Methods and apparatus for automated monitoring and action taking based on decision support mechanism

Apparatus for use in accordance with a user-interactive business-related processing system, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one processor coupled to the user-interactive business-related processing system and operative to:
• (i) process data obtained in association with one or more interactions a user has with one or more applications associated with the business-related processing system to compute a decision value representative of whether or not the user may need intervention with respect to the one or more applications, wherein the decision value is computed in accordance with a decision policy based on a combination of formal and heuristic reasoning, and further wherein the computed decision value is based on one or more attributes comprising at least one of:
• (i) an attribute representative of a business value associated with the user or the one or more applications;
• (ii) an attribute representative of a frustration level attributable to the user with respect to the one or more interactions;
• (iii) an attribute representative of an estimated profit opportunity associated with the user;
• and (iv) an attribute representative of availability of resources capable of taking the action;
• (ii) proactively cause the offering of the intervention to the user when the computed decision value represents a result indicative that the user is likely to need the intervention;
• and (iii) permit an individual to monitor one or more computed decision values, and to adjust the decision policy, when necessary or desired, so as to improve business-related performance wherein the individual is able to adjust the decision policy without a need for programming expertise;
• and memory, coupled to the at least one processor, for storing at least one of the obtained data and the computed decision value.

A network-based system, the system comprising:

• at least one server operative to execute one or more electronic commerce-based applications for use by at least one customer via a network;
• and
• at least one decision engine coupled to the at least one server and operative to:
• (i) process data obtained in association with one or more interactions the customer has with the one or more electronic commerce-based applications to compute a decision value representative of whether or not an action should be taken with respect to the customer, wherein the decision value is computed in accordance with a decision policy based on a combination of formal and heuristic reasoning, wherein the computed decision value is based on one or more attributes comprising at least one of:
• (a) an attribute representative of a business value associated with the customer or the one or more applications;
• (b) an attribute representative of a frustration level attributable to the customer with respect to the one or more interactions;
• (c) an attribute representative of an estimated profit opportunity associated with the customer;
• and (d) an attribute representative of availability of resources capable of taking the action;
• and (ii) proactively taking the action with respect to the customer when the computed decision value represents a result indicative that the action should be taken with respect to the customer;
• wherein the decision engine permits an individual to monitor one or more computed decision values, and to adjust the decision policy, when necessary or desired, so as to improve business-related performance, and further wherein the individual is able to adjust the decision policy without a need for programming expertise.

An article of manufacture for use in accordance with a user-interactive business-related processing system, the article comprising [a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed] a computer readable medium encoded with a computer program executed by a computer to implement the steps of:

• processing data obtained in association with one or more interactions a user has with one or more applications associated with the business-related processing system to compute a decision value representative of whether or not the user may need intervention with respect to the one or more applications, wherein the decision value is computed in accordance with a decision policy based on a combination of formal and heuristic reasoning, and further wherein the computed decision value is based on one or more attributes comprising at least one of:
• (i) an attribute representative of a business value associated with the user or the one or more applications;
• (ii) an attribute representative of a frustration level attributable to the user with respect to the one or more interactions;
• (iii) an attribute representative of an estimated profit opportunity associated with the user;
• and (iv) an attribute representative of availability of resources capable of taking the action;
• proactively causing the offering of the intervention to the user when the computed decision value represents a result indicative that the user is likely to need the intervention;
• and
• permitting an individual to monitor one or more computed decision values, and adjust the decision policy, when necessary or desired, so as to improve business-related performance, wherein the individual is able to adjust the decision policy without a need for programming expertise.