Astea Enhances PowerHelp With CASE-1; Advanced Case-Based Reasoning Module.CHALFONT, Penn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 1995 -- Astea International Inc., the leading supplier of enterprise-wide customer interaction software, today announced CASE-1, the only high- performance, 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. (CBR (1) (Computer-Based Reference) Reference materials accessible by computer in order to help people do their jobs quicker. For example, this database on disk! (2) (Constant Bit Rate) A uniform transmission rate. ) system that leverages all of the leading intelligent problem-resolution techniques: intelligent statistical manipulation, indexing and 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 . No competing case-based problem resolution tool incorporates more than one expert technique. With CASE-1, help desk personnel are not limited to a single approach to CBR. As a result, the CASE-1 user can access a highly focused problem resolution process, and the system s adaptive learning (algorithm) adaptive learning - (Or "Hebbian learning") Learning where a system programs itself by adjusting weights or strengths until it produces the desired output. capabilities continuously increase its effectiveness as a support tool. "By combining the capabilities of a range of AI techniques, CASE-1 provides support representatives with the most targeted diagnostics and solutions to customers calls, enabling faster, more efficient response," said Keith Larson, Astea's vice president of marketing. "CASE-1 empowers the entire support organization by giving each help desk representative access to the most expert knowledge." CASE-1 was developed by Astea and is fully integrated with PowerHelp. This integration enables PowerHelp to immediately populate a CASE-1 session with the information required to perform a search. Additionally, when a solution is found for a case that had not previously existed, PowerHelp automatically generates a new case in CASE-1. Competing help desk/CBR solutions have not automated these functions and require the intervention of support personnel. Astea will demonstrate CASE-1, along with PowerHelp, its client/server-based help desk and customer support solution now in Release 2.0, at the Help Desk Institute Conference and Expo, March 5-8 in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden in booth #613. The CASE-1 Process CASE-1 is highly intuitive and user friendly. Using natural language, the help desk user enters a problem description. CASE-1 uses indexing techniques -- key words, key concepts and pattern matching 1. pattern matching - A function is defined to take arguments of a particular type, form or value. When applying the function to its actual arguments it is necessary to match the type, form or value of the actual arguments against the formal arguments in some definition. -- to compare the problem/ description to the case database. CASE-1 matches those elements and displays the most appropriate solutions in a matter of seconds. The next step is to rank each solution via statistical manipulation according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the most probable answer. CASE-1 assesses the fit of each solution based on several weighting criteria, including: the frequency with which a case is selected by other help desk representatives, the number of index matches and how recently a resolution to that case was identified. If the user is not satisfied with the initial cases offered, additional details are instantly available. Using fuzzy logic, the search can be further refined by displaying a list of questions attached to scrolled answers. After the user answers some or all of the questions, CASE-1 then re- examines the case and displays potential solutions based on the matching of selected answers. Notes or remarks including hypermedia-based knowledge such as audio and video, can be attached to CASE-1 solutions to enhance knowledge sharing and problem resolution. PowerHelp: The Integrated Help Desk and Customer Support Solution PowerHelp, now in Release 2.0, is a leading client/server help desk solution for diverse internal help desk and external customer support environments. PowerHelp's workflow and information capture capabilities automate all aspects of the call cycle -- from call tracking to problem management through problem resolution -- and deliver critical end-user and technical information on the desktop. PowerHelp incorporates the full range of advanced reasoning capabilities and is the first solution to provide support for OLE and computer telephony integration Computer Telephony Integration - Computer Telephone Integration . The core of PowerHelp 2.0 is Astea's Object-Based Support ArchitectureTM (OBSA OBSA Office of Black Student Affairs OBSA Obligation à Bon de Souscription d'Action OBSA Off-Balance Sheet Activity ), a technical innovation that greatly improves the quality of support and responsiveness of support organizations. OBSA is the industry s only help desk application architecture which provides the ability to easily establish customized processes to deliver unique support for clients, products, contracts or end-users -- without changing source code. Only information and processes relevant to the specific nature of a call is presented to the support specialist, simplifying the call process and improving support. PowerHelp has been licensed by leading corporations worldwide, including: Ricoh Corporation, Upgrade Corporation of America, Tops Appliance, Entex Information Systems, National Film Board of Canada National Film Board of Canada (NFB) Canadian department of film production. It was established in 1939 and directed by John Grierson (1898–1972), who developed the studio into a leading producer of documentaries, including the World War II propaganda films Canada , Moore Products Co. and Savin savin a neurotoxic war gas similar to organophosphorus insecticides but considerably more toxic, as demonstrated in the Tokyo subway massacre in 1995. Corporation. Astea International Inc. is the leading developer and supplier of integrated, enterprise-wide customer interaction software systems. Under ACES (Astea Customer Enterprise Series), the company offers the most comprehensive customer interaction software solutions for the sales automation Sales Automation - Sales Force Automation , customer support and customer service markets. The company s software systems are used by more than 500 companies worldwide, representing a cross section of service companies. Headquartered in Chalfont, Pa., Astea also has regional offices in Bedford, Ma., Denver, Co., Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , Ca., and San Mateo, Ca., with international offices in Europe and Asia/Pacific. CONTACT: Keith Larson Astea International (617) 275-5440 Doug Black Miller Communications (617) 536-0470 |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion