Abstract: A system and method are provided for operating a pool of workers within a distributed computing system, wherein each of multiple computers host one or more workers. Each computer also hosts ledgers for one or more originators of tasks that are submitted to the pool for processing. A ledger identifies tasks from the corresponding originator that have been submitted to the pool and that have not yet been completed. When an originator submits a new task, the system (e.g., a coordinator) identifies a maximum number of concurrent tasks permitted the originator and determines, with reference to the originator's ledger, whether the task can be submitted to the pool without exceeding the limit. If so, the task is assigned to an idle worker (if any) and is added to the originator's ledger. After completion, the task is removed from the ledger. Obsolete or stale entries are periodically purged from originators' ledgers.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for scheduling an automation (e.g., an automated workflow) to execute against a specified set of data (e.g., a customer support ticket) based on when time-based conditions within the automation will (or will likely) be true or satisfied with regard to the ticket. The automation's time-based conditions are represented by one or more functions designed to yield, when executed against a given ticket, a time interval during which those conditions will (or will likely) be true for that ticket. When a function produces a valid time interval, the corresponding automation is scheduled to run against the ticket during the interval. The functions may be quickly executed each time a ticket is modified (or created) because they may be created in assembly language or a native language of the computing platform that executes them.

Abstract: Comparing the performance of multiple versions or branches/paths of an application (e.g., a web service or application) may be conducted within a suitable computing environment. Such an environment may be virtual in nature, cloud-based, or server-based, and is hosted with tools for simultaneously (or nearly simultaneously) executing multiple containers or other code collections with the same or similar operating conditions (e.g., network congestion, resource contention, memory management schemes). By arranging the performance test of different application versions in different sequences executed in parallel in separate containers, fair comparisons of the tested applications will be obtained. Testing sequences may be executed multiple times, and metrics are collected during each execution. Afterward, the results for each metric for each code version are aggregated and displayed to indicate their relative performance quantitatively and/or qualitatively.

Abstract: A system and method are provided that automatically update a customer-support ticket in an online customer-support system. When the customer-support ticket is created or updated, the system applies a set of triggers, which modify the ticket based on business rules, wherein each trigger performs actions that modify the ticket when conditions for parameters associated with the ticket are satisfied. When applying a trigger to the ticket, the system evaluates the conditions for the trigger by evaluating an associated condition graph, which is a directed graph comprised of condition nodes, wherein each condition node specifies conditions on parameters associated with the ticket. During this evaluation, if a valid path through the condition graph is discovered, which comprises a sequence of satisfied condition nodes from the root node to a null node, the system fires the trigger, which involves performing actions associated with the trigger to update the ticket.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for balancing the execution of data transformation workflows within one or more ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) pipelines to promote their completion within a time constraint. On a periodic basis, data from multiple applications hosted by an organization are collected and segregated by associated providers, sponsors, brands, or other entities that correspond to different contexts in which end users (e.g., customers of the providers or other entities) use the applications. The providers are classified based on a selected characteristic of their data (e.g., amount of data, number of customers, number of customer support tickets). Datasets of multiple providers are batched within and/or across classes; the number of datasets batched is selected so as to allow all datasets to be transformed within the time constraint. Batched datasets are submitted to computing clusters to perform the data transformations to make the data consumable (e.g., viewable) by the providers.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for supporting dense retrieval of a template (e.g., a document template) for responding to a query or other textual input. The templates and past queries that were responded to using the templates are stored. A machine-learning model for matching a new query to the most appropriate template is trained using a selected subset of the stored queries as training queries. For each of one or more training batches or phases, multiple stored templates are selected (e.g., randomly) then, from among all training queries that the selected templates were used for, the same number of queries are selected (e.g., randomly), such that they represent the distribution of the training queries among the selected templates. A unique loss function is computed that leverages similarities and differences not only between each selected training query and each selected template, but also between different queries and between different templates.

Abstract: One or more computer operations are triggered and executed when multiple sets of conditions that define a split trigger and that are evaluated at multiple locations are satisfied. The operations may involve allocating or deallocating computing resources (e.g., by establishing or tearing down a persistent connection), generating a message to be displayed on a computing device, altering stored data, and/or other activity. In an illustrative client/server computing environment, a first set of client conditions of a first split trigger is evaluated at a client device, using parameters observable at the client without interaction with a server. When the first of client conditions is satisfied, the client transmits a signal to a server that then evaluates a first set of server conditions of the first split trigger. If the first sets of client conditions and server conditions are satisfied, the computer operation(s) associated with the split trigger are executed.

