"Smart Icons" in Molloy Group's TOP Of MIND 5.1 Support Software Amplify Training and Enable Problem-Solving Through Unique Knowledge Workflow.PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 1997--Molloy Group, Inc., the industry leader in knowledge based software for customer support automation, has enhanced its TOP Of MIND(R) customer service/help desk software to provide smarter problem resolution and further reduce the burden of staff training. TOP Of MIND Release 5.1, including the enhancements, began shipping in September 1997. Widely regarded as the simplest and most effective problem resolution system in customer support, TOP Of MIND has become significantly more intuitive with the addition of Smart Icons(TM). This new feature enables troubleshooting analysts, when they interact with the TOP Of MIND knowledge base, to see graphically, and instantly, the optimal path to a quick resolution. TOP Of MIND is designed to increase customer satisfaction through higher first call resolution. Using its unique problem diagnosis and resolution technology, the Cognitive Processor(R), the software accumulates and distributes the collective knowledge of the customer support staff. The system, in effect, learns from the experience of its users. Cognitive Processing takes knowledge-based customer support beyond the traditional procedure of pairing problems and solutions in a database or document archive. Rather, it establishes a knowledge workflow process that reinforces and augments staff training, so that analysts can more successfully apply knowledge developed by their peers. Smart Icons provide a powerful refinement of this continuous self-training concept. A unique feature of the Cognitive Processor is the user interface, which presents likely problem diagnoses, solutions and the like in dynamically ordered "Smart Picklists." The analyst investigating, for example, the probable diagnosis for a computer problem clicks a "button" on the screen next to the Diagnosis field in TOP Of MIND. Various diagnoses are displayed in a list, in descending order of likelihood, based on the collective experience of the support group and the other information provided for the current problem. Overlaid o·ver·laid v. Past tense and past participle of overlay1. on this list is a color-coded bar graph, which illustrates both the likelihood of each diagnosis and how it was derived. Other data fields feature similar Smart Picklists for Symptoms, Actions, Components and other dimensions Other Dimensions is a collection of stories by author Clark Ashton Smith. It was released in 1970 and was the author's sixth collection of stories published by Arkham House. It was released in an edition of 3,144 copies. of the problem. With TOP Of MIND 5.1, the button used to call up the picklist is now a Smart Icon. The icon displays a graphical representation of the current "state" of the underlying picklist. By watching the Smart Icons, the analyst instantly knows when there is enough information to suggest a reliable solution to the problem -- often before all of the data fields have been filled. Applied Knowledge "The most successful resolutions to problems are likely to be those that experience has shown to work in similar cases," says Bruce G. Molloy, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Molloy Group. "Those are highlighted in red and naturally rise to the top of the Smart Picklist. Solutions that are reasonable but are selected with lower confidence levels are highlighted in blue. The highlight is actually a bar on a graph superimposed su·per·im·pose tr.v. su·per·im·posed, su·per·im·pos·ing, su·per·im·pos·es 1. To lay or place (something) on or over something else. 2. on the list. The analyst is most confident when the choices include just one or two red-highlighted solutions at the top of the list; there's clear differentiation there. "For common, repetitive problems, the answer may be clear as soon as you define the problem," Molloy explains. "You know when you've arrived at that point of success just by viewing the Smart Icon next to the Action field. This can save the analyst and customer a lot of unnecessary steps." Conversely con·verse 1 intr.v. con·versed, con·vers·ing, con·vers·es 1. To engage in a spoken exchange of thoughts, ideas, or feelings; talk. See Synonyms at speak. 