Interactive dialog-based training method

• US 20050170326A1
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sivox Partners, LLC (Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koehler, Robert Kevin, Schatzlein, Gregory Scott, Glaspie, Marie Jeanine
• Granted Patent: US 8,023,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

A computer readable medium stores a computer program for interactive training based on a simulated customer interaction. The computer readable medium includes a dialog code segment that provides a predetermined customer portion of a dialog segment from the simulated customer interaction to a trainee. The dialog segment includes the customer portion and at least one predetermined keyword associated with the customer portion. The computer readable medium further includes a response code segment, which receives a response to the customer portion from the trainee, and a determining code segment, which determines whether the response includes the at least one keyword.

Claims

1. An interactive training method based on a simulated customer interaction, the method comprising:

providing a predetermined customer portion of a dialog segment from the simulated customer interaction to a trainee via a graphical user interface, the dialog segment comprising the customer portion and at least one predetermined keyword associated with the customer portion;

receiving a response to the customer portion from the trainee via the graphical user interface; and

determining whether the response includes the at least one keyword.

2. The interactive training method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a second predetermined customer portion of the dialog segment to the trainee via the graphical user interface, the dialog segment further comprising a second predetermined keyword associated with the second customer portion;

receiving a second response to the second customer portion from the trainee via the graphical user interface; and

determining whether the second response includes the second keyword.

3. The interactive training method according to claim 1, in which providing the predetermined customer portion comprises playing at least a portion of an audio file at the graphical user interface.

4. The interactive training method according to claim 3, in which receiving the response to the customer portion comprises receiving and recording a verbal response from the trainee.

5. The interactive training method according to claim 1, further comprising:

recording the response as an audio file; and

playing the audio file in response to a request received from the graphical user interface.

6. The interactive training method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing instruction to the trainee via the graphical user interface based on at least the response to the customer portion.

7. The interactive training method according to claim 6, further comprising:

determining a level of instruction to provide to the trainee prior to providing the instruction, the level of instruction being based on at least a determination of performance by the trainee.

8. A computer readable medium for storing a computer program for interactive training based on a simulated customer interaction, the computer readable medium comprising:

a dialog code segment that provides a predetermined customer portion of a dialog segment from the simulated customer interaction to a trainee, the dialog segment comprising the customer portion and at least one predetermined keyword associated with the customer portion;

a response code segment that receives a response to the customer portion from the trainee; and

a determining code segment that determines whether the response includes the at least one keyword.

9. The computer readable medium according to claim 8, in which:

the dialog code segment provides a second predetermined customer portion of the dialog segment to the trainee, the dialog segment further comprising a second predetermined keyword associated with the second customer portion;

the response code segment receives a second response to the second customer portion from the trainee; and

the determining code segment determines whether the second response includes the second keyword.

10. The computer readable medium according to claim 8, further comprising:

a display code segment that displays a summary of performance of the trainee with respect to the simulated customer interaction.

11. The computer readable medium according to claim 8, in which the dialog code segment provides the predetermined customer portion by playing at least a portion of an audio file.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, in which the response code segment receives the response to the customer portion by receiving and storing a verbal response from the trainee.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 8, further comprising:

a recording code segment that records the response as an audio file; and

a playback code segment that plays the audio file in response to a request.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 8, further comprising:

a coaching code segment that provides instruction to the trainee based on at least the response to the customer portion.

15. The interactive training method according to claim 14, in which the coaching code segment comprises a determining code segment that determines a level of instruction to provide to the trainee prior to providing the instruction, the level of instruction being based on at least a determination of performance by the trainee.

16. A computer readable medium for storing a computer program that provides interactive training, the computer readable medium comprising:

a retrieving code segment that retrieves a previously stored, simulated customer interaction from a database, the simulated customer interaction comprising a plurality of dialog segments, each dialog segment comprising a customer portion and at least one keyword corresponding to the customer portion;

an executing code segment that executes the plurality of dialog segments by providing the customer portion of each dialog segment to the trainee via a trainee terminal and receiving a corresponding trainee response; and

a determining code segment that determines whether each trainee response includes the at least one keyword corresponding to the customer portion of each dialog segment.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising:

a coaching code segment that provides a predetermined level of instruction to the trainee when the determining code segment identifies an incorrect trainee response of at least one dialog segment that does not include the at least one keyword corresponding to the customer portion of the dialog segment.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, in which the coaching code segment further comprises a determining code segment that determines a level of instruction based on at least a number of times the trainee performed the simulated customer interaction.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising:

a display code segment that displays a summary of the trainee'"'"'s performance with respect to the simulated customer interaction at the trainee terminal, the summary comprising a number of trainee responses associated with the plurality of dialog segments that included the at least one keyword corresponding to each dialog segment.

20. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising:

an editing code segment that receives a change to a selected dialog segment of the plurality of dialog segments, the change comprising at least one of adding or deleting the at least one keyword.