Adaptive transaction guidance

• US 20030179877A1
• Filed: 03/21/2002
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sumner, Roger, Dezonno, Anthony, Hodson, Jeffrey, Beckstrom, Robert, Michelson, Mark, Bonifazi, Carlo, Shambaugh, Craig, Power, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,197,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/266.07
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for guiding a conversation between an agent of a call center and a client of the call center towards one of a plurality of goals of an organization controlling the call center. The method includes the steps of recognizing a voice content of the client of the call center, correlating the recognized voice content with a first goal of the plurality of goals of the call center and presenting script to the agent of the call center based upon the correlated goal of the call center.

Claims

1. A method of guiding a conversation between an agent of a call center and a client of the call center towards one of a plurality of goals of an organization controlling the call center, such method comprising the steps of:

recognizing a voice content of the client of the call center;

correlating the recognized voice content with a first goal of the plurality of goals of the call center; and

presenting script to the agent of the call center based upon the correlated goal of the call center.

2. The method of guiding a conversation as in claim 1 further comprising recognizing a voice content of the agent.

3. The method of guiding a conversation as in claim 1 further comprising measuring a difference in information content between the recognized voice content of the client and the recognized voice content of the agent.

4. The method of guiding a conversation as in claim 3 further comprising comparing a key word content of the recognized voice content of the client with the recognized voice content of the agent.

5. The method of guiding a conversation as in claim 4 further comprising comparing the detecting difference in information content with a threshold value.

6. The method of guiding a conversation as in claim 5 further comprising comparing an information content of the conversation with an information content of each goal of the plurality of goals when the detected difference exceeds the threshold value.

7. The method of guiding a conversation as in claim 6 further comprising selecting a goal of the plurality of goals with a closest relative match to the information content of the conversation.

8. The method of guiding a conversation as in claim 7 further comprising comparing key words of the recognized voice content of the client for ambiguities.

9. The method of guiding a conversation as in claim 8 further comprising composing a question to resolve the ambiguity.

10. The method of guiding a conversation as in claim 9 further comprising presenting the composed question to the client.

12. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 1 further comprising means for recognizing a voice content of the agent.

13. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 12 further comprising means for measuring a difference in information content between the recognized voice content of the client and the recognized voice content of the agent.

14. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 13 further comprising means for comparing a key word content of the recognized voice content of the client with the recognized voice content of the agent.

15. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 14 further comprising means for comparing the detecting difference in information content with a threshold value.

16. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 15 further comprising means for comparing an information content of the conversation with an information content of each goal of the plurality of goals when the detected difference exceeds the threshold value.

17. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 16 further comprising means for selecting a goal of the plurality of goals with a closest relative match to the information content of the conversation.

18. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 17 further comprising means for comparing key words of the recognized voice content of the client for ambiguities.

19. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 18 further comprising means for composing a question to resolve the ambiguity.

20. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 19 further comprising means for presenting the composed question to the client.

11. An apparatus for guiding a conversation between an agent of a call center and a client of the call center towards one of a plurality of goals of an organization controlling the call center, such apparatus comprising:

means for recognizing a voice content of the client of the call center;

means for correlating the recognized voice content with a first goal of the plurality of goals of the call center; and

means for presenting script to the agent of the call center based upon the correlated goal of the call center.

21. An apparatus for guiding a conversation between an agent of a call center and a client of the call center towards one of a plurality of goals of an organization controlling the call center, such apparatus comprising:

a first speech recognition application adapted to recognize a voice content of the client of the call center;

information control processor adapted to correlate the recognized voice content with a first goal of the plurality of goals of the call center; and

a monitor adapted to present script to the agent of the call center based upon the correlated goal of the call center.

22. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 21 further comprising second speech recognition application adapted to recognize a voice content of the agent.

23. The apparatus for guiding a conversation as in claim 22 further comprising a comparison processor adapted to measure a difference in information content between the recognized voice content of the client and the recognized voice content of the agent.