Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Technical Field  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to the resolution of issues or problems associated with a software application, and more particularly, to the resolution of issues presented during use of a software application with particular data describing the condition of the software application and/or the information, data or files associated therewith at the time the issue occurred and the issue or problem as described in text entered by the user of the software application.  
         [0003]     2. Background Art  
         [0004]     Software developers and vendors (hereinafter “Developers) continually strive to make their products and services more user friendly, understandable, and problem free. Batteries of tests are performed during development, followed by alpha and beta releases to certain customers for further testing. The certain customers inform the Developers of additional problems, not uncovered by the quality assurance engineers, with the software and issues concerning the usability of the user interface. User interface problems present themselves when someone unfamiliar with the software application or the data or files associated with the application uses certain unfamiliar functionality of the products. The data or files associated with the application include third party databases, data files integral to the software application, and the like. Developers continually strive to improve the usability of the software applications and the data or files upon which they work, but usability of the software application continues to be an ongoing concern.  
         [0005]     Following the alpha and beta trials, the software application is released to the public. Upon public release, the software application may have certain mechanisms to allow customers to obtain answers to certain questions about the application. Over time, different mechanisms for improving the usability of software applications have been developed, some include automatic bug reports, help files, and generally customer service centers.  
         [0006]     Automated bug reports do not help a customer to understand better how to use the software application, but do allow the software manufacturer to become aware of issues presented in the application and eventually resolve the issues. Automated bug reports generally occur following an error condition triggered in the software. This error condition could be an erroneous memory fault, a file protection error, and the like. Once the error condition is triggered, the software application may ask the user if they wish to file a bug report or close out of the application. If they wish to file the bug report, the software application sends a message to the Developer describing the conditions upon which the error condition was triggered, but does not capture the condition of any information, data or files in use with the software application at the time the issue presented. Unfortunately, these bug reports are not customer initiated, they are initiated by an error condition imbedded in the software, and the Developer does not report back to the customer educating the customer in order to educate the customer to better use the software, such that the problem does not happen in the future.  
         [0007]     Help files allow users to look up information pertaining to certain functions of the software application. Help files may provide users with answers to customer specified questions or allow a customer to look through a software application manual for information. However, these help files are not generally very user friendly and are dependant on keywords or hierarchical organization used by the user to call up a help file. If the user is not familiar with the proper keyword or location within the hierarchical organization, the search of the help files will result in a return of help files irrelevant to the issue presented or the user&#39;s actual need.  
         [0008]     Alternatively, some software manufacturers provide customer service operators who are available to answer questions. These customer service operators are generally well trained and can answer many of the questions asked by customers about their area of expertise. Unfortunately, many of the problems experienced by users of software applications are situation specific and in many cases customer specified data specific. The customer using the software application must painstakingly describe the problem he or she is confronted with and hope that the customer service operator has the knowledge to answer the question. All too often, especially as the tests run by the quality assurance engineers improve, the customer service operator cannot answer the question posed by the customer without access to the particular data, information or files being worked on by the customer or without access to the computer the customer is working on because the problems experienced by customers are increasingly instance, information, data or file specific.  
         [0009]     Accordingly, there exists a need for a customer driven technique able to specify information describing an issue or problem encountered by a customer to a customer service agent in order to allow issues presented, when using software application and associated information, data or files, to be resolved by an appropriate, knowledgeable customer service agent.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     An object of the present invention is to provide a customer driven technique able to automatically specify information describing an issue or problem encountered by a customer to a customer service agent in order to allow the situation to be resolved by an appropriate, knowledgeable customer service agent.  
         [0011]     A further object of the present invention is to provide a technique whereby the user is not required to painstakingly define the conditions under which the user experienced the issue or problem to a customer service representative or specialist.  
         [0012]     It is also an object of the present invention to provide a technique for a providing a customer specific archive of past issues or problems and the solutions thereto, accessible to the user.  
         [0013]     In order to meet these objectives and others that will become apparent with reference to the disclosure below, in one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method and logic arrangement are provided for resolving a service request. The method includes receiving a service request including information describing select attributes of a software application, information, data or files in use by a user, generating a service request response, and sending the service request response to the received service request describing at least one reason for the current condition of the software application, information, data or files in use.  
