topic B (shown at 29) and

submitted a query 26 relating to topic B. User 24 has also selected third topic C and

fourth topic D (shown at 31) and has submitted another query 28 relating to both

topic C and topic D.

Queries 16 may be in any of numerous formats, including text, audio, video

and whiteboard, and may be entered by users 18 in a number of ways. For

example, queries 16 may be transmitted directly by users 18 via a user computer to

computer 14. In an alternate embodiment, users 18 may be provided with a

telephone number which they may call, choose a topic via the telephone keypad or

otherwise, and verbally communicate the query 16. If desired, query entry software

13 may be provided with a speech to text converter to convert the query 16 into text

format before transmitting query 16 to software 12.

Also connected to computer 14 are a plurality of operators 30. Operators 30

may be located centrally on site and connected through a local area network for

example, or may be located off site and connected through the Internet. Each of operators 30 is knowledgeable about one or more topics about which queries 16

may relate, and more than one operator 30 may be knowledgeable about a

particular topic. As shown in FIG. 1 , for example, operator 32 is knowledgeable in

both first topic A and second topic B, operator 34 is knowledgeable about second

topic B, operator 36 is knowledgeable about third topic C, operator 38 is

knowledgeable about fourth topic D, and operator 40 is also knowledgeable about

fourth topic D.

Information relating to which operators 30 are knowledgeable in which topics

is stored on an operator index database 42. Thus, database 42 has stored thereon

a real time list indicating which topics are currently being supported by system 10.

Preferably, user 18 will not be able to submit a query 16 relating to a topic for which

no operator 30 knowledgeable in that topic is connected, although such is not

required. Database 42 also has stored thereon a real time indication of how many

queries 16 each operator is answering at that time, and an indication of whether or

not each operator 30 is available to answer additional queries. Whether or not an

operator 30 is available to answer additional queries is dependent on the operator's

past performance, the general difficulty and time necessary to answer queries

relating to a particular topic, the speed of the operator's connection, and other

relevant factors.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, software 12 automatically receives a query

16 and the indication 15 to which topic query 16 relates as indicated by 44. Preferably, software 12 includes query parsing software 45 which parses query 16

and automatically determines to which topic or topics query 16 relates (shown at 47).

Such is preferable in order to verify that the user's initial topic selection was

accurate and/or to make system 10 more efficient. For example, query 16 may

actually relate to two or more topics, only one of which the user actually selected, or

the user may have selected a general topic, when selecting a subtopic may have

been more appropriate. Because various software for performing this type of

parsing is commercially available, the detailed functioning of query parsing software

45 is not presented herein. Moreover, it should be understood that if query parsing

software 45 is accurate enough, topic selection software 11 may not be required, as

query parsing software 45 may perform the sole task of determining to which topic or

topics query 16 relates. It should also be understood, however, that parsing

software 45 is not required and that topic selection software 11 may perform the

function of topic selection alone.

Once the topic or topics to which a query 16 relates has been determined,

software 12 automatically examines database 42 to determine which operator or

operators 30 presently connected to system 10 are knowledgeable in the area to

which query 16 relates (indicated by 46). Software 12 also automatically examines

database 42 to determine the number of queries each operator 30 knowledgeable

about the specified topic or topics is currently answering and how many queries

each knowledgeable operator 30 is available to answer at one time (indicated by

48). Software 12 then automatically passes query 16, or an appropriate portion thereof, to an available operator 30 for each appropriate topic which is currently

answering the least queries (indicated by 50).

Referring again to FIG. 1 , when a query 16 is submitted which relates to a

topic about which only one operator 30 is knowledgeable, that query 16 is passed to

that operator 30. Queries 22 and 27 relating to first topic A, for example, would be

passed to operator 32 (indicated by arrow 52) because operator 32 is the only

operator 30 knowledgeable about topic A. When a query 16 is submitted which

relates to a topic about which more than one operator 30 is knowledgeable, that

query 16 will normally be passed to the operator 30 then answering fewer queries.