Abstract: A system and method for providing customer-support services to a user of a website through a web widget. When the user accesses a web page containing the web widget, a call is automatically made from the web widget to a customer-support system. In response to the call, the system obtains status information from the customer-support system indicating whether customer-support agents are available to take telephone phone calls. If the status information indicates customer-support agents are available to take telephone calls, the web widget provides a call-related interface to the user, wherein the call-related interface is configured to facilitate a telephone call with a customer-support agent. If the status information indicates customer-support agents are not available to take telephone calls, the web widget provides a non-call-related interface to the user, wherein the non-call-related interface is configured to facilitate an alternative channel of customer support that does not involve a telephone call.

Abstract: Comparing the performance of multiple versions or branches/paths of an application (e.g., a web service or application) may be conducted within a suitable computing environment. Such an environment may be virtual in nature, cloud-based, or server-based, and is hosted with tools for simultaneously (or nearly simultaneously) executing multiple containers or other code collections with the same or similar operating conditions (e.g., network congestion, resource contention, memory management schemes). By arranging the performance test of different application versions in different sequences executed in parallel in separate containers, fair comparisons of the tested applications will be obtained. Testing sequences may be executed multiple times, and metrics are collected during each execution. Afterward, the results for each metric for each code version are aggregated and displayed to indicate their relative performance quantitatively and/or qualitatively.

Abstract: A system and method are provided that automatically update a customer-support ticket in an online customer-support system. When the customer-support ticket is created or updated, the system applies a set of triggers, which modify the ticket based on business rules, wherein each trigger performs actions that modify the ticket when conditions for parameters associated with the ticket are satisfied. When applying a trigger to the ticket, the system evaluates the conditions for the trigger by evaluating an associated condition graph, which is a directed graph comprised of condition nodes, wherein each condition node specifies conditions on parameters associated with the ticket. During this evaluation, if a valid path through the condition graph is discovered, which comprises a sequence of satisfied condition nodes from the root node to a null node, the system fires the trigger, which involves performing actions associated with the trigger to update the ticket.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for predicting knowledge elements in answer to requests for information, and an associated system that processes the information request (1) made using an intermediate predictive model (5) and a knowledge element prediction fit model (8) to generate a set of fitted knowledge elements to prepare an answer, associated with their respective probabilities of use (12), as a suggestion for the preparation of an answer to an information request (15). The suggested knowledge elements are corrected and/or updated to prepare answers based on historical data, such as: data predicted by the intermediate predictive model (5), answers sent to requesters (15), contents of one or more knowledge elements used in the answers (17) and/or feedback data on the relevance of the answers (21) sent.

Abstract: A system and methods are provided for passing control of a customer-support conversation among integrations responsible for responding to a customer during the customer-support conversation. The system receives a message from a source integration, which is presently responsible for responding to the customer during the customer-support conversation, wherein the message includes a pass-control command that passes control of the customer-support conversation to a target integration. In response to the pass-control command, the system passes control of the customer-support conversation from the source integration to the target integration, so that the target integration becomes responsible for responding to the customer.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that automatically updates a customer-support ticket in an online customer-support system. When the customer-support ticket is created or updated, the system applies a set of triggers, which modify the ticket based on business rules, wherein each trigger performs actions that modify the ticket when conditions for parameters associated with the ticket are satisfied. When applying a trigger to the ticket, the system evaluates the conditions for the trigger by evaluating an associated condition graph, which is a directed graph comprised of condition nodes, wherein each condition node specifies conditions on parameters associated with the ticket. During this evaluation, if a valid path through the condition graph is discovered, which comprises a sequence of satisfied condition nodes from the root node to a null node, the system fires the trigger, which involves performing actions associated with the trigger to update the ticket.