         [0014]     In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a system for resolving a service request is provided. The system includes a server and a data analysis system. The server is configured to receive a service request including information describing select attributes of a software application initiated by a user, to generate a service request response, and to send a service request response describing at least one reason for the current condition of the select attributes of the software application. The server includes a processor and a database. The processor is configured to generate tracking information describing various attributes of the service request, assign a data analysis specialist to review the service request, and generate a service request analysis message based upon the information contained within the service request. The database is coupled to the processor and configured to store the information contained in the service request and the tracking information in a service request record on a data storage device. The data analysis system is in communication with the server and configured to receive the service request analysis message and send a service request analysis response generated by the data analysis specialist, wherein the processor receives the service request analysis response and generates the service request response based upon the information contained within the service request analysis response.  
         [0015]     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated and constitute part of this disclosure, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary system for opening a service incident report and receiving information pertaining to that particular service incident report from a data analysis specialist in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 2 . is a flow chart of a user driven process for opening or reviewing a service incident in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 3A  is a flow chart illustrating a process for receiving service incidents from client systems in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3B  is a flow chart illustrating a process for receiving proposed resolutions, requests for additional information, or other status updates concerning service incidents analyzed by a data analysis system in accordance with the present invention; and  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart of a process for receiving data analysis service incident messages from an application server and processing the data analysis service incident messages in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
       [0021]     Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals and characters, unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like features, elements, components or portions of the illustrated embodiments. Moreover, while the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the Figs., it is done so in connection with the illustrative embodiments.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described.  FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram of a service incident reporting and resolution system  100 . The service incident system  100  allows a user to open a service incident report and receive information pertaining to that particular service incident report from a data analysis specialist. The user initiates this process by logging into a software application. The user may use the software application to process data, generate reports, and the like. Upon discovery of an issue or problem with either the functionality of the software application, certain information, files or processed data, generated reports or the like, the user may submit a service incident report describing the condition of the software application, information data, files or reports and certain other information detailed by the user.  
         [0023]     The service incident system  100  includes an application server  102 , a communications network  110 , a client system  120 , a client computer  130 , and a data analysis system  140 . The application server  102  provides software applications to the client systems  120 ,  130  for execution on the client systems  120 ,  130  receives information relating to service incidents, stores information relating to service incidents in the service incident database  104 , transmits information describing service incidents to the data analysis system  140 , and receives status or resolution information from the data analysis system  140 . The application server  102  transmits information to and receives information from the client systems  120 ,  130  and the data analysis system  140  via the communications network  110 . Preferably, the communications network  110  is the internet or a virtual private network between client and Developer.  
         [0024]     The client system  120  receives and transmits information relating to the software application. If a user desires to execute a software application not currently stored on the client system  120  or if an update to the software application is required prior to execution, the client system  120  downloads and stores the software application or update to the software application from the application server  102 . Once a valid copy of the software application is stored, the client system  120  begins execution thereof. During execution of the software application, the user may encounter an issue using the software application or an issue interpreting data, information, files, reports, documents, or the like. If the user encounters such an issue, the user may open a service incident by initiating a service incident report. Upon opening of a service incident, the client system  120  transmits a message to the application server  102  describing the current condition of the software application, data, reports, information, documents, and the like, and any additional information provided by the user.  
         [0025]     In a preferred embodiment, the software application is executed on the application server  102 , and information is displayed to the client system  120 . In another preferred embodiment, the software application is a web application, and as such is executed on the application server  102 , and information is displayed to the client system  120 .  
         [0026]     The application server  102  provides information to and stores information received from the client systems  120 ,  130  and the data analysis system  140 . The application server  102  includes a service incident database  104 , a processor  106  and a memory module  108 . The service incident database  104  stores all information received pertaining to each service incident in a respective service incident record. The memory module  108  stores each of the software applications along with other data. The processor  106  interfaces with the communications network  110 , the service incident database  104 , and the memory module  108  in order to respond to requests and/or transmissions from the client systems  120 ,  130  and the data analysis system  140 .  
         [0027]     In a preferred embodiment, the memory module  108  includes volatile and nonvolatile memory. In another preferred embodiment, the memory module  108  includes a hard disk drive.  
         [0028]     The data analysis system  140  receives information about each of the service incidents stored in the service incident database  104  and provides information to the application server  102  describing ways to resolve each of the service incidents, requests for additional information, and indications of which service incidents are irresolvable. The data analysis system  140  includes many specialist terminals configured to display information pertaining to a specified service incident. Data analysis specialists review this information and describe proposed solutions to the issues specified in the service incidents, requests for additional information, and indications of which service incidents are irresolvable which is then transmitted to the application server  102 .  
