MIDA: a knowledge-based system supporting diagnostic operators in ISDN customer trouble management

The Multifunction ISDN Diagnostic Advisor (MIDA) is a PC-based software product providing assistance to Telecom Italia diagnosis operators in ISDN customer complaint management. It supports the dialogue with the customer, by collecting information about faults, and performs a knowledge-based diagnostic process, providing a fast and effective guide to the sequence of operations needed to correctly locate the ISDN trouble (by suggesting network element tests, interpreting data/measures, achieving trouble diagnosis and recommending recovery actions). It also integrates some guides on particular tele-diagnosis commands, on the configuration/diagnostic procedures of the most common clients' terminals and on problems at the customer's premises. An ISDN guide to access technical and commercial information about Telecom Italia ISDN service is also provided within the MIDA environment. Auxiliary features are also included, concerning the possibility to suspend/resume diagnostic sessions, a context-sensitive help for novice users, on-line notebooks, etc.