Abstract: The system obtains a set of tickets representing customer requests for a customer-support ticketing system. Next, the system produces a set of request vectors by feeding words from each ticket through a model to generate a request vector for the ticket, wherein the set of request vectors is represented as a set of points in a vector space. The system then performs a clustering operation on the set of points to form clusters representing support topics, wherein the clustering operation creates a new point for a new ticket in the vector space when the new ticket is received, and incrementally updates existing clusters to accommodate the new point. Finally, the system presents a user interface to a customer-support agent, wherein the user interface uses the support topics to organize the customer requests, and enables the customer-support agent to perform a customer-support operation in response to a customer request.

Abstract: A system and method for providing customer-support services to a user of a website through a web widget. When the user accesses a web page containing the web widget, a call is automatically made from the web widget to a customer-support system. In response to the call, the system obtains status information from the customer-support system indicating whether customer-support agents are available to take telephone phone calls. If the status information indicates customer-support agents are available to take telephone calls, the web widget provides a call-related interface to the user, wherein the call-related interface is configured to facilitate a telephone call with a customer-support agent. If the status information indicates customer-support agents are not available to take telephone calls, the web widget provides a non-call-related interface to the user, wherein the non-call-related interface is configured to facilitate an alternative channel of customer support that does not involve a telephone call.

Abstract: During operation, the system receives a customer request. Next, the system segments the customer request into customer request sentences. The system then encodes each sentence from the customer request with information sequentially collected from the previously observed sentences. Next, the system translates the encodings to sparse probabilities that measure the importance of sentences from the customer request. The system then extracts relevant sentences from the customer request based on the importance. Next, the system forms an extracted-sentence customer request embedding from embeddings for the extracted relevant customer request sentences. The system then uses the extracted-sentence customer request embedding to select an agent response from a set of possible agent responses based on comparisons between the extracted-sentence customer request embedding and embeddings for the set of possible agent responses.

Abstract: A system and method for providing customer-support services to a user of a website through a web widget. When the user accesses a web page containing the web widget, a call is automatically made from the web widget to a customer-support system. In response to the call, the system obtains status information from the customer-support system indicating whether customer-support agents are available to take telephone phone calls. If the status information indicates customer-support agents are available to take telephone calls, the web widget provides a call-related interface to the user, wherein the call-related interface is configured to facilitate a telephone call with a customer-support agent. If the status information indicates customer-support agents are not available to take telephone calls, the web widget provides a non-call-related interface to the user, wherein the non-call-related interface is configured to facilitate an alternative channel of customer support that does not involve a telephone call.

Abstract: A query terminator executes within a computing environment featuring multiple applications and/or services that access a shared database, and operates to interrupt, halt, or terminate processes (e.g., queries) that misbehave in order to conserve computing resources. Illustrative misbehavior includes execution for an excessive period of time. Queries submitted by the applications/services are tagged to identify their origin, responsible teams, endpoints, resources, and/or other metadata. Queries that are susceptible to forced termination are also tagged with timeout values. The query terminator for a given application or service identifies queries from the application that are currently executing on the database, examines their metadata, and interrupts or terminates those that have been executing longer than their timeout values. Metadata regarding terminated processes is logged and provided to the responsible teams.

Abstract: When a customer-support ticket is created or updated in an online customer-support system, the system applies a set of triggers, which modify the ticket based on business rules, to the ticket, wherein each trigger performs actions that modify the ticket when conditions for parameters associated with the ticket are satisfied. During this process, the system evaluates condition nodes in condition graphs for the set of triggers, wherein a condition graph for a trigger is a directed graph comprised of condition nodes that specify conditions on one or more parameters associated with the ticket. During this evaluation, if a valid path through a condition graph comprising satisfied condition nodes is discovered, the system fires a trigger associated with the condition graph. Also, while evaluating the condition nodes, the system performs one or more range-searching operations to quickly evaluate conditions for frequently occurring parameters in the condition graphs.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that automatically updates a customer-support ticket in an online customer-support system. When the customer-support ticket is created or updated, the system applies a set of triggers, which modify the ticket based on business rules, wherein each trigger performs actions that modify the ticket when conditions for parameters associated with the ticket are satisfied. When applying a trigger to the ticket, the system evaluates the conditions for the trigger by evaluating an associated condition graph, which is a directed graph comprised of condition nodes, wherein each condition node specifies conditions on parameters associated with the ticket. During this evaluation, if a valid path through the condition graph is discovered, which comprises a sequence of satisfied condition nodes from the root node to a null node, the system fires the trigger, which involves performing actions associated with the trigger to update the ticket.