Inquiry Management System – Server & Client

Overview

A distributed, real‑time inquiry management platform written in pure Java.
It consists of two modules that communicate over sockets:

Key design highlights:

• Pure Java 11+
• Multithreading for concurrent queue management
• OOP principles with Singleton pattern where appropriate
• Robust edge‑case handling for optimization and maintainability
• Simple socket protocol between client and server

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Benefits

• Centralised oversight of all customer interactions
• Live status tracking: open → handled / canceled → archived
• Quick responses by inquiry type (request / question / complaint)
• Smart filtering & reporting (type, status, date, agent, …)
• Optional personal agent that follows an inquiry end‑to‑end

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Requirements

• Java 11 or higher
• Maven (or another build tool of your choice)
• Runtime permissions for reading/writing data files (agent persistence)

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Getting Started

git clone https://github.com/your‑org/inquiry-management-server.git
cd inquiry-management-server

Build & Run the Server

cd server
mvn clean package
java -jar target/server‑side‑project.jar

Build & Run the Client

Open a new terminal window:

cd client
mvn clean package
java -jar target/client‑side‑project.jar

The client will connect to the server via sockets on the default host/port (configurable in config.properties).

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Usage Flow

1. Open inquiry – customer opens a Request / Question / Complaint.
2. Queue & assignment – server queues the inquiry and auto‑assigns an available agent (if enabled).
3. Handle / cancel – agent resolves or cancels; server updates status.
4. Archive – resolved inquiries are archived for audit & reporting.

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Server Features

• Create, cancel, handle, archive, and list inquiries
• Agent management (add, remove, save/load from file)
• Auto‑assignment & “My inquiries” per agent
• Statistics: inquiry volume per period
• Background simulation of inquiry handling
• Manager view for agent workload transparency

Client Features

• Open new inquiries from CLI
• List inquiries with live status
• Filter by type or status
• View personal workload (agents)

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Sample Commands (Client CLI)

1. Open new inquiry
2. View all inquiries
3. View my inquiries      # agent mode
4. Cancel inquiry
5. Exit

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