         [0029]     In a preferred embodiment, multiple data analysis systems  140  are utilized. In another preferred embodiment, each data analysis system  140  includes a single specialist terminal.  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  illustrates a user driven process  200  for opening or reviewing a service incident. A service incident is a report, eventually transmitted to the application server  102 , describing an issue or problem a user is having with a software application that shall be reviewed by a data analysis specialist for resolution and reporting back to the user. The issue with the software application can be related to the usability of the software application, the particular data being presented to the user, or the like. The process  200  begins at step  202  by providing a username-password combination. The customer provides the username-password combination, clicks on a login button, and the process  200  advances to step  204 .  
         [0031]     At step  204 , the process  200  determines if the username-password combination was recognized by the application server  102 . If the username-password combination was recognized, the process  200  advances to step  208 . If the username-password combination was not recognized, the process  200  advances to step  206 . At step  206 , the process  200  determines whether the customer has attempted to log into the system at least three consecutive times. If the customer has attempted to log into the system less than three consecutive times, the process  200  advances to step  202 , and the customer is allowed to attempt to log into the system again. Otherwise, the process  200  exits.  
         [0032]     At step  208  the user utilizes the functionality of the software application. The user may specify queries for desired data, files, information, format reports, analyze data or files presented or accessed by the software application, and the like. While performing these operations, the user may encounter an issue with the software application or an issue in understanding or using data, information or files presented or accessed by the software application. If the user experiences no issue or problem with the software application, data, information, or files, the process advances to step  218 , as shown at step  210 . If the user encounters an issue or problem with the software application or a question about the data being presented, the user may elect to open a service incident by clicking on an appropriate help button. If the user clicks on the appropriate help button, the process  200  advances to step  212 .  
         [0033]     In a preferred embodiment, the appropriate help button may be replaced by an appropriate menu option, hyper-link, or alternative software object.  
         [0034]     At step  212 , the process  200  initiates the opening of the service incident. The process  200  collects information describing the current condition of the software application, including the information, data or files displayed on the screen, the current work product, the current state of the software application, along with other parameters or variables describing the current status of the client system  130 . The current work product could be a document, a spreadsheet, a report, a database, and the like. For example, if a user was using a report generating application, where the user specifies particular data queries and the report generating application generates a report based on the responses to the data queries from a group of continually changing databases, the current work product would be the particular report, based on the information contained in the group of databases current as of the time the particular data queries were executed. The current state of the software application may include a history of actions taken by the user, the current software application options selected by the user, the current status of the controls operating on the current work products, the current software application options for this instance of the software application, the global default software application options for each instance of the software application and the like. For purposes of this application, an instance of the software application is a process executing the software application. Once the process  200  collects the appropriate information, the process  200  advances to step  214 .  
         [0035]     At step  214 , the process  200  presents the user with a text box. The user is prompted to describe the issue presented to the user. The user can ask questions about the particular data the user is analyzing, the functions of the software application, and the like. Once the user specifies his or her question, the user submits the service incident. The process  200  transmits the information describing the service incident to the application server  102  for the application server  102  to open a new service incident record in the service incident database  104 .  
         [0036]     At step  216 , the user determines whether he or she would like to continue using the software application. If the user decides to terminate the application, the process  200  exits. Otherwise, the process  200  advances to step  208 .  
         [0037]     At step  218 , the user determines whether he or she would like to check on the status of an open service incident. If the user elects not to check on the status of an open service incident, the process  200  advances to step  208 . If the user elects to check on the status of an open service incident, the process  200  advances to step  220 .  
         [0038]     At step  220 , the process  200  determines if any service incidents are associated with the user. If no service incidents are associated with the user, the process  200  advances to step  221 . The process  200  informs the user that no service incidents are associated with the user, and the process  200  advances to step  208 . If at least one service incident is associated with the user, the process  200  advances to step  222 .  
         [0039]     At step  222 , the process  200  displays a list of service incidents opened by the user and the status of each of them. The user can select and review each of the service incidents to review the information provided and the proposed solution for each service incident at step  224 . Once the customer selects a service incident, the process  200  presents the user with the information collected upon opening of the service incident, the question or questions provided by the user during the initial opening of the service incident or at subsequent times, and a proposed solution to the issue, a request for additional information, or an indication that the service incident is irresolvable. The solution is a proposed solution, because the information provided by the data analysis specialist may resolve a service incident, while other service incidents may remain unresolved even though information was provided by the data analysis specialist in the hopes of resolving the service incident.  
         [0040]     Upon review of the proposed solution to the service incident, the user may not understand the proposed solution to the issue, the proposed solution may not rectify the issue to the user&#39;s full satisfaction or the proposed solution may raise additional questions. At step  226 , the user may elect to ask additional questions about the service incident. If the user elects to ask additional questions, the process  200  advances to step  228 . Otherwise, if the user is satisfied with the proposed solution, the client system  130  sends a message to the application server  102  indicating that the service incident is closed, and the process advances to step  216 .  