For example, query 26 relating to second topic B would be passed either to operator

32 (indicated by arrow 54) or to operator 34 (indicated by arrow 56) depending on

which of operators 32, 34 was currently answering fewer queries. Note that arrows

54, 56 are shown as dashed lines to indicate that query 26 is passed to only one of

either operators 32, 34. When a query 16 relates to more than one topic, that query,

or an appropriate portion thereof, is passed to an operator 30 knowledgeable about

each of the topics. For example, query 28 relating to third topic C and fourth topic D

would be passed to operator 36 (indicated by arrow 58) because operator 36 is the

only operator 30 knowledgeable about topic C, and also to either operator 38

(indicated by arrow 60) or to operator 40 (indicated by arrow 62), depending on

which of operators 38, 40 was currently answering fewer queries, because both

operators 38, 40 are knowledgeable about topic D. Alternately, if desired, only the portion of query 28 relating to topic C may be passed to operator 36, and the portion

of query 28 relating to topic D may be passed to either of operators 38, 40.

Preferably, each of operators 30 may initiate a communication link (indicated

by arrows 64) with any of the other operators 30. Such is desirable because it

allows operators 30 knowledgeable about a topic to ask advice of other operators 30

knowledgeable about the same topic if the operator 30 answering a query 16 is

unsure of the answer. This also allows operators 30 answering a multiple topic

query, such as query 28, to communicate with each other to assure that a complete

answer is given.

Once query 16 is passed to operator 30, a communication link 66 is

established between user 18 and operator 30 through answer processing software

68 executing on computer 14. Communication link 66 is preferably a bi-directional

link which permits user 18 and operator 30 to communicate back and forth, thus

allowing operator 30 to assure that he has fully answered the query 16 and allowing

user 18 to ask additional questions. As with the initial input of query 16,

communication link 66 may take any of numerous forms, such as text, audio, video

and whiteboard. Also as with the initial input of query 16, communication link 66

may be established through a speech to text converter and a text to speech

converter may be provided to convert the communications between text and speech

so that a normal telephone may be used by user 18. It is preferable that

communication link 66 be established through answer processing software 68, rather than directly between user 18 and operator 30 so that communications may

be logged as described more fully below.

It should be understood that since each operator 30 may be simultaneously

answering multiple queries 16 from the same user 18 or multiple users 18, each

operator 30 may simultaneously have multiple communication links 66 established.

This is a significant improvement over the prior art because while the user 18 is

performing actions, calculations, or the like in response to the operator's instructions,

the operator 30 may be attending to other queries instead of sitting idle waiting for

the user 18. This allows for a much more efficient use of each operator's time. To

assist operator 30 in handling multiple queries 16 simultaneously, an operator

interface is provided which includes a visual indication of the status of each

communication link 66 with users 18. More specifically, the interface shows when a

user 18 is performing actions offline, is awaiting attention, has been disconnected, or

the like.

In response to query 16, operators 30 preferably have the ability to provide a

response 70 which may comprise, in addition to a text answer, a document, file

and/or application (e.g., an audio or video file, whiteboard, etc.). If operators 30

have the documents, files and/or applications stored on their computers, operators

30 may send them to users 18 through answer processing software 68. Alternately,

operators 30 may transmit an instruction through response 70 to answer processing software 68 for software 68 to transmit the documents, files and/or applications, if

stored on, or accessible by, computer 14, to users 18.

Preferably, operators 30 have the option of refusing a query 16 or terminating

a communication link 66 if, for example, operator 30 is unable to answer the query

16. Similarly, users 18 preferably have the option of terminating communication link

66 if, for example, they feel that the operator 30 assigned to the query is not able to

help them. When such is the case, query 16 is passed back to software 12, and

software 12 determines to which operator 30 query 16 should be passed, as

described above. If appropriate, the query 16 may be passed to an operator 30

knowledgeable in a different topic if the initial topic selection was not accurate. Of

course, software 12 will not pass query 16 back to the same operator 30 who had

refused the query 16, or with whom a communication link 66 was terminated.

Similarly, if query 16 has been passed to an operator 30, and that operator has not

responded to query 16 in a predetermined time period, query 16 is reprocessed and

reassigned to another operator 30 in the fashion described above, except that query

16 will preferably, although not necessarily, not be passed back to the operator 30

who did not respond to query 16 in the predetermined time period.

