WO2002067171A1

WO2002067171A1 - Helpdesk system

Info

Publication number: WO2002067171A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2002/000020
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael John Douglas Hornsby
Original assignee: Compudigm International Limited
Priority date: 2001-02-23
Filing date: 2002-02-25
Publication date: 2002-08-29

Abstract

The invention provides a helpdesk system in which a plurality of customer workstations are connected to the server over a network or networks and a plurality of staff workstations are connected to the server over the network(s), each staff workstation operated by a staff member having a knowledge level within one of a plurality of predefined knowledge levels. The helpdesk system includes a fault log stored in computer memory comprising a plurality of fault report records representing problems experienced by one or more customers, a data entry component enabling a customer from a customer workstation to enter a fault report record in the fault log, and a fault manager configured to assign to each fault report record one of the predefined knowledge levels to enable each fault to be actioned by a staff member having the corresponding knowledge level.

Description

HELPDESK SYSTEM

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a helpdesk system, particularly but not solely designed for assisting customer enquiries in a low cost and timely fashion.

BACKGROUND TO INVENTION

The increasing reliance of businesses on computers and their networks for information storage and transmittal means that commercial organisations must have appropriate systems to monitor and maintain these resources. A commonly used system is a helpdesk that answers enquiries about faults and attempts to provide resources to remedy any problems. Helpdesks are commonly implemented by way of telephone, fax or email.

One difficulty with existing helpdesk solutions is that they operate at a high cost, requiring a team of support representatives to answer phone enquiries. The high cost of maintaining a skilled team of support representatives often means that an organisation must base its helpdesk offshore. Customers contacting the helpdesk in one country are suddenly confronted by a skilled person with an accent from another country, which may have a detrimential effect on the confidence the customer places in that helpdesk.

It would be particularly advantageous to provide a low-cost helpdesk which does not require a team of support representatives and which could be located in any country with no detrimental effect to the confidence placed on the helpdesk by the customer.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In broad terms the invention comprises a helpdesk system comprising a plurality of customer workstations connected to a server over a network or networks; a plurality of staff workstations connected to the server over the network(s), each staff workstation operated by a staff member having a knowledge level within one of a plurality of predefined knowledge levels; a fault log stored in computer memory comprising a plurality of fault report records representing problems experienced by one or more customers; a data entry component enabling a customer from a customer workstation to enter a fault report record in the fault log; and a fault manager configured to assign to each fault report record one of the predefined knowledge levels to enable each fault to be actioned by a staff member having the corresponding knowledge level.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Preferred forms of the helpdesk system will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a system in which one form of the invention may be implemented; and

Figure 2 shows a sample fault report record.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED FORMS

Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of the preferred system 10 in which one form of the present invention may be implemented. The system 10 includes one or more helpdesk staff members 20, for example staff 20A, 20B and 20C. The staff members could be employees or consultants providing technical assistance to an organisation and its customers. Each staff member 20 is preferably connected to a network or networks 30, for example the Internet shown at 30. The system also includes one or more customers and/or prospective customers 40, for example 40A, 40B and 40C. The system 10 provides an Internet-based helpdesk package that manages requests for technical assistance, from both customers 40 and staff members 20. The system 10 could include one or more features to assist customers with their suggestions or problems.

The system 10 could include a knowledge base stored in a memory and indicated generally at 50. The knowledge base 50 in turn could comprise a "frequently asked question page" 60, a searchable knowledge base 70 and a bug report 80. The various components of the knowledge base 50 could be stored in one or more memories and accessible over the Internet 30.

The frequently asked question page or FAQ 60 preferably comprises a plurality of repeated or frequently asked problems and their solutions. The FAQ 60 could comprise a generic FAQ and/or a version specific FAQ linked from the same web address. The FAQ 60 provides 24 hour access to documentation and support articles which are searchable by the customer 40. Preferably the FAQ 60 is able to be updated by support staff 20 upon finding a fix for a problem that does not already exist.

The knowledge base 50 could further comprise a searchable knowledge base 70 which could be updated by support staff 20 upon finding a fix for a problem that does not already exist. The searchable knowledge base 70 is preferably database driven and searchable by customer 40.

The knowledge base 50 preferably further comprises a bug reporting component 80 comprising bug tracking software updated by staff 20 and customers 40 and searchable by both staff 20 and customers 40 to find known bugs. It is envisaged that the search engine could include a user definable limit to the number of results returned.

It is also envisaged that the knowledge base 50 includes bug reporting software updated by staff 20 and searchable by both staff 20 and customers 40 to find and store details of known bugs. The system 10 preferably further comprises a feature request database 90 which enables a customer 40 to request new and additional features for product development and/or product design.

A customer tracker 100 monitors traffic through the website and may for example track the steps taken by a customer 40 to resolve a helpdesk request. In this way a support technician would know immediately how to assist the customer 40. Management of the organisation and/or site support engineers would have an understanding of how the website is used by the customer 40 to enable support supervisors to find and understand deficiencies in any of the components of the system, enabling constant improvement in the support structure.