         [0041]     At step  228 , the process  200  re-opens the service incident. The process  200  collects the information describing the original service incident and any additional information that may exist, including any user provided information. After the process  200  collects this information, it presents the user with a text box. The user is prompted to describe the nature of the issue in the text box provided on the screen at step  230 . After the user describes the nature of the issue, the newly updated service incident is transmitted to the application server  102 , and the process  200  advances to step  216 .  
         [0042]      FIG. 3A  illustrates a process  300  where the application server  102  receives service incidents from the client systems  120 ,  130 . The process  300  begins at step  302  when the application server  102  receives a service incident message from either of the client systems  120 ,  130 . The service incident message contains information describing a service incident. The service incident can be new or can be a request for additional clarification of an existing service incident. At step  304 , the process  300  determines if the service incident message contains information describing a new service incident or an existing service incident. If the message contains information describing a new service incident, the process  300  advances to step  306 . Otherwise, the process  300  advances to step  312 .  
         [0043]     In a preferred embodiment, the process  300  may be one of many customer relationship management (“CRM”) software tools. In another preferred embodiment, the process  300  is the Onyx CRM software tool, which is available from Onyx Software, 3180 139th Ave SE, Suite 500, Bellevue, Wash. 98005-4091.  
         [0044]     At step  306 , the application server  102  opens a new service incident record in the service incident database  104 . Upon creation and population of the new service incident record, the service incident database  104  will contain information collected by the process  200 , including the state of the software application the information provided by the user. The process  300  logs additional information into the service incident record, including an indication that the status of the service request is currently unresolved, an identifier indicative of the software application that originated the service incident, the time the service incident was received by the application server  102 , the type of issue represented by the service incident (if discernable by the information describing the state of the software application), the time the service incident was resolved (which is initialized to a known value along with additional service incident tracking information), and the like.  
         [0045]     At step  310 , the application server  102  assigns and transmits the service incident to a data analysis specialist. The assignment to a data analysis specialist is in part based on the time of receipt, the type of issue represented by the service incident, the software application that originated the service incident, and availability of data analysis specialists. Once the service incident is assigned to a particular data analysis specialist, the application server  102  updates the service incident record to reflect the selected data analysis specialist and transmits a data analysis service incident message containing the information contained by the service incident record to the data analysis specialist at the data analysis system  140  and the process  300  exits.  
         [0046]     At step  312 , the application server  102  determines what information needs to be added to the service incident record in the service incident database  104 . The application server  102  accomplishes this by comparing the information contained in the service incident message against the information contained in the service incident record. The application server  102  adds the new information to the service incident record and updates the status to reflect that the service incident is unresolved. The process  300  also logs another set of additional information into the service incident record, reflecting the new addition to the service incident, including the time the new addition to the service incident was received by the application server  102 , the type of issue represented by the new addition to the service incident (if discernable by the information describing the state of the software application), the time the new addition to the service incident was resolved (initialized to a known value), and the like. This another set of additional information does not overwrite the additional information added to the service incident record upon the receipt of previous service incident message or messages.  
         [0047]     At step  314 , the process  300  retrieves the information identifying the data analysis specialist who worked on the service incident previously. Once the previous data analysis specialist is identified, the process  300  determines whether the same data analysis specialist is available at step  316 . The same data analysis specialist is available if the specialist is currently logged-in to at the data analysis system  140 . If the data analysis specialist is currently available, the process  300  advances to step  318 , assigns the service incident to the same data analysis specialist, transmits a data analysis service incident message, and exits. This allows the data analysis specialist who is most acquainted with the issue to provide additional help to the user. Otherwise, the process  300  advances to step  320 .  
         [0048]     At step  320 , the application server  102  assigns and transmits the service incident to a new data analysis specialist. The assignment to a data analysis specialist is in part based on the time of receipt, the type of issue represented by the service incident, the software application that originated the service incident, and availability of data analysis specialists. Once the service incident is assigned to a particular data analysis specialist, the application server  102  updates the service incident record to reflect the selected data analysis specialist and transmits a data analysis service incident message containing the information contained by the service incident record to the data analysis specialist at the data analysis system  140  and the process  300  exits.  