Referring now to FIG. 3, system 10 preferable also includes post query

software 72 executing on computer 14 and a session logs database 74 accessible

by query processing software 12, answer processing software 68 and post query

software 72. Session logs database 74 has stored thereon a log of each query session recording the details of the session, including the query 16 asked, the topic

or topics 15 to which the query 16 related, each operator 30 to which the query 16

was assigned, whether the query 16 was answered by each operator 30, the length

of time required for each operator 30 to answer the query 16, the response 70 to the

query 16, and other relevant information. Query processing software 12 and answer

processing software 68 update each of the session logs as the query session

progresses. Post query software 72 is provided to retrieve the session logs from

session logs database 74 and use the session logs to perform auditing and reporting

functions and for updating operator index database 42 to reflect each operator's

performance. For example, it may be determined that a particular operator can

effectively and efficiently answer a maximum of five questions simultaneously. In

this case, post query software 72 will update operator index database 42 to reflect

that that particular operator is available to answer five questions at one time. Post

query software 72 may also perform other functions, such as retrieving a session log

from session logs database 74, and sending a copy of the session log to a user 18

via email 76, for example, upon request.

The present invention, therefore, provides a support and information service

which is capable of providing answers to a wide variety of questions a user may

have about a supported topic. Unlike known systems for which information relating

only to certain predetermined areas is available, the present invention provides a

system wherein operators may be asked any question relating to a topic. Moreover,

provision is made for operators to communicate with one another or to pass queries to another operator if they cannot fully answer the query. In addition, the present

invention provides for direct communication between the user and a human

operator, which is more personal and typically less stressful than known systems

having pre-recorded messages. Moreover, the present invention is more efficient

than known systems wherein an operator only services one user at a time. Using

the system of the present invention, each operator can simultaneously service a

number of users so that when one user is performing some action, such as

rebooting a computer or calculating long division for example, the operator can be

helping other users.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular

arrangement of parts, features and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all

possible arrangements or features, and indeed many other modifications and

variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A support and information system comprising:

a computer;

a query automatically received from a user by said computer via the internet;

a database accessible by said computer, said database containing operator

information regarding a plurality of operators, the operator information comprising an

indication of at least one supported topic for which each of the plurality of operators is

knowledgeable;

software executing on said computer in response to the receipt of said query for

automatically examining said database to determine which of the plurality of operators

is knowledgeable about the query, for automatically determining to which of the

knowledgeable operators the query will be transmitted, and for automatically

transmitting the query to the determined operator;

a communication link established between the determined operator and the

user; and

wherein each of the plurality of operators is capable of having a plurality of

communication links established simultaneously with a plurality of users.

2. A support and information system according to Claim 1 wherein the operator

information further comprises an indication of the number of queries each of the

plurality of operators is currently answering, and wherein said software for

automatically determining to which of the knowledgeable operators the query will be transmitted determines that the query will be transmitted to the knowledgeable

operator currently answering the least queries.

3. A support and information system according to Claim 2 wherein the operator

information further comprises an indication of the maximum number of queries each of

the plurality of operators is permitted to answer at one time, and wherein said software

for automatically determining to which of the knowledgeable operators the query will

be transmitted further determines that the query will be transmitted to a knowledgeable

operator currently answering a number of queries less than the maximum permitted

number of queries for that operator.

4. A support and information system according to Claim 1 further comprising

software executing on said computer for automatically receiving an instruction from the determined operator through said communication link and for automatically

transmitting a computer file to the user through said communication link in response to

the instruction.

5. A support and information system according to Claim 1 further comprising

software executing on said computer for automatically receiving a response to the

query from the determined operator through said communication link and for

automatically transmitting the response to the user through said communication link.

6. A support and information system according to Claim 5 wherein the response

comprises a text answer.

7. A support and information system according to Claim 5 wherein the response

comprises an application program.

8. A support and information system according to Claim 5 wherein the response

comprises a data file.

9. A support and information system according to Claim 5 further comprising a

session logs database accessible by said computer having stored thereon a plurality

of session logs, each of the plurality of session logs comprising the query, an

indication of the selected operator, an indication of whether a response to the query

was received from the selected operator, an indication of the length of time required

for the selected operator to transmit the response, and the response.

10. A support and information system according to Claim 9 further comprising

software executing on said computer for examining the session logs stored on said

session logs database and for generating reports based upon the session logs.

11. A support and information system according to Claim 9 further comprising

session logs database and for updating the operator information based upon the

session logs.

12. A support and information system according to Claim 9 further comprising

software executing on said computer for retrieving a session log from said session

logs database and for transmitting the retrieved session log to the user.

13. A support and information system according to Claim 1 further comprising

software executing on said computer for determining to which topic the query relates.

