Call Center Service Gateway for Network Switch Diagnostics and Provisioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional call centers lack direct access to network switches and billing systems, leading to inconsistent and inefficient responses to customer service issues, often requiring truck rolls and manual intervention by field technicians.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a call center-based automated interface that autonomously accesses and diagnoses network switches, providing a unified user interface for call center agents to diagnose and repair Internet services, including remote diagnostics and repair procedures for CPEs and network switches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional call center systems are used without direct access to network switches, then device complexity is reduced, but service diagnostic capability and repair efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a service gateway as an intermediary component that provides the call center with indirect access to network switches and billing systems. The gateway translates call center requests into appropriate network protocols and commands, enabling diagnostic and provisioning capabilities without requiring direct integration between the call center and network infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The service gateway is designed as a multi-functional system that handles multiple tasks including network switch access, billing system integration, service diagnostics, and provisioning operations. This universal approach consolidates multiple specialized systems into a single platform, improving service capability while managing complexity through consolidation.
2Productivity
If manual intervention and truck rolls are used for service issues, then automation level is reduced, but response consistency and efficiency improve
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated self-service diagnostics and repairs through the service gateway, which can autonomously diagnose network issues, retrieve billing information, and execute repair procedures without requiring field technician intervention. The gateway automatically interfaces with network switches to perform diagnostics and with billing systems to verify service status, resolving many issues remotely.
Solution Approach 2:
The service gateway performs preliminary diagnostic actions and service provisioning steps automatically before field technician deployment is considered. By pre-diagnosing issues and attempting automated repairs, the system filters out cases that do not require truck rolls, improving overall productivity and reducing unnecessary field visits.
3Ease of operation
If call center agents have limited access to service information, then system simplicity is maintained, but service quality and customer satisfaction deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The service gateway segments information access by providing call center agents with a simplified, standardized interface that presents service information in an organized and manageable format. Complex network and billing data are segmented into relevant categories, allowing agents to access only the information needed for their specific tasks without being overwhelmed by system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The service gateway acts as an intermediary layer between the complex backend systems (network switches, billing systems) and the call center agents. It translates complex system data into agent-friendly formats and provides consistent access to service information, improving ease of operation while managing information system complexity through abstraction.
Data Source
AI summary
Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing call center-based automated interface with network switches for Internet service diagnostics and provisioning. In various embodiments, in response to receiving a request by a call center user to access an Internet service customer account, a computing system may access information regarding the Internet service customer account that is stored in a database, may identify a network switch that is configured to provide Internet service to customer premises equipment (“CPE”) disposed at a customer premises associated with the customer, based at least in part on the accessed information, and may autonomously access, from other databases, information associated with the Internet service customer account and with a network profile. The computing system may integrate the accessed information, may generate and present a user interface (“UI”) displaying the accessed information, and may autonomously initiate one or more diagnosis and repair procedures.