Consona Granted Patent for Pioneering Knowledge Management User Interface Approach
Consonaâ??s Method for Providing Intelligent, Multi-Step Dialog with a User Recognized
Indianapolis, IN (August 14, 2009) –
Consona Corporation (Consona), a worldwide leader in providing customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and services for companies of all sizes, today announced that the company has been granted U.S. Patent No. 7,539,656 for the invention entitled “System and Method for Providing an Intelligent Multi-Step Dialog with a User.” The patent was filed in 2001 for an innovative knowledge management approach for retrieving information and for providing a multi-step, conversation-like interaction between a person and a computer or other device to refine and satisfy a user’s request for information.
“We are pleased to be awarded this patent for our pioneering work in knowledge management,” said Tom Millay, general manager of Consona’s CRM products. “The honor emphasizes Consona’s longevity in the CRM software space and our diligence in building unique, groundbreaking solutions that raise the bar on knowledge management technology standards. We share this patent with our customers and partners, who have and continue to impart invaluable feedback that we’ve incorporated into our solutions.”
Experts agree that one of enterprises’ greatest assets is knowledge. Most often, this information exists within an organization, or once did, but is no longer there. However, accessing and redistributing the knowledge in a timely fashion to those who seek it–be it customers, sales staff or support agents–is the greatest challenge that many organizations face. How successful companies are at meeting this challenge can go a long way in determining the ultimate success of the business.
One typical approach to providing support information provides static, one-size-fits-all responses that do not engage the user in dialog, and often only uphold a lowest-common-denominator quality of service. Other methods apply complex “case” structures or expert-system rule sets that offer a deep level of detail, but finish as costly, brittle systems that require onerous upkeep and maintenance of the governing rules. Still other Web-based systems that rely on textual content without the advantage of context or domain knowledge do not reliably and consistently return the desired information.
Weighing these options, it is clear that there was a strong need for an improved method and apparatus for retrieving relevant information from large knowledgebases so that enterprises could capitalize on this enormous untapped asset. There was also a need to provide this capability to relatively unsophisticated users, so that those who utilize the system did not have to be technical experts to produce the desired results.
The patent recognizes Consona’s ability to address this need in a way that no other technology provider has before, by providing a method for efficiently retrieving information from a large knowledgebase via a wide variety of communication channels (e.g., the Internet, wireless and handheld devices, e-mail or telephone) that supports a model of interaction between a person and a machine that has a human-like dialog. This innovation also marks significant progress in KM technology that advances beyond the traditional methods in which make people work for the knowledge, into an equation in which the knowledge works for people.
About Consona Corporation
Consona Corporation (Consona) is a worldwide leader in providing customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and services for companies of all sizes. Consona is dedicated to becoming a valued business partner by helping each and every customer continuously improve business processes over time. Toward this mission, Consona invests in the people, processes, technology and tools needed to provide its customers with a unique combination of customer care; product fit; a broad range of consulting, IT and business services; and industry expertise. Consona serves more than 4,500 customers worldwide and across a variety of industries. Battery Ventures VI LP and Thoma Bravo LLC jointly own Consona. For further information, visit www.consona.com, e-mail infoATconsona.com, or call (888) 8 CONSONA.
Contact:
Mitch Briggs
Consona Corporation
Direct: (317) 249-1620
Mobile: (317) 829-4210
Source: Consona