Using case-based retrieval for customer technical support

Cascade, a case-based interactive system that helps technical support engineers solve the problems of customers whose hardware or software has stopped working, is discussed. Cascade has a case library of failures of VMS device drivers and suggests solutions to new failures. The system uses validated retrieval to address aspects of failure recovery that are specific to help desks. Cascade's implementation, which was accomplished by developing a seed case base, a knowledge base containing knowledge about similarities between surface-feature values, and a validation model containing the necessary probes and knowledge about them, is described.<
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