7. Project and Custom Solutions Based on the SoftInform Search Technology

7.1. Introduction

The application of SST is not limited to turn-key solutions or licensing our technology. Quite often, after some SST-based technologies have been introduced and an informational audit together with problems analysis have been performed, the SoftInform company will offer a solution by developing a global informational system, the salt and basis of which will be SoftInform's search technologies.
In view of the novel and unique nature of the technology the customer is not even aware of the benefit he will yield by using SST. The job of SoftInform experts is to thoroughly analyze customer's problems and suggest the development of an informational system rather than a scanty box solution.

This section lists several successful examples of large custom-made projects.

7.2. BiblioInform

The system for inter-college communication, the software package BiblioInform is a combination of application servers and clients designed for storing electronic books, indexing textual information, searching by text index and providing access to book texts. 

 7.2.1. The Manner of Deploying BiblioInform

BiblioInform software package is a collection of application servers and clients designed to provide the following functionality:
- storing electronic books
- indexing textual information
- searching by text index
- accessing book texts

By the territorial criterion, the system can be divided into two versions: local and corporate. The corporate version, in addition to the functional local version, supports the addition of electronic books by means of scanning and as well as mineralizing, and synchronization of information between servers of separate libraries.

For maximum efficiency of BiblioInform in college networks and faster implementation of SearchInform technologies, it is reasonable to divide the process of system introduction into several stages.

 7.2.2 The Stages of Deploying BiblioInform

Stage 1. SearchInform

In the first stage the box corporate version of SearchInform is installed, and the system is tuned to book search. After the first stage the SearchInform search engine can be used in full sail. This stage involves the "box" version of the product, i.e., functionally complete and ready to use software, therefore the cost of its implementation is minimum, and search quality is maximum.

Stage 2. BiblioInform. Corporate Version

The presence of a "foreign" SearchInform search module and incomplete integration with the rest of the system components conditions the need to restructure the existing system. The best way to boost up the efficiency of a library infrastructure is to migrate to BiblioInform that incorporates the SearchInform search engine as an essential part of a single mechanism and, consequently, securing maximum integration with the search subsystem.

The corporate version of BiblioInform is designed for building a library network on the basis of the local network of the company. This version is a multi-component system that completely automates the operation of a library and its users. The main difference of this system from conventional library programs is that BiblioInform is not just a cataloguer of library books (BiblioInform includes all standard cataloguer features), but a system for performing full text search in book texts and searching books with a similar content. This functionality allows users to find the required information directly, rather than searching books by titles, authors and other information.

The corporate version of BiblioInform includes the following components:

- Book storage. A robust information storage system for storing, searching and updating book information. In addition, it stores satellite information such as: annotations, reviews, arguments, cover images, etc. The storage provides access to books for its subscribers. At the same time it monitors the number of copies of the same book opened concurrently and allows limiting access scope for copyright protection. The control panel enables administrators to perform the main actions with the storage (add books, modify book information, discarding). Each action of system administrators is logged, and in the process of library revision it will be possible to figure out who entered incorrect information.

- Search server. The actual system processing customer queries for searching and storing indexed library information.  It features the complete range of SearchInform abilities.

- Search panel. The workplace of a BiblioInform user. With the help of this program user can configure his or her search request, define it more precisely, receive and view search results.

7.3. YurCallCenter

 7.3.1. YCC. General information

The essence of YurCallCenter is in furnishing an efficient phone service for the customers. A customer calls with a question. Then he is informed of the cost of each minute of the conversation, and the lawyer searches the answer in the knowledge database or other resources. The conversation fee is included into the phone bill.

The image and quality of such services is determined by the correctness, as well as the speed of the answer; after all, the service is paid on the basis of the phone-call duration. Thus, it is obvious that the number of customers and the frequency of their appeals to the company will increase together with the quality of the two criteria above.

This is where the scale and prospects of using SoftInform technologies are displayed in the best way possible. YCC is a brilliant illustration of how several efficient solutions can be consolidated in one large project.

The search similar function in this project has yielded amazing results. Thanks to the technology the answer wait time reduced from 10-12 minutes to 2-3. The pattern is simple: the customer asks a question, and the operator finds several documents related to the question by means of the search similar technology in the database (the longer the company has been in operation, the larger the database of questions and answers, the better for the customer).

