Patent ID: 7225139

Claim:
A trouble tracking system, comprising: a server in communication with an electronic network; a database in communication with the server, the database storing a plurality of trouble tickets; a user computer in communication with the network and having access, via a graphical user interface (GUI), to the server, the graphical user interface including at least one screen, the screen being operable to manually enter a new trouble ticket along with (i) a person responsible for resolving the ticket, (ii) a severity level for the trouble ticket with the severity being indicated as a number on a scale between an initial number indicating a lowest severity and a last number indicating a highest severity wherein the number is manually entered via the GUI and is fixed until being manually changed via the GUI, (iii) an indication that a status of the trouble ticket has been escalated where the trouble ticket has not been timely resolved such that a higher level of management is required wherein the indication that a status of the trouble ticket has been escalated is manually entered via the GUI and is fixed until being manually changed via the GUI, (iv) an identifier of a process in which a problem has occurred that has necessitated the trouble ticket, an identifier of a root of the process in which the problem has occurred; and wherein the screen is further operable to store the trouble ticket in the database; a duplicate ticket module in communication with the database wherein the duplicate ticket module periodically screens the trouble tickets to identify one or more duplicate trouble tickets, flags the one or more duplicate trouble tickets to associate the one or more duplicate trouble tickets, detects closure of a ticket flagged as a duplicate, and closes all of the one or more duplicates that are associated with the closed ticket; a paging system, in communication with the server, wherein when the severity level associated with the trouble ticket is above a predetermined threshold number on the scale, the server automatically initiates a call to the person responsible via the paging system; and means for communicating with and sharing trouble ticket data with an organization that operates under outside contract, the organization assigning its own tracking number to a given trouble ticket, the tracking number being stored in the database of the trouble tracking system, wherein the database stores information relating to whether an attempted resolution of a trouble ticket by outsourced personnel who work for the organization has been approved by internal personnel for whom the outsourced personnel are working and wherein the trouble ticket is designated as closed within the database upon the information relating to approval being provided by the internal personnel and indicating that the resolution is approved.