Apparatus and method for processing service interactions

• US 20050002502A1
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interactions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Interactions, LLC
• Inventors: Cloran, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,606,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.180
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends

Abstract

An interactive voice and data response system then directs input to a voice, text, and web-capable software-based router, which is able to intelligently respond to the input by drawing on a combination of human agents, advanced speech recognition and expert systems, connected to the router via a TCP/IP network. The digitized input is broken down into components so that the customer interaction is managed as a series of small tasks rather than one ongoing conversation. The router manages the interactions and keeps pace with a real-time conversation. The system utilizes both speech recognition and human intelligence for purposes of interpreting customer utterance or customer text. The system may use more than one human agent, or both human agents and speech recognition software, to interpret simultaneously the same component for error-checking and interpretation accuracy.

Claims

1. A method for operating an interactive response system comprising:

selecting a computer-operated workflow depending upon how input is received;

receiving free form input;

interpreting said free form input into intent and data in the context of a current point the workflow;

determining automatically a next point in said workflow based on the interpreted intent and data at the current point in the workflow; and

taking further action responsive to the next point in the workflow.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein interpreting said free form input comprises:

determining a best fit of said free form input in the current context of said workflow.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein determining a best fit comprises:

interpreting said free form input automatically.

4. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein determining a best fit comprises:

interpreting said free form input by a human agent.

5. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein determining a best fit comprises:

interpreting said free form input by a plurality of human agents.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein determining a best fit comprises:

interpreting said free form input by said plurality of human agents; and

interpreting said free form input by another human agent if said plurality of human agents do not agree.

7. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein determining a best fit comprises:

interpreting said free form input by said plurality of human agents, and, if said plurality of human operators do not agree;

acting on one interpretation of said free form input of the majority of said human operators.

8. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein determining a best fit comprises:

interpreting said free form input by said plurality of human agents, and, if said plurality of human agents do not agree;

acting on one interpretation of said free form input based on past performance of the plurality of human agents.

9. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein determining a best fit comprises:

interpreting said free form input by said plurality of human agents, and, if said plurality of human agents do not agree;

selecting an interpretation of said input and transmitting the interpretation to a customer for verification.

10. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein determining a best fit comprises:

interpreting said free form input by said plurality of human agents, and, if said plurality of human agents do not agree;

acting on one interpretation of said free form input based on known data or algorithms.

11. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein taking further action comprises:

changing said next point to said current point in the workflow;

prompting for further input;

receiving further free form input;

interpreting said further free form input into said content and data in said context of said current point in said workflow;

determining said next point in said workflow based on the interpreted intent and data at said current point in said workflow; and

taking further action responsive to said next point in said workflow.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein interpreting said free form input comprises interpreting said free form input at a first means for interpretation and wherein interpreting said further free form input comprises interpreting said further free form input at a second means for interpretation.

13. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein interpreting said free form input comprises interpreting said free form input at a first human agent station and wherein interpreting said further free form input comprises interpreting said further free form input at a second human agent station.

14. A method in accordance with claim 111 wherein said interactive response system includes a plurality of human agent stations further including:

delivering said free form input to one or more of said plurality of human agent stations such that each of said plurality of human agent stations only receives selected free form input during said workflow.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14 wherein delivering said free form input comprises delivering said free form input so that each of said plurality of human agents stations receives limited access to confidential data.

16. An interactive response system comprising:

one or more interactions platforms connected to a network configured to receive free form input over the network;

a plurality of human agent position systems configured to interpret said free form input into intention and data; and

an interactions router connected to said interactions platform and said plurality of human agent positions configured to receive said free form input from said one or more interactions platforms, forward said free form input to one or more of said plurality of human agent position systems, receive said intention and data from said one or more of said plurality of human agent position systems and take further action based on said intention and data from said free form input.

17. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 16 wherein one or more of said plurality of human agent position systems comprises automatic speech recognition systems.

18. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 16 wherein one or more of said plurality of human agent position systems comprises human agent stations.

19. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 18 wherein said interactions router is further configured to forward said free form input to one or more of said plurality of human agent position systems depending on a load factor.

20. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 19 wherein said interactions router is configured to forward said free form input to one of said plurality of human agent position systems when said load factor is high.

21. An interactive response system of claim 19 wherein said interactions router is configured to forward said free form input to a set of said plurality of human agent position systems when said load factor is low.

22. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 19 wherein said interactions router is configured to forward said free form input to two of said plurality of human agent position systems and, if said intention and data is not the same from said two of said plurality of human agent positions systems, forwarding said free form input to a third one of said plurality of human agent position systems.

23. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 19 wherein said interactions router is further configured to deliver contextual information with said free form input to said human agent position systems.

24. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 23 wherein said contextual information comprises one or more display screens.

25. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 19 wherein said human agent position systems are geographically diverse.

26. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said free form input comprises voice input.

27. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said free form input comprises email.

28. An interactive response system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said free form input comprises textural data.

29. A method for operating an interactive response system, said interactive response system comprising an interactions platform connected to a network, a plurality of human agent position systems configured to interpret free form input into intention and data and an interactions router connected to said interactions platform and said plurality of human agent positions, said method comprising:

selecting a computer-operated workflow and a context in said workflow at said interactions router responsive to data received at said interactions platform;

receiving said free form input from said network at said interactions platform;

forwarding said free form input from said interactions platform to said interactions router;

sending said free form input and data representative of context in said workflow from said interactions router to one or more of said plurality of human agent positions;

interpreting said free form input into intent and data in said context of said workflow;

sending said intent and data to said interactions router;

determining automatically a further context in said workflow at said interactions router based on said interpreted intent and said data at said current context in said workflow; and

taking further action responsive to said further context in said workflow.

30. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein said plurality of human agent positions comprise human agents and position systems and wherein interpreting said free form input comprises interpreting said free form input by said human agent and entering said intent and data into said position system by said human agent.

31. A method in accordance with claim 29 where forwarding said free form input comprises forwarding said free form input to said plurality of human agent positions, and wherein said method further includes:

determining whether said intent and data received from said human agent positions agree; and

forwarding said free form input to another of said plurality of human agent positions if said intent and data received from said human agent positions does not agree.

32. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein said free form input is only sent to one of said plurality of human agent positions once during a workflow.

33. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein said free form input comprises human utterances, and wherein sending said free form input includes accelerating said human utterances.