2. , Smart Icons signal the analyst when a problem is more complex than it initially seems. The analyst, looking at the symptom, may assume the problem is caused by one specific hardware or software component. If that is the case, there will be only one or two red highlights at the top of the Components picklist, and the Smart Icon will show this. If the Smart Icon does not show one or two obvious candidates, the analyst immediately knows the situation may be more complicated. "Smart Icons suggest a more intelligent, flexible way of problem-solving," Molloy says. "Older, more rigid techniques such as decision trees or case-based reasoning An AI problem solving technique that catalogs experience into "cases" and matches the current problem to the experience. Such systems are easier to maintain than rule-based expert systems, because changes require adding new cases without the complexity of adding new rules. tend to force problem-solving into a prescribed order of steps. For any given problem, that workflow may or may not make sense. Smart Icons provide visual cues to suggest, at each stage, what is the next most important question to ask. It's especially important to have these kinds of tools in workgroup problem solving problem solving Process involved in finding a solution to a problem. Many animals routinely solve problems of locomotion, food finding, and shelter through trial and error. , where an analyst typically is providing information discovered and authored by someone else." The Leader in Problem Resolution TOP Of MIND received the latest in a continuing stream of industry accolades -- the "Recommended" award from the Computer Reseller News Test Laboratory -- in July 1997, after a rigorous evaluation. The product is a client/server customer support system with a flexible architecture and connectivity with popular systems management, network management, asset management and telephony software. Cognitive Processing (Pat. pending), the knowledge management technology that powers TOP Of MIND, is based on a unique melding of fuzzy logic fuzzy logic, a multivalued (as opposed to binary) logic developed to deal with imprecise or vague data. Classical logic holds that everything can be expressed in binary terms: 0 or 1, black or white, yes or no; in terms of Boolean algebra, everything is in one set or and neural network neural network or neural computing, computer architecture modeled upon the human brain's interconnected system of neurons. Neural networks imitate the brain's ability to sort out patterns and learn from trial and error, discerning and extracting techniques. Mimicking the human brain by assimilating as·sim·i·late v. as·sim·i·lat·ed, as·sim·i·lat·ing, as·sim·i·lates v.tr. 1. Physiology a. To consume and incorporate (nutrients) into the body after digestion. b. unstructured common-sense information, the system enables users to have a dialogue with it. This is a powerful, practical improvement over other knowledge base tools, which employ slow and complicated text search or database retrieval technology. Molloy Group is dedicated to excellence in knowledge-based products and services for help desk and customer service organizations, and their customers. Its flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. , TOP Of MIND(R) Help Desk, is a full-featured customer support application built around the Cognitive Processor(R) -- widely recognized as the simplest, most reliable and most cost-effective problem resolution tool available. TOP Of MIND has received awards such as Network VAR's Integrator's Choice Award and LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. Magazine's Product of the Year. Internet Knowledge Kiosk extends this unique technology to the biggest, challenging "enterprise" environment of all: The World Wide Web. The Company markets its products worldwide, directly and through resellers. Through its Professional Services (job) professional services - A department of a supplier providing consultancy and programming manpower for the supplier's products. operation, Molloy Group delivers consulting, integration and education services for a comprehensive help desk offering. For more information on Molloy Group products and services, contact Molloy Group at Four Century Drive, Parsippany, NJ 07054; telephone 973 540-1212; fax 973 292-9407; e-mail info@molloy.com. Visit Molloy Group on the World Wide Web -- http://www.molloy.com. -0- Note to Editors: Graphics are available in BMP (1) (BitMaP) Also known as a "bump" file, it is the native, bitmapped graphics format in Windows. A BMP can be saved in several color options: 1-, 4-, 8- and 24-bit color provide 2, 16, 256 and 16,000,000 colors respectively. BMP files use the .BMP or . , EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) A PostScript file format used to transfer a graphic image between applications and platforms. EPS files contain PostScript code as well as an optional preview image in TIFF, WMF, PICT or EPSI, the latter being an ASCII-only format. , TIFF and other formats; call Susan Molloy at 973 540-1212 ext. 249 for details. CONTACT: Molloy Group Bruce Molloy, CEO Peter Dorfman, Director of Corporate Communications Corporate communications is the process of facilitating information and knowledge exchanges with internal and key external groups and individuals that have a direct relationship with an enterprise. (973) 540-1212 or Corinne de Palma Palma or Palma de Mallorca (päl`mä thā mälyôr`kä), city (1990 pop. 325,120), capital of Majorca island and of Baleares prov., Spain, on the Bay of Palma. Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most Corinne de Palma (212) 799-6088 |
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