A method for helpdesk-oriented question answering

Abstract

We propose a Question Answering (QA) method that answers actions for a how-question. We model an action as a verb phrase consisting of a main verb and its governing noun phrase. Existing QA methods resemble consulting dictionaries and encyclopedias, in which users satisfy their intellectual cravings. In contrast, our method is a step toward automation of a helpdesk or a call center, which suggests solutions to alleviate user's problems. We show the effectiveness of our method experimentally.