         [0049]      FIG. 3B  illustrates a process  350  where the application server  102  receives proposed resolutions, requests for additional information, or other status updates concerning service incidents analyzed by the data analysis system  140 . The process  350  begins at step  351  when the application server  102  receives a data analysis service incident update message from the data analysis system  140 . The data analysis service incident update message contains information describing a service incident and additional information associated with the service incident provided by a data analysis specialist at the data analysis system  140 . The additional information associated with the service incident may request additional information, report that the service incident is irresolvable, describe a proposed resolution, or the like.  
         [0050]     At step  352 , the process  350  determines whether the data analysis service incident update message contains a request for additional information. If the update message contains such a request, the process  350  advances to step  354 . At step  354 , the service incident record is updated to reflect the data analysis specialist&#39;s request for additional information. Once the service incident record is updated, the process  350  exits. If the update message does not contain a request for additional information, the process  350  advances to step  356 .  
         [0051]     At step  356 , the process  350  determines whether the data analysis service incident update message contains information indicating that the service incident is irresolvable. If the update message contains information reporting that the service incident is irresolvable, the process  350  advances to step  358  where the application server  102  updates the service incident record to reflect that the service incident has been reported as irresolvable, thereafter the process  350  exits. If the update message does not contain this information, the process  350  advances to step  360 .  
         [0052]     At step  360 , the process  350  determines whether the data analysis service incident update message contains information indicating a proposed resolution to the service incident. If the update message contains such information, the process  350  advances to step  362  where the application server  102  updates the service incident record accordingly and the process  350  exits. Otherwise, the process  350  advances to step  364 , where the process  350  reports an error due to improper information contained in the update message, and the process  350  exits.  
         [0053]      FIG. 4  illustrates a process  400  whereby the data analysis system  140  receives data analysis service incident messages from the application server  102  and processes the data analysis service incident messages accordingly. The process  400  begins at step  402  when the data analysis system  140  receives a data analysis service incident message from the application server  102 . The data analysis service incident message contains information describing a service incident and an indication of a selected data analysis specialist.  
         [0054]     At step  404 , the data analysis system  140  displays information relevant to the service incident to the specialist terminal of the selected data analysis specialist. The selected data analysis specialist reviews the information displayed by the data analysis system  140  and may alter the data in various ways to attempt to determine a solution to the issue confronted and described by the user. Upon completion of review, the selected data analysis specialist indicates that his or her review of the service incident is complete and the process  400  advances to step  406 .  
         [0055]     At step  406 , the process  400  prompts the selected data analysis specialist to indicate whether the service incident was resolvable given the information contained in the data analysis service incident message. If the service incident was irresolvable given the available information, the process  400  advances to step  410 . Otherwise, the process  400  advances to step  408 . The selected data analysis specialist is given an opportunity to describe a proposed resolution to the service incident, and the data analysis system  140  transmits a data analysis service incident update message to the application server  102  for storage in the appropriate service incident record in the service incident database  104 . The data analysis service incident update message contains at least the proposed resolution to the service incident and an indication that a proposed resolution to the service incident has been provided. Once the data analysis service incident update message is transmitted to the application server  102 , the process  400  exits.  
         [0056]     At step  410 , the process  400  prompts the selected data analysis specialist to indicate whether the service incident was irresolvable due to insufficient information. If the service incident was irresolvable due to insufficient information, the process  400  advances to step  412  and the selected data analysis specialist is given an opportunity to specify a request of additional information from the user. The data analysis system  140  presents the selected data analysis specialist with a text box, within which the selected data analysis specialist can describe the type of information the selected data analysis specialist needs to propose a resolution to the service incident. Upon receipt of this additional information, the data analysis system  140  transmits a data analysis service incident update message to the application server  102  for storage in the appropriate service incident record in the service incident database  104 . The data analysis service incident update message contains at least the request for additional information necessary to resolve the service incident and an indication that additional information is required to resolve the service incident. Once the service incident message is transmitted to the application server  102 , the process  400  exits.  
         [0057]     If the service incident was irresolvable due factors other than insufficient information, the process  400  advances to step  414  and the selected data analysis specialist is given an opportunity to describe the reasons why the service incident is irresolvable. The data analysis system  140  presents the selected data analysis specialist with a text box. The selected data analysis specialist may describe the reasons the service incident is irresolvable. Upon receipt of this additional information, the data analysis system  140  transmits a service incident message to the application server  102  for storage in the appropriate service incident record in the service incident database  104 . The data analysis service incident update message contains at least the reasons the service incident is irresolvable and an indication that the service incident is irresolvable. Once the data analysis service incident update message is transmitted to the application server  102 , the process  400  exits.  
         [0058]     The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous techniques which, although not explicitly described herein, embody the principles of the invention and are thus within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Category: 3