14. A support and information system according to Claim 1 further comprising

software for displaying a plurality of supported topics and for allowing the user to

choose to which of the supported topics the query relates.

15. A support and information system comprising:

a computer;

software executing on said computer for receiving a query via the internet, the

query relating to a query topic;

software executing on said computer for determining to which query topic the

query relates;

a database accessible by said computer, said database containing operator

indication of at least one topic for which each of the plurality of operators is

knowledgeable and an indication of the number of queries each of the plurality of

operators is currently answering;

software executing on said computer for automatically examining said database

to determine which of the plurality of operators is knowledgeable about the query topic, for automatically determining to which of the knowledgeable operators the query

will be transmitted based upon the operator information, and for automatically

transmitting the query to the determined operator; and

software executing on said computer for automatically receiving a response to

the query from the determined operator and for automatically transmitting the

response to the user.

16. A support and information system according to Claim 15 further comprising a

communication link established between the determined operator and the user, and

wherein each of the plurality of operators is capable of having a plurality of

communication links established simultaneously with a plurality of users

17. A support and information system according to Claim 15 wherein the response comprises a text answer.

18. A support and information system according to Claim 15 wherein the response

comprises an application program.

19. A support and information system according to Claim 15 wherein the response

comprises a data file.

20. A support and information system according to Claim 15 further comprising a

of session logs, each of the plurality of session logs comprising the query, an indication of the query topic, an indication of the selected operator, an indication of

whether a response to the query was received from the selected operator, an

indication of the length of time required for the selected operator to transmit the

response, and the response.

21. A support and information system according to Claim 19 further comprising

session logs database and for generating operator performance reports based upon

the session logs.

22. A support and information system according to Claim 19 further comprising

session logs database and for updating the operator information based upon the

session logs.

23. A support and information system according to Claim 19 further comprising

logs database and for transmitting the retrieved session log to the user.

24. A support and information system according to Claim 15 wherein said software

executing on said computer for determining to which query topic the query relates

comprises software for displaying a plurality of supported topics and for allowing the

user to choose to which of the supported topics the query relates.

25. A method for providing support and information comprising the steps of:

providing a computer;

receiving a query via the internet;

providing a database accessible by the computer, the database containing

operator information regarding a plurality of operators, the operator information

comprising an indication of at least one supported topic for which each of the plurality

of operators is knowledgeable;

examining the database in response to the received query to automatically

determine which of the plurality of operators is knowledgeable about the query,

automatically determining to which of the knowledgeable operators the query will be

transmitted, and automatically transmitting the query to the determined operator;

establishing a communication link between the determined operator and the

user; and

wherein each of said receiving, examining and establishing steps may be

repeated such that multiple communication links may be established simultaneously

for each of the plurality of operators.

26. A method according to Claim 25 wherein the operator information further

comprises an indication of the number of queries each of the plurality of operators is

currently answering, and wherein said automatically determining to which of the

knowledgeable operators the query will be transmitted step comprises the step of

automatically determining that the query will be transmitted to the knowledgeable

operator currently answering the least queries.

27. A method according to Claim 26 wherein the operator information further

comprises an indication of the maximum number of queries each of the plurality of

operators is permitted to answer at one time, said automatically determining to which

of the knowledgeable operators the query will be transmitted step comprises the step

of automatically determining that the query will be transmitted to a knowledgeable

number of queries for that operator and currently answering the least queries.

28. A method according to Claim 25 further comprising the step of receiving a

response to the query from the selected operator and transmitting the response to the

user through the communication link.

29. A method according to Claim 28 further comprising the step of providing a

session logs database accessible by the computer having stored thereon a plurality of

session logs, each of the plurality of session logs comprising the query, an indication

of the selected operator, an indication of whether a response to the query was

received from the selected operator, an indication of the length of time required for the

selected operator to transmit the response, and the response.

30. A method according to Claim 29 further comprising the step of examining the

session logs stored on the session logs database and generating operator

performance reports based upon the session logs.

31. A method according to Claim 29 further comprising the step of examining the

session logs stored on the session logs database and updating the operator

information based upon the session logs.

32. A method according to Claim 29 further comprising the step of retrieving a

session log from the session logs database and transmitting the retrieved session log

to the user.

33. A method according to Claim 25 further comprising the step of determining a

topic to which the query relates.

34. A method according to Claim 25 further comprising the step of displaying a

plurality of supported topics and allowing the user to choose to which of the supported

topics the query relates.