Help desk system with intelligent interface

Automated help desk systems should retrieve exactly the information required to assist a user as quickly and as easily as possible be it for a lay user who knows little about the domain or for an advanced user who requires more specialized information. Automated help desk systems should also be easily maintainable, as knowledge in domains where help is required often changes very rapidly, for example, help for computer users. The aim of this study was to develop a help desk information retrieval mechanism suitable for a wide range of users and to provide a way of easily maintaining the system. The prototype developed for use over the World Wide Web combines keyword search and case-based reasoning to provide both rapid focusing on a part of the help information and guided interaction when the user is unclear about appropriate keywords. Ease of maintenance is provided by using multiple classification ripple down rules (MCRDR) to maintain the domain knowledge in the system. Further issues that arise include the problem of inappropriate focusing by keywords and maintenance in a distributed environment.