The system 10 may further comprise a fault log 110 to enable both staff 20 and customers 40 to enter faults into an electronic log. By using a wizard or similar, the staff 20 or customers 40 could elaborate and describe the type, description and severity of the fault for which helpdesk assistance is required. The fault log assists in determining an entry point in a job queue for a helpdesk request. In one form the customer 40 could enter hardware and software configuration of the customer computer into the fault log 110 to assist a technician in diagnosing the problem.

Figure 2 illustrates a sample fault report record 200. Using a data entry component such as a specific computer-based wizard or similar, the user could enter data such as who the fault is reported by, when the fault was reported, when a response is due and when the fault log is to be closed. Each fault report record is preferably identified by a unique identifier, for example a case identifier. A software-based fault manager could supplement the data entered by the user to enter, for example, a case type, a status, a priority and a service agreement involving the customer.

Preferably each staff member in the organisation is assigned a knowledge level within one of a plurality of predefined knowledge levels. For example, one group of staff members members may have the appropriate knowledge to provide "online help", a further group of staff members could have the knowledge level of a "technician" empowered to take control of a customer workstation remotely, and a third group of staff members could comprise

"developers".

The fault manager could assign to each fault report record 200 one of these predefined knowledge levels to enable each fault to be actioned by a staff member having the corresponding knowledge level. The fault report record in Figure 2 involving a general fault has been assigned the "online help" knowledge level for action by a staff member having a particular knowledge level. Alternatively, for other predefined fault types, the fault manager could alternatively assign to a fault report record a "technician" or "developer" knowledge level enabling these particular faults to be actioned by either a technician or a developer.

It is envisaged that where a staff member having an "online help" knowledge level cannot resolve a problem using electronic communication with a customer, that staff member could direct that the fault manager assign a new knowledge level to the fault, for example "technician" or "developer".

In this way, the system 10 could be single or multi-tiered to address issues of differing importance, difficulty and levels of knowledge required to fix a problem. For example, problems that can't be solved using the system 10 could be escalated and investigated personally by a technician. Any suitable method could be used to implement this process, including the use of remote administration software, where the technician takes control of the workstation from where the fault has been reported, allowing diagnosis and rectification. Should resolution not be possible, the fault can then be handed on to a third level, for example a developer and so on.

The system 10 may further comprise a reporting component such as report generator 120 enabling the generation and viewing of customised reports on performance indicators, which may include website usage, knowledge base usability and the percentage of calls created/resolved, hit/failure ratios, technician efficiency report, and call resolution by technician. These reports could be in any form, for example numerical and/or visual. In one form a data visualisation tool could be used for reports such as that described in our patent specification WO 00/00099 entitled "Data Visualisation System and Method" filed on 14 June 2000 in the name of Compudigm International Limited.

The invention provides a low cost helpdesk system which does not require a large team of support representatives. The system places requests in a queue where the order may be defined by factors such as time, priority or service level agreement. This allows a user to monitor the progress of enquiries at any time and introduces accountability to the process by assigning technicians to jobs. The system has the further benefit that the actual location of the staff members 20 relative to the customer 40 is not important. The customer 40 making a helpdesk request will not know or be aware of the geographic location of the staff member 20.

The above system is flexible and can be tailored for specific and multi-customer environments. For this reason, once the system 10 is implemented in an organisation, the system can easily accommodate and support multiple products, solutions and customers without the need for any further development.

The foregoing describes the invention including preferred forms thereof. Alterations and modifications as will be obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be incorporated within the scope hereof, as defined by the accompanying claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A helpdesk system comprising: a plurality of customer workstations connected to a server over a network or networks; a plurality of staff workstations connected to the server over the network(s), each staff workstation operated by a staff member having a knowledge level within one of a plurality of predefined knowledge levels; a fault log stored in computer memory comprising a plurality of fault report records representing problems experienced by one or more customers; a data entry component enabling a customer from a customer workstation to enter a fault report record in the fault log; and a fault manager configured to assign to each fault report record one of the predefined knowledge levels to enable each fault to be actioned by a staff member having the corresponding knowledge level.

2. A helpdesk system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a knowledge base stored in computer memory of problems experienced by one or more customers, and solutions for the plurality of problems, the knowledge base arranged to be searchable by a customer from a customer workstation, and arranged to be both searchable and updateable by a staff member from a staff workstation.

3. A helpdesk system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the knowledge base further comprises a search engine to enable searching by keyword.

4. A helpdesk system as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the knowledge base further comprises a "frequently asked question page" comprising a list of frequently asked questions and solutions.

5. A helpdesk system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a plurality of defects or bugs known to staff.

6. A helpdesk system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a feature request database in which is stored a plurality of features desired by customers, the feature request database arranged to be searchable and updateable by a customer from a customer workstation.

7. A helpdesk system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a customer tracking component arranged to monitor usage of the system by customers.

8. A helpdesk system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a reporting component arranged to generate reports on usage of the system by customers.