The search results will contain only the documents pin-pointed at the particular query and required at the particular moment, without anything redundant (as is often the case with phrasal search). Thus, the time spent on the conversation with the customer will be reduced substantially. When the services are paid on the one-call basis, it is definitely more profitable; when the services are paid on the per-minute basis, the customers will be drawn by the speed of the service. This will ensure an influx of new callers.

The success of the YurCallCenter project proves that this solution allows you to promptly and, what is more important, cheaply solve any problems of customer service (not necessarily in the field of legal services). This is an ideal solution for organizing any type of informational service.

 7.3.2. YCC Target Audience

There are three main target audiences of the YurCallCenter:

- "Housewives"
This is the simplest way to get information due to the low cost of the conversation.

- Minor business
Due to the low cost of a minute of the conversation, customers can call from cell phones and get the answer within a couple of minutes (unlike the 10-12 minutes we are all used to). For example, visiting a law firm or a lawyer for promptly solving a problem is pointless, but getting information by using a cell phone is a justified act.

- Lawyers of public enterprises, minor and mid-size business
Minimized expenditure on researching additional problems. No doubt, highly efficient experts will find the answer to virtually any question by browsing through law informational systems (Consultant, Guarantor, etc.). This, however, takes quite a bit of work time. An hour of expert’s work costs much more than an inquiry at YCC.

 7.3.3. Subsystems Functioning within the YurCallCenter Project

- Real-time monitoring of operator actions

- Real-time monitoring of staff condition and the ability to obtain the information on their actions for efficiency analysis

- Fixing and archiving all information, including conversations

- The ability to restore deleted data

- Differentiation of access rights

- Managing the phone stations or IP telephony according to the required business logic

- Informational content and convenience of searching and processing information

 7.3.4. Reports and Office Management

Main types of reports:

- Hourly operators load report
- Operators load and conversation duration at a certain period report
- Complete statistics report on each operator
- Report on critical situations with the ability to automatically send them via email. There may be quite a number of critical situations, and a separate decision has to be made in each of them. For example, customers phone calls have been missed because the operators were too busy, or all 10 phone lines were busy, etc. Such a report will give much food for thought in any situation.
- Reports on personnel norms violation. This report can also be automatically sent via email. The situations may include overtime for documentation, a list of extremely long conversations (the administrator will have to listen to each of them), etc.
- Viewing the list of phone calls for a specific operator, a group of operators, all operators with the ability to hear conversation.

All reports can be available through a coordinating server in the Internet, or through several offices.

 7.3.5. Distributed Processing of Information

The next step after organizing one of such centers is the creation of a centralized network of call service offices. In this case all changes made by any of the operators and administrators of one center will immediately become available to the employees of other offices. The changes are coordinated, and the general knowledge base is updated by means of a dedicated Internet-server with specially developed SoftInform software.

Thus, the work of staff from different offices is minimized, and the information added to the database will never be duplicated. In addition, such logic consolidates the information from different offices for further search. As has already been mentioned, the ability to search similar questions-answers ensures faster and higher quality answers. Such a system is, at large, a knowledge management system, which only gets better as knowledge is accumulated. Therefore, unified information from several offices will do much good to the quality of their operation.  In addition, organizing several YurCallCenter offices managed by a coordinating Internet server will help deliver more comprehensive legal advice, for example, on several regions. 

Of no small importance is the fact that with this model a new YCC can be launched without any problems, and the new YCC won't have to build up a knowledge base of its own - the existing one will suffice. Thus, YCC can be established in other cities on franchising terms.

Besides reports, the SoftInform software within the framework of YCC enables real-time monitoring of the state of any office through the Internet: the number of active operators, their load, the number of busy and free lines, etc.

Such a subsystem allows monitoring several offices at once by one qualified person, and selectively monitoring the work of operators.  It is much more profitable from the point of view of management and quality control than keeping an expensive staff member in each office. With this subsystem the lead lawyer, marketing manager or coordinator will always be aware of the real situation in all offices and be able to make correct decisions.