Method of providing assistance to the end-user of a software application

摘要

A method of providing assistance to a remote end-user of an end-user software application from an agent of an assistance center is described. All the transactions initiated by the end-user of the end-user software application are recorded in a contextual database locally, for applications running exclusively on customer PC, or remotely, for Web applications. Instrumented pages are delivered to the end-user. They include each a help request means. A server of a desktop sharing application is installed in the PC of the agent. When the end-user is requesting assistance all the entries already made by the end-user on a current instrumented page are uploaded. A waiting page and a client side of the desktop sharing application are also downloaded to the PC of the end-user. The end-user to be assisted is assigned to the agent when available. Then, PC of the agent gets a clone of the current instrumented page from the contextual database and a secure communication tunnel between the agent and the end-user is established. The client side of the desktop sharing application is finally activated on the customer PC which lets end-user view desktop of the PC of the agent and allows starting an assistance session between the agent and the end-user. All that being done without any software pre-installation on the client PC.

主权项

1. A computer implemented method of providing assistance from an agent to an end-user, the method comprising:
storing actions initiated by the end-user in a contextual database, the actions characterizing an end-user session with a first software application, the session being opened from a first data processing device of the end-user; receiving a request for assistance from the first data processing device; retrieving, with a server side of an assistance service application, all entries performed by the end-user that have not been processed or transmitted to the first software application; sending a request for assistance assignment from the server side of the assistance service application to a client side of the assistance service application; receiving an acceptance of assistance assignment in the server side of the assistance service application from the client side of the assistance service application; in response to receiving the acceptance of assistance assignment, sending the retrieved entries from the server side of the assistance service application to the client side of the assistance service application; in response to receiving the request for assistance from the first data processing device, establishing a communication channel between the first data processing device and a second data processing device of the agent by configuring a tunnel between a server side of a desktop sharing application on the second data processing device and a client side of the desktop sharing application on the first data processing device; duplicating the end-user session on the second data processing device based on the stored actions in the contextual database by opening a clone of the end-user session with a second software application on a third data processing device; and displaying the duplicated end-user session on the first data processing device with the desktop sharing application, wherein the server side of the assistance service application is located remotely from the first data processing device and the client side of the assistance service application is located on the second data processing device.